Page 381 of Never Kiss a Fae

“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 youaren’tpregnant, 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.”