Page 41 of Their Crowned Mate
"You don't taste bad," Cole remarked, slipping a finger into his mouth to suck off the white sticky substance clinging to his fingertip.
"I'll take that as a compliment, I think," I said, raising an eyebrow.
He smirked, leaning down to nuzzle Lavinia's neck in turn as she rested against my chest. "Guess we're stuck like this for a while."
"I don't mind," she said, sighing blissfully. "Not like the portal is going anywhere."
I was in bliss as I wrapped my arms around them both. This definitely wasn't the way I had expected this day to come to an end, but as new and strange as it was, I wasn't complaining. Maybe I was more open minded than I thought.
CHAPTER20
LAVINIA
It had been nearly two months since we'd returned to the realm of the fae and my life had changed completely. The guys—all of them—and I were finally settling in, at least as much as we could when trips back and forth to earth were still a given. And I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
My days were mostly composed of lessons with Joram as he taught me everything I needed to know leading up to my coronation. Sometimes I still couldn't believe that I had actually agreed to become the queen of the fae realm, but with my guys behind me, I figured maybe it was time I started believing in myself as much as they believed in me.
And it wasn't like I would be doing it alone. If anything, I was more concerned with how I was going to face the ups and downs and challenges of parenthood since there was no real tried and true guide for that.
We were all so intertwined now that it was hard to tell where one person ended and another began. When we weren't working or involved in our individual lessons, trying to learn the rules of the realm and the ways of the court, we'd spend our days lounging in the gardens, taking leisurely strolls through the palace, exploring the surrounding forests, or just cuddling up together in bed and talking about what we wanted for our future.
And making wild love long into the night. There was plenty of that, obviously.
We were still adjusting to life as a family but with each passing day, it felt more and more right. It was strange how quickly things had changed, but I wasn't about to complain. We were all happy, content, and safe here in this realm of magic and wonder. And I knew that no matter what happened, we would face it together as one big happy family.
Even Cole seemed to be getting used to the place he had a million negative nicknames for, and I'd caught him watching a pastel sunrise once. He had fully stepped into his role as my economic advisor, and I had to admit, he seemed like he had already put together more of the logistics than the royal treasury advisors. He always had been smart, though.
Alexander was still overseeing the vampires left in the realm, and he had joined forces with Aurelius and Joram to help make sure our military strategy was as tight as possible just in case anyone had any ideas of posing a resistance. It seemed the fae were generally okay with our leadership at the worst, though, while most welcomed the change from emperor to queen with open arms.
Marcus had taken over the role of head of security, with a team patrolling the palace grounds and the forest beyond it at all times. I had to admit, I felt safer knowing he was on the job after learning just how many bizarre and whimsical monsters and "animals" there were in this world. To say nothing of the spiders.
He really had his work cut out for him, but he was on cloud nine as a result, so I was happy for him even though I was worried.
Aurelius was a new enough addition to our unusual little family that I hadn't quite figured out what he was going to do for the realm yet, but I was perfectly happy to keep him occupied in bed until then, making up for lost time. Especially when we were with Cole. Watching them making out while they buried their cocks in me drove me wild, and if that was all Aurelius did for a while, I wasn't going to complain.
Knowing they had my back that way was definitely making it easier to step into my role as queen, and with my coronation looming on the horizon, they had helped me memorize all my lines, and I knew my duties by heart. Actually performing them was going to be another matter, but I had a lot more hope in my ability than I had at the beginning of this thing.
Plus, I had to admit, it was nice getting to spend time with Joram and making up for an early life without him as much as we could. It was going to take a while for us to be as close as I wanted to be one day, but he was trying and that meant more than words could say.
There was just one thing to do now. It was finally time to find out the sex of the baby I was carrying, and I couldn't have been more excited. As busy as the guys were lately, they had all insisted on coming to my appointment. We were all so anxious, yet excited to finally know what was in store for us and our little family.
I was on the table, wearing a gown that opened in the front so the doctor could use the wand to wave over my stomach. That itself looked similar enough to the ultrasound machines back home, but the monitor was a crystalline slate that sprang to life at a brush of the doctor's fingertips. The fae tech was more advanced than ours back in the human realm since it incorporated magic with science and technology.
"Are you excited?" the doctor, a kindly older fae with violet hair streaked with silver, asked pleasantly as she settled onto the stool beside me.
"Hell yeah," said Marcus.
The doctor raised an eyebrow. "I was referring to the mother to be, but I appreciate the enthusiasm."
Marcus grinned sheepishly as Cole elbowed him.
I couldn't help but laugh. Each of them had been so adorable and enthusiastic in his own way. Even Alexander, who had seemed the most shaken by the prospect in the beginning, had been nothing but supportive.
As the doctor pressed the wand to my belly, I was relieved she didn't need to use any cold gel. Definitely another perk of fae technology, especially since they seemed hellbent on keeping things on the cooler side as it was and the gown wasn't exactly cozy.
I had to admit, I was more nervous than I had expected. It felt like my stomach was fluttering anxiously, and as excited as I was to have this baby, there was a part of me that hadn't fully accepted the news until now.
Finding out the sex? That was just going to make it real in a whole new way. And my body was definitely showing the changes of being nearly six months along.
