Page 27 of Iced Heat

“It’s open ended for the foreseeable future. I did talk to Teddy at some point. Over the flight link I think because it couldn’t have been the phone,” Xav mused. “He said he was switching thehouse onto a company card, whatever that is because he wasn’t sure what you had it all set up on.”

“Thank Frost and Juda for our responsible Teddy,” I said and Xav pulled me into a hug.

I froze against him, falling immobile as I waited for heat to squeeze around my middle again. When it didn’t, I let out a long sigh of relief and hugged him back. Thousands of years ago, my survival during heat would’ve depended on him. He would’ve been all that stood between me and the world while I writhed around inside a body that was desperate to reproduce the next generation. We’d come a long way and maybe I was doing omegas everywhere a disservice but I felt blessed to have him. Thankful that he didn’t toss his hands up and walk away when I decided not to eat or to keep going with all the romping while not feeding me.

“Mate,” Xav said softly. “I’ve heard how bad some Earthside alphas are, but I wouldn’t do that. Hell, I’m still not convinced I fed you well enough for all the workouts we had. Besides, this is half my fault too. You didn’t meet yourself and go into heat. Maybe we didn’t read the fine print when we did whatever the first claiming vows were but that’s okay. I’m not gonna lie. It’s been a hot few weeks. It was nice in some ways but I’d have traded all of that for you to have felt better.”

“Heat isn’t like being sick,” I frowned at him. “You know that.”

“Anything that makes you lose your appetite worries me,” he countered. “I never said it was like being sick, but you were burning up and didn’t want to eat.”

“Because I wanted you more than I wanted food,” I mock pouted at him, but it was the truth. “Maybe heat used to be a test to see if mates could actually survive together. Like if you had just humped like we were bunnies ---” Xav put his hand over my mouth but I kept talking. “We wouldn’t have been okay.”

“I’d have deserved to be stoned to death if I did that,” he said, his dark eyes turning serious. “I know there are a lot of opinions about heat cycles and how they should be handled. I don’t have one. It’s not up to me to speak to all of that as far as preventatives or whatever but as for if people should be fed during them? One hundred precent. If someone is choosing not to feed their mate while they’re in an altered state, they should be executed.”

“It’s hot when you get all worked up like that,” I smiled. “I think most people are driven to take care of their mates like you are, Xav. I think those who aren’t are few and far between. How broken would someone have to be to not be concerned about their literal other half not eating?”

“I couldn’t imagine anyone doing that – not to you or anyone else. You deserve more. You deserve the best.”

“If we go back into the kitchen and I let you cook for me or something will that make you feel better?” I asked, resting my hands on his chest. “And just so you know, I do remember things. Some of it is splotchy but you’re there in every memory and a lot of it is food related. I think I’m never gonna get another handjob without thinking it’s also snack time.”

Xav laughed and stole a kiss before leading me into the kitchen. We made lunch together, working side by side, while Xav kept popping bits of fruit into my mouth like I was a small rodent needing constant snacks. The fruit was fresh and tropical and I wasn’t about to complain. He was right. Everyone deserved to be treated well and fed all the time. My older cousin Feral made Pheromone Swap for just that reason. It started out as an app for omegas in heat to find someone to spend those days with. The couple involved would shack up together and live like mates for the duration of the omega’s heat. Maybe I’d gotten lucky in my prior hookups between birth control and meeting decent guys nothing had gone wrong. Sure, it never lastedeighteen days before either. Maybe it stretched out for so long because I knew I was safe and sound with Xav.

After lunch, we took a shower and a nap. This time I woke up with my head resting on Xav’s solid chest with his arm wrapped around me like a protective cocoon. His hair was frosty and my skin chilly for the first time in a long time. I was sore and achy from nearly three weeks of ‘working out,’ but I regretted nothing. Hell, maybe I’d go into heat every year for a couple of weeks and let him take care of me. Still, I wanted to take care of him too. So despite how much I wanted to wake him up for the company, I slipped out of the bed and left him to sleep. I tiptoed into the kitchen where we left our phones. As I scrolled through all my missed calls and texts I wondered if Xav would be down for making a rule about no phones in our bedroom unless it was an emergency exception. He didn’t seem that attached to his to begin with. So, I’d probably be the only one who would forget and break the rule.

Most of my missed texts were from Daliah. Nothing seemed urgent. Most of them were just photographs of her, Rosemary, and their hatchlings traveling around. I missed her but not enough to text her back while my emotions still felt like a rollercoaster ride from my heat cycle. Some were from Dad, Duke, and Teddy. All three of them confirmed that the Scale B&B house was switched over to a company card and not to worry about how long we extended our stay. A few were from Teddy texting me to see if there was anything missing from the ‘matingmoon’ baskets he and Liatris took turns bringing over. I sent him a quick thank you text for always thinking about me and an even quicker apology for not answering sooner. A lesser brother might’ve stopped bringing the baskets all together if someone acted so ungrateful.

“He gets it. He might not have met his mate yet, but Teddy gets it. That’s why Teddy’s always sad or mad. He gets it.Whatever it is, Teddy gets it,”my dragon chimed into my thoughts.

My next text was to Dad. I didn’t know where else to start with the idea of moving over to the Starscale world. I didn’t want to move in on top of him, Nelum, and Elio but if anyone knew how to buy a house over there it would be him. Well, buying wasn’t an option. All the money in the Cromwell accounts wouldn’t do shit for us over there but I was sure there had to be a way to get a house. We were both flight members after all. The shiny star-shaped scales on our chest said that much.

The typing dots on my phone lit up straight away. Then stopped. Then went again. What the heck was Dad thinking about so hard?

DAD:Don’t worry about it, egg brat. We got you covered. You just worry about packing up whatever you can’t live without before you’re too with child to do it. You let us know if you need help. I’ll come over myself or Teddy would come if you’d rather have him. We could both come. Liatris and Selt would probably help out too. I’d recommend leaving the appliances and big stuff for when you want to visit there or move back. We could furnish the house here for you or we’ll leave that up to you when you get here, if you prefer. I’m glad you found him. Xav’s a good guy, if a bit of a mystery to those of us back here. There’s a betting pool on what he shifts into. No, I haven’t participated in it. I won’t be betting on the genetics of my future grandchildren. Speaking of genetics, both of your sister’s eggbrats tested negative for the genes associated with Vulpine Degenerative Disease.

I let out a long, slow breath. I hadn’t even thought of that when I wanted to get pregnant. I hadn’t even thought of that when Daliah’s eggs had hatched. Grief was a son of a bitch that left everyone half blind to what really mattered. As far as I knew,Xav didn’t have any fox in his heritage and that meant a lower chance for our kids to pick up the gene that ultimately killed my mother and my grandfather.

“You alright?” Xav yawned from the doorway, scratching his belly.

“Talking to Dad about moving over. Daliah’s kids testing negative for the gene.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Xav arched a brow.

“I know my scent and expression say it’s not, but it is,” I nodded. “It’s a really good thing.”

“Ah, the knotting in relation to foxes,” he said, sitting down in the chair next to me.

He grabbed the center of the bottom of my chair and scooted me over until I was directly in front of him.

“It’s not fox. I’m not sure if it’s even wolf. I don’t know all the animals who knot in the wild. It’s not my area of expertise.”

“Punny,” I laughed as he hooked his hands under my knees and my legs over his.

“There’s a lot of lore where I come from and some of it we have verification for. Some of us can and do shift into what you might call astral animals. Sort of like my little form but different. He’s pretty damn solid. I think we’re just a species of elf who refused to choose a singular form, add that to most elements being able to take whatever shape they want and you have me knotting you all over the house,” he smirked.

“You’re evil because I have this urge to flip around on the chair and say make good on that but I’m also tired and sore and sort of hungry.”

Hungry.

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