Page 411 of Never Kiss a Fae

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.