by Lexi C. Foss
We entered the office we were directed to, and another receptionist gave my group of mates a wary eye. “Uh, may I help you?”
“I’m here for my appointment,” I said with a smile.
The woman blinked a few times at my mates, particularly settling her gaze on Sol, who had wandered to one of the seats and was trying to sit down—unsuccessfully.
“And, uh, who is the father?” she asked, keeping her head down as if this was a natural question to ask. “We prefer not to allow, um, visitors.”
I frowned. Biologically, Cyrus was the father, but all my mates had a place in my heart, and in the life of my growing faeling. “They’re all the father,” I said without hesitation. “Is that a problem?”
A few women in the room coughed.
Exos leaned down, putting on the charming smile that he reserved for negotiation. He used it on me far too often—and far too often, he also got his way. “I’ve already spoken with Dr. Renalds. If you could please check with her, I believe she’ll tell you everything is in order.”
The receptionist twitched her nose and looked like she was going to argue, but Exos kept his perfectly constructed smile on his face, so she finally sighed and got out of her chair.
“Why is everyone staring at us?” Vox asked in a whisper as he rested a hand on the small of my back.
Yeah, there were a few details about human culture I hadn’t missed.
“Polygamy is very uncommon here,” Cyrus supplied. “In some countries, it’s even illegal.”
Vox frowned as if he didn’t understand. “Why would a government control how many mates one can have? Do humans not sometimes have multiple soul mates like fae do?”
Exos cleared his throat as the side door opened and someone called my name. “Let’s save the human lessons for later,” he suggested under his breath before nodding to the nurse.
We all filtered through the hall, the staff giving my mates curious looks.
Titus lowered his hat around his eyes. “Now you like the hat,” Cyrus mused, making my Fire Fae grin.
After a short wait in another room, and an awkward attempt at changing out of my outfit and into the pathetic sheet hospitals liked to call a gown, the doctor finally came in.
A tall woman with wild red hair caught up in a bun entered and gave me a bright smile. “Claire Summers, is it? And oh, you have so many fathers here to join us! I was intrigued when Exos told me about your situation. You’re from another country. He didn’t mention which one, though.”
Exos cleared his throat. “We’re very grateful that you’re able to see us on such short notice. I hope the hospital grant is still being put to good use?”
Her smile tightened, and I understood now why Exos had been able to get me an appointment on such short notice, as well as entry for all of my mates.
“Yes, absolutely. In fact, we were able to purchase two new sonogram machines, top of the line, one of which we’ll be using today.” She glanced at me. “Exos mentioned you might be interested in learning the gender of your baby?”
I beamed, glancing at all of my mates to confirm that they were dying to know just as much as I was. “Yes, we’d love to know,” I said, sitting on the edge of the examination chair. “But first, I want to make sure he or she is healthy. That’s all that really matters to me.”
She nodded and wrote a note down on her chart. “Yes, of course. We’ll do that right away.”
She had me lie down, and my mates all found places to stand without being in the way. I knew none of this would hurt, but there was still a sense of anticipation anyway.
Vox and Sol looked at the machine that she rolled over, clearly fascinated with the technology. Cyrus and Exos had more experience with human machinery, whereas Titus was harder to impress.
The doctor swept a device over my stomach after slathering it with cold gel. We all jumped when a loud, rapid thumping sounded throughout the room. “Ah!” she exclaimed, zeroing in the device on the left side of my stomach. “There. Such a strong heartbeat.”
My own heart seemed to speed up to match the rapid pace. “Is it supposed to be that fast?” I asked.
She smiled, her relaxed demeanor putting me at ease. “Yes. A fetus’s heartbeat should be anywhere between one hundred and ten to one hundred and sixty beats per minute. Your baby is on the low end of the spectrum, but still in a healthy range.”
My shoulders unhinged from my ears. “Okay, good.”
“And the gender?” Cyrus asked, his tone hopeful. He likely already knew the heartbeat’s pace and had evaluated the fetus through his spirit element, even if I hadn’t been able to. But I suspected Cyrus had resisted from finding out the gender through his fae abilities. His gaze met mine, full of excitement, along with the rest of my mates. I knew this was a moment we’d remember for the rest of our lives.
She pulled out a different device this time, and a blotchy image appeared on the screen. She moved the scanner around on my stomach, making the baby inside squirm, but I couldn’t sense distress, just a reaction to the pressure. The doctor smiled, and she clicked a button, outputting a still image that looked like an ink splotch to me.
She pointed at the screen. “See that? Looks like you’re having a boy.”
Titus jumped to his feet with a celebratory roar. “Yes! I knew it!”
My mates all likewise laughed, delighted in the news in their own way. As for myself, the awful tears came again, seeming to flood my vision no matter if I was happy or sad. I would have loved news of either gender, but a boy?
A boy.
A little fae king.
The thought made my heart swell three times over, and I thought I’d die right there on the spot.
I held Cyrus’s hands in mine as the tears freely streamed over my cheeks. “A boy,” I repeated the thought out loud.
Cyrus echoed my delight in my mind.
Our little holiday heir.
DECEMBER 23RD
THE MATE-CIRCLE practically hummed with excitement and the desire to celebrate.
Claire and the baby were fine—more than fine—and they would be even better after they were fed and sated.
Although, we planned to surprise our mate in more than one way in that regard. We all wanted to assure our Claire that carrying a child only made her more beautiful and more desirable, not less.
I glanced down at the list Claire had given me of human food items. When I told her I was going out to run some errands, she hadn’t realized that included yet another detour to the Hell realm. Cyrus had ventured down there yesterday, and today had been my turn.
Those demon bastards were really giving us a hard time. And I was pretty sure it was purely for their sadistic enjoyment.
However, I felt pretty confident that we were making decent headway.
Rather than tell Claire about my little side trip—there was no benefit to worrying her—I’d just agreed to her errand, which was how I found myself strolling through a human market after spending a few hours in literal hell.
I roamed the aisles and grabbed every item on her list, plus anything else that looked interesting. I also grabbed some festive decorations for the cottage—I suspected Claire wouldn’t mind adding to what we’d already put up.
Most of the food seemed unhealthy to me, but she could indulge. No, she needed to indulge. Growing a faeling required ample energy, so Claire needed as many calories as she could physically ingest.
After food, she needed to relax and rest, and I knew just the thing to distract her from thinking about politics and our faeling’s impending arrival.
Every birth was unique, as well as difficult—that, unfortunately, ran similar between fae and human pregnancies. I’d done my research before going into this venture with my mate-circle to be as prepared as we could be for the unknown.
However, none of my planning could have prepared me for the protectiveness radiating through me, in addition to the new layer of love that threaded through my bond with Claire and our entire mate-circle
. It brought us all closer together, knitted our love tighter, and gave it a sense of permanence that I hadn’t realized had been lacking.
If one child did this, then I looked forward to many more.
After we survived this one.
And after Claire decided she was ready, of course.
For now, I would make sure she was as comfortable as possible and that she wouldn’t have to worry about anything.
I finished my purchases and piled all of the bags into the car, then headed back to the cottage. When I arrived, it was to find Claire laughing, the sound music to my ears and making my lips curve up on the sides.
Vox and Sol had positioned her onto a plush sofa with her feet resting on an ottoman. She looked like the picture of a fertility goddess mixed with North Pole magic, one of the only fae realms that humans had somewhat worked out, even if they considered Santa a myth.
I couldn’t help but feel festive myself as I smirked at the snowflakes Cyrus had lured in from outside. He’d permanently frozen them, and Vox used his air magic to swirl them around on a loop, providing a festive flair for us all to enjoy. Titus also had several candles flickering in the windows, all using real flames—which would be a hazard for most humans, but not a Fire Fae.
In addition to our own decorative magic, we’d found human tinsel, holly, and red ribbons to place all throughout the interior. A single massive Christmas tree glowed near the window, adding its final touch to the ambience.
Claire grinned as I entered, then Cyrus joined me in bringing in all the groceries. Meanwhile, Vox and Sol argued over who got to massage Claire’s elegant feet, which were poking out from the blanket she’d snuggled into.
“I’m much better at massages,” Vox insisted, demonstrating on Claire’s left foot. She groaned as he expertly swiped his thumb and worked at the swelling of her ankle.
Sol frowned. “We’ll see about that. Is this the start of another challenge for faeling number two? Because I’m up for practicing.”
“Don’t count your fae before they hatch,” Claire chided, making Sol’s frown deepen.
“You’re not going to lay an egg, Claire.” His eyes grew big. “Right? I mean, do humans normally lay eggs?”
She chuckled as she eased further into the sofa. “No eggs,” she promised. “It’s just a phrase.”
“Humans have strange phrases,” Sol complained. After all these years, some things that our mate said still confused him, but he enjoyed learning.
“A massage trial would be just for practice,” Vox coaxed, swiping his fingers again, working at a spot near her heel that had her biting her lip.
Oh, she knew where this was going. I could see it written into her flushed cheeks and the way she subtly arched her chest. Beautiful, I thought, momentarily distracted from putting away the groceries. Then Cyrus nudged me with his foot, and I took two bags from him while he ran out to grab more from the car.
“As long as we’re not practicing the orgasm trial again,” Claire said, her hands sweeping over her rounded stomach. “I think I’m still recovering from the last session.” Even though she protested, her eyes sparkled with the memory, and a whisper of need swept through the mate-bond.
Yes, my Claire was ready for what we had in mind for tonight. I wasn’t the only one reacting to Claire’s growing desire to be physically sated on every level.
I’d been ready for this. Heightened libido was a trait both humans and fae experienced during pregnancies. Although, fae definitely experienced it at a whole different level—something Claire would be finding out very soon.
She was a fae with an already accelerated sexual state, which suggested phase three could drive her mad once unleashed. I just hoped she didn’t try to suppress it.
Fae were sexual creatures, filled with passion. We possessed the strength and stamina required to link the elemental sources together to produce new life. It wasn’t a simple physical act like it might be for humans. For the fae, children were just as much a spiritual creation as a physical one.
Sol smirked, catching on to Vox’s antics. “We’ll practice the massage trial, then,” he decided out loud. “I’ll start with this foot, then we’ll massage more of you after you eat.” He glanced at me, and I gave him a low nod of approval.
Titus swept past me and started helping me put the food away as Cyrus carried in the last of the bags. He grinned, sensing the building tension. We all knew what was going to happen tonight.
Well, all of us except Claire.
“I’m going to win this one,” Titus vowed, referring to tonight’s pending events. Phase three was all about elemental sharing… through sex.
“I’m confident,” he added, placing a precooked ham on the counter beside some of the items I’d already set aside for our meal.
I smirked but didn’t reply.
Because there was no way in hell he would last the longest out of all of us tonight. My money was on me or Cyrus. We’d both danced with the source of power before. We knew how to keep it balanced.
Of course, the third phase would throw everything we knew out the damn window. So it really was anyone’s game at this point. And frankly, we would all win in the end because it meant coming inside Claire.
Vox glanced between our mate and the kitchen. “Does anything need to be cooked?” he asked, clearly not wanting to give up his competition with Sol’s foot-massaging efforts.
I chuckled. “Most of it is precooked or packaged. We can handle the preparations, Vox. You don’t have to always prepare our food.”
Claire hummed in agreement. “Yes, you’d better not stop what you’re doing. I command you to be the official foot-massaging mate.”
Sol took that as a challenge. He’d learned how to control his strength over the years and demonstrated his skill by carefully kneading Claire’s other arch with just the right amount of pressure, based on the way her eyes rolled back in her head.
“Correction,” she said. “Both of you can be my foot-massaging mates.”
My lips curled. “We’ll let you know when the food is ready.”
CLAIRE’S EYES widened as we brought the trays of food to her, placing them all around her so that she wouldn’t have to move from her chair. I’d found a breakfast tray that worked perfectly to perch food at eye level without disturbing her growing stomach.
She scanned the offerings as she licked her lips, the motion going straight to my dick.
Yes. Sex was absolutely what she needed tonight.
As well as the human food.
Already, she appeared healthier and happier, and well on her way to phase three.
We all sensed it coming.
Tonight.
She plucked at a miniature cake with white cream in the middle and moaned as she took a bite, making my pants suddenly tight.
“Claire,” Cyrus warned, his lips lifting in a sly smirk. “If you keep making sounds like that, you’re going to make us want to eat something, too. And it won’t be food.”
An adorable blush flushed over her cheeks as she chewed. “I can’t help it,” she said around a mouthful as she grabbed another item. “I’m just starving, and this is fucking delicious.”
Mmm, I like that word from your mouth, I told her. Say “fuck” again.
Her gaze sparkled at me. Fuck.
I smiled. Good girl, Claire. I’ll reward you later for that.
Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep.
When have I ever not followed through on a sexual promise? I asked, arching a brow.
That had her flush creeping down her neck to disappear beneath the mountain of blankets.
I allowed her lack of a response, mostly because she made another moan as she bit into her cupcake again, and I couldn’t think of anything else other than that sexy little sound.
All of us watched her eat, our own appetites growing with each passing minute. She seemed completely oblivious to the intensity, too lost to her meal. Which was good. She needed the energy for phase three.
I usually watched.
I usually waited.
This time… I wasn’t sure I could.
When Claire had sufficiently sated her appetite for food, she leaned back with a contented sigh. “I feel much better,” she admitted. Her eyelids drifted closed as her hands roamed over her stomach, smiling when her fingers twitched. “The faeling is kicking. He’s happy, too.”
And probably growing, I thought.
She’d slip into a preparatory sleep, soon. I sensed her closing in on the end of the final stage, the one where another mating would be required. It was an indescribable sensation of anticipation in the mate-bond, one that drove me to resolve that lingering requirement that plagued my mate.
While her appetite for food had been sated, I spotted the fleeting frown that crossed her face as her eyelids fluttered open to glance at us. She still had one need left to be met.
Or rather, five needs, judging by how her gaze scanned the mate-circle.
I removed the breakfast tray and Claire’s blanket, then took her hand. “I believe we have a massage trial to practice,” I said, my lips lifting with a mischievous smirk.
Her eyes sparked, but then she frowned as she grabbed the edge of my suit collar and sniffed. “Have you been smoking?”
Oops. Underworld problems.
“No, but I walked by some people who were smoking when I was picking up all the human food you asked me for,” I said, casually reminding her that I’d gotten everything she’d requested on her list. And it wasn’t a lie. I had walked past humans who were smoking, although they’d been on the other side of the parking lot. I kissed her cheek. “Are you ready for a massage, Claire?”