I wasn’t sure exactly what Titus meant by that, but it unfurled a thread of doubt that this pregnancy would take hold
. I knew that Cyrus had filled me with life, but this was a fae mating.
And I was only half-fae.
It was a secret, dark fear I hadn’t considered until it jolted through me with ugly clarity. As a Halfling, I didn’t quite fit in either world. It was my mates who had made a place for me. To everyone else, I was just an oddity…
An abomination.
What if that meant I couldn’t procreate? What if I’d been too lost in my mates’ love for me that I’d missed the dreadful truth right in front of me?
“Maybe we shouldn’t get our hopes up, Titus,” I said, warning him with a slight tremor in my voice. I really didn’t want my mates to be disappointed if my human half took charge in this instance. Even if this pregnancy failed, it didn’t mean I would stop trying. When he continued to frown at me, I added, “We don’t know if the pregnancy is, uh, viable.”
“Viable?” he repeated, his hand drifting to my shoulder. “Do you not remember Cyrus and you conceiving? Or are you doubting him?” The latter question seeped with hurt, but he misunderstood my concern. I didn’t doubt my mates so much as I doubted myself.
I brushed off his touch as another wave of fatigue wafted over me. I covered my mouth and yawned. “It’s only been a little over a week since we, um, since we tried, I mean.”
I rubbed my eyes, part of me wanting to throw the covers over my head again and just go back to sleep and hide from all my doubts and fears.
“It’ll be at least a month before we know anything for certain. And even then, we’re supposed to wait a bit before we really start planning. I don’t actually know the statistics, but miscarriages sometimes happen in humans.” It was a male-fae bonus to have control over conception, but I wasn’t exactly a textbook case.
Titus cocked his brow. “Miscarriage?” He shook his head. “We’ll know in a lot less than a month, Claire. And I think you underestimate your genetics and the potency of male fae.” He grinned. “Especially a male like your Water King, who is even cockier than me. He has a reputation to uphold, you know.”
I sighed. Cyrus’s virility wasn’t what I questioned. “You’re not hearing me.” I really didn’t know how to explain this without the fissure in my heart splitting open.
What if I failed my mates?
What if I was broken?
“Hey.” Titus leaned in so that I could see his green eyes blazing with heat. “I am hearing you, sweetheart, and I’m telling you that you have nothing to worry about. You know why?” He grazed his fingers over my chin, making me sink into his touch.
“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 you aren’t pregnant, 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?