#zarod

“Is it true, Zetta?” Ruby rushed over to her and grabbed her hands. “You asked Sheriff Skye to dinner?”

Zetta cut him a look before her cheeks turned a deep shade of purple and she coyly looked away from him. “Hush, now, Ruby, don’t go blowing this up.”

“Goodness gracious you did!” Ruby gasped then squealed and bounced on her toes before throwing her arms around Zetta’s neck and jostling the poor Tiefling lady around. “Zzeetttttaaa!”

“Hush it Ruby or else you’ll go and wake them all up.” Zetta hissed as she shook her head out and held the girl out at arm’s length.

“Oh, I wish the Order of Lemnos would just leave me alone!” She shrilled and stomped her foot. “Nobody would’ve gotten hurt otherwise and I would have been here a week sooner so this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Don’t go sayin’ that now. You couldn’t have known they were coming, Ruby.” Zetta clicked her tongue and wiped at the tear stains under Ruby’s green eyes. “I’m just glad you’re safe.”

“I’m just glad I was able to get all of them out of that camp.” Ruby huffed as she looked down and clapped her hands to her hips. When she looked back up again, she waggled her brows at Zetta. “Did you kiss him yet?”

“Ruby!”

Zetta tried to cover to girl’s mouth with her hands, but a fit of laughter bubbled out of the strawberry witch and she merely hugged Zetta. Wesley felt his own face turning a few shades darker and could hardly believe what he heard. While he very much would like to kiss Zetta, he never would have demanded such a thing. His heart raced faster than centaurs at the thought that just maybe Zetta liked him almost as much he liked her, but quickly pinned that thought for another time. If the Order of Lemnos were running amuck trying to start another Salem witch trials, then that mean the Orion Hunters weren’t that far behind.

“Let me be happy for you.” Ruby gushed and looked over Zetta’s shoulder at Wesley. “Now you be good to her Sheriff Skye, my sister here might be tough on the outside, but she’s all kinds of ooey gooey on the inside.”

Wesley tried not to be too surprised by the elemental witch calling Zetta her sister, but he couldn’t help but blink in surprise.

Zetta huffed as she managed to free herself from the shorter elemental witch. “That’s enough outta you, Ruby. Not to mention you’re filthy and you stink.”

“There’s no need to be rude just ‘cause you want a goodnight kiss, Florenzetta.” Ruby winked at Wesley, and he was certain it was on fire because she burst into another fit of giggles almost immediately as she barely managed to escape Zetta’s tail from pushing her away.

“Go on, get on!” Zetta’s face and neck were a deep shade of purple and from Ruby’s laughter she had no shame nor regrets for what she said. “I swear if she wasn’t my sister, I might really snatch a knot in her head sometimes.” With a huff, Zetta turned and looked at Wesley. “Please pay her no mind, she just really knows how to get something stuck in my craw.”

“Actually, I think I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit of attention to her words.” Wesley chuckled as he gently caressed her cheek and allowed his thumb to trace the seam of lower lip and letting it rest in the dimple of her chin. “A goodnight kiss sounds mighty nice. . .”

Her eyes went wide, and her cheeks fanned a deeper shade of purple as her tail latched onto his ankle like a vice.

“I – Is that a demand?” Her lips parted and a pink tongue darted out to wet her lower lip. “Or a request?”

“Neither if that isn’t what you want.” Wesley paused, his eyes searching hers for some sort of sign that he was misreading things, that he presumed that Zetta would merely do as Ms. Ruby teased her when she didn’t want to. “I’m a patient man, Zetta. I will not take anythin’ you do not freely give.”

Wesley let his hand fall and was resolved to walk away, to act on his word when, Zetta’s tail pulled him closer, or maybe she moved closer to him, he wasn’t quite sure, but her plush purple lips were on his and he wasn’t going anywhere. Her nails scraped along the nape of his neck and threaded into his hair while his hands had befallen her waist to keep himself at bay. He felt himself going breathless as she pulled away and pressed her forehead to his leaving him panting and craving another kiss.

“You might be a patient man, Wesley, but I certainly am not.” She bit her lower lip and smiled at him before pecking a quick kiss to his nose and pulling back.

“Can’t say it hurts my feelings none.” The corner of his mouth tugged up into a smile and he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and tucked her hair behind her ear.

Her laugh was a melody to his soul that carried him all the way home that night and sang him a lullaby to sleep to. Wesley only wished it would have carried him through the next two weeks after that. Between the new tenants recovering in town before their trip to Cloteal Canyon and the train full of new humans moving to Ottilie, there wasn’t much time for Wesley to see Zetta. He managed to pop over for breakfast twice and help her set up tables, but between getting the humans in line and trying to keep the peace with the nonhumans, he was only able to catch a few fleeting glances. To make matters worse there was Nolton, a blue male Tiefling and one of new tenants that Ruby brought in that was overly infatuated with Zetta and kept trying to get too familiar with her despite her constant rejections. According to Ruby, the Tiefling had half his tail cut off in one of the fighting rings he was forced to participate in and Zetta was the only other Tiefling he’d ever seen. While Wesley felt a touch of sympathy for Nolton’s hard life, he was less sympathetic towards him as Nolton proceeded to do everything he could to woo Zetta.

Nolton was not deterred by her rejections and grew more determined to help Zetta out by acting as a waiter to customers during the day, a bouncer in the evenings, and doing a lot of the heavier lifting for Zetta. It was commendable, truly it was to the point Wesley found himself a little envious. Jealousy was not a feeling Wesley was particularly familiar with and he did not like the way it festered inside of him as he watched Nolton setting out the tables and chairs. No matter how much he disliked the unfortunate Tiefling, he wouldn’t interfere unless it was absolutely necessary, and that mostly depended on Zetta and how she felt. He couldn’t blame her if she chose Nolton over him, the fellow had time to spare, muscles to do more heavy lifting for her, and was of the same species; but it didn’t hurt his heart any less when he thought about it.

“I can hear your teeth grinding from here.” Zarod chuckled as he looked up from his stack of papers. “You gonna go get my biscuits this morning or are you gonna keep glaring pistols at the Tiefling fellow?”

At the jab Wesley tore his gaze away from the blue Tiefling setting up the chairs and threw the rest of his coffee back. Forcing himself to turn his back to the window, he looked at the stack of papers in Zarod’s hand. “Any more reports on the humans?”

“Not yet.” He grunted and shook his head. “You’d think they would have understood that when they were leaving all of them human folk towns, they’d have to coexist with us, but too many of them have tried lording over the people and treating us like they would in the city. . .”

“One would think.” Wesley sighed in agreement and moved over to his own desk.

Three businessmen hoping to expand their companies and a wealthy widow Mrs. Clackler with her only surviving niece Annabelle were unintentionally causing trouble for Ottilie. The businessmen just wanted more coin for their purses and didn’t care who they hired so long as the work was done, and they were the first to expand so far west, however their treatment of their workers needed a massive adjustment or else they’d have to take their business elsewhere. The widow was as prejudice as anyone would be from Luneburg and couldn’t seem to keep any maids or cooks for long. Wesley had gone down to her house to warn her twice and it was her niece that was the one to apologize on her aunt’s behalf. She was a sweet girl and could have been his sister with the blond hair and blue eyes, only Wesley wouldn’t have let any family member leave bruises on her like that. There was something off about the widow and he needed to find someone willing to go in there as a maid if only to tell him what was really going on inside the manor.

Knock, knock, knock.

Wesley’s head flicked up to see Ms. Ruby Rose peeking through the window with a warm smile on her face. “Mornin’ Sheriff Skye!”

“Morning, Ms. Ruby.”

He gave a nod, and she entered the station carrying a big basket of biscuits and other breakfast goodies. Zarod sat up inhaling the food and smiling wider than a cat as he looked at the strawberry witch. He was practically drooling as he took another inhale and rose to his feet and moving things around his desk.

“Does the sweetest rose in Ottilie come bearing biscuits?”

“Fresh out the oven.” Ruby nodded as she trotted over and set the basket on Zarod’s desk. “Complimentary from my sister.”

“Is Zetta starting a delivery service?” Zarod’s stomach rumbled as he reached for a biscuit.

“Nope.” Ruby shook her head as she hoisted herself up on the corner of Zarod’s desk. “Just a special treat for the deputy.”

“A treat it is, Zetta’s biscuits are better than my own mothers.” He rumbled happily as he took a massive bite of a biscuit and moaned.

“I wouldn’t go saying that if I were you, your momma’s feelings might get hurt.” Ruby laughed nonchalantly as she herself picked up a biscuit and let her feet swing beneath her.

“Even my mother prefers Zetta’s biscuits over her own.” He managed to get out around a mouthful of food.

“Careful now, honey, don’t need to choke.” She giggled and pulled out a thermos and poured out two cups. “Here, Roddy, have some orange juice to wash it down.”

“Thanks, Ruby, you’re the best.” He swallowed the biscuit down and accepted the juice from her.

“Oh, not at all.” She hummed happily and continued nibbling on her own biscuit.

Wesley looked up at the nickname and saw that Zarod was too distracted with his biscuits to notice. Zarod hated it when anyone shortened his name or called him anything else but Zarod. He was very clear on what Wesley was to call him in the beginning, and here Ms. Ruby Rose sat on his desk like a kitten acting like they were old friends. For all Wesley knew they probably were, then again for all he knew they also could have been lovers and needed a moment to catch up on lost time.

His gut twisted uncomfortably at the thought, and he rose to his feet sliding his hat on his head. “I’mma head on out.”

Not wanting to be a third wheel and give his only friend and deputy a little alone time with Ms. Ruby Rose, Wesley walked past the desk plucking up a biscuit only to be yanked back by the collar of his shirt and snatching the biscuit back.

“Oh no you don’t!” Ruby snipped too happily for how hard she tugged on him. “You want your own biscuit; you go get them from Zetta.”

“Excuse me?” He turned so fast and felt his stomach drop as he looked at MS. Ruby. Despite the smile on her face the look in her eye could boil water with the heat it carried.

“Why haven’t you been seeing my sister, Sheriff Wesley Skye?” She hopped off the desk and marched up to him prodding her finger into his chest. Keeping his hands up and away as an act of surrender, Wesley took steps back away from her only to have her advance on him.

“Because the humans have demanded a little bit more of my attention than I care to give them.” He tried to sound polite, but it sounded just as cold and annoyed as he felt.

“He’s not lying, Ruby.” Zarod gulped down another biscuit as he watched the little witch try to take on a man a whole head taller than her. “Humans have been causing all sorts of trouble.”

“Stay outta this, Roddy.” She hissed over her shoulder and kept Wesley pinned in place with those intense green eyes and clapped her hands to her hips. Zarod paled a little but was content to return to his food and leaving Wesley out to be dressed down like he was in school again.

“You listen here Sheriff Skye, I know very good and well that you two are some of the busiest people in Ottilie, you’re both workaholics and will try to get all the work done before you take proper time to yourselves. Well guess what? Ya both got businesses that never stop which mean ya won’t stop working.” She threw her hand to the window where there was a clear view to The Hidden Wisp. “My sister Zetta is a strong, independent woman that doesn’t need anyone in her life, not even me, but if you don’t go over there and stop Nolton she’ll never want to need you again.”

“Ms. Ruby –” Wesley could hardly get another word in before she was lighting him up with another storm.

“I know I can’t pin this all on you because Zetta’ll put up with a lot until she breaks, but I will light a fire under your rear before I let you sit in this room a day longer brooding with jealousy over a Tiefling who’s never been around women before and is bothering my sister.” She huffed and seemed to let all the tension she carried into this room off her shoulders as she rolled her shoulders back and smiled sweetly at him. “Now go be the gentleman my sister has been talking to me about and go save her from Nolton.”

It took Wesley a moment to comprehend what she was saying when a shout outside snapped his attention away from her. Zetta was using her serving tray as a shield as Nolton had her pinned to the wall in the shade of the porch with his tail wagging. While Wesley was a patient man, he’d had enough, and his boots carried him to The Hidden Wisp than his rational thoughts could catch up with him.

“Florenzetta, I know can sense my feelings for you.” Nolton purred out as he tried to flirt with Zetta.

“What I sense is your inability to hear me, Nolton.” She hissed and tried to shove him away with her tail. “I have told you enough times now that I am spoken for and I am not interested in you.”

A growl tumbled out of him, his tail thrashing irritably behind him as he took a step away. “What does he have that I don’t?”

“Well for one thing manners and a good sense of hearing about him to listen when a lady says ‘no’.” Zetta’s tail swished irritably behind her as her hands were ready to swing her tray around like a weapon.

“He’s a human, Florenzetta, do you know what they do to our kind?” The venom and vengeance oozing from Nolton’s body was enough to poison a whole well of water.

“Wesley isn’t like that!”

“He’s a human, if you give him what he wants he’ll toss you away.” Nolton hissed.

“Shut your mouth, Nolton, you don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“I know plenty!”

Zetta nearly screeched as marched up to him. “Wesley Skye is the nicest man alive and the only male that’s cared about my opinion. Whether you like it or not, I am spoken for, Nolton because Wesley is my mate!”

Wesley stopped in his tracks as he was coming up the stairs and thought his heart was going to burst. The attraction he felt for Zetta was certainly strong and he had planned on taking things slow between them to get to know one another better, but for her to make such a declaration had him starstruck.

“Is that true, Zetta?”

Zetta gasped as she turned to face him, her lilac face tinted with deeper shades of purple as she could hardly bring herself to look at him. Nolton, fiercely angry and hurt from the rejection looked between the two of them before defeat washed over him and he excused himself inside.

“Wesley?”

“Is it true?” He finished climbing the steps to meet her halfway. “Am I your mate?”

“Well – I – er, um.” As Wesley drew closer to her she tried to look everywhere but at him. His boots clicked as he stood at the top step and made sure their toes were touching.

“Zetta.” He grabbed her hand and held it loosely. Her white pupilless eyes turned to him with such a fear she started to tremble. “Am I your mate?”

Her voice was a whisper as she looked up at him. “And if you are?”

“I’ll be the happiest man alive.” He smiled and bent his head so their foreheads could touch.

“I didn’t want to tell you yet. . .”  She admitted and closed her eyes so tight her brow wrinkled. “It’s too soon and we hardly know each other and – ”

Wesley pressed a kiss to her forehead and gently wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He felt her tail curling itself around his left calf.

“It’s all right if its too early. We’ll still take our time if that’s what you wanna do.”

Her eyes fluttered open, and he could see the indecision resting within her. “You say that now, but you humans do things differently. . .”

“Maybe, but that’s all right. We can take this at your pace, Zetta.” He hummed and brushed his thumb against her cheek. “I’m not plannin’ on goin’ anywhere soon, so if I’m your mate, I would be honored if you would allow me to court you Zetta.”

“Yes.”

With tears welling up in her eyes and a smile blooming on her face, Zetta held his face in her hands and kissed him hard. Somewhere behind him he heard hoots, hollers, and whistles, but they felt like a world away and Wesley couldn’t be any happier.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little story; I haven't quite decided if this is the ending for Zetta and Wesley, but I'm pretty content with their story for now. If you liked this story and would like to see more, please leave me a comment or review and please make sure to reblog to help share the love.