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

Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

TRYST

M y wings hum with excitement as I lift into the air to careen playfully by my queen, her laughter sweet in my ears as her sheath that she has long informed me is called a kurti flattens against her legs and the squirrel fur wrapped snugly around her ruffles with the breeze. Bit by bit, my queen is regaining her spirit as we find new ways to join her old life with her new world, much of it by Havoc’s clever suggestion.

There was a carnival with a costume contest that had provided amusement, costumed children doing some sort of activity begging for treats along a decorated path set up through the park, and peaceful days flying among the brightly colored trees. There was a constant and odd need to dodge crows every time that we left our nest, but even that had become an entertaining challenge over time as they seemed to become a regular part of our environment.

I must hand it to Havoc, though, he has made good by his apology and his vow. I am seeing more and more of the male I remember—the male that I knew still dwelled deep within him. His eyes brighten with wicked humor as he scoops Ammayi into his arms to follow me as we zip with a pixie’s freedom through the skies.

“Where are we going today?” Ammayi shouts as my hive brother drops level with me.

I drop to the side, tangling my limbs with theirs as we spin together for a moment in the air until she is breathless with laughter before peeling away with chuckle. “Did you not say that you wish to enjoy the haunted house amusement?” I shout.

Her eyes widen with such delight that my heart lightens with pleasure. Way to go Havoc.

“How? Wouldn’t it be a little dangerous to fly recklessly through a dark, enclosed space? Especially one set up to do unexpected things to frighten people?”

“That is why we are not,” Havoc replies easily as he banks hard at my left, forcing me to turn in a wild spin to keep up with him. “We will be leisurely enjoying it in style.”

Ammayi casts me a questioning look but I grin cluelessly back at her, my shimmer fluttering flirtatiously for her. I am as much in the dark as she is, but I hear the pride in his voice, and I am just as excited. Of all the things I could have imagined, I am not prepared to see Inika and her mate standing just outside the entrance. At first, I think it is merely a coincidence, but Havoc goes directly to them with a pleased bounce to his flight. As usual, our light draws some attention of those passing by, but Inika smiles in welcome and I understand that she has been waiting for us. I also notice that she is also wearing a wide-brimmed hat that Havoc immediately drops down onto, his violet wings folding as he sets Ammayi on the stiff brim.

“Inika? What are you doing here?” Ammayi asks, her voice bright with curiosity. “You don’t usually enjoy things like this.”

The female shrugs casually but her nose wrinkles slightly as she turns toward the building in front of us. At that moment a loud moan echoes from inside that makes me frown at the building with misgiving. Perhaps I am not as enthusiastic about this as I thought I was. There was a reason that I was happy to not return to the Dark Forest with our mate. I can certainly empathize with Inika’s obvious reluctance.

“I’m not really a fan, getting little thrills out of someone trying to scare you isn’t really my thing, but you can thank Havoc. He wanted to make this happen and so when he earnestly approached Dishan, we couldn’t really say no. And besides, Dishan says he will protect me so maybe a few cheap thrills won’t be so bad,” she adds as she hugs her smiling mate’s arm to her. Her eyes suddenly lift toward the brim of her hat as they walk together towards the entrance. “Mummi said that you quit going to school.”

I drop beside Ammayi as she hesitates uncertainly, my hand coming around her waist in silent support as I nod encouragingly. She smiles her thanks and glances over to Havoc as well, instinctively seeking out his reassurance as well. A flutter of contentment deep within my chest brings a smile to my face as Havoc’s expression gentles and he squeezes her hand. His eyes slowly lift to mine, however, and I can feel the connection between us, even though the bond between Havoc and Ammayi is still only half-formed. It is like a circuit between us, the beginning of a fully formed connection between hive and queen. This is potent magic, however, and it settles within me in a sense of complete rightness as things settle between us exactly how I had always hoped they would and how they were meant to be.

“Oh. Um, yes.”

Inika hums softly to herself but smiles. “I hope you don’t have any other Halloween shocks for her. I know you always take pleasure in trying to scare us all at least once but I think one a year is about all she can handle, and this year has been a little extra special with all the surprises.”

“No. No other surprises,” Ammayi agrees with a wry laugh. “I’ve just been trying to get a handle on my new life, and you are right, what Mummi and Papa planned for me hasn’t been what I wanted for a long time. It was past time to make a change, especially since it wasn’t really going to work anymore.” She takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. “It was time to commit to the future that I want—the sort of future Havoc and Tryst have been showing me that I can have.”

“Good,” Inika replies. “Now that things have been made clear and you have devoted yourself fully to this life that you want with your… ah… mates, our parents can only be happy for you when they watch you grow and succeed.”

“Do you really think it is going to be that easy?” Doubt is heavy in Ammayi’s voice, making my heart constrict, but her sister laughs.

“Of course not, but it is a start. We all have to just learn as we go… right?”

“That it does,” Ammayi agrees as she exchanges a fond look with Havoc, and I resist the urge to laugh at the embarrassed smile that tugs at his lips. “Although, at times, we can definitely stumble along the way.”

Inika hums in agreement as her male pays for the tickets. “Stumbling is fine. We all fall sometimes, but when we have what we want even a little clearly in sight, it makes it all worthwhile.”

“Some of us just need a bit more of a push to see it than others,” I murmur for my family’s ears alone.

Havoc gives me a wry smile in response, but he does not object. Instead, his arms wrap around Ammayi’s waist, hugging her close as Inika steps inside the building, cleaving close to her mate’s side with a startled shriek as we are suddenly plunged into darkness.

Our shimmer brightens a little in natural response to the darkness, but Havoc and I keep it dampened as much as possible so as not to disturb the atmosphere. It seems doubly worth our effort when our queen drags Havoc with her as she leans into me until we are practically collapsed together in a heap. Her gasp of laughter in response to an eerie sound rises from the dark around us, however, makes me grin with unfettered excitement that only grows in proportion to the underlying instinct that rises the further we plunge into this haunted amusement.

My wings flick and stiffen with delighted shock and climbing thrill as costumed humans emerge unexpectedly with terrible sounds and chilling effects. They prowl through the darkness as if they are denizens of the Dark Forest come to haunt us, their smiles leering and their hands reaching for us. Ammayi shrieks with startled laughter as they rise over us, her shout joining Inika’s as her sister ducks into her mate’s embrace, nearly dislodging us entirely from her hat in the process. Thankfully, pixies have quick reflexes and cling quite tenaciously to almost anything, so we are able to avoid disaster as Havoc and I effortlessly anchor Ammayi in place as she howls with merriment.

“Oh, sorry!” Inika whispers as she attempts to smother her laughter. “I didn’t mean to nearly send you flying.”

“No, no,” Ammayi assures her as she practically bounces against my hive-brother in her enthusiasm. “This is great!”

Havoc chuckles at her delight though he keeps his body pressed tightly against hers so that there is not a chance of her being dislodged at his side. Ammayi does not object to being held so tightly at his side, or that she must suffer the same from me. Instead, she relaxes into us, randomly ducking her head into his side or mine when some horror bursts toward us. With my free hand, I entwine my fingers with Havoc’s, connecting us even more firmly together with Ammayi firmly between us as we continue along the dark path through the building perched on Inika’s hat.

Every step forward brings a new horror and yet seems to bring us even closer together. It occurs to me as Inika and Dishan wind through the haunted amusement that there will be many moments like this to be cherished in the future. While we have been busy showing our queen her new world, there are nearly just as many new adventures that we have been introduced to, and new things to explore. Truth be told, with Ammayi and Havoc by my side I cannot hardly wait to begin if there are to be more days just like this with my family gathered close to me in the midst of a new thrill discovered.