Page 40 of The Accidental Omega
“Come, wedari,” Zallan calls, near the front door. When I get to him, he drops to his knees, holding soft, soled slippers. I can see they have a thick bottom and the uppers seem to be made ofsome kind of animal hair, like wool. It sparks a question in my mind.
But Zallan gently lifts first one, then the other foot of mine, to guide the shoe on, his huge blue hands wrapping easily around my calf, but inordinately gentle.
As he stands, I feel silly, nude as the day I was born but for my new shoe-slippers.
Ry walks up to me and I smile at the soft look on his face.
“Arms up, Elizabeth,” he says.
“Libby,” I correct.
Nara crows from the kitchen where he is finishing cleaning, “Her friends call her that!”
Zallan purrs as Ryson pulls a pretty purple garment over my head. He leans in, once it’s on and rubs our noses together again. “Really?” He asks in a whisper, eyes searching mine.
I nod, a silly half-smile on my face as I look down. I’m in the softest material I’ve ever been in. It’s stretchy and floor-length, with a classic square neckline and the dress hugs my waist before flaring out, comfortable and twirly.
“A dress. Alovelyone,” I say, grinning. “Thank you! So, where are we going?”
Chapter Fifteen
Nara
When our omega sees our town square, she is surprised.
A tiny gasp comes out of her gorgeous pink lips as we come around the corner of the path to the clearing that is the Setias town square.
She looks incredible in that rich purple shade that I had chosen for her, and the end of the dress swinging over the ground, her shoo-ez peeking out as she strides, comfortable in the forest.
The town square is ringed by various community buildings in the reddish lumber of the Glohas trees that we felled to make the clearing. One is a kitchen and dining space, one is a community hall for events and dances and things, one is the group office and work space, and the last is the refinery for our Glohas sweetener operation.
Between the buildings, ropes run, with colored triangles of fabric interspersed with ebret bulbs. An uslaquin vine runs up several, adding tiny blue leaves along the twine.
Several large tables are set up under tents. Various members of our community bring extra supplies to trade or “sell” for tokens. Grains, edible fruits, foraged fungus and nuts, carved or built furniture, preserved foods, clothing, all manner of things that folks might create or gather.
Elizabeth looks excited, happy and she reaches out and grips my hand, interlacing our fingers.
I look down at our hands, stymied, but leave her touch.
“Much is simply shared, while things that are more time-intensive are traded for leelus, tokens for favors owed or given,” Wells explains to our little human.
“Libby,” I grin, saying her shortened name, “What isthis?” I lift our hands.
“Oh no, do you all not hold hands?” She exclaims. An adorable giggle escapes, before she explains, “It’s a casual sign of affection. You really only do it with lovers or children–to keep them safe.”
I beam, loving that she’s quietly claiming us. She smiles back up at me.
“So what do you all usually bring to market?”
Zallan snorts. “Me? Nothing. Ry? Furniture sometimes, or fixed machinery. Nara and Wells manage our garden and foraging.”
She wrinkles her nose and I smile gently down at her.I’m falling in love with her, I realize. That’s insane, I hardly know her.
And yet I am.Damn hormones.She’s ours, it’s simple.
“Anyway, it is much larger than I was expecting!” She grins, obviously delighted but the thought she had had kept private.
“Ah,” Zallan says, “Hello, Atiox,” he greets the aleron of one of our founding packs.
