Page 31 of Daddy Frost

One of the fairies had “magically” repaired any damage the fire had caused. On any other day, Kalen would give all three of them—Elvine, Raidh, and Casimir—a stern, but gentle reminder not to use their dark magic in the house.

But not today. Frankly, Kalen was thankful his beloved kitchen was as it should be. Satisfied the room wasn’t fire damaged, he got to work making Delta something quick but filling to eat.

* * * *

Pursing his lips, Delta wasn’t sure if he should follow Kalen or…what exactly? Wander around on his own until he found people to talk to? Like the twin currently standing in front of him.

No matter how hard Delta tried, he couldn’t stop glancing from Jaytee’s face to his stomach, as if his gut would suddenly start to inflate like a balloon until he really was Damon’s spitting image.

Delta’s gaze slid to the stairs when he saw a short, waiflike man descend them. The stranger’s long hair cascaded down his back in soft waves of warm gold and yellow undertones, framing his delicate heart-shaped face.

It was impossible to rip his eyes away from the guy. Then Delta noticed the ears. The tips ended in points, just like Elvine’s did. There was another fairy in the house.

“Delta, this is my mate, Raidh,” Jaytee said with a touch of pride as he smiled lovingly at the fairy. Wait. Elvine had said they were fae, though Delta still didn’t know the difference between the two words.

They sounded exactly the same to him, but clearly the word “fairy” was offensive to them.

“Hi,” Delta said with a smile, captivated with Raidh’s lavender-gray eyes. He would say the guy was beautiful, but that didn’t feel like a strong enough word. Maybe ethereal?

“It’s nice to meet you.” Even Raidh’s voice was like a fairy’s, light and airy, like it was floating on a breeze.

Compared to Elvine and Raidh, Delta felt like a booby prize. How could he compare to fairies? Fae. Shit.

“He’s doing what my dad keeps doing.” From behind Raidh, Jaytee curled his arms around the smaller man, grinning widely.

“What am I doing?” Delta sniffed the air as the smell of something delicious drifted toward him, making his mouth water and his stomach rumble.

“Trying to figure out the optics between me and my twin.” The guy chuckled. “My gut is flat, yet when you look at a mirror-image of me, it’s suddenly protruding.”

So much for being discreet. Delta would suck as an operative if he’d been undercover. Subtly clearly wasn’t his strong suit. He just hadn’t realized how obvious he’d been. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. It’s just that…”

“It’s weird as heck,” Raidh finished for him. “I’m mated to one of the twins, and every time I see Damon, I end up doing a doubletake.” Raidh laughed.

“How…?” Delta curled his lips in, reminding himself he’d just met these people and he shouldn’t get all nosy, even if he was dying to.

“How did a guy get knocked up?” Jaytee plucked the question right out of Delta’s head. The man was very perceptive.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Delta replied.

“You do not have enough time on your hands,” Damon said from behind him, causing Delta to startle. Oh great. The guy had heard them talking about him. Delta should leave and walk home before he embarrassed himself any further. He was going to plead insanity from lack of nourishment today.

His growling stomach was making him stick his nose where it didn’t belong.

“We’ll have to sit down sometime so you can learn about our family.” Jaytee regarded him with an intensity that nearly made Delta squirm.

“What is that wonderful smell?” Elvine flew down the steps on her wings, her eyes fluttering closed as she deeply inhaled. Delta was afraid she would run into a wall if she didn’t open them. “Oh, Papa Frost is cooking!” Elvine clapped her hands together. “Feed me,” she sang out as she flew toward the back of the house.

“How is she still so skinny?” Damon scratched his belly. “I swear she’s become a nonstop eating machine since her mates knocked her up.”

Mates? He recalled Kalen saying there were seven pairs of eyes, but he’d never told him why.

“Elvine, stop flying around the house! You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Delta gasped when a blur shot past him so fast he hadn’t been able to make it out. Had it been a person, place, or thing? Taking his life into his own hands, he headed toward the back of the house, curious and afraid to know what that blur had been.

One thing he had to admit. It was hella weird in this place. Like he’d stepped into some fantasy world, but one a lot less scary than the demon realm. It was a miracle Delta had even made it out of there with his life.

As he entered probably the most amazing kitchen he’d ever seen, he almost slid across the shiny floor. A muted palette of cream and wood filled the room. A sturdy wooden table surrounded by chairs with woven seats was off to the right, anchoring the room.

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