Page 6 of Pocket Full Of Posies (Snowberry #2)

Stepping back into my family’s house hours after I left, I find my brother sitting on the couch watching TV, some action movie with loud explosions that he has to pause in order to be heard.

“You’re back. Where the hell did you go for so long?”

I cross the wide living room and plop down on the couch next to him, my head falling back onto the plush cushion.

“Finding my new mate.”

“Excuse me? I don’t think I hear you right. Your new mate?” Endo sits up straight and stares at me, his chocolate and gold eyes gleaming.

“Yeah. I took your advice and found myself a mate before mom could choose one for me,” I casually declare while kicking off my boots and dropping my feet onto the coffee table. Mom would cut off my ears if she saw the way we behave in the house when she’s not around.

“You’re serious? You actually found a female nymph to agree to be your mate? How?”

Pursing my lips, I bob my head side to side. “Not exactly. I’m not actually going to bond with her, and she hasn’t agreed to be my mate.”

“I’m confused. How is she your new mate then?”

“She’s not. I’m just going to tell mom she is. There’s no reason she has to know that.”

Endo shakes his head and leans back into the couch. “You’re a piece of work, you know that? Does this poor girl even know what she’s getting into?”

“Probably not. Oh, and she’s a half-breed.”

“What?! Are you out of your mind?” Endo practically shrieks, and I recoil at the shrill sound, his voice ringing in my ears. “You can’t tell mom you’re planning on mating a half-breed. She’ll disown you.”

“One can only hope,” I mutter under my breath while fingering my ear trying to regain my hearing.

“You want to be disowned? Truly?”

“It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. You’d still talk to me, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course, I would. It doesn’t matter to me if they approve of you, never has.”

Of all my siblings I’ve been closest with Endo since he was a child. My older brother and sister have always been the golden children, the apple of our mother’s eye, doing everything right. Keiko, my younger sister who was born in between me and Endo, is the opposite of anyone in our family. Daisy reminds me of her, quiet, reserved, sweet as sugar.

Endo’s always been more like me; enigmatic, extroverted, bit of a flirt, but in a calmer softer way. He’s always the one to tag along when I go out and join in on any fun to be had. No matter if our parents disown me and never speak to me again, I know Endo will always be there.

“So, who is this poor half-breed girl you’ve managed to pull into your scheme?”

“Her name’s Daisy. Works at a flower nursery right next door. Who knew the answer to my problem was so close?”

“Daisy? As in Daisy’s Gardens ?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Cute little blossom. Found her in the woods, with a sprite of all things.”

Endo doesn’t speak, and at his unexpected silence, I look over to him. The face he’s giving me is not one of approval at my ingenious idea to spurn our mothers’ plans, in fact it looks downright disapproving.

“What? You don’t think it’ll work?”

“I have no idea if it’ll work, but I do know Daisy. She’s a sweet girl and doesn’t deserve to get caught up in our family drama.” His tone says it all, disapproval indeed.

“How do you know Daisy?” Suddenly I’m very interested in how my little brother knows my blossom. When did he meet her? Did he flirt with her? Did she laugh and smile at him like she did me?

“Some of us actually go into town for more than drinking at the bar. Mom likes fresh flowers in the house. I go to Daisy’s sometimes to get them. She’s helped me out a few times. You really think I put all those arrangements together myself?”

Honestly, I never gave two thoughts to the flowers in the house, or any decorations for that matter. I just figured some employee or hired help took care of it all.

Thinking of Daisy’s emerald, green eyes and ever-changing flowers, I recall the posy in my back pocket and lean forward, carefully extracting it from where I partially smooshed it by sitting on it. A few petals fall from the askew blossoms, but all in all it survived my ass crushing. Bringing it to my nose, I take a deep inhale and an image of Daisy blushing instantly pops into my head and a new feeling I haven’t experienced before takes me by surprise. Longing. I want to see her again.

“Just be careful with her Kai. Daisy isn’t like the girls you pick up for one night, or party with. She’s an introvert, and from what I’ve seen, barely goes into town. She’s not a woo girl. She’s the kind you take home to mom. Well, if your mom were anyone but our mom. She’s the girl you keep, the one you actually mate bond with. Just remember that.”

“You’re getting all worked up for nothing. I’ll spend some time with Daisy, make mom think we’re gonna bond, and have a little fun in the process. After the equinox is over, I’ll let Daisy down easy, leave town and mom will either disown me or forget the whole thing and move on to intruding on someone else’s life.” My explanation is exactly the plan I came up with in the forest, but the words settle differently in my mind than they did before.

“Oh, you mean like mine?” Endo scoffs.

Sooner or later mom will set her sights on Endo and his relationship status as well. Not yet though. He still has a few decades before it matters. Lucky bastard.

I chuckle and spin the flowers in my fingers, marveling at the perfect bow Daisy tied in the ribbon.

“Maybe you can find yourself a sweet little half-breed to mate and get disowned too. Then we can celebrate the equinox properly in Ibiza.”

Endo grins and all worries that my foolproof plan will fail flies out the window as we list all the things we plan on doing while in Ibiza for the spring equinox and or summer solstice. Both sound good.

After we—okay Endo—cooks dinner, I slink off to my assigned guest room, one that I’ve only slept in about half the time I’ve been here. The bed is unmade, and my clothes are strewn about the room, hanging on the edge of a hamper, the back of a chair, a lamp shade. I’m not the cleanliest of people. Why bother folding and hanging clothes, when they’re just going to end up back in a suitcase when I leave to move on to the next place?

For the last, I don’t even know how many years I've been moving from place to place. Leaving only once I got bored and needed a change of scenery. There’s no one place I call home or that I return to for solace. I like to be active, moving, disconnected. I don’t like being tied down; it makes me feel restless, useless. As soon as the equinox is over, I’m out of here. The smaller the town, the quicker I feel the desire to leave.

Resting the posy on a clear spot on my dresser, I realize now I have something to fill my time while stuck in this backwater town, Daisy. Daisy the flower blossom whose cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink when I flirt with her. I like flirting with her. I’m going to enjoy pretending she’s my future mate. And if I can manage to keep her none the wiser, all the better. She doesn’t need to know all the details. To her this will be a short fling and nothing more.

Stripping off my pants, I crawl naked into my bed and stretch wide, my feet dangling off the edge. Stroking a hand over my horns and through my hair, I run it down my chest and lower, adjusting myself, noticing I’ve managed to get half hard while thinking of Daisy.

This may turn out to be the most pleasurable equinox celebration I’ve had with my family in years.