ght in her mental voice as she began to rage in her head again—so I silenced her with a gentle kiss, one that ended in her biting my bottom lip.
I soothed the ache away with my tongue before kissing her again and sliding my fingers back into her braid to hold her to me. There were so many things I could do with her hair in this state, all of them sexual in nature.
But I chose to merely embrace her, to allow her to feel my love and tranquility, to surround her with my inner element, and to allow it to soothe her inner turmoil.
We’re in this together, I reminded her softly. We all want the Interrealm Fae Academy to prosper. It will be a great place for our children to attend school. So trust us to help you, little queen. That’s why we’re here. The world doesn’t always need to rest on your shoulders.
She sighed, her arms slipping around my waist as she began to melt into my touch, her mind quieting.
I languidly deepened our kiss, drawing her into a state of contentment that I felt to my very soul. Exos stood, his heat blanketing her back as he clasped her hips before dropping his mouth to her neck.
She moaned between us, her smaller form surrounded by royalty and Elemental Fae power.
His palm slid between us, going to her lower belly, his mouth brushing her ear. “I can feel the faeling,” he whispered to her. “I know you were worried earlier, Claire. I could sense it through the bond. But our future baby is healthy and growing, just as he or she should.”
Our, she repeated in her mind, smiling. I grinned against her mouth, liking the sound of it, too. Because it didn’t matter that I was the one who had fathered the child; all her mates would look at the faeling as our child.
“Let us take care of you,” I said against her mouth. “That’s why we’re here.”
“We’ll handle the fae meetings,” Exos added. “Just let us know what you want to be part of, and you’ll be there. Otherwise, leave it with us. And focus on taking care of our faeling.”
“It’s not in my nature to just… give up control,” she admitted, swallowing.
“Then tell us what to do,” I offered. “Tell us what you need, and we’ll help you achieve it. But don’t carry all this around on your own, Claire. That’s not going to work for any of us.”
She nodded. “I know.”
“Good.” I kissed her nose, then pressed my forehead to hers. “Now I have another request.”
Her eyebrow inched upward. “Another request?” She sounded cynical. “I think you’ve had enough requests.”
I grinned. “This is one I think you’ll like.”
“Uh-huh.”
I nibbled her lower lip, then pulled away just enough to look down at her blouse. “May we help you out of these wet clothes?”
She frowned, glancing down. “How…?” She blinked. “Hold on, what’s the request? I’m not letting you use sex to distract me. Last time I did that, I ended up pregnant.”
Rather than correct her statement, I merely said, “Stripping you is my request.”
“Oh.” She frowned, then looked down again. “Okay.”
“While we’re making requests,” Exos added, his mouth against her throat again. “I would like to request fucking your ass.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Exos.”
“And I want your pussy,” I declared, enjoying how her skin darkened to a deep red shade. “Don’t act like you’re surprised by our bluntness, little queen. You’ve been mated to us long enough to know our preferences.”
She swallowed. “I’m still not used to it.”
My lips twitched again. “Then allow us to provide another demonstration.” I started unfastening her blouse since she’d technically provided permission. “Consider this a practice round for phase three.”
“And what happens in phase three?” she asked, breathless as we peeled the shirt from her gorgeous body.
“Intense sex,” Exos whispered against her ear, his fist on her skirt, dragging it down her legs. “Now go get on the bed and spread those pretty thighs.”
A WEEK AND A HALF LATER