Butting In by Zenina Masters Page B

thought of that. I always wanted a brother.”
    She lunged forward and hugged him, her crystalline gown moving in the light breezes.
    Drak hugged her out of reflex before he made a genuine effort. “Welcome to the family, little one.”
    She smiled. “Okay, now, let’s go and make this official.”
    He offered his arm, and she took it, placing her hand gently on top of his for the walk to the Meditation Centre for the ceremony.
    She was beyond butterflies. Condors were whipping around in her abdomen. Gera entered the space, and several folks stopped to stare at her as she made her way to the platform.
    Riox was opposite her, and she stared at him while the mage went through the motions and their power was drained from them, combined, divided and returned to them.
    Gera didn’t feel any change, but the looks of those around her told a different story.
    Riox was dealing with the horns. His were sprouting, and he was fighting them.
    Gera ran over to him and pulled his head to hers, kissing him softly. “It is all right. He is part of you now. Just let him know that you know he is there.”
    Riox nodded, and the horns receded.
    He smiled at her. “Your ears are pointed.”
    She chuckled. “I guessed as much.”
    “And you have gained the ancient markings. They look lovely.”
    “Wait, what?” She lifted up her arm, and there it was. Energy under the skin was radiating in constantly shifting patterns. She was a fascinator. “This is going to be hard to explain to my family.”
    “My family will love it. Drak is already keen. Our great-great grandmother was a fascinator. There hasn’t been one seen in nine hundred years.”
    Gera looked around, and Drak’s face was shining with pride and excitement.
    The men in the gathering were all staring at her, so Gera moved in close to Riox. “How do I turn it off?”
    “Accept that it is part of you, and go from there.”
    She closed her eyes and found a coil of power that hadn’t been there before. She welcomed it, embraced it, and asked it to be quiet.
    She opened her eyes, and the glow was much more subdued. It was a start.
    Next, they had to be congratulated by the organisers and guests of the Crossroads who wondered what was in store for them.
    Drak had prepared their luggage, so they were ready to be sent to Riox’s home. Teal and Tony had them sign mating contracts, and when everything was finalized, Riox wrapped her in his arms, and light flared around them.
    When the light faded, they were home.
     
    Gera sat up using Riox as a chair while he went through the different businesses that he owned, including a magazine and a photography studio.
    “Why did you collect all these places?”
    He shrugged. “They seemed like good investments, and then, I began to enjoy them. It was a fun process of acquisition.”
    “I see. So, when were you going to tell me that you were also one of your own clothing designers for the design house?” She turned and looked at him with serious eyes.
    His cheeks darkened. “It isn’t something I mention to strangers, and when we weren’t strangers, I didn’t think to tell you.”
    She laughed. “It explains your serious interest in my clothing choices.”
    He snorted. “It almost physically hurts me to see women in ill-fitting clothing or clothing that doesn’t flatter them.”
    “You are one strange dude.”
    He kissed her. “You love me anyway.”
    “I do. It comes and goes though.” She laughed as he turned her around and nibbled his way down her spine.
    He had found the spot on her lower back that drove her insane, and three minutes later, she was explaining how much she loved him and that she would do so as long as they lived, as long as he either left that spot alone or got inside her.
    It wasn’t the worst way to spend her second night in her new home.
     

Epilogue
     
     
    Keeping her new subdermal energy tattoos from glowing was the first order of business. Getting through the reception without telling Riox that she