Unexpected Sting Read online

  Orvis brought a tray of lemonade and snacks. “There you go, ladies. Now you can breastfeed in peace.”

  The harpy crouched and stroked Riida’s soft dark hair. “She’s adorable.”

  “Mom Yua is so fucking smug it isn’t funny. It apparently takes two women to get the hair right.”

  Stovos was talking with Arthur and Alfred but suddenly stopped and looked up. Abrax and Leetha stepped through the portal.

  Leetha was about four months along, and she made a beeline for her granddaughter. Abrax did the same, but he came over at a slightly less eager pace. Riida had spit up on him twice.

  Stiila looked at her father and picked up Riida’s hand, waving it at him with the evil eye-repulsing bead on her little wrist. Abrax smiled and inclined his head in thanks that she was using his gift.

  Leetha looked around. “Why so much Japanese stuff? Isn’t Arthur North American?”

  “He is, and his father was European, and most of his ancestors have been Greek. They have travelled so much that the first society that let them settle in and offered them social acceptance, they jumped into it. Plus, Arthur is legitimately an oni, so the red ogres are a very specific species, with a specific clan structure and that involves traditions of their country of origin.”

  “Riida isn’t an ogre.”

  The doorway began to open, and Lord Rez stepped through. Arthur walked up to greet him. Stovos and Abrax were about to make their move when Stiila walked forward with her daughter, and she said, “Lord Rez, this is my first child, Riida. Riida, this is Lord Rez. He’s a kijin, just like you are.”

  He reached out and touched the baby, and she did what she always did when a stranger touched her. Baby Riida Orion screamed loud enough to shake the earth. Stiila chuckled and said, “My child has greeted you, Lord Rez.”

  He blinked. “So it seems.”

  “She does not like strangers.” Arthur smiled and tickled the baby’s chin. “If you want to keep your head when she’s an adult, I would suggest a visit every few years.”

  Lord Rez nodded. “She might not be a bride, but if she truly is a kijin, she will be welcome into the clan when she proves her power.”

  “We will come for a visit to the clan on her twenty-first birthday for certain.” She looked at her daughter and stroked the downy golden cheek.

  Riida fussed, and Stiila straightened, “Please, excuse us, Lord Rez. She’s about to make a lot of noise.”

  He nodded, and she headed back to the deck on the back of the sprawling house. She sat in her chair, worked her robes off her shoulders, and the little princess rooted around before latching on.

  Stiila relaxed and held her daughter away from the crowd but not parted from it.

  The staff got the food ready, and a bit of magic got the back yard into a smooth and manicured garden with tables, cushions, and a bright pond.

  Arthur came over. “Lord Rez is insisting we share his table.”

  Stiila sighed and got to her feet. “I am going to need some help eating. She’s always hungrier when she uses magic.”

  “Just like when we have movie night, honey.”

  He walked with her as she walked through the gathering with her child attached to her. Arthur helped her kneel without losing Riida’s grip. Her little hand rested on Stiila’s breast as she continued her meal.

  “Lord Rez was wondering if you had turned more bashful since you became a mother.” Arthur rubbed her shoulder blades.

  “Not really. I just respect that it freaks some folks out for me using breasts for their original purpose.”

  Lord Rez cocked his head. “Does it hurt?”

  “No. Wait. You are a few hundred years old. How do you not know what breastfeeding is like?”

  Arthur sighed. “Male and female societal divides. He literally hasn’t been able to ask. It isn’t appropriate for anyone to answer.”

  The meal began to be served, and the hard ache on her right side was trying to get her attention.

  She winced and detached Riida with a finger in her mouth and rotated her to the right side. The latch was always harder on the right, so Stiila exhaled again. “Okay, it hurts a bit. Kinda like when Arthur bites down, only more localized.”

  Arthur laughed.

  She covered her left breast and then settled in.

  “How long does she normally nurse?”

  “Um, twenty minutes. If she uses magic, it goes to thirty.” She smiled as Arthur held out a roasted tomato. The juice trickled out of her mouth, and she would have caught it, but Arthur did it for her. He had ogred out and was looking down at his daughter as he licked his lips. He turned his hand and stroked the downy cheek that was flexing as it sucked.

  “Ah, the little one is starving today.”

  Lord Rez paused. “Arthur, you can change at will? I thought you were restricted to transforming at night.”

  “I am motivated to be with them as often as possible. I no longer wait and watch.” He chuckled. “It is not possible when doing business, but here at home, I get half the time so that my other half can recover from his travels until he is also ready to take care of our wife.”

  “I am not that insatiable.”

  He gave her a long look.

  Stiila grumbled. “Okay, not constantly insatiable.”

  He gave her a gold-eyed grin.

  “Fine. It is fairly constant, but I am not the norm. It is just me and my mom, aunt, and cousin, and another cousin, and wait a minute, I think I see the pattern.”

  Lord Rez nodded. “That is an intimidating logic. A woman who demands much of their husband. I believe I can manage that.”

  “I am not betrothing her to you.”

  He chuckled and held up his hands. “I know. I know. I am not insisting on a betrothal, but I would like to meet her when she is an adult to see if we would suit.”

  “Fine. I will send her on a manga tour of Japan if she is interested in it. The clan home will be on the tour.”

  Rez grinned. “You read manga?”

  Arthur got her another mouthful of grilled food and offered it to her. “Rez draws it.”

  Her mouth opened, and he popped the food in. She chewed to clear her mouth. “What genre?”

  “Historicals and fantasy.”

  She chuckled, and then a piece of grilled salmon with rice came in. She mumbled. “Are you making rice balls with barbeque?”

  Arthur grinned. “It is easier to feed you this way.”

  Rez asked, “Why is he feeding you?”

  Arthur answered. “If she moves her arms, her breasts move, and Riida gets mad.”

  Stiila chuckled. “She loses her latch, and she does not like that.”

  Rez ate and asked more questions about babies, and then, they got into all sorts of topics regarding women and biology.

  As the afternoon wore on, the gathering of women around Rez fluctuated. Orvis showed him her harpy form, and he grinned. His eyes making notes.

  Hector held his son until he squalled and waved his fists. Nessa grinned, and the dark head obscured her as she helped the little fella get his own meal.

  The moon came up, and Stiila stood with her baby and husband as an ancient being learned how a period worked. It was a surreal evening. It was also amusing to see the light come on in Abrax’s eyes as to the timing of the pregnancy. She could see him doing mental math and understanding when his little dancer had gotten pregnant.

  Stovos walked over. “Well, it seems that the Garu clan is about to get an education. I tried to tell him about this years ago, but no one trusts a dark elf.”

  “It must be the hard-to-read expressions.” Stiila rocked her daughter.

  Stovos chuckled. “That is true. It helps us when we go to comedy clubs. The comedians hate us.”

  Stiila smiled. “How are you and Orvis getting on?”

  “Well, she hasn’t killed me yet, so I think it is pretty good. We have gotten the news that her ovaries have recovered active follicles. So, now we just have to get past the
harpy reproduction arrangement, and we should have a little girl of our own. After months of swollen ankles and crying, I mean. I don’t know how she will put up with me.” He grinned.

  Orvis walked up behind him. “Blatant bribery and foot rubs.”

  Stiila watched the two interact, and she smiled. Orvis had run security for her at the shelters while she had been incapacitated with her pregnancy. She had enjoyed it, but nothing was as determined as a fury.

  With Riida in the bassinet, Stiila watched Arthur check on their baby before he came back to bed. “She gets bigger every day.”

  “She really does. Is Stovos going to send you off on that new assessment?”

  “He is, but I only have to do the preliminary scouting, and then, I can head back in four days.” He chuckled. “I will be back before you open that new shelter on the west coast.”

  “Good. I don’t want to travel with her, but if I have to, I will.” She smiled. “Riida can see her first shelter.”

  “You have the milk frozen?”

  “Yup, and will be pumping while I travel.”

  He cuddled her. “The modern age is weird.”

  “Yeah, but we were both born in it, so I will pump and go where I have to, returning home with frozen milk. Don’t make ice cream out of it again before I get home.”

  He laughed and stroked her arm. “I make no promises. All of you tastes amazing.”

  “Riida gets to eat first. Then you.”

  He pulled her against him and kissed her neck, moving down her neck and to her breasts. He started as mage-Arthur, but when his tongue got in on the action, he shifted to ogre-Arthur. They both were great fathers, both were attentive husbands, and both were excellent lovers, but the taste of her was ogre-Arthur’s favourite part. Now that she was nursing, her taste had a more physical aspect, and he enjoyed it whenever he could.

  She gasped and twisted under him, making sure that he didn’t take too much. Riida was the priority for both of them, but their union was a close second.

  She had spent so much time alone that she hadn’t dreamed that she would find the man she had dreamed of all her life. The fact that he had two separate faces just suited her own duality. Splitting a soul was hard to do so, she was delighted that they all got along. Monsters needed to stick together, after all.

  Author’s Note

  I just wanted to write the story of Orion and the Scorpion, so now I did. Stinger has her mate, and her daughter has no curse sending her across the landscape.

  My next book is a walk into weirdness with more superheroes. The book is tentatively called I Dated a Supervillain, and I am actually going to do a few things to the characters that I normally don’t do.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  About the Author

  Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.

  An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.

  In real life, she is now engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.