Oh, I very much was going to participate, even if it wasn’t for points. I didn’t need an excuse to fuck Claire.
Igniting Titus was just a side bonus.
“I thought you wanted a rematch?” I taunted him.
His jaw ticked in response. “You’re going down, Royal Jackass.”
My lips twitched. “I only kneel for Claire.”
“So you say,” he replied. “But I’m going to change that. One day.”
“In your dreams,” I agreed. “Sure.”
“Never—”
“We need different trials,” Sol interjected, tapping his lip. “How about a gardening trial?”
“Like you wouldn’t have an edge there,” Vox said, rolling his eyes.
“An Elemental trial,” Exos suggested. “One where each of us is tested based on our affinity.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall of the empty nursery, sending a new flurry of purple butterflies to dance against Titus’s drifting embers. “After the last phase three mating, I think a magical endurance trial would absolutely be in order.”
We all shifted our feet as we recalled that experience. Yes, that was something I very much wanted to do again.
Claire cleared her throat, glowering at us as she dripped water onto the floor by the doorway. “I hope you guys aren’t talking about what I think you’re talking about. It’s not fair to conspire when I drop our son off for a visit with his grandmother.” She flicked her wrist, sending more droplets scattering. “He still has some serious separation anxiety. Fae help my mother, but that woman is a saint for watching him.”
Titus slipped his arm around her waist, sending a lasso of flames to wrap around her chest. “Who can blame him? I don’t like being separated from you either,” he murmured. “Although, now that you’re free, I suggest that I dry you off, starting by removing your clothes.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, lighting herself on fire to dry her own clothes. It served as a statement to remind us all that her elements were fully functional once more. “You can’t distract me. I know what you’re up to.”
Well, that certainly sounded like a challenge to me.
Titus seemed to agree, because he nipped at her. “Our faeling needs a little brother or sister, maybe one who can keep his elemental affinity in check?” he suggested, referring to her previously drenched state. My son had learned how to splash his magic, and he particularly loved dousing us with the magical waves.
I loved it.
Claire, not so much.
“I’m not ready,” she said, her words holding a flat tone to them as she accessed her fire magic to dry out her hair.
I scooped her into my arms, guessing that her reservations came from how many surprises she’d endured the last time. We certainly could have done a better job of preparing her for a fae birth, but I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. “We know what to expect this time around,” I assured her, running my thumb along her lower lip. “I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but we’ve proved that you don’t have to do this alone, little queen.”
She sighed. “Yes, you have. That’s not the problem.” She rested her cheek against my shoulder, her gaze growing distant. “I’m just afraid of neglecting him when a new faeling takes the spotlight, you know? I want my son to get all the love he needs.”
Vox chuckled. “Claire. You have five mates who adore you, and you’re worried about sharing your love?”
She pursed her lips. “I guess it does sound silly when you put it that way.”
She held out her hand, taking Sol’s extended fingers as she surveyed our mate-circle. She’d never left anyone out, and I knew she would be able to share her love with five faelings without any issue.
Maybe even more.
“Would you like to hear about the new trials?” I asked, trailing my fingers south. “I think you’ll like them.”
“Prolonged trials,” she immediately said, spinning in my arms to face everyone else.
&nbs
p; My eyebrow arched as I met Exos’s gaze. His expression told me he had the exact same thought as I did.