“But why would they be—” I started to ask.
And Brigid began her answer before the question was even done. “An unmated female bear can attract unwanted bear attention, that’s why. And bears can be especially frisky on full moonnights. Why did ye think ye were out there all alone when ye went to strip naked in the hedge woods?”
I shook my head. “I thought everyone else just preferred to shift inside.”
“Nobodyprefers to shift inside. Are ye mad? We’re bears, for Jayzus sake.”
Not in St. Ailbe.
“Was always shifting inside another one of your cult rules?” Brigid guessed off my look.
It was. And I couldn’t help but feel a little guilty that my freedom had come at the cost of everyone else’s.
“Don’t go feeling guilty.” Brigid rolled her eyes again. “This is why my brother didn’t want me to mention it to you. Made me promise three times I wouldn’t bring it up if he let me visit.”
“But you just brought it up,” I pointed out.
“Well, ye know, feck that cunt. He ain’t the boss of me.”
I stared at Brigid. Then burst out laughing.
“Alright, that’s the reaction I’m looking for, Stockholm Sadie. Blink twice and all that.”
Brigid shot me a conspiratorial grin and rubbed her hands together over her belly. “Now let’s really piss ’em off by going into town in the one dress ye’re allowed. I say it’s time we do a bit of holiday shopping—just for ye, of course. Those arsewipe kings deserve nothing under their tree.”
I didn’t have any desire to piss off the kings who’d been so generous and kind to me. But I was honestly curious about thedarling town I’d only seen in the distance on the lake wall. And maybe I could “do with,” as I’d been learning to say since coming to this Irish underground kingdom, a new dress.
Chances were I’d only be here until the New Year, and I’d need a few pieces of clothing before I left.…
But I pushed those sad thoughts down as Brigid drove me into town in a golf cart that bumped and rocked so hard over the dirt roads, I had to ask her, “Aren’t you afraid so much jolting will send you into early labor?”
I eyed Brigid’s considerably larger stomach warily.
“I can only hope these heavy bastards come sooner rather than later,” she replied. “Be happy ye didn’t go into estrus, like Tadhg was hoping. I could’ve done with a couple of years of marital bliss with just me an’ the boys I didn’t have to squeeze out of my nether regions. But wouldn’t you know, I’m a big ol’ sentimental marshmallow on the inside. Caught my cycle on our wedding night.”
Brigid’s words sent a pang through me. What would it be like to have a wedding night on the same day the bear version of a heat cycle hit?
It sounded glorious. She was right, though, to assume that wouldn’t happen for me before the New Year. Tadhg hadn’t mentioned it, but I was pretty sure he’d given up on the High King accepting me because I went into spontaneous estrus.
A squeaky beep sounded in the distance, and Brigid waved to a couple of older ladies approaching comically slowly on their own golf cart. “Good morning, O’Neilly Sisters. Top of the day to ye!”
“Is that The Potential, then?” one of the sisters called out as we passed them by.
“Shouldn’t she be at the castle until the High King makes his decision?” the other sister asked.
“It is, and she should!” Brigid yelled back over her shoulder. “But I’ve stolen her, and I’m not giving her back until she has a couple more proper dresses.”
“Good for you!” the non-driving first sister yelled back.
“Shouldn’t you be keeping your eyes on the road?” I asked Brigid, fretting my bottom lip.
“For you, babes, anything,” Brigid answered with another breezy grin.
That only got wider when we stopped at a line of shops lining the main road.
My breath caught as we climbed out of the golf cart.
I knew it was a god-tech overlay—specifically, a holiday god-tech overlay that the Shadow King had worked on the entire week while Tadhg explained all the things I didn’t understand in the showIndustry—which was everything.
