Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144433 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 722(@200wpm)___ 578(@250wpm)___ 481(@300wpm)
But eventually the certificate is handed over and the other female hugs Maeve and shakes my hand. Her name is something I don't care to remember, and I give Maeve a pointed look when she tries to strike up a conversation again.
"He looks impatient to be away with you, Maeve," the woman giggles after a time. "Best go take your new husband home for some alone time."
Maeve's cheeks turn pink again and she loops her hand through mine as I stand next to her. "We're stopping by the store and then we're on the way home."
I manage to bite back a groan of dismay. Another stop. Another twenty people Maeve will want to talk to.
Sure enough, when we go into the small general store, Maeve hails the avian behind the counter with a cheerful greeting. "Remember those spices you sold me? The local blend?" She gestures at me. "This one loves the taste on everything. I'm going to need a huge batch." She pauses and thinks. "And more cooking oil, I believe. And eggs."
"I heard you just got married," the avian caws, not looking over at me. Avians and praxiians are long-time enemies, so this is not surprising. We are incompatible species at our core. The avian focuses on Maeve, fluttering his wings at her. "Should I compliment you on your choice of husbands or offer my condolences?"
I bristle, and when I bare my teeth this time, it's not in a friendly manner.
"Oh stop," Maeve giggles. "I'll have you know we're very happy together." She gestures at me. "And this is my husband, yes. His name is Zhur."
"Mmm. I have just the thing for you," the avian shopkeeper says. He reaches under the counter and pulls out a small vial, sliding it across the bar to Maeve. "Consider it a wedding gift. If you want more, of course there will be a charge."
"Of course," she says, quickly pocketing the vial. "Now, about those eggs...?"
CHAPTER
FORTY
MAEVE
"I'm not sure, but I think the shopkeeper just gave me drugs," I hiss to Zhur as we head back to the farm.
He says nothing.
I shoot a look over at the big praxiian, wondering if he's pouting over something. He's been increasingly grouchy as the day wore on, and I'm sure it's because of me. Granted, I did have a lot of catching up to do, but I consider it part of my due diligence as a human on this planet. If I see another woman who looks like she needs a friend, I'm going to extend my hand. It doesn't matter if she takes it or not—the important part is that she knows I'm here to be her friend if she ever wants me to be. Some of it was for Zhur's benefit, too. I made sure to talk to some of the women that are in town regularly, and lingered so we could be seen in front of every door. It would have been suspicious if we'd raced into town and raced back out again. Instead, we took our time and made it seem like us being there was no big deal.
But I don't think Mister “I'm good at diplomacy” got the message.
"Are you pissed about something?"
"I am just waiting for another human to pass by so you can have an hour-long conversation about the thread selection at the store," he says in a cranky-ass voice.
He is definitely pissed. I roll my eyes. "And how would it have looked if I showed up scared and nervous and raced back home right away? They'd have their eyes all over you."
"And you ate my roll."
I snort. "If it helps, it was delicious."
The look he gives me is withering. Something tells me Lord Hairball has never had his boundaries encroached on before. Well, it's a lesson he needs to learn.
"I know you didn't want me to eat it, but if you hadn't offered it, Simone would have been suspicious of our marriage. You did good, and you can have all the pastries in the box if it makes you feel better, you big baby."
"It does not make me feel better when you refer to me as an infant," he says in a tight voice.
"It's called teasing, and I'm going to keep doing it." I nudge him, trying to get him to relax. "Just like I'm going to keep going into town and talking about our new marriage and how things are going. And I'm going to talk to people every day, like I normally do, because if I did otherwise, they'd get suspicious. You don't have to go in with me every time, but it might be useful sometimes. Like tomorrow, when we take in the sled and pick up our order from the store." Since we walked today, I agreed to return tomorrow to pick up the bags of spices and crates of eggs. "You can help me carry it because you're my big strong husband."