Backstage at the Freak Show (Harem of Freaks #7) - Crystal Ash Page 0,4
spending more time with me, and seeing how happy Hunter was with Mel, he seemed to slowly be coming around.
Slowly being the key word.
“When are you guys heading out?” I asked before a hearty gulp of coffee.
“Whenever Colt’s thoroughly washed and done in the shower,” he smirked. “I’m gonna go nuts if I have to smell you on him all day.”
“Nothing stopped you from joining,” I pointed out. Truthfully, I was a little hurt that Gabe hadn’t joined us in bed. He seemed to be avoiding group dynamics for a few days.
He shrugged in reply. “I don’t feel much like sharing lately.”
My stomach dropped. It wasn’t like he sought me out on his own either. What was he really trying to say?
“Any particular reason why?” I dropped my eyes to my eggs, circling them around my plate with my fork.
Another shrug. “Just a lot on my mind.”
That you won’t ever tell me.
I didn’t even bother asking. I knew it would be a fruitless attempt and just continued eating my food. With he and Colt being groomsmen and me a bridesmaid, it was going to be a long day for all of us.
“There she is!” Mel, in a beautiful lavender silk robe with Bride embroidered in golden letters, wrapped me in a hug. “You’re just in time, Mir. The makeup artist just got here. Miriam, Lara. Lara, Miriam.”
“Hello!” A woman with frizzy redd hair, black-rimmed glasses, and wearing an apron stuffed with makeup brushes waved at me. “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I smiled at her. In my mind’s eye, I saw large, brown eyes, a plush, furry body, and delicate, leathery wings. It seemed Lara was a bat shifter, a flying fox of some kind.
“Miriam, keep that door cracked, would ya?” I turned to see Connor, Mel’s only non-shifter husband to be, peeking around the corner with a grin on his face.
“Excuse you!” Mel laughed, pulling me into her master bedroom. “No peeking before the ceremony!” She slammed the door closed to Connor’s protests and locked it for good measure. “Jesus, he’s the worst of them today. How are your two behaving today, Mir?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary,” I plopped down on a corner of the bed. “Colt is lovely. Gabe is a stone wall. You know, the usual.”
“So dump his ass and just go steady with Colt,” Mel’s sister and maid of honor, Jeanie May, suggested, putting their youngest sister Riley on the floor so she could crawl around. “You know, like normal people,” she teased.
“It’s not that simple,” I sighed. “I’ve fallen for Gabe too, and I just know he has feelings for me. He does little sweet thoughtful things for me, but getting him to express anything is like pulling teeth. I think it’s just hard with how he was raised.”
“Hunter and Colt were raised in the same way too, you know,” Mel took a seat in the makeup chair while Lara set up her kit. “At some point, you’ve got to put your foot down, Mir. He’s allowed to feel conflicted but that doesn’t give him a pass to make you feel like shit.”
“I know,” I sighed, running my hands through my long, dark hair. “Did you get the same kind of shit from Hunter?”
“No, it was actually Arjun who gave me the most shit,” Mel smirked, closing her eyes as Lara began her work on her face. “They’ve all been pains in my ass for various reasons, but I’ve learned to deal with them all. Sometimes it took patience and compassion, other times I had to stand up and tell then when shit wasn’t acceptable. Such is life when you’re marrying four men,” she sighed.
“I don’t know how you do it,” Jeanie chuckled.
“It’s work but it has its perks.” Mel’s grin grew broader. “Loving so many different personalities and feeling how much they love you back all in their own unique ways. There’s nothing else better in the world.”
“Where do I find men who would be willing to share?” Lara joked.
“I don’t recommend traveling and performing in carnivals run by shady humans,” Mel laughed. “Even if you find good men, you’re bound to find lots of trouble along the way.”
“Don’t feed hungry wolves meat scraps either,” I added. “Then you’ll be in my situation.”
“This wedding seems like a good place to start,” Jeanie scrolled through her phone while keeping an eye on Riley. “The guest list came out to fifty people. Nearly all of them shifters.”
“Any shaman RSVP?” I asked.
“Doesn’t look like it, though not everyone