“My heart,” Seg entreated softly, coming up behind me to press me close to his side. My hand fisted in his shirt at his back and I clung to him.
“Is this because of you being adopted?” Penny asked quietly. Biting her lip as my jaw dropped, she admitted, “I found the documents when we were going through Mama and Daddy’s things after they died. I didn’t know if you knew or not, and it didn’t matter a lick to me, you’re my sister no matter what, and I didn’t know how to bring it up so I, uh… didn’t?”
“That’s why she reeks like fish water?” William said around a mouthful of cheese.
With an eep, I freaked and went liquid.
“Motherfuuuuu-, erm, n-ah-ature!” Will cursed.
Penny gasped and jumped back. “Oh- Oh my!” she burst out, sputtering, trying not to step in me.
Ben summed it up quite nice when he blurted, eye bugging, “Holy fuck.”
Segrid knelt, placing his hands on the ground, palms out for me if I wanted to slide up on into his hold. “She will need dry things,” he rumbled out.
“A towel, a blanket! I’ll grab some clothes!” Penny called, already racing down the hall.
When I remained liquid, gurgling curses, Segrid glanced up at the males as he lifted a hand to tug his shirt off. “Turn your backs.”
Ben and William hurriedly turned, giving me a few minutes to resolidify and cover up.
“Come, my beloved,” Segrid crooned, “they are making the little tacos you are so fond of.”
Ugh. My bitch ass really was a sucker for tacos.
Concentrating, squeezing my eyes shut tight, I thought of Segrid, of him holding me tight, snuggling me to him. My eyes opened as I felt material at my back and Segrid’s hands coming around, gripping it, wrapping it around me.
Dismay filled me when my fingers fell to his shoulders, odd and long, and lime bright green, my skin oddly colored.
“Whoa,” William puffed out the word. “A Kelpy. Now that is wild.”
Seg grinned, rubbing his hands up and down my arms comfortingly. “She is impressive, my Queen, is she not? A Guardian of the likes of the first order.”
Arms came around my front, a face pressing into my back. I glanced over my shoulder to find my sister smiling up at me. “She’s beautiful.” Penny’s smile was wide, pride shining in her tear rimmed eyes.
“Thank you,” I croaked out hoarsely, carefully cupping my hand over hers.
Pulling back, she grinned. “We are going to have the most beautiful kids, you know? No one,” her hand lifted and she shoved her glasses up the bridge of her nose, large grey eyes narrowing, “is going to want to mess with them.”
Ben laughed at the bloodthirsty tone my sister’s voice had taken on.
“Beautiful and powerful,” Segrid agreed.
“I feel left out,” Will joked. “Where’s my pretty female and powerful babies?”
“Go get your own,” Ben joked back.
Penny walked over to the counter and shoved the bowl of shredded cheddar at him. “Graze on this, honey. You may feel left out, but you’ll be too stuffed with the good stuff to care.”
A small chuckle left me then. Segrid let out a happy rumble at the sound of it.
The weight on my chest, like a fat stack of bricks pinning me down, lifted. I had a long way to go, but I had Segrid and Penny, and their friends, who I hoped to befriend myself. No one had been disgusted or shit themselves, and even Pen asked me to shift again later that night. She claimed to love my tail. I didn’t feel as much of a freak anymore. I was loved, accepted. I just needed to find a little acceptance of this for myself.
Chapter 11
Vivienne
The Fin
