Page 392 of Never Kiss a Fae

Stop. My mom is here. Right there. Staring at me.

And what a beautiful blush you’re now wearing,he teased, winking at me from across the room.

I attempted to swallow, but Cyrus’s warmth against my back made that difficult. Then Sol and Vox gave me heated stares from across the room as well, and it was like I’d become one of the unruly candles.

All of you need to stop,I said, blasting the message through the bonds.

I’ve not even started,Titus replied, his gaze reminding me of embers as he faced me.

“Nesting party time?” Cyrus offered softly. “What do you say, little queen?”

“Party time,” I agreed.

“Not all presents are good for eating,” Gina interjected, her commentary random and so completely like her.

I glanced back at Cyrus, who only shrugged in response.

“And the fun has arrived!” Lance announced as he swept into the room with his arms stretched wide and nearly knocking a candle to the ground. He righted it with the ease only a Fire Fae could possess.

“Lance,” Titus hissed. “You’re supposed to be visiting with Mum and Da right now, aren’t you?”

“Mum and Da?” I repeated on a squeak. I hadn’t seen Titus’s family in years, and while they seemed to like me, Fire Fae ran a bit, uh, hot, to say the least. And Titus’s relationship with his parents, as well as his brother, wasn’t the best. He’d lost control of his powers when he was younger and had killed several extended family members in the process. Including Lance’s favorite cousin.

“You didn’t tell me your parents were here?”

“Because they’re visiting my brother, not—”

A Fire Fae with gleaming red eyes and bulky muscles pushed into the room, halting Titus midsentence. His father paused to gape at the room, his heat causing the holly decorations around him to wilt. Sap dripped on his shoulder, making him frown. “Okay, we’re here. Where’s the food?”

“Pyros,” his wife, Ruby, chided. She was a sweet little thing with bright red hair. For whatever reason, she always reminded me of cherries. “Say hello to your son’s mate.”

The Fire Fae cleared his throat. I had a feeling that my Fire-Fae-in-law—an adopted term I used for all the parents of my mates, even though it wasn’t technically accurate—was not someone to be disobeyed. “Hi, Claire. Congratulations on the faeling.”

That done, he made his way to the food and took his time filling one of the plates.

Titus came up beside me, and his lips brushed my ear. “Don’t mind my da. He’s just sour that a Water Fae got first dibs on an heir. It’s yet another fault he’ll lay at my doorstep.”

Cyrus snorted, having overheard the comment.

Ruby approached, giving me a soft smile. “You look radiant, darling,” she said as if in consolation to her husband’s rudeness.

“Thank you, Ruby.”

She patted my hand before taking a seat beside Gina. She moved on to making pleasant conversation, all the while not so subtly trying to encourage the Fortune Fae to tell her when she could expect a little Fire Faeling to appear.

Releasing a long breath, I allowed Cyrus and Titus to guide me to a chair. Then Sol handed me a plate he’d already prepared, and my mates crowded around me with dishes of their own.

It took me a little while to fully relax, but when nobody moved to dismember my decorations and instead found their way around them, I started to enjoy myself.

Vox fussed a little over the food as glitter continued to spoil his “perfect creations.” However, Sol insisted it added a crunch that had been missing, much to Vox’s detriment. My Earth Fae mate really loved all food, regardless of the origin or type.

Cyrus and Exos also caved and gave me the updates I wanted regarding the academy. They were all positive, save the Hell Fae issue.

“We might need to consider moving forward without them,” Cyrus said.

I shook my head. “We need them.”

“They’ve not been part of fae society for centuries, Claire,” Exos murmured.