59. Pant-ups

“Well, that’s all for today.”

The moment Keon utters those words I’m out of my seat, flying towards the door ignoring all the startled shouts in my wake.

I screech to stop before a baffled Keon, who is still putting his tab down. Should I say something? I feel like I should say something.

“Adios,” I squeak giving the poor man a finger salute.

His face transforms like his fighting a laugh or a cringe, but I’m too embarrassed to wait around and see.

I dash out the door and slam into the dean like a little tornado, sending both of us to the gleaming marble floors.

“Mahi, what’s …”

I jump off him kneeing his kidneys in the process; sorry dad, and with a muttered apology I zoom across the quad towards the library, opting to marinate in shame where no one would find me.

I was tired of all the drama in this place, a girl needed some peace and quiet, and her emotional support system.

With that last thought, I tap the pendant Nona Ellie gave me that helped me communicate with the pixies. A second later, Aodhan’ s face projects from the blue jewel and he stares at me curiously.

“Hi Aodhan,” I so had to get him a nickname, his name was a mouthful and I always managed to butcher it if his winces were any indication.

“Hello princess, how can we be of service.”

I ignore the title and moved on, “Are you guys with Blue?”

He nods, somehow making it look regal.

“Alone?”

I get an eyebrow raise but he answers me all the same.

“Yes, the heirs left for class.”

“Great, could you guys come find me in the library, thanks.”

Clasping the thing shut I hurry into the cafeteria.

Ignoring the enticing display of food, I hurry into the library above the cafeteria heading straight for the hidden alcove I had discovered at the back.

Sinking into the cushy seat, I take a deep breath letting it out slowly. “You’re a colossal mess aren’t you Mahi?” I mutter to myself.

All the events from this morning flash in my head and I cringe.

A thump pulls me from my thoughts and I glance at the bottle of some kind of juice next to me on the seat.

That’s for you, thank you for the very entertaining morning.

“Thank you Dru.”

The lights above me tinkle in response. I open the bottle and gulp own half of the sweet nectar. Wow! I so didn’t want to know what I just drank, but damn was it refreshing.

“So, you saw all that,” I ask after taking a deep breath.

Every single thing.

I slump back into the chair groaning, “What do I do?”

Well, accept it and take them as they come. Quite frankly you could do a lot worse; the men are nice, though I’m not sold on the high king, he’s a little unhinged.

“Hhigh king?” I blurt.

Ooppsss.

“Who’s the…”

Oh, great the colourful boy is here.

Scowling I stare up at the lights willing the damn magical entity to answer me when Blue barrels around the corner.

“Mama!”

A hissed shush sounds but that doesn’t deter my boy as he launches himself way too far from me squealing in delight.

“Knox!”

“Blue!”

Oh shit!

Oh, my fates, I jump from the chair willing myself to reach him before he went splat.

He lands in my arms and I wince as my knees slam into the floor, he chuckles oblivious to the heart attacks he’d just spread around.

An average-sized Aodhan bends clutching his heart still wheezing. The pixies had all transformed to regular fae sizes in an effort to catch my son, an effort that had me glad Blue had them when I was occupied, even Arieen.

Still huffing, Aodhan turns to the girls, “We are never having one of those ever!” he declares eyes wide.

I giggle tucking Blue close to me as I move to stand. Everyone said that, but a panting pixie declaring that so passionately seemed so funny.

I was still chuckling as I fussed over Blue trying to clear some gunk from his eyes when Aodhan’ s words clicked.

“Wait what?

I stare at the now grinning pixies, brain going into overdrive trying to understand his words.

“I told you guys it was a good idea to wait till she figured it out, didn’t I?” Arieen says smug.

A smirking Aodhan looks down fondly at the Blue pixie with a self-satisfied look on her face, “Right you are little flower, her reaction was worth it.”

Mind-blown, I’m literally gawking at them struggling to fathom what the hell I was seeing.

“What, the idea of me having a mate let alone two is that baffling?” Ari asks hands on her hips.

“Shut it Smurfette, that’s not why I’m shocked.”

“That makes no sense, she’s a blonde, try harder.”

I go to snap back when Enid steps forward calm as ever, “Ignore her, she’s still growing.”

That wouldn’t have been funny if she hadn’t been twirling a finger around her temple eyes twinkling.

Ari screeches in chagrin jumping against Aodhan’ s firm hold trying to reach a smiling Enid, earning us another shush sounds while Blue dissolves in giggles tucking himself farther into me.

I cradle him closer leaning in to sniff him, which is not weird I assure you, everyone likes sniffing kids, if you don’t, get checked.

Aodhan moves to another seat dragging Ari with him as he talks her down. Enid just shakes her head, reverting back to her palm-sized self and moving to settle on my shoulder.

“So why are you hiding out in the library?” Ari asks a smirk on her face.

Bitch.

“I’m not hiding, I just needed a breather from everything and I wanted snuggles from my little boy.”

“Exactly, hiding,” Enid the traitor pipes up from my shoulder, and I fight the urge to swat her away.

Cool it Mahi, she likes plants and looks like Tefiti, she’s cool.

“Let her be, dealing with four mates can’t be easy.”

“Right on Aid,” I reply trying out my newly thought-out nickname, before what he had said registers.

“Wait, what four mates, I’m only aware of two…well three if you include Casper, which I’m totally not.”

“Yeah sure, you totally don’t want him to be your mate.”

I was going to skin the blue tinker bell.

“Daddy K,” Blue suddenly pipes up from my chest where he had smushed his face.

“Yes, I counted him, and who the hell told you to call them that.”

“Bad word,” he growls, yeah, growls, lifting his face, to glare at me, it was so cute.

“Shit,” I stare at him ovaries exploding, I totally didn’t want another, nope.

“Drop and give me twenty princesses,” he snarks imitating Andrei or trying to.

And ovaries back to normal.

“I’m never letting those idiots babysit, they are a bad influence,” I mutter frustrated.

“They didn’t teach me, Dru did, said to call them daddies since they will be someday,” Blue answers confidently.

“No, no, Dru is clearly fucking trippy don’t call them daddy,” I counter on the verge of losing it.

“That’s not what she said,” Ari pipes up from where she’s writhing trying to suppress her mirth.

“But I want daddies,” Blue says and cue pout, I stare in disbelief as the boy dredges up tears on command and lets out a whimper.

“Ugh, fucking fine, put that face away you manipulator, you can call them whatever you want.”

His whole face transforms lights up, only for him to scowl a second later as if realising something, “That’s 60 pant-ups, mama.”

Ari losses it her mates joining.

“Push-ups baby, they are called push-ups,” I correct resigned.

“How in the hell did I think hiding away with you would help me relax?” I grumble.

“That’s eighty,” Aid pipes up in between guffaws.

“Oh, shut it, Terrence.” I retort.

He raises an eyebrow at me, “Real mature.”

“What, I’ve watched about a million animations, they are the only references in my head.”

“No wonder you can’t talk to your mates properly,” snarks Ari.

I lift my middle finger rubbing it on my nose purposefully. I was going to drown her when no one was around. They were like the annoying siblings I never wanted but suddenly got saddled with.

I ignore her answering vulgar gesture turning to Blue who had moved to biting me, which was a nervous habit of his. I normally didn’t mind, but the little fucker was growing rapidly and his bite was a lot stronger, it didn’t help that he was holding on with everything he got.

“Blue, what’s wrong,” I ask pulling his face from my neck, which was a feat since he’d buried his sharp little teeth deep.

“Nothing, I just missed you, don’t go away again.” he whispers staring up at me.

My heart breaks and heals at the same time. This was why he was my emotional support system.

“Nothing will take me away from you again baby,” I say stroking his hair.

“Promise?”

My throat clogs up from the vulnerability in those words so I just nod vigorously hoping to shake my threatening tears back in.

Little did I know how the promise would be tested in a few hours.