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There’s a horn that sounds outside, followed by roaring laughter. The three of us look at each other with raised brows, wondering what could have made that odd noise.
It sounds again, and Vinshesa snaps, “I swear, Grunalda, if you honk that thing one more time, I’ll rip off your dress and have you show up naked.”
“Not sure why we had to wear dresses anyway. Not like we’re human.”
“Not a human thing. Just a special day,” Hannah chides. “And close your legs when you sit in a dress.”
“Why? My hoohah will get sweaty like that.”
And then Vinshesa gives a great gasp, just as we’re heading outside.
“What?” the other women inside the carriage ask, as she swings the double doors open.
“I just realized I want to ride with my man. I want my dress billowing in the wind when we arrive in Creede.”
“What the fuck? Like those romance novels? I do too,” Grunalda grumbles, stumbling out of the carriage following Vin. “Gorvan!”
Her mate never hesitates. Just swings out a beefy paw and pulls her onto the steed with him, then the horse prances about a bit in line.
Hisa, Negan and I climb in to find my mother, Hannah, and Bessica sitting across from each other. We sit down just as Hisa says, “And that would be why your father tested the carriage for three years.”
Hannah snickers... but it could be because Bessica is telling her that she’s staying inside the carriage, due to the fact that Terk’s hands will be up in her skirts the whole ride on the horse and that’s how she ended up pregnant so early in their mating.
Negan’s eyes are wide and I remember how my mother begged Oshin to let his daughter stay with us one summer. Negan doesn’t have a mom. One of the females in their clan got pregnant and gave the baby to Oshin, never looking back. He raised her as best he could, and realizing that maybe she needed some motherly influence, agreed to let her stay with us for a few weeks. But he couldn’t stand it and ended up returning to Solaya, setting up a tent on the property to watch his daughter prosper.
“When she stares at you like that, it usually means a memory’s happening,” Bessica says.
I tear my gaze away from Negan, aware they all stopped talking and are focused on me. “Sorry. Remembered the time your daddy let you stay with us.”
Everyone starts laughing. “For that entire week? Before he set up camp? And his tent grew closer and closer each day until Brachard finally grumbled that he needed to just come inside the gates? How old were they?” Hannah turns to my mom.
“Nine? Poor little Negan was just six.”
Then they tell me other stories, all the way to Creede. It distracts me from missing my Bakog.
WHEN THE CARRIAGE ARRIVES, my grandfather, King Brachard, stands tall at the gateway of Creede. Next to him stands my other grandfather, Lord Montierge of Serenity.
“’Tis are our beautiful females,” he bellows, loud enough for the crowd of gatherers to hear. We have some people from Serenity, some Southpeak orcs, a slew of Blackheart orcs. The carriage doors are opened by Frakil and the first one to walk out is Shalia’s mother, Joanna.
“Joanna, mate to my son’s first guard, Latsil.”
Latsil approaches the carriage to take Joanna’s hand and help her down.
“My first pronounced mating,” Brachard continues. “And very successful. Originally Joanna didn’t want brats and look at her now. She’ll be having number four this cold season. ‘Twas such a successful one, I immediately pronounced the mating of Bessica and Terk.”
Bessica steps down, and Terk is right there, taking her hand.
“So much strife in those days. Terk, Gorvan, and Kreele couldn’t remain single forever, either. I mated them off to the mouthiest females we had. Grunalda”—from where she sits on the horse with Gorvan, Grun waves— “Vinshesa and Bessica.” Vin is being pulled from the steed by Kreele, and she whoops as he swings her into his arms. Terk leaves his horse and goes to the carriage for his own mate.
I keep wondering when my mate will appear, but the next who pops out is my mom.
“Ahh, my original arranged marriage. My son and precious daughter, Lady Hannah.”
Lord Montierge snickers and whispers something to him. “Oh,” Brachard says. “I mean, she became my daughter after the human wedding.”
Everyone snickers.
My father, sensing my impatience, winks at me as he escorts my beautiful mother down the steps.
