Page 61 of The Hunger
“Yes, it’s Eliana. She just found out that she’s Fenris’s mate.”
There was no response from Piepen, and I felt a little sorry for the poor guy. But maybe it was better he found out this way. Well, better for me.
“I’m so freaking excited and happy for you,” Megan said.
“I couldn’t tell.”
“Yes, I knew, smarty-pants. I’ve been dying to tell you since the moment he walked into the kitchen and gave me a hug to calm me down because you called him. Give me an hour then come over for breakfast. Both of you. I want to see Team Eliris in action.”
“Sorry. We already made plans to go to school.”
“Then come by afterward.”
“I’ll talk to him about it. Where are you?”
“Out at the marshes. Yesterday’s talk with Lander was enlightening. Did you know that the Council believes brownies are the Mantirum world’s equivalent of mosquitoes? Lander tried to back that view and their treatment of the brownies by pointing out that no one in the human world was fighting for mosquito rights. I helpfully showed him several search results that showed he was wrong then asked him to carefully reconsider how he viewed brownies, a sentient species that could well reveal the existence of all magical creatures if they, say, chose to leave the protection of Uttira because they’re starving here.”
“Ooh. Good play.”
“I thought so, too. And so did Lander. He promised to bring it to the Council's attention, and he ordered some fresh produce that I’m delivering. He offered to have someone else do it, but I wanted to talk to the brownie leaders about their stance on infant wing-selling.”
“How’s that going over?”
“Like shit, as you can imagine.”
“Do you want me to come help you?”
“Nah. You go to school and have fun with your new boy toy. I’ll tell you how it goes when you come over for dinner tonight.”
“That’s extortion.”
“Yep. Get used to it. I’m probably going to do it again to go dancing afterward, too. I want to do all the couple things. Plus, I want to check out Club Blayz. Pack a dress. I’ll see you after school.”
After hanging up with Megan, I went to the closet to pick out my clothes and called Mom.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. I loved her so much for her worry.
“It’s better than okay. Fenris spent the night with me. We didn’t have sex. Please let Dad know that we’re waiting.”
“Baby, don’t worry about that. Your father and I want you to be happy and healthy.”
“I think I’m both. I fed in my sleep. A lot. That’s part of why I wanted to call you. I know I haven’t been eating enough, but should I be feeling hungry even when I can feel I’m full?”
“With the right partner, yes. My hunger for your father is endless.”
I made a face and chose not to comment on that last bit of information.
“Can I overeat? I remember Adira saying something about you eating more than usual.”
“No, baby. We can’t overeat. Sexual energy is so different from human food. Yes, it nourishes us, but it also fuels us in a completely different way. Humans need to go to the gym to increase their strength. We feed. However, like humans, we have a natural limit to our gifts, so feeding won’t increase our abilities infinitely.”
“I wouldn’t mind being stronger. Or warmer.”
“You’ll be both and so much more when you’re well-fed. Don’t worry about overeating. Eat as often as you’d like.”
“But three feedings a day is normal?”
“For some. But don’t compare yourself to others. Listen to yourself. Recognize when you’re hungry, and eat. Okay?”
