Page 13 of Convincing His Little Bee (K!nktober #2)

“Alpha! I thought you were going to miss lunch!” That was a voice Cin recognized.

“I just got held up, Elle Bell.” Tor smiled toward the girl. Cin wondered if the woman and man bookending Elle were her parents.

Tor walked toward the end of the table and the only open chair left. Most people continued eating and chatting but threw a smile or a wave at Tor.

“Where’s your pretty, Alpha? You said he would be here!” Elle asked through a mouthful of food.

“Chew then talk, Elle.” The demon woman next to her commented, adding a roll of her eyes toward Tor who chuckled.

“Pretty?” Another voice chimed in. Cin peered through Tor’s hair to see who spoke. A masculine creature with soft curls, small black horns nestled in his hair line, and a beautiful face sat opposite Elle.

They wore a silky black shirt, blush on their cheeks, and dark make up around their eyes.

Of the creatures Cin had met so far in The Crimson Reaches, the overall culture seemed to be to present yourself in a conventional masculine or feminine appearance.

The fae had been the only one to mention his own pronouns during civil conversations.

This beautiful creature sitting in the dining room presented with an androgynous mix of features. Knowing what a wrong assumption about one’s appearance felt like, Cin kept to neutral pronouns in his head until he could speak with them.

Next to the creature, closest to the head of the table, was a large red demon. His horns were tall, curled, with flames twirling around them. His hand rested on the back of the beautiful creature’s chair.

“Look with your magic, Elle.” Tor recommended, amusement in his voice. Cin humphed softly, pinching the skin on his mate’s neck. What if I’m not ready to be seen? There were several eyes on Tor, more than just Elle and the beautiful creature. Who are all these people?

The air shimmered around the young girl, her eyes glowing silver. “Oh! Alpha! I see him!” Elle stood on her chair, using her dad’s head as a brace to get as close as possible. “What are you doing up there, Cin?”

“Who the fuck is she talking to?” The beautiful creature sounded confused.

“Come out, little bee. No one will hurt you.” The reassurance echoed through their new bond. Shit biscuit . Cin hesitated for a moment longer before parting the hair that hid his body.

“You’re so tiny!” Elle screamed, practically climbing her dad’s head to get at the fae. “Papa, switch seats with me!” The little girl demanded and her father did so with a grumble. He looked tired, but Cin wasn’t surprised about that, given the adventure his daughter had the night before.

“Your rope is soooo pretty today!”

“What’s a rope?” The beautiful creature interjected, leaning close to the red demon to see Cin better. “Who are you? What are you? Shit. Is that rude?”

The red demon chuckled but didn’t reply, placing a kiss on their forehead and gazing at them with devoted love in his eyes.

“Their rope! Just like yours and Xaph’s rope. Or Mama and papa. But Alpha’s rope is the prettiest!” Elle’s magic was still active, moving back and forth between Tor and Cin.

“That’s enough magic, Elle. You’ll tire yourself out.” Her mother instructed, Elle complied with a groan.

“I’m going to paint your rope during art time, Alpha!”

“I can’t wait to see it, sweetheart.”

“Can someone explain what’s going on?” The beautiful creature asked in exasperation.

“Jascinto, are you comfortable getting down? I can explain if you want.” Tor directed his question to Cin. While everyone around the table continued to eat they also kept glancing toward them. Waiting for the mysterious person to make an appearance.

“Only because I’m starving. If we explain, maybe everyone will stop staring.” Cin grumbled, untangling his wings from Tor’s hair. He fluttered out and landed on the table.

“Holy shit!” The beautiful creature yelled, gripping his partner? Boyfriend? Demon fuck buddy? by the forearm, looking at Cin with the widest eyes. Elle giggled and waved at Cin. The fae waved back, smitten with the girl already.

Tor cleared his throat softly and the chatter quieted.

“I’d like to introduce you to someone.” Cin really wished he was his normal sized.

With a deep breath, he tamped down his nerves and flew up to hover at the same height as Tor’s face, making sure everyone at the table could see him, despite his small size.

“This is Jascinto?—”

“Cin,” The fae corrected. He didn’t usually use his full name.

“Cin.” Tor corrected himself, his smile fond. “He is my fated.”

Silence. Until Elle squealed in delight, clapping her hands loudly. The enthusiasm broke the stunned looks on everyone’s faces. The table broke out in loud shouts of congratulations, whistles, claps, and pounding feet.

The drakonid let the noise go on for several minutes, appearing to bask in the joy they expressed for him. Cin fidgeted with his fingers, his wings flapping extra fast. He was not used to this amount of attention. Not positively anyways.

Finally, Tor raised a hand to calm everyone down. “Thank you. I know you’ll have questions and want to get to know Cin. Our meeting was a bit tumultuous so please give us time.” Everyone around the table nodded or vocally agreed, setting the fae’s nerves at ease.

“He was normal sized last night!” Elle shouted, making sure everyone in the room heard her. A laugh sprung out of Cin’s mouth; that little girl is a delight.

“This is a normal size for my kind, Elle.” Cin commented.

“What are you?” Elle asked.

“Is it rude to ask or not? Does she get a pass because she’s a child?” The beautiful creature on the other side of the table grumbled to his demon companion.

“Usually people aren’t so blunt about it, but it’s generally not rude to ask.” The voice of the demon was low, demonic in a way that made goosebumps pop up on Cin’s arms. That will take getting used to.

“I’m a pollinator fae.” Cin replied to Elle.

“I know that word! It helps flowers grow.”

“That’s correct. That’s what my kind do. We travel to different realms to pollinate all kinds of flora,” Cin sat in an empty space between Tor and Elle. Everyone else had gone back to their own meals.

“What size were you last night?” The beautiful creature asked.

“My base size is just over five feet.”

“Aw, that’s still a cute size!” They looked like they wanted to squeeze Cin and call him cute names. Cin giggled.

“Oak!” The demon grumbled.

“It is!” They protested.