Elemental Fae Holiday: A Why Choose Paranormal Romance (Elemental Fae Academy Book 4)

by Lexi C. Foss

  I reminded her of that with my mouth and cock, spearing her, owning her, driving her to the brink of rapture by hitting that spot deep inside.

  She soared for me.

  Screamed.

  Her cheeks red with the force of pleasure overtaking her being.

  I nuzzled her throat, slowing my pace, readying her for what would come next.

  A new bond of sorts.

  The heart of fae magic.

  She whimpered, her over-sensitized body rippling with aftershocks of her ecstasy. Her mind was already protesting again, but I shushed her with a gentle kiss, my movements below measured and deliberate.

  “Are you ready to make a baby, little queen?” I murmured against her mouth.

  Warmth blossomed all around us from the others, their hands reaching out to stroke her in their own ways. Sol fondled her hair. Exos touched the side of her breast, stroking downward. Titus kissed her hip, his palm drifting from my backside to her thigh. And Vox drew his finger along her arm.

  They were all here, all ready, all focused on the heart of our mate-circle.

  Claire’s thick blonde lashes fluttered open, her gaze gleaming with approval. “Yes. I’m ready.”

  I kissed her tenderly, my heart skipping a beat at the perfection of this moment. In a previous life, I never would have imagined this possible. Now, I couldn’t picture it any other way.

  Claire was the love of my life, the only one I would ever want. But I cherished her other mates as well, loving them all in their own ways. It was as if our elements all thrived as a hive unit, because of Claire as our core and conduit.

  She was our version of the elemental source.

  Our goddess.

  Our queen.

  And it was finally time to create new life inside her.

  I slid out all the way to the tip, before plunging deep and awakening her pleasure once more. She groaned, her back bowing as she encouraged me to do it again.

  I did.

  But this time, I reached into our shared element as well.

  Her eyes widened, feeling the power rippling over us as I called forth my water magic to bind us together as one. To create.

  She shivered, her connection to the element opening wide in response as she matched my swirling wave with one of her own, bathing in our shared power, marrying it together as one.

  The others could feel it, their skin misting as a result.

  But the true source of the element coated me and Claire, swathing us in a sea of familiar bliss.

  I kissed her, reveling in the sensation of our element playing through our beings, engaging our souls, and warming with the gift of life.

  All it takes is a thought, I whispered to her. Accept my offering, Claire.

  She didn’t ask what I meant, because she felt the warmth of my power brushing her soul. She opened beneath it, gasping as the element pierced her very heart, sending vibrant electricity through her veins and mine.

  It centered in my groin, alighting me from within and stirring a cyclone of sensation in my lower abdomen. I growled from the onslaught, the pleasure unlike anything I’d ever experienced, even during our first mating.

  Fae are meant to create, I thought at her. Fuck, Claire. I can’t hold back much longer.

  It was too intense.

  Too overpowering.

  Too right.

  She squeezed me with her thighs, welcoming me into her body with little movements of her own, the sensation curling inside her as well. I could feel it through our bond, her acceptance and excitement. Her preparedness. Her need.

  Her limbs began to shake, sexy noises falling from her lips, as she picked up the pace of our joining, forcing me to shoot off into an oblivion of stars. Water exploded around us, my control over the element snapping as I released my seed inside her on a roar of emotion and astute gratification.

  Claire followed me with her own scream, her nails digging into my back as she held on through each rapturous wave of insanity.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  We were drowning in my element, lost in the depths of the ocean and struggling to surface. I held on to her as she clung to me, our lungs failing us both.

  Until we surfaced on a collective breath, our lips crashing into each other as we mated our tongues in a dark dance of fate and expectation.

  I fucking loved this woman.

  She took everything I had to give and gave it back tenfold, her body a pillar of worship that I would forever kneel to.

  And inside, life had taken hold.

  I could feel it in my very being, the source rejoicing in our mating and showering us in icy kisses that stung my already damp skin. Claire giggled, her smile the most beautiful sight.

  Rather than speak, she kissed me again. Then she grabbed Sol and dragged him in for a kiss. Followed by Titus, Vox, and then Exos.

  I was still joined to her below, could feel her walls fluttering with renewed vigor, her happiness a drug we all wanted to indulge in.

  My hips flexed, giving her what she craved.

  We’d already created life, but I didn’t mind fucking her again. Just as I knew her mates wouldn’t mind joining.

  Now it was about celebrating. Worshipping. Cherishing. Existing.

  Our Claire had just given us all the biggest gift of our lives. And we intended to show her our gratitude for as long as she wanted.

  Thank you, little queen, I whispered, kissing her jaw as Sol took her mouth again. I love you, I added, palming her belly. Both of you.

  TEN DAYS LATER

  “CLAIRE!” Titus shouted, making my eyebrows scrunch as I pulled the blanket over my head. He shook me, albeit gently, as he insisted on rousing me from the best sleep of my life. When I didn’t respond, he pulled the sheets away, making me squirm as cool air rushed over my skin.

  “So tired,” I mumbled as I tried to fend him off with a wave of my hand. “Go away.”

  “Thank the source you’re finally awake,” he said on an exhale. I peeked at him with one eye, finding him leaning back on his heels as he watched me. “How… how are you feeling?”

  A blanket of fatigue draped over me in response to his question, refusing to lift its weight entirely, but the concern in Titus’s eyes made me sit up.

  “What time is it?” I asked, confused. Sunlight streamed in with pleasant rays that banished the strange chill in the room, but it felt like no time had passed at all since I’d laid my head down.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, it’s midday.” He continued to stare at me, his eyes running over me as if he was searching for a source of injury.

  “What is it?” I asked. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Because you slept much longer than I expected.”

  I raised an eyebrow at him. It wasn’t like I hadn’t ever slept in before. “And that concerns you… why?”

  He sighed and took my hand, warming me with his magic. I jolted at the unforgiving warmth, frowning. “Because you’re pregnant, Claire. It’s my job to be concerned.”

  Yes, I was pregnant, and just the affirmation in my mind made my heart flutter with joy. There could be no denying the surge of life I’d felt through my bond with Cyrus and all of my mates.

  “Is the faeling doing okay?” he asked after a moment, as if it was something I should have confirmed already.

  “What?”

  “The faeling,” he said again, his words coming out in that slow, calm way when I knew he was starting to worry. “Can you feel it?”

  I frowned. “Should I be able to?” Could he not feel the life thriving through the bond? It seemed pretty real to me. But maybe I was mistaking it for something else?

  He stilled for a moment, as though trying too hard not to show a reaction. “Exos didn’t think we should prod you about it, but now that you’ve passed the incubation period, you should be able to feel something.”

  I wasn’t sure exactly what Titus meant by that, but it unfurled a thread of doubt that this pregnancy would take hold
. I knew that Cyrus had filled me with life, but this was a fae mating.

  And I was only half-fae.

  It was a secret, dark fear I hadn’t considered until it jolted through me with ugly clarity. As a Halfling, I didn’t quite fit in either world. It was my mates who had made a place for me. To everyone else, I was just an oddity…

  An abomination.

  What if that meant I couldn’t procreate? What if I’d been too lost in my mates’ love for me that I’d missed the dreadful truth right in front of me?

  “Maybe we shouldn’t get our hopes up, Titus,” I said, warning him with a slight tremor in my voice. I really didn’t want my mates to be disappointed if my human half took charge in this instance. Even if this pregnancy failed, it didn’t mean I would stop trying. When he continued to frown at me, I added, “We don’t know if the pregnancy is, uh, viable.”

  “Viable?” he repeated, his hand drifting to my shoulder. “Do you not remember Cyrus and you conceiving? Or are you doubting him?” The latter question seeped with hurt, but he misunderstood my concern. I didn’t doubt my mates so much as I doubted myself.

  I brushed off his touch as another wave of fatigue wafted over me. I covered my mouth and yawned. “It’s only been a little over a week since we, um, since we tried, I mean.”

  I rubbed my eyes, part of me wanting to throw the covers over my head again and just go back to sleep and hide from all my doubts and fears.

  “It’ll be at least a month before we know anything for certain. And even then, we’re supposed to wait a bit before we really start planning. I don’t actually know the statistics, but miscarriages sometimes happen in humans.” It was a male-fae bonus to have control over conception, but I wasn’t exactly a textbook case.

  Titus cocked his brow. “Miscarriage?” He shook his head. “We’ll know in a lot less than a month, Claire. And I think you underestimate your genetics and the potency of male fae.” He grinned. “Especially a male like your Water King, who is even cockier than me. He has a reputation to uphold, you know.”

  I sighed. Cyrus’s virility wasn’t what I questioned. “You’re not hearing me.” I really didn’t know how to explain this without the fissure in my heart splitting open.

  What if I failed my mates?

  What if I was broken?

  “Hey.” Titus leaned in so that I could see his green eyes blazing with heat. “I am hearing you, sweetheart, and I’m telling you that you have nothing to worry about. You know why?” He grazed his fingers over my chin, making me sink into his touch.

  “Why?” I asked, my voice hopeful even though my stomach twisted with worry.

  “Because you are life itself, Claire.” His smile lifted into a smirk. “And there’s no way you’d fall asleep during sex unless you had a good excuse, so if you aren’t pregnant, I’m afraid I can’t forgive you for that.”

  I frowned. “What?” I’d passed out during sex before—because a girl can only take so many orgasms before her brain just shuts down—but falling asleep? That wasn’t possible. “There’s no way…” I trailed off.

  He chuckled. “Tell me the last thing you remember.”

  “We were playing with fire,” I said slowly, recalling how he’d been agonizing me with slow flames that ran up the insides of my thighs. “Then...” My words drifted off as I tried to remember what happened next. The warmth and excitement were there, but my memories sort of just... stopped.

  “You fell asleep,” he finished for me.

  I frowned, then gasped when I realized he was right. “Oh, Titus,” I said, covering my mouth, “I’m so sorry!”

  He laughed. “It’s a good sign, sweetheart. The first month of fae pregnancy comes with extreme fatigue because the baby has a lot of growing to do in a short amount of time. You’re going to sleep a lot, especially during the incubation period. Although, you had me worried with how much sleep you needed.”

  He enveloped me in an embrace, coddling me as if I were made of porcelain. He also seemed to think that saying things like “incubation period” was completely normal.

  “I’m glad you’re comfortable enough to trust me with your protection. Fae instincts tend to keep the mother awake until she feels it’s safe.” He gave me another gentle hug before releasing me. “Now that you’re past the first phase, I’ll go find the Healer. We’re going to need to have you checked out for phase two.”

  The authority in his voice said “no” would not be an acceptable answer.

  I blinked a few times, not sure what he meant by “phase one” and “phase two” or why he kept saying I was incubating like I was some sort of damned chicken.

  My hand went to my belly while Titus rolled off the bed and grabbed his clothes.

  “Shouldn’t we do a pregnancy test or something first?” I asked. That would at least confirm the pregnancy, right?

  He chuckled. “A test? What do you mean?”

  I bit my lip before replying. “You know, it involves peeing on a stick?”

  He stumbled midstride as he looped one pant leg over his foot. “Excuse me?”

  Exasperated, I let my hands fall to the sheets. “How do fae know if they’re pregnant? In my world, you pee on a stick, and it tells you a positive or a negative result.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Humans have such odd magic. No, you don’t pee on a stick, Claire. You can tell if you’re pregnant with your elements. Use the spirit source.” When I stared at him, he continued. “Have you tried it?”

  I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Reaching into myself to touch the elemental sources was second nature, but when I tried to touch the spirit source, nothing happened.

  “I don’t feel anything,” I said, starting to worry. “Does that mean the baby…?”

  Titus went still, and a brief moment of seriousness swept over his features. It passed, replaced with his usual sexy smirk as he finished getting dressed. “I’m sure everything’s fine. You’re a Halfling, so that could be impacting the connection to the source during pregnancy. This will be a new experience for everyone, so let’s just take it one step at a time, okay?”

  I tried not to hyperventilate.

  Or it means something’s wrong.

  What if I really had miscarried?

  “Do Halflings usually have faelings?” I asked, starting to panic. “Is it normal for us… to…? Do you know of one who has? What if… what if…?” I swallowed the lump in my throat and palmed my belly, a sense of protectiveness sweeping over me.

  I desperately clung to Titus’s speculation that my child might impact my connection to the source. Anything more sinister than that and I would be sick.

  “Just breathe, sweetheart,” Titus said, his voice a calming presence in my mind, drawing me back to him and out of the shadows of my concerns. “Let’s meet with the Healer, okay? She’ll tell you what to expect.”

  Yes. Okay. He was right. “A Healer,” I repeated. “That sounds… that sounds good.”

  He gave me a kiss on the cheek, reassuring me with a graze of magical warmth. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he repeated, perhaps saying it more for his benefit than mine. He gave my arm a light squeeze before he ventured out the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Claire. Just relax.”

  Relax, I repeated to myself. Yeah, sure.

  But I tried anyway, releasing a long breath.

  Where are you guys? I asked through the bonds.

  The guys all answered quickly. Cyrus was out rounding up appropriate fae willing to meet with me about the Interrealm Fae Academy. Exos, Sol, and Vox were all out in the Human Realm procuring decorations for the holidays. Something about wanting to decorate my office—an idea that made me smile. That explained some of the random bags in the bedroom, all overflowing with autumn colors and a few with red and green.

  Is everything going okay? I asked Cyrus.

  I should be asking you that, little queen, he replied, his voice a kiss against my thoughts. And yes, everything’s fine. Kalt is helping me, too. I think
he’s avoiding his triad issue with the Winter Fae.

  I really want to know more about that, I admitted.

  Me, too. I’ll see what I can learn and report back. He sounded amused. I’ll be there soon, little queen. And don’t worry; you are definitely pregnant.

  I frowned. Are you playing in my head?

  No, your concern is radiating through the bond. Your fae genetics trump your human half. Trust me, he murmured. We’re all heading back for your Healer appointment, little queen.

  He left me with a misty kiss to my mind, his focus returning to his tasks.

  Thank you, I whispered back to him. It wouldn’t be easy to convince the other fae to create the Interrealm Fae Academy, which was why I wanted to meet with them all individually, to assure them their needs would be met. And there was no one better to convince them than my Water Fae King mate. He wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.

  Sighing, I jumped out of the bed and hurried to the shower. I felt kind of grimy for some reason. Maybe because I’d slept for too long? Yet, I could easily sleep more right now.

  To banish my lingering fatigue, I made the shower cold, which seemed to do the trick.

  After I finished, I studied myself in the mirror as water dripped from my long blonde locks. My breasts looked the same as usual, perky and ready for my mates’ attention. Although, as I ran my hands over them, my nipples did feel a little sore. My fingers ran down, circling the belly button on my flat abdomen.

  I tried to access the spirit source again, only to find a sense of nothingness. It wasn’t as if the space inside of me felt empty—rather, it felt blocked.

  Hmm. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

  Running my fingers through my wet hair, I reached for the fire source out of habit to dry the dripping strands.

  And nothing happened.

  My stomach sank as I paused, then tried again.

  Drip. Drip. Drip.

  Water hit the floor, mocking me at my attempt to touch the fire source, which worked great as a magical dryer.

  Frowning, I decided not to panic. Maybe Titus was right. I was a Halfling, and being pregnant could have strange effects on my powers. If I couldn’t access the spirit source, it made sense that I wouldn’t be able to access the others as well. Although, I didn’t like the sensation of helplessness that came with feeling so... human.