Chương 40: Squirt Epilogue

One arm holding the egg to her chest, Squirt struggled, coming to grips with the fact that the pest was leaving, and she absolutely, positively, was not lamenting this fact. She wasn't. Or at least, she'd never be caught dead saying she was. His overt flirtations had died overnight, replaced instead with a calmer, steadier, supportive approach. No longer trying to cajole her, simply appreciating her with soft eyes and a broken, gentle smile whenever he thought she wasn't looking. She missed the damn overtures.

Those she could have shut down. This was like he'd accepted his feelings were one sided, a little too much like Tobias for her liking. She'd seen the way that boy looked at Lord Everwinter. The pest smiled.

"I'll be back by the end of summer, if all goes well." She scowled, petulantly saying, "I know." Then she paused and snapped out, "I'm not going to miss you, damn pest." He shrugged, his smile soft and accepting instead of teasing and knowing.

"I know." Gods damnit — She glared at him, baring her teeth in a snarl that wrinkled her nose just so, and a flash of warmth passed through his eyes that made her rear back. Normally, he would have teased her over the cute reaction and expression. The adorable features of hers she hated so much. He didn't. The pest shifted, scanning the clearing with all of the hunters and the hunter trainees. Tobias had nearly gutted Fenry, so she had left to return to her previous post the day before.

The rest were all there, along with Paloka and her parents. Squirt's jaw had dropped realizing they were dragons and had almost cussed the child out when she found out Paloka had claimed her as part of her horde, only then those big blue eyes had stopped the words and she'd stomped off angrily, instead. Goddess, she was weak to pleading eyes. And none were worse than the pixie before her. She hated his new smile. The smile that was filled with as much pain as it was with joy. It just wasn't him.

Pursing her lips, she glared at the ground, remembering what Lady Kenna had said at the castle yesterday. It would probably work. Probably. Petulantly, she muttered, "Hey. Pest."

"Yes?" he said a little too eagerly.

"You… you can make a sound barrier, right?" He blinked a few times when a barrier sprang to life around them, and she glared with envious rage. Damnit. He hadn't needed to even make a damn gesture —"Is this what you want?" She bit her lip, refusing to look at him.

"I…" Gods damn it. Kenna made it sound so gods damned easy to say. It had been easy, once, before… No. The Sia-bitch was gone. Squirt wouldn't let that bitch hold her back any longer. Fury furrowed her brows while embarrassment reddened her cheeks despite her best efforts, enough fear hovering around the edges that she struggled to say the words at all.

"I… you… I don't… hate you… you know…" He gave her a confused look.

"You wanted a sound barrier to say that you don't hate me?" The flush in her cheeks deepened as she glared at him, baring her teeth in an aggravated snarl. She had to fucking spell it out for him? Then again, she had also never been in this position. Normally the weaker fey courted the stronger, not… It was easier to pursue someone in the depths of young love than struggle through the bindings of older fears.

Then that same damn accepting, depressed expression entered his eyes, and more than anything else, she fucking hated it. Hated the bitterness of it. Hated how it aged him. How it broke her heart to see. Squirt shoved her embarrassment as deep as she could, forcing herself to say the words she never thought she'd ever say again.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. His goddess muttered under her breath, but Feldan only caught the words, "trust," "hard," and "hate." He leaned forward to try and hear better, saying, "Sorry, I didn't catch that—" She snapped, "I said if you didn't break my trust, if you try hard and I don't hate you when you get back, I'll… I'll…" her voice faltered as the blush overtook her cheeks, the fury replaced with sheer mortification.

She turned her head away and muttered the last bit under her breath. Wait. Was she...? She shifted from foot to foot, her shoulders hunching as a vulnerability entered her eyes before she said, "I'll let you… c-court me." He couldn't have heard that right. Right? Right? It was like the sun had just risen. Hope burst in his expression as he breathed out, "You… you don't hate me." She scowled, clearly unable to look at him.

"No, I don't—you're the first who—I just—I don't trust titled fey and…" she swallowed, shrinking in on herself.

"… it was how Sia-bitch got me. Started with her bed until she manipulated things to get me caught reading in the library." Now that she'd started saying the words, it was clear they were tumbling out.

"I was to be executed for the offense, and she stepped in and saved me. I made the dumb mistake of offering her my life to pay the life-debt. So, just…. don't do any of that." She scowled.

"No debts or bargains or… and I'm not your damn toy to play dress up with or… so just—don't—don't do that."

The sheer adoration in the pest's eyes made Squirt want to run far away and never look back. She snapped out, "And at the first thing you do to break my trust, I'll fucking gut you, got it—" He must have quickstepped forward, because one second, he was standing there, the next, his hand had cupped the back of her head, and he was pressing a soft, chaste kiss to her lips. The most basic declaration of courting intent there was—a chaste kiss to indicate interest. She had done it to others.

She hadn't had it done to her. Stunned and frozen by the move, she stood there helplessly, noting that he smelled of fresh earth, freedom, and of all things, a touch of rosemary. When he pulled back, his characteristic devilish smile was once again in place, and he murmured quietly, "I'm yours, Ali'anya. Always and forever, my heart is yours." It was the reverse of what Siabith used to say. You're mine, Ali'anya. Always and forever, you're my pet.

And maybe it was because of that dichotomy that she found herself leaning forward to press her lips to his. The press was just as brief and chaste as his to her, a simple response to his interest, an acceptance of it. Of him. Squirt dropped her face away, scowling and muttering, "Just don't think I'm some pretty toy for you to play with, got it?" She'd had more than enough of fey thinking all pixies were some kind of toy or pet for them to order around both in and out of the bedroom.

Her cute appearance hardly helped matters, and being a greenling only made things much, much worse. Though few fey took it as far as the Sia-bitch. He chuckled, the husky, low sound annoying her in its attractiveness as he said, "Ali'anya, I think we both know that I am the toy for you to play with and discard." She muttered, "Don't give me ideas."

"Why not? Sounds like fun." For once, the mortification faded enough for her to smirk. A visible blush started on his own cheeks, and from the pulse on his throat, she could tell his heart was rioting in his chest as he visibly swooned. Then a teasing, wicked grin curled up the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, and my goddess?"

"What?" she scowled suspiciously.

"You asked for a sound barrier, but everyone saw." The bright red of her face reached into her hair and to the tips of her ears as she reared back, absolutely mortified that she had genuinely forgotten anyone but the pest existed. Her pest. He put a hand to his lips, savoring with a hum and a dopey smile as he said wickedly, "They saw you kiss me."

"I—you—argh!" she snarled, carefully cradling the egg she had yet to put down before stomping away. She felt the bubble burst and froze at the catcalls and whoops from those present, noting the way he waved smugly, his confidence restored. She paused long enough that more than one of them caught the hint of a softer smile on her face at the return of his smile before she turned and headed off to her cabin.

"Pricklebear, can I get a kiss—""Fuck off," she snapped, disappearing into her cabin.

Qzi sighed wistfully.

"Damnit. I would have happily gifted her all the severed heads." Feldan smirked, rubbing his chin.

"I would never deny my lady what she wants. I'm sure there will be more severed heads to gift her later on." The two men nodded to each other, a shared camaraderie between them ever since Feldan had earned the redcap's respect for a mate-gift offering worthy of any redcap. Casually tossing a blade up, Qzi caught it.

"Anyone I should get rid of? How about his lordship? He had been awfully upset when she went missing." Feldan's smile fell into contemplation as he thought about his friend. He'd genuinely never seen the man court anyone, nor accept any suits to be courted, though not for lack of effort by potential suitors. Frankly, he wasn't sure if the man had it in him. He shrugged.

"Nah. I like him. I wouldn't mind sharing with him. Guard Lorn, on the other hand? Have at it." Qzi sighed dejectedly.

"Unfortunately, his lordship banned me from gutting the guards on principle unless I've been specifically ordered to do so."

"I knew there was a reason Talbi didn't return from the northern excursion." Qzi held his finger to his lips and gave the pixie a wink.

"Keep her free for me?"

"You got it, bossman." With one last look around the clearing, he joined his sister, and together, they started the long flight home. As he was leaving, he happened to glance back and spot his goddess standing at the top of one of the tallest trees, one hand holding the egg close to her chest and steadying herself with the other. Using his magic to enhance his vision, he burned the details of her face into his mind. And in that brief instant, she truly smiled.

Hit by Love's shot, he knew at that moment that he was ruined for anyone else, because never, in all of his years, had a single smile ever given him half as much as that slanted, devastating upturn in one corner of her lips. Later reports would have his sister-by-mating complaining about the dopey, glassy eyed pixie, lost to his fantasies of a certain green-haired fey the whole trip home.