Page 23 of My Monster, My Choice

“Yes. I’m covering Relion’s so he can spend his six lunar cycles at home.”

“Then will you have to return?” I ask.

“A date hasn’t been set yet. But yes, when he and Tera return, I’ll need to head back at some point.”

I already feel like I miss him. “Let’s make it a great six months, then.”

“Feel like having a party tonight at the main house?” Jaire asks. “We’ll need to send Haze off with a blast. We can do those little round patties in the bread. Along with the dicks.”

My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline. “Do you mean burgers? And brats?”

Jaire falters. “We’re not eating dick?”

“Who told you that?”

“Sydney and Rebecca,” he grumbles. “I should have known. There was too much giggling involved, but since those two are so young and giggle all the time anyway, I didn’t think anything of it.”

I can feel the laughter where it rumbles up from Elex’s chest.

“Fuck, man,” Haze grumbles. “Do you know how much I avoided the dicks? Just to find out they’re not and I’ve been missing out all this time?”

I can’t help but giggle too. “Well, now you can have plenty.”

“One day,” Haze says. “One day we’re going to get those brats to Pimeon. And we’ll be merciless.”

“I’ve got just the thing,” Jaire says. “Make sure you spread the word that you have two Earth younglings fighting for your attention. And how dreary it is. How one day they may be punished and sent to Pimeon.”

Haze chuckles. “Imagine if they were to show attention to another male. He’d go running a mile, thinking he was encroaching on a captain’s territory.”

The men go deathly quiet.

“You’ve decided?” Jaire says.

Haze sighs. “If Henyon agrees to try for captain, I agreed I would too.”

Elex starts laughing. “And neither of you admitted it to Juris? You’re letting him continue trying to find ways to sweeten the pot to entice you?”

“Well, there are a lot of dinners at the castle.” Haze scowls, like this says it all. “Parties. Lilaina is talking about putting together a coronation if more than one agrees to try. I figure she means me and Henyon.”

“You can’t pass up on that,” Elex agrees and the men snicker some more.

“What shall I bring tonight?” I ask Jaire. “Potato salad? Beans? Watermelon?”

“I’m sure anything will be appreciated,” he says. “Shall we say about five? That gives us time to invite any stragglers from the school. The more people who become comfortable with our community, the better.”

“Five works. I’m just a hop, skip, and jump away.”

With those words, I kiss Elex’s cheek and move off his lap, heading into the kitchen to start my potato salad. The earlier I make it, the more time it has to let the flavors mingle. Maybe I’ll make a macaroni salad too.

“Christina,” Jaire calls through the back window, his face pressed up to the screen. “Invite Dori too. All of Kenny’s friends. We’ll just go all out. And when Haze leaves, mymamanwill step through the other side of the portal. She’ll love getting to know all of you.”

I nod, suddenly the happiest I’ve ever been. Everything is absolutely perfect here. A home. A job. All my friends. New friends.

Soon, my daughter.

What could possible go wrong?

ChapterEight

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