by Lexi C. Foss
“It’s not in my nature to just… give up control,” she admitted, swallowing.
“Then tell us what to do,” I offered. “Tell us what you need, and we’ll help you achieve it. But don’t carry all this around on your own, Claire. That’s not going to work for any of us.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“Good.” I kissed her nose, then pressed my forehead to hers. “Now I have another request.”
Her eyebrow inched upward. “Another request?” She sounded cynical. “I think you’ve had enough requests.”
I grinned. “This is one I think you’ll like.”
“Uh-huh.”
I nibbled her lower lip, then pulled away just enough to look down at her blouse. “May we help you out of these wet clothes?”
She frowned, glancing down. “How…?” She blinked. “Hold on, what’s the request? I’m not letting you use sex to distract me. Last time I did that, I ended up pregnant.”
Rather than correct her statement, I merely said, “Stripping you is my request.”
“Oh.” She frowned, then looked down again. “Okay.”
“While we’re making requests,” Exos added, his mouth against her throat again. “I would like to request fucking your ass.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Exos.”
“And I want your pussy,” I declared, enjoying how her skin darkened to a deep red shade. “Don’t act like you’re surprised by our bluntness, little queen. You’ve been mated to us long enough to know our preferences.”
She swallowed. “I’m still not used to it.”
My lips twitched again. “Then allow us to provide another demonstration.” I started unfastening her blouse since she’d technically provided permission. “Consider this a practice round for phase three.”
“And what happens in phase three?” she asked, breathless as we peeled the shirt from her gorgeous body.
“Intense sex,” Exos whispered against her ear, his fist on her skirt, dragging it down her legs. “Now go get on the bed and spread those pretty thighs.”
A WEEK AND A HALF LATER
OKAY, so there was a benefit to this whole pregnancy thing—amazing sex. And also, just my mates in general.
They had never been more attentive than they were now, which was saying a whole heck of a lot, considering they always seemed to bend over backward for me.
Such as now, with Titus helping me decorate the main meeting room of the chancellor building on campus. Cyrus had said to expect a few fae to drop by to discuss the Interrealm Fae Academy, and I’d gone into interior designer mode.
Holidays made people happy.
And I needed these fae to be happy.
Which was how I found myself in a sea of sequins, glitter, and festive winter décor. It covered every inch of the meeting chamber for today’s guests. I just couldn’t focus on the paperwork or potential negotiations, not until the room was properly prepared.
The term “nesting” repeated over and over again in my head, only driving me into a frenzy to make everything even more right.
But everywhere I turned, I found an empty space that needed a Santa statue. A blank wall that was missing a splattering of glitter. A staircase in desperate need of more tinsel.
“Candles,” I declared with a clap of my hands. Oh, yes, a sea of flickering lights would do the trick.
I needed my elements, even if I didn’t have full access to them.
Yes, yes. Definitely candles.
Titus studied me as I used one of the already lit candles to carefully light the others one by one. He appeared ready to say something, when a stray puff of fake snow drifted through the room, nearly catching on fire. He arched the flame away from it with a sweep of his hand, his eyebrow inching upward at me.
“Thanks,” I said shyly, hating that I was having to rely more and more on my mates to keep me from setting rooms on fire.
“Suddenly afraid of a little heat?” he asked with a sexy smile, planting a kiss on my lips. I indulged in the taste of him before I wriggled away to keep on with my work.
“I’m just being extra careful,” I replied, meaning it.
“Yes, I can see that.” He followed as I surveyed the room for the thousandth time.
The decorations seemed to take precedence over preparations for my impending meeting. However, Titus didn’t point out my lopsided priorities.
Aflora and a few other fae would be walking through the door lined with holly any minute now. The rest of my mates would be joining as well to keep an eye on me. Cyrus in particular was protective as of late, understandably, and Titus was probably feeling the pressure to keep me safe as well.
“Do you really need to give me a heart attack again?” Titus asked woefully, catching my side as I wobbled on a ladder. “Just tell me what needs to be hung up, and I’ll do it. Or we could grab Vox.”
“No,” I replied, stubbornly taking each step up the ladder with Titus’s hands firmly on my hips. “You wouldn’t do it right.” I was the only one who knew where everything had to go. Except I couldn’t really explain that absurd sense of certainty to my mates.
Titus’s warmth escalated out of frustration as I adjusted one of the snowflake streamers.
Usually, I would have used a little wind magic to cinch the tall loops into the ceiling, but my element wouldn’t come to me.
That should have been concerning.
And yeah, I probably should have said something.
But the Healer had told me I might feel a little off my game as the faeling grew. And it wasn’t like this Halfling pregnancy came with an instruction manual or anything.
So rather than fret over it, or unnecessarily worry my mates even further, I’d decided to stay calm and do what I could to make this feel more like a safe space.
Hence all the decorations.
A room full of festive cheer gave me the sense of calm I needed.
“Yes, there we are,” I said, satisfied as I snagged the streamer swaying in between complementing layers of autumn leaves and pumpkins.
“Are you finally done?” he asked, his voice going up with a hopeful lilt.
“Hmm,” I hummed, glancing around the room. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Autumn and Winter Solstices all wrapped up the room in my festive masterpiece, but something was still missing.
“Um…” came an uncertain voice as Aflora inched the door open, pushing aside the faux snow I’d crammed too close to the hinges. A nearby candle flickered, and Titus twisted his fingers, sending the flame away before it lit the entire display on fire.
“Am I in the right place?” she asked, warily eyeing the candles.
“Aflora,” I greeted, excited to see the female Sol referred to as his little sister. The two of them had grown up together after Aflora’s Royal Fae parents died, and now the two of them shared access to the source of earth.
I waved my hands to beckon her to enter and immediately regretted the motion as I nearly fell off the ladder. Titus cursed and caught me, setting my feet on the ground.
Then a flame broke out across the room.
“Shit,” Titus muttered.
Aflora pulled a wand from her cloak and muttered a spell, killing the fire with a few spare breaths. Then she looked around the room with her cerulean gaze.
“Well, there are enough decorations in here to decorate a field of wildflowers,” she said. “Someone’s definitely nesting.”
Titus grunted in agreement as male voices cascaded through the open doorway. Zephyrus stepped through it while smirking at whatever Cyrus had just said.
“Wow, did Christmas and Thanksgiving have a baby?” Zephyrus asked, glancing around the room.
“Claire’s nesting,” Aflora replied.
“Yes, I see that,” he deadpanned. “Hi, Claire.” The greeting lacked affection, but that was standard from the Warrior Blood. Midnight Fae had a variety of classifications. His focused primarily on defensive magic, which echoed in his stance now as he went dutifully to Aflora’s side. “W
hy is your wand out?”
“Fire,” Aflora replied, putting the magical conduit away. “I’m fine.”
He looked her over with pensive green eyes, his features sharp and cutting as he ensured she was truly “fine.”
Cyrus arched a brow at me just as Titus jumped to take out a newly escaped flame.
“I thought nesting was supposed to help you make a safe space,” my water mate teased, walking forward to brush his fingers under my chin. Mist washed over me, giving me a tingling sensation as he instinctively protected me with a shield of water.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You don’t need to put me in a literal bubble, Cyrus.”
He smirked. “I do when you’re intent on setting rooms on fire.”
“I got this,” Titus assured him, then hissed when another flame escaped his attention.
“You missed one, Firefly,” Cyrus pointed out, earning a growl from my Fire Fae that promised vengeance.
I grinned, amused by their usual banter.
Gina poked her head through the door and glanced around the room, boasting a wry smile. “Did I miss the fireworks?”
“What fireworks—” I asked, only to be interrupted by an explosion that had me shrieking and clinging to Cyrus.
Aflora held a hand to her chest while Zephyrus narrowed his shrewd gaze. Titus’s unruly flames—spurred on by Cyrus’s “Firefly” taunt—had reached the appetizer trays of shelled nuts. Now they were exploding all over the ceiling. The life-sized nutcracker jostled next to the display, appropriately gyrating its mouth open and closed as it wobbled.
Gina clapped her hands, the only one among us who hadn’t been surprised. Well, Zephyrus didn’t look very surprised, so much as annoyed.
Cyrus doused the flames with a sweeping caress of his magic, careful not to soak my decorations in the process. However, he left the flames alight, likely to irritate Titus.
I can feel your amusement, baby, Exos murmured into my mind. Causing chaos again?
Just having fun with holiday decorations, I replied, my lips twitching.
Hmm, he hummed back, his own amusement reaching my heart. I’ll be there in a few minutes with Sol and Vox. I hope you’re hungry.
Why are we having so much food for a meeting? I wondered at him.
Maybe it’s not for a meeting, he suggested.
What do you mean?
Patience, Claire.
If he were standing before me, I’d stick my tongue out at him in annoyance. Instead, Cyrus distracted me with his mouth by placing a kiss on my lips that left me sighing in contentment.
Aflora shuffled through the glitter to find a seat. She pushed aside some stuffed pillows in the shape of stars and Christmas trees before finally plopping down onto a chair. “I don’t know where everybody else is going to sit.” Zephyrus smirked and took the seat beside her.
I bit my lip as I studied the room, considering the problem. I’d just let my instincts fly and hadn’t really considered logistics.
Gina swayed to a collection of faux snow and settled into it like a bird snuggling into a nest.
“I think this works just fine.” She plucked at the puffy edges of her makeshift seat. “It reminds me of when my Omega instincts first took hold. It’s a similar type of nesting instinct, I think.” She gave me a smile, her eyes flashing with a hint of white as she grazed her fingers over the decorations that triggered one of her visions. “Welcome to pregnant life, Claire. It’s going to keep you on the run.”
“Claire?” came my name, paired with a worried feminine tone, before I had time to address Gina’s strange statement. My mother walked in and halted, her eyes growing big. “Oh…”
“Oh, hi, Mom,” I greeted, smiling. “We’re having a meeting.” Whenever all the other fae decided to arrive.
What time are they all coming, again? I asked Exos.
They’re all arriving right now, he replied.
My eyes widened. Oh, I’m not ready yet!
You’re fine, he replied. Just talk to your mom.
How do you know my mom is here?
No response.
“What is it, Ophelia?” Mortus asked as he entered after my mother, causing me to frown.
Why is Mortus here?
Because he’s your mom’s boyfriend, Exos replied.
Yeah, I know. But why is he attending the meeting?
Because we invited him, baby.
“What’s my brother saying?” Cyrus asked softly, his arm circling my waist as he stepped to my side.
“I was asking him about the meeting,” I muttered, then smiled as my mother and her boyfriend approached.
“Ah, yes. The ‘meeting,’ ” Cyrus replied, an odd caress on that final word.
“Your mother warned me about your nesting, but you’ve really outdone yourself, Claire,” Mortus said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. It was a bit strange seeing the former Fire Fae professor be so warm. He used to be such a dick. However, he hadn’t exactly been himself then. “Happy nesting party,” he added softly.
“Nesting party?” I repeated. “What?”
My mother playfully slapped him on the chest. “It was supposed to be a surprise, Mortus!”
“Oh. Right.” He grimaced. “Sorry.”
My mother sighed against him and just shook her head. “You’re forgiven. Do you want to put the presents under the tree?”
He nodded. “Anything for you, sweetheart.”
Their relationship had grown over the last few years, but they weren’t really mated. I supposed he truly was more like my mother’s boyfriend than a husband. Which was a really weird designation for him.
“What’s a nesting party?” I asked, perking up at the idea of another festive occasion.
“Fuck,” Titus cursed as another flame shot out of control.
Cyrus smirked. “Problems, Firefly?”
“Suck my cock,” Titus snapped.
“Titus!” my mother gasped, making my fire mate flinch.
“Sorry, Ophelia,” he said, sounding contrite.
Cyrus just grinned harder.
Stop taunting him, I said to my water mate.
But it’s so fun, he replied.
I just shook my head and glanced at Gina, wondering if I should worry about more explosions, but her attention had diverted to the door as if she was waiting for more fae to enter.
Is a Hell Fae coming? I asked Exos.
Definitely not.
Shifter Fae? I guessed.
Nope, he replied.
Then who all is coming?
Patience, he repeated.
Sighing, I went back to the task of adjusting my decorations, which included ascending the ladder again to adjust another streamer.
“What are you doing up there?” my mother demanded, shock evident in her voice. “You shouldn’t be tottering about at dangerous heights.”
“Good luck convincing her to stop,” Titus muttered, then cursed as fire raced up one of the curtains. “Damn it.” He stilled the flame with a wave of magic.
“I don’t like you up there,” Cyrus said, his hands on my hips, steadying me while Titus focused on the candles. “Come down, please.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted. Vox and I often found ourselves in the clouds during one of our one-on-one sessions, but she didn’t need to know that.
But I allowed him to pull me off the ladder anyway just as the rest of my mates entered.
Exos narrowed his gaze but didn’t comment.
“Why aren’t you steadying yourself with the earth?” Sol asked as he helped Vox place a mountain of food on the table near the burnt nuts. “And what happened here?”
“Claire likes candles,” Titus explained.
“And she can handle heights just fine,” Vox added, then frowned as glitter floated toward the food. He sent it away with a puff of air. “This stuff is everywhere.”
“I know, and it’s so pretty!” I exclaimed, lacking a better reason for why all of this was necessary.
He softe
ned and smiled at me. “Yes, it’s all beautiful. Just like you, Claire.”
Exos smirked in amusement, then left for more food. When he returned, it was also with a bunch of plates and cutlery.
“Seriously, why do we need all this food for a meeting?” I asked him.
“Because it’s not a meeting,” he replied. “It’s a surprise nesting party.”
“Which isn’t so much a surprise since everyone keeps telling her,” Cyrus added dryly, his arm around my waist again.
“Okay, but what’s a nesting party?” I asked again, hoping somebody would clarify. “And if it’s not for the Interrealm Fae Academy, then I want an update on how all that is going.”
Cyrus slipped behind me to wrap his arms around my waist, forcing me to face my mother. “Want to explain, Ophelia? This was all your idea, right?”
My mother giggled, the sound girlish for her age, as she sat down beside Mortus. Of course, she didn’t look a day over thirty, and neither did her boyfriend. Fae genetics were kind of awesome like that.
“Yes, Cyrus is right. I’m to blame,” she admitted as Mortus slid his arm around her. I wondered if they would ever decide to mate each other again. Their first mating hadn’t been by choice. But they really did seem to love each other now.
“I wanted to surprise you with a nesting party, which is like a baby shower,” she explained, making me recall Gina saying something like that to me last month. I met the Fortune Fae’s gaze, and she gave me a dazzling smile. Right. She’d predicted this.
“So your mates helped me with this ruse,” my mother continued. “You’re in the heart of your nesting phase right now, so I thought you’d enjoy a little celebration.” Her gaze swept across the room, then fell to my stomach, and her features softened into a smile. “Your little holiday heir will be here before we know it.”
Holiday heir.
I liked the sound of that.
“So there’s no meeting,” I said. “But someone is going to update me on the Interrealm Fae Academy, right?” The only update I had was that they kept scheduling meetings all over the realms, providing information from my presentation and trying to secure alliances. There would be a big vote near the end of the year.
“How about after the nesting party?” Cyrus suggested, his lips against my ear. “Let’s enjoy our faeling first, then Exos and I will shower you in political discussion.”