“Maybe he could apologize,” I suggested over all the foreign curses my mate was letting loose.
“What did I say wrong?!” Brushe started to call out.
“Maybe a hole could just open up and swallow you in one big gulp,” Permelia deadpanned at Brushe sarcastically.
How ironic would that be? Gaze narrowing, I focused on the bruiser of a male. As if to grant my wish, Brushe let out a yelp and a shout.
Segrid spun in the direction of the noise he made, toting me along with him, to watch the tall male start to drop.
“Shit!” I burst out, catching myself. The dirt mounding up, erupting out of the tiled floor, closed and Brushe let out the girliest noise I’d ever heard come from a grown man. I’d thought it, yeah, but I hadn't meant to, like, actually do it.
“The floor! It ate me!” Brushe gaped at his lower half stuck in the ground. Grunting, his voice shrill as he loudly tried to work out what had just happened to his person, he realized he was good and stuck and threw his hands up. “I still have a lower half!” he announced to the stunned room. “I just can’t access it,” he finished on a shocked mutter.
All eyes swiveled to Troll, who snorted and let out a chuff, though I could sense he thought it hilarious, and shrugged his wide shoulders. “Why do the fish peoples look to me?” he grumbled with a raised-eyebrow stare.
“Because you’re a freaking Earth magicks cursed guy and you stuck my boy toy in the floor!” Permelia burst out.
The Merman Ken with the crazy good looks cocked his head and held a hand up. “No, he didn’t.” His eyes swirled like a storm raged within them. His finger lifted, pointed. “She did.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I didn’t mean to.”
“He’s a fool,” Segrid grumbled, still pissy. “You will be sorry for nothing, my heart. And he will apologize to my Queen and take back the things he has said to dishonor himself, or in the ground, he will remain.”
“Over my dead body! I said nothing wrong!” Brushe burst out. He looked really weird as a floor ornament. “I should apologize I couldn't tell your girl from incontinence?”
“You did what now, son?” the silver haired man sputtered, mouth agape.
“I thought she was wee!” Brushe gestured wildly. “Trollby was coppin’ a squat near her, my girl looked stunned, I just assumed...”
Dax’s mate made a strangled noise, her hand going to her mouth to cover it. “You didn’t,” she mumbled through her fingertips. Her mate, scowling beside her, shook his head and made a disgusted noise.
Too good looking Mer-Ken guy shrugged. “Eh, he was entertaining while he was here,” and made to step around Brushe to approach us. “Seidon,” he greeted, holding his hand out for Segrid to shake it. Segrid eyed him warily but slowly slid his hand into his.
“Segrid Femmel, Troll King.” Adjusting me in his hold so I was basically sitting on his long arm, resting my forearm on his head like an arm rest, he jerked his chin in my direction. “None of you may touch my female directly. She is mine, nervous, and your village idiot has insulted us. I am feeling possessive. It will be respected.”
“Understood.” Seidon nodded, turned, and motioned for us to follow him down the hall.
“Birnepholous Aquetori, but everyone just calls me Sr. Glad to have you two here. I’m sorry about my offspring.” the man who’d accompanied Seidon introduced himself. “He’s got jellyfish for brains.”
“Jokes on you,” Brushe muttered, “jellies don’t have brains.”
“Exactly,”his father muttered under his breath.
As Dax and his mate chuckled, they shook their heads and followed after. Permelia pecked a kiss to her male’s forehead and then joined us, bringing up the rear. Brushe called, “Hey, wait! Guys! Dudes and dudettes, you can't mean to leave me here?! Little buddy? Fishsticks?”
Tuning out Brushe and his growing pleas as Segrid set me down, pleased to note I was Human looking once again, I glanced at my male and sighed. “I wonder if that’s what happens to my clothes.” At a questioning look from Segrid, I explained, “Sometimes they sploosh with me, sometimes they remain intact. Maybe I’m accidentally sending them beneath me. Like, deep under the ground.”
“A treasure trove of my Queen’s lost items.” Segrid’s eyes gleamed at the idea of trying to prove my theory, and I laughed.
“Guys…?” Brushe’s voice caught, starting to squeak. “GUYS?!! Daddy?!!” he called out finally, and it was just so stinking funny and sounded so damn sad, I snickered, burst out laughing, and then, closing my eyes and concentrating with all I had, heard him shout again, the sound of water, and then he squawked, “Freedom! Oh god, I’m wet...” Followed by, “Hairy hammerheads, I’m covered in… muck!”
I was barely aware of my Earth magicks from Troll anymore. They were so much better handled now with Theseus guiding me along, and I had to focus clearly to get them going, I was so out of it with water magicks at my fingertips at the ready, I’d nearly forgotten about all those Earth magick early mishaps. Nearly. Dirt and water made mud. If that was the mechanism that released Brushe, wetting the earth up for him… so be it. Who was he to complain?
The squishy squelches of him coming up behind us had me turning to watch him tear off the mud encased track pants he’d been wearing, baring thick tree trunks for legs and the smallest pair of man panties I’d ever seen.Per’swas emblazoned over the front of his dick in sparkly white gems. I was afraid to see the back, if there was one. I mean, the man was fine and all but he wasn’t playing with a full deck, and I was mated. My gaze dutifully drifted away. Segrid snorted and gave me a look that said I wasn’t fooling anyone, but he didn't comment, bless my King’s understanding hide—I’d be thanking him and his monster cock quite thoroughly later.
“It’s a budgie smuggler,” Brushe called out as he ran past us, leaving his discarded pants in the hall.
“We talked about this!” Permelia barked as he came crashing through the double doors and a feminine shriek rent the air. “Brushe!! Don’t you d-aaaaaare!!” And then there was an enormous splash.
