“Choose? I don’t want to choose. You do it.”
Lirin hums and then turns and presses three buttons.
“Oversized hoodie, grey. Sleep shorts, teal satin. Pink panties.”
I gape at him, unable to find anything coherent to say.
“What?” he asks, his joy leaching away.
“What are panties?”
Lirin sucks in air and chokes. I wait, but it takes forever. In the end, Reed comes in and rescues him and me by taking the clothes and guiding me into the nest.
He’s so gentle when he removes my dress.
It shouldn’t be sexy.
He pulls this soft and cool material up my legs, his knuckles graze my outer thighs. I wiggle my hips, unsure of the purpose of them. Then he pulls the satin up against my crotch. Ah, this is the garment that Leaf tore off me that day in the park. Instantly, they are soaked.
Reed lets out a strangled sound.
I exhale a sigh. “It feels so pretty.”
“Like water,” Reed whispers. “So wet.” He clears his throat and stands up, moving away from me.
“Yes,” I pat the material, but he gets me to put my arms up and helps me into a huge, big tent of material. It’s like a hug, and it’s got Canto’s scent all over it. I inhale and let out a rough purr.
Reed stops dead. Hibiscus fills the air, thick and tantalizing.
“Sorry,” I murmur.
“It’s okay. Let’s go.”
“Hey, wait for me,” Lirin shouts.
“No,” Reed snaps. “Stop being so childish!”
“Ouch, that hurts, Reedy.”
There’s a thud of flesh hitting flesh, and then Lirin lets out a wail that makes my ears hurt. I snarl at him, and he stops instantly.
“Sorry, Mei. I was just playing.”
I grumble and walk back into the living space and go to my spot on the couch, only to find Leaf there. He grabs me and pulls me into his lap and nuzzles the back of my hair.
“Leaf?”
“Mmm.”
“Did you choose your name?” I ask him.
“Yes. When I found out the Sirens chose their names, I decided to choose a name for myself, too.”
“They chose their own names?”
“We did,” Ronit says and pulls the coffee table in front of me. He disappears and comes back with a whole heap of bags.
“Why?”
