“It means I will now age at a faster rate than a fae, and you will age at a slower rate than a wolf. The two of us will have three hundred years together in this realm, and our children will live just as long. Half fae, half wolf.”
“Will the alpha’s children be the same?” Vaughn asked, not liking the idea of his kids surviving beyond those of their pack mates.
“I’m not sure, since Autumn is only half fae. But they will live longer than a normal shifter.”
“We should shower and dress. I asked Aislinn to have the wizard stop by.”
“Wizard?”
“It’s what we sometimes call the sorcerer.”
She nodded. “I’ve heard of him, but never had the pleasure of meeting him.”
“I’m already here!” the sorcerer called out from the other room. “Would the two of you hurry the hell up?”
Vaughn narrowed his eyes at the open bedroom door and Tulip giggled. More lights swirled around them and he looked down, noting that she’d cleaned and dressed them. He kissed her softly before helping her off the bed. Eric was leaning against the living room wall, when they found him, looking amused.
“I hope Gabriel knew what he was doing leaving that fae under your protection.”
“He said she belonged to someone in the pack. Last night, I realized she was mine.” Vaughn pulled Tulip closer. “The light fae came after her last night.”
“I don’t think they want to harm her,” Eric said. “I haven’t felt malevolence in the area recently. If they wanted her blood, I’d have sensed it. Not that I’d have intervened since I didn’t know anything about her until this morning.”
“The dark fae will come for me,” Tulip said. “I escaped from their dungeon.”
Eric tipped his head to the side as he scanned Tulip from head to toe. “You don’t look like a dark fae to me.”
“We think she’s only half, and maybe half-light fae,” Vaughn said.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Eric said. “In the meantime, keep a close eye on her. Don’t go to work, unless you leave her protected. I don’t think they’ll care that she’s mated to you, and carrying your firstborn.”
Tulip gasped and Vaughn’s eyes widened.
“Firstborn?” Vaughn asked.
“Your claiming did the trick. So, congratulations, daddy. You’ll have the first half fae, half wolf in the pack. Autumn had a daughter last night. She’s half fae and half human, and will one day rule the light fae.”
“None of our children will be fully fae or fully wolf?” Vaughn asked.
“No. Tulip is different, even though I can’t figure out what’s so strange about her energy signature. Like I said, I’ll do a little digging and see what I can come up with. Keep her close, keep her safe. I’ll be in touch.”
Before either Vaughn or Tulip could ask another question, the sorcerer vanished into thin air. Tulip leaned against him and Vaughn wondered if she was still weak. He picked her up and carried her over to the sofa, where he laid her down. She looked a little dazed as she rubbed her still very flat belly. Vaughn knelt beside her and pressed a kiss against her stomach and then her lips.
“I should feed you,” he said. “Pancakes and sausage okay?”
“Anything would be good right now. I’m starving.” She smiled a little. “Can I come sit in the kitchen while you make it?”
He nodded.
Tulip stood up and reached for his hand, lacing their fingers together. She seemed very accepting of the mate claim, even though he hadn’t asked before doing it. He’d thought she would be furious with him, but she seemed…happy. In the kitchen, he whipped up two stacks of pancakes and a plate a sausage links. Tulip looked like she was about to start drooling as he set a plate in front of her along with a fork and a bottle of syrup. She’d eaten one pancake and two pieces of sausage by the time he’d gotten their drinks and sat down with his plate.
He smiled, thinking how cute she was in the morning, eating like a ravenous wolf. When they were finished, he sat back as she used her magick to clean the kitchen. He was glad that Tulip was feeling better, but he didn’t want her to overdo it either. He got a cup of coffee for each of them, offering her cream and sugar.
“What do you want to do today?” he asked as he sipped at his.
“Could we go see the new baby? Or will I not be welcome there?”
“You’re part of the pack now. You’ll be welcome at any pack events, including any births. Do you want to go shopping first and pick up something for the newest pack member? Something pink and frilly?”
