He chuckled. “A test? What do you mean?”
I bit my lip before replying. “You know, it involves peeing on a stick?”
He stumbled midstride as he looped one pant leg over his foot. “Excuse me?”
Exasperated, I let my hands fall to the sheets. “How do fae know if they’re pregnant? In my world, you pee on a stick, and it tells you a positive or a negative result.”
He barked out a laugh. “Humans have such odd magic. No, you don’t pee on a stick, Claire. You can tell if you’re pregnant with your elements. Use the spirit source.” When I stared at him, he continued. “Have you tried it?”
I swallowed past the lump in my throat. Reaching into myself to touch the elemental sources was second nature, but when I tried to touch the spirit source, nothing happened.
“I don’t feel anything,” I said, starting to worry. “Does that mean the baby…?”
Titus went still, and a brief moment of seriousness swept over his features. It passed, replaced with his usual sexy smirk as he finished getting dressed. “I’m sure everything’s fine. You’re a Halfling, so that could be impacting the connection to the source during pregnancy. This will be a new experience for everyone, so let’s just take it one step at a time, okay?”
I tried not to hyperventilate.
Or it means something’s wrong.
What if I really had miscarried?
“Do Halflings usually have faelings?” I asked, starting to panic. “Is it normal for us… to…? Do you know of one who has? What if… what if…?” I swallowed the lump in my throat and palmed my belly, a sense of protectiveness sweeping over me.
I desperately clung to Titus’s speculation that my child might impact my connection to the source. Anything more sinister than that and I would be sick.
“Just breathe, sweetheart,” Titus said, his voice a calming presence in my mind, drawing me back to him and out of the shadows of my concerns. “Let’s meet with the Healer, okay? She’ll tell you what to expect.”
Yes. Okay. He was right. “A Healer,” I repeated. “That sounds… that sounds good.”
He gave me a kiss on the cheek, reassuring me with a graze of magical warmth. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he repeated, perhaps saying it more for his benefit than mine. He gave my arm a light squeeze before he ventured out the door. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, Claire. Just relax.”
Relax, I repeated to myself. Yeah, sure.
But I tried anyway, releasing a long breath.
Where are you guys? I asked through the bonds.
The guys all answered quickly. Cyrus was out rounding up appropriate fae willing to meet with me about the Interrealm Fae Academy. Exos, Sol, and Vox were all out in the Human Realm procuring decorations for the holidays. Something about wanting to decorate my office—an idea that made me smile. That explained some of the random bags in the bedroom, all overflowing with autumn colors and a few with red and green.
Is everything going okay? I asked Cyrus.
I should be asking you that, little queen, he replied, his voice a kiss against my thoughts. And yes, everything’s fine. Kalt is helping me, too. I think
he’s avoiding his triad issue with the Winter Fae.
I really want to know more about that, I admitted.
Me, too. I’ll see what I can learn and report back. He sounded amused. I’ll be there soon, little queen. And don’t worry; you are definitely pregnant.
I frowned. Are you playing in my head?
No, your concern is radiating through the bond. Your fae genetics trump your human half. Trust me, he murmured. We’re all heading back for your Healer appointment, little queen.
He left me with a misty kiss to my mind, his focus returning to his tasks.
Thank you, I whispered back to him. It wouldn’t be easy to convince the other fae to create the Interrealm Fae Academy, which was why I wanted to meet with them all individually, to assure them their needs would be met. And there was no one better to convince them than my Water Fae King mate. He wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.
Sighing, I jumped out of the bed and hurried to the shower. I felt kind of grimy for some reason. Maybe because I’d slept for too long? Yet, I could easily sleep more right now.