The Pixies’ Chosen (Mated to the Monster: Season 2)

Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

HAVOC

T he world is against me. Even Tryst, who I have loved and cherished above all others, has sided against me—and for what?

I growl privately to myself and glance over at him as we work to cut the long lengths of straw. He is ignoring me now, his dark wings fluttering like a shimmering shadow behind the black stream of his hair. Tryst always was a most beautiful male, and a creative source of beauty too, as the colony’s best singer and musician. Although he was not chosen during any of the mating flights, the young queens never failed to gather around him to fawn over him as he sang or played his flute. But in the hollow of our nest, when night fell over the forest, he was always mine. I never once worried that he would abandon me. He may have glanced at me with expressions of annoyance or exasperation, but it was never more than that. Even when our embraces grew fewer as I seethed with bitterness and refused to chase after the queens anymore, he never turned me away.

It is extremely disconcerting that he growls and rebuffs me now. Even as we gather supplies, he maintains a careful distance, his flirtatious nature dimming into an unnatural coldness. My eyes follow him as I cut more straw, my lips turning down when he does not so much as glance my way as he works.

This is her fault. That much is evident. Not only is she getting between me and Tryst but she will be doing so in a very real way as I suspect that he will also demand that she sleep between us. We had always talked of the day that we would have our mate between us, her small body wrapped in our loving care while we exchange gentle touches as we hold her. But that female is not what we have, and I do not understand why Tryst does not see that. Instead, he has latched onto her stubbornly, even going as far as defying me and ordering me around when he has always followed my lead before.

A frustrated growl escapes me, and the straw releases its musky fragrance as I crush it in my hand out of a rush of anger. I should simply do this whole situation a favor and murder the female, and the Tryst and I can go back like this never happened and?—

“What are you doing?” Tryst scowls at me from the top of a husk of a sunflower he has dropped onto and is currently standing on, its few remaining golden petals curled in on themselves and clinging with a remarkable resilience.

I shrug as I swoop down to shear off another long rope of straw. I think it is quite obvious. “Doing exactly what you demanded,” I retort as I look up and nearly drop my load at the sight of the grotesquely grinning face looming overhead.

Its lumpy shape is not only horrifyingly unnatural but its face and neck are also pierced through with blades of straw that makes my stomach churn sickly even as the hollow pit of its eyes seem to pierce right through me. I swear my heart stops beneath that chilling gaze as I give a shout of warning.

“Tryst, escape from here! Now!” I bellow as my wings flutter wildly.

It is not enough to escape falling from the air. I realize that even as I drop and tumble hopelessly. It is only by some miracle that I manage to regain control of my wings before hitting the ground. It barely catch myself so that I am able to touch down and curl protectively into myself with my wings flattened to minimize damage and make myself as invisible as possible. I freeze there, for once grateful for my dark wings that help me blend into the darker shadows on the ground more successfully. I am barely daring to breathe as my mind frantically wonders if my nest brother made it to safety. That is, until scornful laughter falls upon me from above.

I look up and find Tryst just above me, crouched upon the head of the creature, his deep blue wings splayed widely behind him as he grins down at me, his amusement dancing along our bond.

“Tryst,” I warn softly as I move my hand, gesturing for him to come down before the creature notices him there.

He shakes his head in amusement and raps a fist on its head. His hand makes a dull thumping sound, but the creature doesn’t react. I stare for a long moment, my brows drawing downward as I slowly straighten.

“It is not real, Havoc,” he scoffs. “If you had been paying attention at all at Ammayi’s home, you would have noticed that it is full of things such as this. They are merely decorations for their holiday. This one, as it happens, is just sitting here a short distance away from similar decorations going up to the human dwelling over there.”

He nods to the left, and I rise into the air to peer in that direction. Sure enough, there are other such creatures are supported by large collections of straw, and some dangle from sticks where they are hoisted among numerous lit-up faces leering out of carved pumpkins… and these are not the least of it as grim forms stand in front of the house, reaching with clawed hands to pluck up anything that they may see to devour. It is as if they come from the deepest part of the Dark Forest.

“None of it is real,” Tryst continues in a voice flat with boredom. “This is just how these humans celebrate their Halloween traditions at this time of the year. Which you would have known if you had been the least bit attentive to our queen.”

I… see. I concede that perhaps I should have paid a little more attention to Ammayi’s dwelling. I scowl at the source of embarrassment and level a kick at its head that barely jostles it. More than that, I am infuriated that he is showing me where his loyalties lie—and it is not with me.

“Why would I? She is—” I protest and falter as my ever-gentle Tryst’s expression grows exceptionally dark.

“She is what?” Tryst growls, and my wings flare slightly in surprise at the aggression in his voice. “What exactly is wrong with Ammayi? And you who was always snubbed and undesired by every else but me in the colony—who are you now that you demand the best that you set eyes upon while being completely ignorant of the fact that you have been given the best and are even now working hard to drive her away for a female who will never be yours? We have Ammayi—she is our queen!”

“No, she is not. She is not our queen until we actually mate her,” I inform him coolly as I rise into the air beside him with a hum of my wings. “And I have no intention of doing so.”

A dark look comes over Tryst’s beautiful face. “Still?”

I shrug and ignore the rapid, nervous beat of my heart in my chest. It warns me that I may be making a mistake—and I am fearful that is the case—but I refuse to simply give in and make a mockery of my pride, so I resolutely push it aside.

“It could still be reversible… and when that happens, we can correct this and have the female we were meant to have,” I mutter halfheartedly, but deep in my gut I know that he is right. And the truth is a painful blow I cannot accept.

“No,” Tryst murmurs just before releasing a long sigh. “She has already chosen her mate. You refused to see it, but it was there right in front of you. It was plain to anyone with eyes but you. And yet the thing that I wish most desperately to have never seen was the look in our mate’s eyes when you fluttered so eagerly around her sister.” He pauses. “Do not make it worse by forgetting the straw. We still have time to weave a bed before nightfall if you can manage to cease being selfish for one moment.” With one last disdainful look, he hops into the air, his wings humming as he flies away, leaving me behind.

My wings slowly droop as I stare into the distance, my mind replaying every glimpse of Inika. The way she laughed with her relatives. The way she smiled and the flush of pleasure on her cheeks. My stomach drops bitterly. In every one of those memories, that human male was there. In each of those memories, she touched him in some small way or responded to what he said or did. And yet I had danced around her, shimmering for her without realizing that she barely glanced my way.

I am a fool. And yet having to accept the female that fate shoved at me is a bitter pill that I do not wish to accept. She is a punishment for my arrogance, I am certain of that now. But I am equally as certain that I will never be able to accept her for my mate knowing this.

All I can do is help Tryst teach her to survive and then hope I can free him from her grasp and back to our own nest where he belongs. He is just confused right now because his basic biology is telling him something contrary to what is right. I will find a way to extricate him from this situation and we will return with no mate, but there could be other seasons for us. I will vow to him to participate in the courting dances. I will do whatever it takes to put this nightmare behind us.