Page 16 of Pocket Full Of Posies (Snowberry #2)

Calling Calliope was the right move. When Kai went home to change and inform his mother we would be attending tonight, Calliope and I headed upstairs to my room. My wardrobe mainly consists of denim shorts, denim overalls, long flowy hippie skirts and a few sun dresses, and to no one’s surprise only one pair of shoes. The slip-on fur lined rubber boots Sage bought me.

“Is this event formal? Cause if so, you’re going to be underdressed,” Calliope calls from deep inside my closet.

“I don’t think so. Kai said to wear whatever makes me feel comfortable. But maybe a dress or skirt? I don’t want to show up in grass-stained jeans.”

“Good idea.”

Calliope digs around in my closet more while I sit on my bed, legs crossed and waiting patiently. I’ll wear whatever she tells me to. I’m going to have to defer to her knowledge of party attire. I am completely out of my comfort zone here.

Calliope rambles on about choices as she goes through every piece of clothing I own, while my attention wanders to the plants in my windowsill. They’re looking a little droopy and sad at the lack of warm sunshine. I stand and go to them brushing my fingertips across their petals and leaves, sending them my magic to help them grow and flourish. Infusing their roots with missing vitamins and nutrients. The green of their leaves brightens and the pink and yellow blooms perk up and stand taller. In their strange flower way they thank me.

“Ok, how about this one?”

Turning around to see Calliope’s choice, she’s holding up a short baby pink dress with tiny white flowers on it.

“I don’t think so. It’s too spring and this is fall.”

“Okay there’s always this one.”

She produces a lacey white dress I bought for my twenty-first birthday. It's spaghetti strapped and shows too much skin and I tell her as much.

“Alright then.”

With one more shuffle through my closet I hear Calliope call out in victory.

“I found it! This is the one.”

“The one” is a long ankle length dress in a brown mustard, burnt orange color with puffy little cap sleeves, a drawstring at the neckline and a fitted bodice. Tiny red embroidered flowers line the hem of the ruffled skirt.

“I think you’re right. That looks perfect.”

“Okay now for your hair and…do you own any makeup?”

“No.”

“Okay not a problem I think I have some mascara and lipstick in my purse we can work with. You don’t need it anyways because you’re naturally pretty.”

I blush at the compliment. Outside only Kai has called me pretty. Actually, I believe his words were ‘arousingly beautiful.’

“Okay sit here and let’s see what we can do with all that glorious hair of yours.”

Gripping a handful of my thick chestnut hair in my hands I look down at it. I need to do something with my hair? It’s long and wavy falling nearly to my tail and I’ve always just let it do what it wanted.

“We don’t have to. I think it’s fine as it is.”

“Nonsense.” Calliope grabs me by the shoulders and sits me in the chair at the desk I used to use when doing my homework for school. “We don’t have to do much but let’s start with brushing it.”

She starts to part my hair and shift my flowers and then the panic hits me. She’s going to see my ears, she’s going to realize the flowers are growing out of my head and not just pinned to my hair.

She’s so fast with her hands—and freakishly strong, must be from all the batter mixing—that I can’t stop her before she pulls back one half of my hair revealing my ear, the one with Kai’s golden cuff.

“I really don’t need you to do that. I can manage.” I rush to pull the hair back over my ear, but again she swats away my hand with unexpected strength and pulls the hair back again. My obviously pointed and non-human ear on display.

“It’s okay, I don't mind.”

“No really, it’s okay.”

“Is this because you’re trying to hide your ears?”

My hands freeze midair trying to pull my hair out of her vice grip to cover the pointed evidence of my non-human heritage.

“It’s okay, Daisy. I know what you are.”

“I? What? I’m a horticulturist.”

“Yes but…you’re also part nymph. Right?”

I swivel around in my seat so fast I almost give myself whiplash.

“A what? What do you mean? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do, and it’s okay. You don’t have to lie or hide it from me.”

“But…but…” I’m speechless. Not uncommon in my life but usually not because I was rendered wordless and dumbfounded by my human best friend’s proclamation of knowing I’m a nymph. “How did you find out?”

“Well besides the pointed ears, tattoos that move and flowers that obviously grow from you; my great aunt left me a journal explaining the world of non-humans. Apparently, she was half human and half non-human and didn’t want her descendants to forget about the non-human half of their heritage. She just never had kids of her own to pass it down to.”

“So, you’ve known all along what I am?”

“Not the entire time. I was skeptical at first, as I expect most people would be but over time, I paid closer attention to things and started to catch sight of things I couldn’t explain away. Once I read more about the different types of non-humans, I figured you had to be an earth nymph. It made the most sense.”

I’m frozen in shock until a massive wave of relief washes over me and I spring to my feet and wrap Calliope in a tight hug.

“Oh, my goodness I’m so happy you know, this makes things so much easier.”

Calliope squeaks and squirms in my arms. “Okay, too tight, can’t breathe.”

“Sorry,” I release her and give her space to breathe.

I always knew her great aunt was a half-breed like me, though far-far older. Half human and half leprechaun, a very rare mix. I wonder if that means Calliope has non-human blood in her ancestry then.

“Wait. Does this mean you’re also part non-human?”

Calliope shakes her head, giving me a sad smile. “Sadly no. Apparently Great Aunt Greta was more like my great, great, great, great Aunt Greta and according to her journals my side of the family was her human side that she stayed connected with through the generations. She’s been Great Aunt Greta to everyone.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay. As long as you’re okay with me being a half-breed too. I’m also half human.”

“Of course, I am. You’re my friend Daisy, and your family bloodline isn’t going to change that.”

One more example of how wrong I’ve been about people's views on half-breeds.

“Can we just keep the fact that I know about non-humans between us? No one else knows that I know and I don’t want to cause any issues.” Calliope’s lips pinch in worry as she watches me.

“Of course. Who would I tell anyways? You’re my only friend.”

We both laugh and Calliope’s shoulders sag in relief.

“Now can I please brush your hair. It desperately needs it. And if you’re going to be meeting your hot boyfriend’s family it should at least be brushed. By the way, what is Kai? I haven’t been able to figure him out. His glamour is too good.”

I laugh because he is absurdly good with his glamour. I also like that she doesn’t ask why I don’t use a glamour.

“He’s also a nymph but his abilities are animal and fire based.”

“Okay you are so going to have to explain that and what his real body looks like. I want to know everything.”

And I tell her, all while she brushes my hair and uses a few bobby pins to hold up small braids keeping the strands out of my face, forming a small circlet crown on my head, winding it around my flowers. Now daisies and hydrangeas. Happiness and optimism.

Kai returns just as I’m walking Calliope out and we both stop to watch him approach. His glamour shifted into place in a fraction of second when he saw Calliope, but I still see the real him. He added a gold band to one of his horns and put something in his hair to keep it under control and far less wind wild than it usually is. His customary earrings, necklace and rings in place along with a few bracelets.

The end of his tail swings lazily behind him as he saunters up the front drive where a sleek black sports car is parked. I guess he didn’t feel like walking. He’s dressed in black slacks and a deep blood red dress shirt left open at the collar, the top buttons undone to show his chest beneath. I think he has an aversion to shirts the way I do shoes.

“Does he look as hot in his true form as he does in his glamour right now?” Calliope whispers to me.

“Probably.”

Kai smirks, obviously hearing us—nymph hearing and all that—because he instantly drops his glamour. I can only tell because his form shimmers for half a second.

“Wow.” Calliope’s mouth drops as she openly gawks at my boyfriend. That’s right boyfriend. Might as well call him what he is at this point.

“Calliope. I didn’t know you knew about non-humans.” Kai says in greeting as he meets us halfway to the house.

“Yeah well, no one but you and Daisy knows I know. Not sure if I’m supposed to or if I’ll get in trouble for knowing.”

Kai mimes zipping his lips shut and winks at her.

“Yeah, okay. I’m gonna go now. You two have fun.” She gives me a quick hug goodbye and gets into her car and drives off leaving hot as sin Kai staring like he wants to devour me in my driveway.

“Hello, little Blossom. You look exceptionally beautiful tonight. I like what you did with your hair. It shows off those cute ears I like so much.”

He reaches out and runs a finger down the exposed cartilage and I shiver at the sensual touch. A possessive and undeniably sexual growl emanates low in Kai’s chest.

“Later, Blossom.” Kai taps me on the nose and grins. “Are you ready to go? If you’ve changed your mind I would completely understand.”

“No, I haven’t changed my mind. I still want to go.”

“Very well. Just remember my stipulations.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

Kai gives me a definitive nod before leaning down to press a chaste but intense kiss on my lips, making my brain all fuzzy.

Apparently, the sports car is for my benefit because he knew I wouldn’t be wearing shoes and didn’t want me to hurt my feet walking over in the growing dark. I have to admit the fancy sports car is pretty cozy, and warm.

“Why don’t you like to wear shoes? I don’t think I’ve ever asked.” Kai eyes my bare toes on the carpeted floor of the car.

“Why don’t you like to wear shirts?” I mimic his tone and eye his revealingly unbuttoned shirt. Not meaning to linger but unable to immediately look away from his tantalizing skin.

Every day we spend together increases my desire to lick him. An unfamiliar emotion I’m still trying to come to terms with while trying not to lick him. Maybe sometime soon he’ll let me. I bet if I asked he would without hesitation.

Kai clears his throat, drawing my attention and my gaze up to his grinning face.

“I tend to get hot. Wearing no shirt or unbuttoned open collared shirts helps keep me cool. A side bonus of my fire magic.” He answers my question while continuing to smirk at me then licks his lips as his eyes drift down my body. “And you? Why no shoes?”

“It’s kind of for the same reason. Not that I get hot, but because of my magic. It’s grounding, connecting me to the earth. I can hear and understand the plants better.”

“You can hear the plants? I thought you just liked talking to them like a human talking to their pet dog. A one-sided conversation. Not that you were actually talking to them.”

Most earth nymphs have a sixth sense regarding the earth and plants, an instinctual understanding. I sense them differently, more of a conversation and feelings. I can tell if the flowers are happy or sad, hungry or sick because they tell me, rather than a logical tallying of soil nutrients and moisture. Sage explains it as seeing into the chemical and biological breakdown and a knowing of what is needed and what is missing. When he connects with them to make them grow or move it’s a command. An intrinsic knowledge and power over them. Whereas I speak to them, asking them to grow and coax them to do as I say through feeling. Because of that I’ve always felt closer to the earth through touching it.

“It’s hard to explain but yes, I can talk to them in a sense. Not quite as direct as you can with Delphi, but similar. Feeling a tactile connection to the earth makes it easier.”

“Thus, no shoes.” Kai concludes. “I like that you don’t wear shoes.”

“I like that you don’t wear shirts.”

My confession slips free before I can think better of it. Kai’s pupils expand and the heat in the car increases noticeably.

“For you, Blossom, I’ll never wear a shirt again if it’s what you desire.”

That part of me that wants to lick Kai likes that idea a lot. I lick my lips and swallow coating my dry throat before speaking, Kai’s eyes shift from the road to me, tracking the movement before returning back out the front windshield.

“Maybe I do,” I admit in a smoky tone that barely sounds like my voice.

“Very well.”

Kai reaches up and starts to unbutton his shirt even more. He’s already gotten down to his delicious abs by the time I’m able to reach out and stop his progression.

“Maybe after the party?”

Huffing in faux irritation the corner of Kai’s lips twitch in amusement. “Fine, if you insist.”

He doesn’t immediately re-button his shirt, needing both hands to do so and one is still firm on the steering wheel. Instead, he reaches out his free hand and twines our fingers together, resting our linked hands on my thigh after pressing a kiss to the back of my hand.

Our hands remain linked for the rest of the short drive to his house or rather mansion. I know it’s not his but his parents, but it’s still intimidating to drive up to with its manicured lawns, shaped hedges and dramatically up lit spot lights.

Kai parks the car and the bravery I had hours ago has dwindled to steam in my veins. I’m not sure I’m strong enough to go in now. I’m going to say something wrong. Or everyone will think my dress is ugly and cheap. Shit, they’re probably all going to be wearing shoes. I should have asked to borrow some from Calliope. Just because Kai thinks my bare feet are cute doesn’t mean everyone else will.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe Kai was right, and we should just turn around and go home. I’m so out of my depth. Why did I want to do this again? Oh right, I was trying to prove to myself and everyone else that I’m not a total shut-in and can participate in normal social events like everyone else. I think I might have been wrong, or at least jumped the gun on my abilities.

My grip on Kai’s hand tightens to the point my knuckles go white and my markings shift restlessly on my skin.

“Daisy,” Kai forces me to look at him with just my soft-spoken name. “It’s okay. If you need a minute, we can wait, or we don’t have to go in at all. It’s all up to you.”

“Okay. Just, maybe another minute?” Apparently, I’m still determined to participate. Something inside me needing to push myself out of my comfort zone, if just to learn where my limits are. Without trying, how will I ever know?

He doesn’t turn the car off allowing the heat to keep pumping in so I don’t get cold and I know he’s doing it for me. As he said, his fire magic keeps him warm.

Peeling my eyes from the mansion, and few people I see through the windows, I look down to our intertwined fingers and focus on Kai’s rings and bracelets. Most of them are gold, some with precious stones, a lot of them are red, probably rubies. One of his bracelets is a simple gold band with a single small ruby set in the gold. It looks different from the other jewelry he wears. No brand stamped on it or recognizable markings. Just smooth warm gold with a perfect drop of red. I finger it and spin it on his wrist to get a better look at the stone. It’s vibrant and cut in a smooth perfect circle, inlaid in the band, literally. I can feel the bottom of it on the underside of the bracelet.

“It’s pretty, isn’t it? My sister Keiko gave it to me. The stone is a red beryl, one of the rarest stones in the world. She had it made for me for my birthday. Told me she had to find a stone as rare as I was.”

His face softens with remembrance and affection for his sister. The one he told me is the best of all his siblings, even more than Endo.

“It’s beautiful.”

I rub the stone between my fingers, it’s smooth to the touch, not faceted like most stones to make them reflect the light. More like a polished rock. The simplicity a perfect pair to its rarity I suppose.

“Here.”

Kai unlinks our hands and slides the bangle style bracelet off his wrist. Taking my hand again he slips it onto my wrist. It’s far too large for me, and way too precious to give to me.

“No Kai, I don’t need it. Your sister gave it to you, you should keep it. Plus, look, it doesn’t fit.”

“That’s not a problem.”

Engulfing my wrist in both his hands he holds the gold bangle off my skin.

“Now don’t move.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

The hands around my wrist begin to glow red like a hot poker and my arm begins to heat. Just when I think it’s going to get too hot and burn my skin, the heat instantly dissipates.

“What did you do?”

Lifting his hands he reveals the bracelet, now much smaller and cooler, around my wrist.

“Now it’s a perfect fit, and you can’t give it back without ruining it or the talents of a skilled fire nymph.”

The gold band isn’t even warm as it rests against my skin. I slide it to the base of my wrist and realize what he’s done. He’s sized it perfectly to be loose around my wrist but too small to slip off over my hand. It’s never coming off.

“Kai, you can’t. Take it off, it was a gift from your sister, you should have it, not me. This is too much.” I try to argue to no avail. He’s already shaking his head and grinning at me.

“It’s not enough. I want to give you more. Give you earrings and rings, diamonds, and sapphires, because you are the rarest gem in the world, Daisy. And I will gladly give you anything you ask of me. No cost is too great if I get to see you smile.”

My wavering smile is accompanied by wet eyes, and I blink trying to hold the tears at bay. I can’t go into his parent’s party with tear tracks down my cheeks.

“Don’t make me cry. Calliope put mascara on me and said it’ll run if I get it wet.”

Kai laughs, deep and warm. The sound bright enough to dry my tears, but he swipes a thumb under my eye anyways to make sure none escaped to ruin whatever Calliope did to them.

“You look perfect, Blossom. And now whenever you’re nervous or scared, you can look down to your wrist and know I’m always there with you and I will always be there to protect you. To make you smile and laugh so hard you cry, but only when you’re not wearing mascara.”

The straitjacket around my heart unbuckles and the restraints loosen as Kai melts them with his words and unique charm, and I can breathe easily again.

“Thank you, Kai. I love it.” And I think I love you.

The realization of something I sensed growing, but am too afraid to admit. This is all still new, and I don’t want to be that girl that falls in love with the first guy she dates only because he was the first. But something in me knows that’s not the case, that if I spoke those words, they would be true. I just don’t know if Kai would feel the same. So, I keep them inside for now.

“It looks better on you than it ever did on me.”

“That’s because you wear so much jewelry, its simplistic beauty is lost amongst the mass.”

“I suppose it was. Now it can shine on your wrist, getting the recognition it deserves.”

Lifting my hand to his lips he kisses my knuckles and I realize I’m no longer panicking or white knuckling his hand.

“Are you ready to go in now?”

Looking up at the huge mansion and opulence I no longer feel overwhelmed with Kai at my side.

“Yes.”