Page 108 of Destined Paranormals: Volume One

“Do you mind if we do a video call with my parents?”

“I’m not sure what that is exactly, but all right. How do we do that?”

I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was just after ten in the morning here, which meant it was just after one in the morning there. They were most likely fast asleep, and I couldn’t blame them even a little.

“All right. How about we shelve that for now. It’s the middle of the night in Montana.”

Asher chuckled, and I found it so damn adorable. “They’re sleeping. I mean, I guess you could wake them?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m not going to wake them. It can wait until we get a break between storms or until they pass completely. I can also send an email if we can’t get a video connection with them. But I would love to learn more about the fae and their origins. I’m a bit surprised yet not that you’re unsure about things. We don’t exactly know all of the old stories from our created ones and the original eight.”

“Original eight?”

I nodded. “Yes. Each created one was sent an original eight that were once humans that the goddess deemed worthy of such a gift of being changed into whatever she chose: warlock, fox, bear, wolf. All of them. The created ones then taught their original eight how to be what they were. Warlocks, bears, foxes, wolves, and so on. After a time, they all set out and formed their own covens, packs, dens, and so forth.”

“Wow, that’s really interesting.”

I nodded. “It is. My family is from an original eight line from Master Edison’s original eight.”

Asher’s eyes widened. I chuckled again.

“It’s not that big of a deal. At least not to our family. We’re just us. My father is Rainier, and my dad is Étienne. Father is the warlock,” I said, nodding my head. “And Dad is the red fox shifter. Pierre is a warlock, I’m a fox, and Benjamin is a warlock. Elias, or Eli, who is Ben’s fated One, is also a red fox shifter.”

Asher smiled. “So we’re the odd couple?”

I gave Asher a confused look. “How so?”

“I’m not a warlock. Not really. I do have magical powers, but I’m no warlock.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily call us the odd couple.” I leaned in and kissed Asher’s forehead. “I understand that in my family, there are a lot of warlock-and-fox-shifter pairings, but not all.”

“There are more?” Asher asked, surprise in his voice.

I couldn’t help but chuckle and pull him closer for a tighter hug. “My grandparents are Frederick and Oliver, both warlocks, and both are Master Edison’s original eight. They are the only two that ended up together. The other six found mates elsewhere. But my grandparents had eight children themselves, and my father Rainier was one of them.”

Asher’s eyes continued to widen as I told more of my family’s background.

“That’s a lot of kids. But I’ve known fae couples that have more. It can be really crazy. We’re highly sexual beings, and, well, things happen when you can’t seem to keep your hands off of your mate. That usually leads to lots of pregnancies. Some couples only have a few, others, lots. It doesn’t seem to be much by way of in-between in my village, but other villages, I’ve seen people with a dozen or more kids trailing behind them.”

“Yeah, I mean…I would have a dozen with you if it’s what you really wanted, but⁠—”

Asher silenced me with a hand on my mouth, and when he looked at me, it was with wide eyes. “No. A few. Seriously. I was honestly joking when I said six. I mean, maybe? But not all at once, you know? Maybe we’ll have a few, and when they grow up and leave, we’ll decide to have a few more. I’m not sure.”

I pulled his hand away and held it in mine. “That sounds like a good plan.” I thought about what he’d said just a bit ago. “So fae are highly sexual, huh?”

Asher’s cheeks turned pink, and he suddenly became interested in either my neck or the collar of my shirt.

“Asher?” I raised his face again so he was looking at me.

Asher shrugged and took a deep breath. “I mean, usually. I’ve never had sex before though, so maybe I won’t be. I have no way of knowing. Some fae don’t wait for their mates, but those are the ones who are usually in their sixties or older.” Asher offered a lopsided smile. “I’m sorry to say that I’m not going to know how to please you. I hope you understand and are willing to teach me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you not having had any experience isn’t an issue for me. I promise you that. And I will always be understanding and patient. We’ll start slow, and I’ll do to you what I like to have done to me, and we’ll explore together what you like and don’t like. Always feel open to speaking out if you don’t enjoy something I do. I never want you to be uncomfortable.”

“I don’t know what I like or don’t like. Sitting close to you like this is pleasant. I’m enjoying that.”

I tightened my arms around Asher again. “I like it too. And I love that you’re small enough to do it and it not be awkward.”

Asher laughed at that. It was such a beautiful sound, in my opinion. It was safe to say that I was most certainly smitten by my mate already.