Patchwork pixie, p.10
Patchwork Pixie, page 10
He looked up at the control room and made a hand gesture. The music started, and they did the courtship dance, including the lift where she was balanced belly down on both palms.
By the time they finished playing, it was time for the others to join them, and the rehearsals started again. All noticed the smile on Ruby’s face. The fact that Rayden was holding her hand, waist, or back was noticed as well.
The coach was smiling. “Ruby, when did you learn lifts?”
“Just now. Fun and terrifying.” She chuckled. “He wanted to try it, so we did.”
“You always refused partners.”
“Yeah, well, I thought I would be able to leave the city until half a dozen pasty Elite were waiting for me at the city limits before finals, so you have to adapt to the situation you are in.” She smiled and leaned against Rayden. His hand curved around her waist and splayed out under her sweatshirt.
The coach frowned.
Ruby started to laugh. Rayden asked, “What’s funny?”
“He’s trying to figure out how to get your character and my character to do that.”
“Ah.”
“It won’t work. We don’t even meet on the ice.” She grinned. “I don’t interact with any of the trolls until the final sequence.”
She looked at the coach and slowly shook her head.
Steffi cleared her throat. “I would be willing to try it.”
Rayden shook his head. “We are a bonded pair. I can feel the flicker when she gets nervous. With you, I would probably drop you.”
Steffi blinked. “Bonded... you two are mates?”
The entire production was staring at them. Ruby blushed but nodded. “Yes. He’s one of them.”
Steffi blinked. “You have more than one?”
The other dark Elite grinned. “Two males to one female is traditional. It keeps her safe.”
Ruby snorted. “Right, enough discussion of my personal life.”
The coach sighed. “Right. Pixies, I have colour bands today, so put them on so I am paying attention to who you are. The masochist who designed this was very specific.”
Ruby grinned, got her pink wrappings for her wrists, and got ready for her cue. This was the fun part.
Chapter Eight
Ruby sat and kicked her feet, waiting for Rayden to untie her skates. He knelt in front of her, and the other dark Elite grinned. He said, “Never thought I would see Rayden on his knees.”
She shrugged. “Get used to it.”
Rayden laughed as he took off her skates. “I don’t want her laces untying.”
The other guy grinned. “That would do it.”
He slipped her feet free and helped her on with her shoes. The skates were dried and then placed in guards in her bag.
She reached for the bag, and he shook his head. “I am keeping it for you so that it doesn’t take up space in that tiny car of yours.”
Ruby sighed. “Fine. Now, dropping me at work?”
“First, straighten out your pay, but I am coming with you. I know how hard it is to defy an old acquaintance.”
She paused but then nodded. “Right. Actually, thanks. I have been trying to get it through to him, but he always just says that if the information hasn’t changed, he isn’t going to check it. He hates unnecessary paperwork. It gives him a headache.”
They walked to his truck, and then they were on the way.
As they headed to the candy shop, he asked, “How did the shop come to belong to the pack?”
“It was bought for Leon so that he could have something that represented his favourite thing... candy.” She chuckled. “He wanted it so that I would have a higher status part-time job rather than working in a fast-food place.”
“And you got no money from it.”
“Yeah, but he thought I was, so he was happy, and he had already gone up against his family to keep me here. I owe Leon my survival. I owe skating my sanity.” She smiled.
“We are delighted you have kept sane.”
“As am I.” She smiled.
He reached out and held her hand as they drove to the shop.
When they got there, he said, “Unless they change the payment immediately, please don’t start work. I would love to take you to a second breakfast.”
“So, you are hoping that he fusses.”
“Absolutely. Why didn’t you fight it earlier?”
“I didn’t want to upset Uncle Leon. It was tense in the house when I arrived, and he had to put himself between me and his alphas at times. I don’t want him hurt because one of his sons hates me.”
“I think emotions got confused when you arrived, and no one bothered to get to the bottom of things.”
“Yeah, but I had to go somewhere, and hiding in a pack was the only place my mother could think of, and she had to think fast.”
“I would like to meet her one day.”
“She and my dad are great, but Emmy and I look like her. That is why I got help from Leon. I look like his little sister.”
He squeezed her hand again, and a few minutes later, they were pulling up in the parking lot. She breathed in, and when he helped her out of the truck, she tilted her head up to smile at him, and his breath caught.
“Don’t look at me like that quite yet.”
She grinned. “Still want to learn to make candy tomorrow?”
“If this goes well, absolutely. If not, you can teach me at Marshall’s place. We can make a mess.”
The thought made her giggle. They walked to the employee entrance, hand in hand, and when they entered the subdued bustle, Mark was there. “Ruby! Where have you been? I texted you to come early.”
“I need to speak to you in your office. Oh, Mark, this is one of my mates. Rayden, Mark.”
“But you and Tanner were just engaged.”
“And now he’s in jail for felonious assault, and I am here.” She looked to Rayden. “He doesn’t actually listen.”
Mark blinked and focused. “Felonious assault?”
“And sexual assault, but that isn’t my case. Your office? Now?”
Mark turned, and they walked back to the office, which was shockingly tidy.
She sat, and Rayden stood behind her.
Mark sat. “What is this about?”
“You know that thing you think is a joke about me getting paid? I would like to get paid for my work, please.”
“But we are using the same account that we have for nearly a decade.”
“It was the wrong account then, and it is the wrong account now. It is the same as mine except for the last three digits, which is right because my cousin and I have the same bank.”
Mark paused. “He didn’t fix it?”
“Would I be here if he had? Dane has been getting my pay from here for the last eight years. His excuse to me was that I was pulling so much from his family, I should pay back.” She shrugged. “My immediate needs were covered, so I found other ways to make money so no one would be shocked I didn’t have spending money.”
Rayden sighed, “So, you hid it.”
“I had to. Dane kept threatening to throw me out of the house or drive me out of the city when Uncle Leon wasn’t there.”
Mark frowned, and then his eyes widened. “Oh, shit. He was learning about paperwork during his business degree.”
Rayden said, “If she isn’t getting paid, she isn’t working.”
Mark blinked. “Right. I will get the payroll company on the phone and find out what needs to be done.”
She sat there with Rayden massaging her shoulders while Mark explained what needed to be done to the people at the payroll centre. He went into the system, and she slid her information in front of him.
He set the correction and got the confirmation from the company via email. They still had to get a signed change to her account, but Mark had already slid over the form. She filled it out but paused when it came to the address part.
Rayden leaned down and filled in the address and mailing code. He kissed her temple and stood straight, his hands resting on her shoulders.
Mark finished confirming with the payroll company and then ended the call. “There we go.”
“Thanks. I am bringing Rayden in tomorrow for display purposes. Today, I need a fucking day off.”
Mark looked stricken. “What?”
“I have been trying to get you to change that for over eight years, but because I brought backup in, you were now willing to make changes.” She looked at him. “So, you have a day during the busiest season to not have me on deck. Think about listening next time, and don’t listen to Dane. He hates my guts.”
She stood up and looked at Rayden. “Second breakfast?”
He lifted a hand to her lips. “Second breakfast.”
Mark was spluttering when they left his office. By the time they reached Rayden’s truck, her phone was ringing.
“Hello?” She put it on speaker.
“Cousin, don’t hang up.” Dane’s voice was low and serious.
“What do you want?”
“I need to speak with you. It’s urgent.”
Rayden smiled slightly and nodded while he texted. He pointed to the phone and then gave a thumbs-up.
“Fine. Where do you want to meet?”
“The pack house.”
“No. Pick again. I am not freaking out Uncle Leon more than necessary. I am gathering that this is urgent because of Sunday’s family meeting.”
“No. Yes. Look, I need to talk to you.”
She said, “Pick a restaurant. Or maybe I will.”
Rayden whispered in her ear, and she repeated the location.
“Fine. I am on my way.”
“So am I.” She hung up.
Rayden smiled. “You didn’t tell him you had company.”
“He’s not the boss of me. Thanks for that, by the way.”
Rayden set her in the passenger seat. “I promise you can pay me back at a much later date.”
“How? It’s kind of a big deal.”
“So is letting me be with you first during your second heat.” He closed her door, and she buckled up.
She looked at him and asked. “So, calling dibs is a big deal?”
“No, having you reach for me is a very big deal.”
He got settled, and they were on their way. She smiled as they drove the ten blocks and parked again.
She laughed and smiled. “You make a charming chauffer.”
She unbuckled, and he got out and walked around to open her door. They entered the restaurant, and she saw Dane arriving in the lot. Marshall was right behind him.
She told the hostess that they had three alphas and a beta at the table so that they would be at a six-top. Dane came through the doors, and Ruby smiled. “Hey, cuz. We are just waiting for a table.”
Marshall came in, and she walked to him and took his hand with hers. She winked, and he leaned in to kiss her softly.
He smiled warmly and walked back with her to Dane.
She was cheerful. “Dane, these are my mates, Marshall and Rayden. Guys, this is my cousin Dane.”
“I thought this would be just us, Ruby.” Dane looked disappointed.
“No, I have tried that before, and it got me pushed down some stairs. I am never facing you without backup again.” She spoke softly.
He flushed and paled. “I...”
The hostess smiled. “Right this way.”
Dane quickly followed, and they were seated at a long table that looked like it could seat eight. Marshall held her chair, and when Rayden removed her jacket, she sat.
Dane looked uncertain.
She ordered some coffee when the server came by and looked at the menu. The tower of waffles covered with fruit and whipped cream looked delightful.
Marshall chuckled. “I thought you got enough at breakfast.”
“Yeah, but practice was particularly brutal. Someone kept trying to dangle me over the ice even though our characters don’t meet.”
Rayden shrugged with an innocent expression. “It’s a lot of fun, and she trusts me.”
She blushed and sipped her coffee. She looked to Dane. “Right. Why did you want to meet?”
Dane swallowed. “Look, I know that I haven’t always been friendly toward you—”
“Never. You have never been friendly toward the child sent to your home so that she could survive.” She batted her lashes and smiled at him.
“Uh, you seem... different.”
“I had a block placed on my mind by the Elite when they first interviewed me. I was too bitey for their liking, so they locked my mind to obey those in authority over me. You know. Uncles, older cousins, babysitters, bosses.”
He blinked. “The Elite did that to you? Why?”
She shrugged and went full pearl with glowing eyes and thick, long hair. “Why? Why would that be? Why would I need to hide so they didn’t stunt me into a pale beta? Wait... I think I know. I am an Elite omega, jackass.” She sipped at her coffee.
“I didn’t know Tanner would do that to you. Dad explained a bit of what happened.”
“You knew he was obsessive and controlling and that I was ridiculously passive. You probably thought it was hilarious that he would beat me down and keep me there.”
He winced. “I never thought it went that far. He was shockingly happy with you, and my company benefited from the introduction.”
“Right. I am also going to pay for an audit of the candy company to find out how much you stole from me.”
He swallowed. “What is your guess?”
“Somewhere between sixty and eighty-five thousand dollars, between summer and holiday work.”
“Why didn’t you fix that?”
“I tried. Mark didn’t believe you had changed it. You are such a nice and responsible person, after all.”
“Dad told me you wouldn’t work there if I owned it, so he scrapped the transfer paperwork.”
She smiled at the dazed server and ordered her waffles. Rayden ordered something with a lot of protein, and Marshall got a fruit-filled crepe.
Dane paused, and Ruby ordered, “He will have the short stack, eggs, and bacon. Warmed syrup on the side.”
Dane blinked. “How do you know that?”
“That’s what you always have, cousin.”
He nodded to the server, and the relieved woman left.
Dane looked at her. “She didn’t see you.”
“She did. She just thinks I am a pretty woman sitting with three alphas. It’s what I want her to see, so that is what she sees.” She looked at Rayden. “Watch the hand, Rayden.”
He chucked and squeezed her thigh, patting it before placing his hand on the table.
Dane sighed. “I am sorry. All right? I am sorry for the way I treated you.”
“Is that when I arrived? Or after?”
“The whole thing. Papa hauled me over and sat me and Dad down and explained exactly why he was so happy to have you after my sister died. He needed to take action and care for someone because the whole pack was treating him like glass. You just plowed in and hugged him, holding tight, and when he needed someone, you were the one he held. Not me, not Dad. He held you. Why?”
She snorted and lifted her phone, scrolling through the photos and bringing one up to show him. “This was Uncle Leon and my mother.”
His jaw dropped. “That’s... she’s... you look just like her.”
“Uncle Leon loves his sister, he misses her, so he would talk to her on the phone, and then he would hug me and ask me about my day the same way he had asked her when they were kids.”
Marshall asked, “Can I see?”
“Sure.” She handed him the phone, and he looked at the picture of Leon holding his ten-year-old sister. “It was right after he came home after his first heat for his final visit with them. He always said I looked just like my mom, so us three became a consortium of sorts.”
Dane sat back. “I always thought it was because of the mourning.”
“And like many worried alphas, you didn’t ask him.”
The food arrived, and she wobbled in her chair when the waffles and strawberries were set in front of her.
She dove into the pile of waffles and whipped cream. It was gone far too soon, and then she looked at Marshall’s untouched crepe and bit her lip.
He smirked, slid her plate out of the way, and put the crepe in front of her.
Dane blinked while eating his pancakes. “Why didn’t you get pregnant with Tanner?”
“Well, no one but a male omega could get pregnant the way he was doing it.” She snorted and kept working on the crepe. “And, of course, the birth control. All the birth control. I wasn’t going to spawn anything for that bastard. Now these poor guys are stuck waiting until I can safely come off the meds. I am pretty useless as an omega thanks to that. Well, Beth will get some revenge, so that’s something.”
“Did he know about...” Dane gestured to her appearance.
“Of course not. But now that my mates are with me, it is safe to be myself again.”
“I have never seen you like that at the pack house.”
“It wasn’t safe for me there.” She gave him a long look. “It has never been safe for me there. The fact that I feel safest in a place that I don’t even know the address to is telling.”
Marshall refilled her coffee. Rayden rubbed her shoulder.
Dane frowned.
Rayden said casually, “Imagine if your mate had been hunted for decades and was exhausted and abused. Think about what you would be feeling when you finally found her.”
Dane suddenly looked nervous. “I would probably be a little on the overprotective side and not tolerate any insult.”
Marshall nodded. “Very good. And as her efforts to protect herself have rendered her unable to enjoy us quite yet, we are rather eager to beat any interlopers to a pulp. We have to do something with that extra energy.”
Ruby squeezed Rayden’s hand. “Was that what the lifts were about?”
He nodded. “Any reason to hold you.”
Dane looked at them. “So, you haven’t...”
Ruby looked at him as if he were an idiot. “I have a strong drive and four types of birth control ripping through my bloodstream. I don’t have one stray hormone that isn’t locked down. So not only was Tanner rough, but he was going after a body that had zero interest in him. Now... imagine how that felt on the receiving end.”
