Patchwork pixie, p.4
Patchwork Pixie, page 4
Grey looked at her in surprise. “Who has invited you? That early, it has to be a private reservation.”
“Uh, Rayden. He has gotten me some skates.”
Derrik asked, “You are meeting a near stranger?”
“Mr. Kensington sent him to me today, and if he is plotting and scheming, then I may enjoy myself a bit, right?” The stunned faces made her doubt herself. “Is it not the right thing?”
She suddenly wasn’t sure about the agreement. “I could call him back and cancel.”
Leon shook his head. “I haven’t seen you genuinely smile in years. Go skating. You love it and need more things to love.”
Grey sighed. “You do. I will be talking to Dane. He made some assumptions that have now been corrected. There may be an apology in your future.”
“I will just be content to be at the holiday meal without him scowling at me. Wait. Were the assumptions about money?”
Grey gave her a sad look that spoke volumes.
“Oh. He didn’t know.”
James muttered, “We didn’t think we needed to tell the kids you were self-sustaining. Dane thought you were bleeding us dry, and we bought your condo.”
“Oh. Well, that explains the introduction to Tanner. He does look good on paper.”
“It seems that Tanner’s rougher habits were well-known,” Derrik muttered.
“Oh. Well, that is unfortunate.” She checked her phone, and there was the second text with the address and some emojis that seemed to be a dancing lady and an eggplant. She snorted.
James asked, “You aren’t upset about Dane?”
“I am absolutely furious. My soul is howling with rage and pain, yet my fury does me no good right now. So, I will focus on the future and discard the past, but he’s no longer family to me, so that is one less present to give at the holidays.”
Grey sighed and leaned back, nodding. “That is generous of you.”
“And I will stop working in the shop as soon as he takes the reins.”
The men around the table froze.
“Oh, has that already happened? I will quit then and bum around on my savings. I don’t want to make myself uncomfortable anymore.”
Leon said, “He hasn’t taken over the shop. We were surprised because we know you like working there.”
“Oh. Okay. I will return tomorrow morning then.”
They all relaxed.
“Well, if I am going to be out of here at four thirty, I had better get the dishes done and then get to bed.”
Derrik chuckled. “Do you need us to tuck you in?”
“No. Thank you. I have recovered from outward displays of my upset.”
They looked disappointed.
She blinked. “Oh. Well, sure. I guess.”
Leon smiled. “It makes us feel like we are doing something.”
“Ah. Okay.” She paused. “So, I can do the dishes now?”
Leon grinned. “Yes. And bring in dessert.”
“Wait. There was dessert? And you let me yammer on?” She shook her head as she gathered the plates. “Yeesh. You are getting old.”
Leon laughed. “I still need secrets.”
She got the plates and cutlery, carrying them to the kitchen, and then she burst out laughing. The cake was huge, and it had Welcome home, Ruby on it. She stared at the words as they blurred and danced. Leon walked up behind her and hugged her with one arm. “We really do think of this as your home. It might have been an obligation in the beginning, and I guess we never told you otherwise.”
“Dane said that I was a parasite, that I was taking what was his,” she whispered. “Even with that, I didn’t think he hated me that much until I realized what Tanner was. Then, it was too late.”
“Dane was happy with an all-male household. It was easy. A little girl was a jolt. A little girl who was special by her very existence was difficult to deal with. We tried to get you involved in sports, but skating was the only thing you liked. So, we took turns taking you to practice. When we saw the joy in your expression, we began to catch it. It was contagious. You were quiet and polite, but you came alive on the ice.”
He squeezed her again. “When you couldn’t continue to compete because of the restriction, part of you went silent, and we tried to keep your spirits up. When you left school, Derrik gave you the same lecture we gave the boys. You faced different challenges, and now, we know you were set up to fail.”
“Thank you for the cake.”
“It’s chocolate and chocolate mousse.”
She smiled. “Yay.”
She turned and hugged him.
When they parted, he smiled. “You are still my blood, my family, my own little girl. I see my sister in you, and that makes me so happy. I wish she visited more, but she is so very proud of you.”
She chuckled. “That’s a lie but a sweet one. She wanted me to get married and settle down the moment I turned eighteen.”
“She thought you would be protected with a husband.” He got the plates and forks.
“They don’t protect betas. Why would they protect me?” She picked up the cake.
“I can’t speak to that. You are still...”
“What I was? Yeah. I am just on heavy-duty birth control. It numbs everything.” She smiled.
He frowned. “How long have you been on it?”
“Since I left home. You guys worked pretty well to keep any impulses down before then.” She carried the cake out.
“Family has that effect. It’s why your mother placed you here.”
She smiled as the others perked up at the cake. “Oh, dang, I forgot to make coffee.”
Derrik got up and kissed her temple. “Got it. Don’t eat too fast.”
She smiled and got the knife and cake server. She cut large slices of cake and handed them out. Derrik came back with two presses and five demitasse cups.
They sat around, and she asked, “How is Gerald?”
Leon smiled. “Doing well. He has been seeing another alpha, and they are making steady progress to an arrangement.”
“Oh, that’s nice. Did Dane end up getting married?”
Grey smiled. “He did. It was a lovely event. It would have been nice to have you there. People were asking.”
She cleaned her fork and got more cake. “I wasn’t invited.”
Grey set his fork down. “Tanner said you were working.”
“What day was it? I can tell you what I was doing.” She ate another bite.
Leon teared up. “I told him I was going to call you to see what you were wearing, but he said you had it under control.”
“Okay. I am sure it was lovely. Uncle Leon, please, stop. We all know how he felt about me. Is his partner pregnant yet?”
“No, Silva isn’t. She’s a sweet girl, and he takes good care of her.”
She finished her cake and sipped at her coffee. “Does anyone mind if Dane meets his actual cousin the next time I see him? I wanna spook him a little. I am old enough. I don’t think they are still looking for me.”
James smiled. “I think I would like to see that.”
She laughed. “You can take a picture while his jaw is hanging.”
Derrik changed the subject. “So, Ruby, we took your advice and have corporate accounts at the shop now.”
“That’s nice.”
“Yeah, a few of them even have a chocolate gift table at events now.”
“Cool. I am assuming that the shop charges for it.”
“Of course. So, are you still a size twelve?” He raised his brows.
“I am down to a ten, but I hope to get back to normal soon. Apparently, I was under stress.” She looked at him. “Why?”
“Dress for the table attendants is black tie, and one of our regulars injured her leg. She can’t stand there in heels all night.”
“Regular what?”
“Table attendants. Folks come to you on their way out with a claim ticket, and they get their custom chocolate.”
She grimaced. “When is this blissful event going to happen?”
James began to list off events, and she was shocked.
“Uncle James. I won’t have time to breathe.”
“Isn’t that the idea?”
“Yeah, but... So, up to three times a week?”
“Yeah, for the next six weeks unless you have another engagement.”
She snorted. “It’s going to be a fun holiday. I suppose, if I have to, I can slack at the shop.”
Grey looked at her. “I beg your pardon?”
“Just kidding. It is the best part of the day. I always love it when kids and adults comment on my spatula technique.” Ruby grinned.
They spent the next half hour talking about the shop and projected sales for the holidays, the parades, and other events.
She finished her coffee, and Grey shocked them all when he said, “I will tidy up. You have an early morning.”
“Thank you, Uncle Grey. I am just going to go to the garage and check for my skate bag in the overhang. That is where I last saw it.”
Derrik said, “It’s in your closet. Just in case you ever needed to use it again.”
Warmth filled her. “Thank you, Uncles. I will try and sort myself out.”
“No rush. It will be nice to see you for solstice.” Leon smiled.
“It will be nice to be seen.” She smiled, and James met her gaze. He was just figuring out that she hadn’t been invited to any family events since she left. Dane always did the invitations.
She headed up the stairs and looked at her skates. They had been sharpened. With a sigh, she sat on the small chair in her room and tried them on with the guards in place. They were tight. The size she had given Rayden was a size larger. She had continued to grow after she was forced to quit the team.
She got her lacer and checked the bag for her tape and pads. Nostalgia overwhelmed her for a moment, and then she crawled into bed and settled in. Her uncles all came to tuck her in and kiss her on her forehead. There was more care in the gesture than she had felt the night before, but she felt relief that they came to her after the revelations of the day.
Ruby made sure her phone was set for four in the morning and went to sleep smiling. A few hours and she would be back on the ice. She belonged on the ice.
Chapter Four
Ruby finished her coffee and muffin in the car, got out, and walked toward the arena, stepping into the pools of light offered by the huge posts. The small door had the standard brick wedged into it. She stepped inside and called out, “Hello?”
There was a distant clang, and she walked toward it. There was a sound behind her, and she turned to see Rayden waiting near the doorway. He dangled white skates from his fingertips on his right hand. His skates were draped over his shoulder. “You are punctual.”
“Yeah, well. Shall we?” She walked up to him. “Pardon. Good morning.”
He grinned and nodded. “This way.”
She followed him into the depths of the arena until they exited a hallway and were facing the smooth and recently Zambonied ice.
“Sit down, and we will try these.”
She folded a seat down and sat while he surprised her by pulling off her boot and working the skate open before putting it on. She braced herself and pushed, feeling her foot settle with a thud. “They fit.”
He nodded and laced her up. “Excellent. Next foot.”
He removed her boot, and the second foot was soon shod in a potentially dangerous blade.
She grinned and shucked her outerwear. The sweatshirt and long tunic were over insulated leggings. She looked at him and asked, “Can I just go?”
He laughed and worked on his hockey skates. “Yeah. Go.”
She hiked down thick rubber toward the ice and then heard a call, “Ruby!”
A look showed her Mr. Timlinson.
“Mr. Timlinson? You are still here? I thought you would have found somewhere warmer to work.”
The old beta walked up and cackled. “I love watching new kids discover their love of ice. It’s an addiction. You are back?”
“Well, I met someone yesterday, and he seems to be under the idea that I like skating because that is what I told him. Is it possible to get some music?”
“Aw, Ruby, I still have your warm-up.”
She grinned and gasped when he pulled out his phone, and music blared into the hall.
He snickered. “Your music is up next. You had better get out there.”
She nodded and made her way to the ice, loving the feel of the hard surface and the unlikely glide when she stepped on. She glided to the centre and tried to remember her warm-up. When the familiar tunes started, the beat pulsed across her skin. When it was right, she started to skate.
* * * *
Rayden watched her spring to life as she glided with increasing speed, turned her body, and glided around the edge of the ice. When she started to bounce and do short hops and spins, he was transfixed. She gained more speed between the jumps and spins, which was hypnotic to watch. His mind’s eye could see her true self as she glided, and her crystalline hair would whip as she whirled.
He watched her path and then joined her as she moved easily, changing direction and doing dancing hops as if she were going through a routine in her mind. She glided to a halt and grinned. “Thanks for this. I didn’t realize how much I missed this.”
“You obviously know the music.”
“I do. It was my warm-up routine before I started the proper workout and choreography. He still had it on file.”
“Well, I will get out of your way, so don’t run over me.”
She laughed, and the sound wrapped around his spine. “Okay.”
The music changed, and she picked up speed, and he started to recognize the choreography for the Patchwork Pixie. He was watching the run from the pixie village. He cruised around, and when it got to the point where she was facing the trolls, he moved to block her. She smiled and put on a frown to stay in character as she tried to dodge left and right, then got past him, and turned to watch him before she spun and darted away. They were on a chase across the ice, and she kept just out of his grasp until the end of the song, where he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him.
He saw the fear flicker in her eyes before she pushed it down, and he stroked her cheek, running his fingertips down her neck. “Easy, Ruby. Just play. No pain.”
The next song started up, and she drifted away from him, but he held her hand as she backed up at speed, and then he moved around her to move with her. “You are really good.”
“So I was told.”
“You never went international?”
“No, they were always waiting for me at the outskirts of the city.” She shuddered. “Pasty bastards.”
“The Elite?”
“Yeah. I thought they would stop when I was an adult, but they always show up when I get near the border.”
“Border?”
“I made a wrap around the city when I first got here. It keeps them out, but someone has started boosting it and making it wider.” She smiled. “And stronger. I need to find her one day.”
“Her?”
“Yeah. Her energy is like mine. It’s kind of like a solid crystal rainbow.”
Her body moved with his, and he was having trouble focusing. Heat was radiating from her, and he wasn’t even touching it. Fuck.
The music slowed, and they slowly halted.
He mimed giving the patchwork pixie the orb she was supposed to get from the trolls, and Ruby smiled and took the invisible globe. When the next song came on, she glided back to the forest only she could see.
He knew the choreography and kept out of her way, but the entire production unfolded in her movements. Her familiarity was obvious.
Marshall was in the stands, and there was a glint from his phone. The teammates coming for troll practice were also watching and gathered by the entrance to the ice.
The dancing and spinning with the pixie party was funny as she carefully held the gift from the trolls. There was the moment when she dropped the gift after being jostled. It was the magic needed to keep the pixies alive, and they had destroyed it.
He watched the guys suddenly rush the ice for the patchwork pixie’s return to the troll realm, where the power was buried.
She begged silently, and they laughed and swung her from one of them to the other while he lurked behind and watched. It was just acting, but his heart broke as she reached out for him with both hands as the other trolls pulled her away. This was the point where her patchwork started to come away. She scrambled away as her light began to glow out of the patchwork.
Rayden’s jaw dropped as he realized that this was her story, made understandable for anyone. Always hiding herself, asking for help and having those around her carelessly destroying her hope and, therefore, their hope. Written by a child, it was incredibly sad that she just wished to be able to be herself.
He listened to the cue for the light of the aurora to play over her and her wondering face as she got up and glided toward the trolls, who removed the patchwork pieces until she would be standing in soft and glowing pastels. They parted, and she stood nervous but straight. Then, Rayden took her hand, and the new glow was starting where their hands connected. They glided to a halt in the centre of the arena, and the music stopped. There was a sharp whistle. Damn. He was getting lost in her eyes. He smiled. It was an amazing place to be.
They skated back to the entrance where the actual cast of the show was lined up to start.
* * * *
The coach muttered, “Don’t fuck around on our time, Rayden. We are down a pixie, and playing isn’t a great way to get this disaster under control. Miss, you are here on reserved time.”
Ruby snorted. “Geez, coach. What crawled up your ass and died? You used to be so cheerful and a perfect delight at six in the morning. Guess you got old.”
She left the ice and headed for her coat and bag.
She was about to unlace the new skates when she heard a strangled, “Ruby?”
She looked up to see Coach Durrant standing in front of her. “Hey, you remembered! Congratulations! Not so old after all.”
