Page 403 of Never Kiss a Fae
“I absolutely do not want to do it, but for Claire, I have to try,” he replied. “Oh, were there any outstanding Shifter Fae we needed to track down?”
Exos shook his head. “The majority agreed, so it’s a done deal. Kalt had the Winter Fae. Aflora already helped with the Midnight Fae. Same with Gina and the Fortune Fae. And most of the other breeds have also agreed, too. So it’s really just the Hell Fae.”
Cyrus grimaced. “Great. Well, wish me luck. I’m going to need it.”
“Try not to get burned,” I said, which was my version ofGood luck.
The Water Fae snorted. “Thanks, Firefly.”
I rolled my eyes. “I fucking hate that nickname.”
“Which is why I will forever use it.”
“And I’ll forever call you a Royal Jackass,” I drawled.
“One of these days, you’ll scream that while I fuck you.”
“In your dreams,” I tossed back.
“Every fucking night,” he agreed, smirking at me. Then he misted out of the room without another word. Typical Cyrus.
“Can you find River for me?” Vox asked.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go see if he’s hanging around Water Quad.” He was a professor now for human studies but spent most of his time with his kind. “Be back soon.”
“Thanks, Titus,” Vox said, his voice underlined in exhaustion. He’d been sleeping about as well as Claire.
“We’ll figure this out,” I told him.
“I hope so,” he replied softly. “I really hope so.”
A Week Later
Every day, I asked about the Hell Fae.
And every day, Cyrus assured me that I had nothing to worry about.
I didn’t believe him, but I also didn’twantto worry. As much as the vote mattered to me, the life growing inside of me took precedence. I couldn’t shake the urgency that I needed to prepare and relax. Pretty soon, we’d all be busy with a little faeling in need of our love and attention.
“What are you all up to?” I asked. My mates had guided me away from the intended direction of my office and toward the neutral grounds at the center of the campus.
“You’ll see,” Cyrus answered cryptically.
I frowned. We usually only ventured over here to spar in the gym or take the portal to the Human Realm. My current physical state confirmed the former was out of the question, and the latter would only make sense if we were going into the Interrealm Fae Council area for the vote—which wasn’t for a few more weeks.
An emissary waited for us as we arrived. Exos greeted him by name, handing him payment in exchange for a beautiful coat with fur puffed around the lining. “You’ll need this,” he said to me, his smile wry as he handed me the present. “Let’s try it on, shall we?”
“Won’t I get warm?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.
His eyes sparkled. “Don’t you trust us, princess?”
“Maybe I would if you told me where we’re going,” I said while I allowed him to wrap the impossibly soft coat around my shoulders.
It must have cost him a fortune. Because the emissary was from the Human Realm. It was the same one who brought Exos and Cyrus their tailored suits. However, when the coat wrapped me in suffocating warmth, I wondered if he was trying to sweat some sort of truth out of me.
“Patience,” Exos murmured, using his favorite phrase.
“You’re going to love it, Claire,” Vox promised, sweeping my fingers up with his to press a kiss to my knuckles.
