And I drank a lot, stopping when Cerdic pinched my side in warning. I stayed like that though, and Thomas there with us, ignoring the awkward when Cerdic teased my clit with his blood on his fingers. I realized there was something else too, and glanced up to see Sisay rubbing his blood on my arm. I came hard, my body freaking out from the power and age.
Cerdic followed me right over, and before Sisay even stopped giving me more blood, I let out my power into the ground. There were more eyes on us now, I could feel them through my power and attachment to the coven land. It was like an echo of what I’d felt that time when people were on my energy beads, but I knew it would grow with time somehow.
I was pulled out of my wandering thoughts when something landed on my stomach. I flinched, but then blinked down at it, my eyes going wide when I realized what it was.
“That’s not possible,” Cerdic whispered.
“No, it’s not,” Sisay agreed as he reached for it.
“Don’t,” I snapped, grabbing it first.
“Sorry, I just—is that really a seed? The trees don’t give seeds,” he whispered.
I nodded, studying it as I sat up. I put it in my hand with the cut, rubbing my blood on it. I let it dry, the seed soaking it right up, before handing it to Thomas. “Plant it where you want the center of the outpost to be, the center of what the town will become once we build it all up and better.”
“Are you sure?” Cerdic checked, cursing under his breathe when I nodded. “This has never been done, Inez.”
“What do you mean her tree gave seeds?” Nora demanded as she came towards us with several other princesses.
Cerdic pulled out of me, and Kristof was there a second later with another tray of food and quickly cleaned me up.
I held up my hand to stop the princesses. “You can see it but don’t touch it. Something inside of me is telling me only Thomas and his mate, just like no one could touch the seed for my tree.” I met Thomas’s gaze. “You need to plant it how I have, add your blood to mine and I get this feeling of new life. I’m not sure if that’s just the tree.”
His eyes flashed shock but he nodded. “I will discuss it with my mate before we plant it.”
“I’m not sure,” I told him again. “We have single knights heading areas and I can’t see Aether only blessing those with mates and wanting children. That seems unfair, especially when I got my seed before I knew any of this.” I stared at the seed again and used my power to study it, shaking my head. “I don’t think the new life will be yours. Is there someone who can’t have children that wants them?”
“Yes, one of my daughters,” he whispered. “She can’t conceive no matter how many times she’s tried.”
I nodded. “I think that’s Aether’s blessing that you’re doing as you should to help your clan and all her children. It’s just a feeling though.”
He leaned in and kissed my cheek. “You are a miracle.”
I flushed, thanking him and watching as the other princesses fawned over the seed, asking questions I didn’t have the answers to.
“She needs to eat,” Kristof cut in before taking Thomas’s seat.
I gave a happy squee when I saw what it was. Nick had used the wild boar everyone else was eating to make me something even better. At the bottom were hot fries, pulled pork, grilled onions, and all baked with cheese and barbeque sauce on it. I dug right in, drinking more iced tea as I did.
“I cannot believe your tree gave you a seed,” Nora whispered as she snagged one of my fries. “Those are delicious.”
“Nick said if you were stressed, he would make sure you had everything you loved so you couldn’t pass it up,” Kristof explained.
“Thank him for me.” I glanced between them. “How is everything else going?”
“Very well,” she answered quietly. “Your people are bringing the roasted boars five at a time off the terrace, and with gobs of sides, people are eating and drinking their fill. After they were offered swimsuits, you were right and most have been pulling the sticks out of their arses. The jealousy hasn’t been—”
“What jealousy?” I asked. “Over Cerdic?”
She chuckled softly. “I’m sure some, but no, what you have here, Inez. This is more than any of us have right now and we are older, established princesses with great covens and yet you, a baby with mostly shifters, have so much. It’s not bringing the best out of everyone.”
I rolled my eyes. “I guess it’s true that age doesn’t mean maturity. What will being jealous do?” I rolled my eyes when Kristof snickered. “Jealous on this kind of thing. You like when I get jealous over you. You guys all do.”
“We do,” he agreed.
“Try with another of your knights to see if another seed comes,” one of the princesses cut in.
“Not yet,” Kristof said firmly, giving her a withering look when she went to argue. “You have no idea how taxing this is on our princess. She is young. This whole event has spiraled out of what was planned. We will not risk her to sate your curiosity. It can wait.”
“Maybe it’s the present,” Thomas muttered.
“Present?” I asked him in between the last bites. I had inhaled that dish it was so good.
He nodded. “My clan has a present for your wedding. I was just thinking maybe it’s not that we gave you a present, but what the present is.”
I
