girl.”
Dira nodded. “Me too. There is no guarantee that this pregnancy is that little girl. It might not make it to term.”
Mak looked at her softly and stroked her cheek. “You have waited long enough for your own children. Teebie is finally starting her own life. You need to, too.”
Chapter Nine
Teebie smiled at Andor from across the Y-shaped platform. She placed her hands flat on the podium, and she waited for Emira.
The mage looked at them in turn and nodded grimly. “Right. Give me a moment.”
One of the local lads rushed forward, and in a moment, Emira was wearing the gear of a catcher at a baseball game.
“Let’s do this.”
Teebie laughed. It was quite the beginning to the ceremony. The rest of the questions and answers were standard, but she was still grinning when her magic was drained and it swirled in the middle to be met by Andor’s.
Their families watched as the power blended and flowed back into them. Teebie felt the fire as it coursed through her veins, but it wasn’t until Emira said the words to seal the balance that the release of energy happened.
A cascade of blue fire left Teebie’s body and knocked Emira over. The rest of the guests were just below the level of the wave.
Balanced and sealed, Teebie walked to meet Andor at the centre of the platform. Her embroidered and bejewelled robes dragged, the long slit tunic underneath rustled.
Andor was dressed in the practical garb of his mother’s people, and the tooled leather he was wearing made him look like an ice elf, which he would have been if he had been born to her.
He was also wearing a crown of diamonds and enough of the jewels to topple any human country.
He wrapped her in his arms, and she did the same. There was no static shock as they kissed, but the heat flowed more quickly between them. Teebie fought a smile. That was unanticipated.
The applause rose to a roar of approval as they turned to greet their well-wishers.
Teebie had hosted every wedding and baby shower since she had arrived and every one of those women were here with their mates today. The balanced fey and shifters looked amused to be back, but they also brought gifts for their previous host.
It was enough to make her blush, but she couldn’t.
Dira looked at her and grinned. “You are looking pale, Teebie.”
Teebie looked at her hand, and it was fading from blue into a soft peach. “What?”
“I thought that might happen. You got half of Andor’s power. Apparently, that half involves controlling your skin. You would have to be able to or the fire would burn.”
Dira’s gaze focused over your shoulder. “And here come your in-laws.”
Teebie turned, and she saw her skin resuming the blue hue she was used to. Andor was grinning. “Teebie, this is my mother, Meridith, and my father, Kyrok. Mother, Father, this is Teebie.”
To Teebie’s surprise, Meridith came in for a hug. Her long blue hair was studded with diamonds, and she smelled like the first winds of winter.
“Welcome to the family, Teebie.”
Teebie blinked and smiled shyly. “Thank you.”
When Meridith let her go, Kyrok came in for a hug. “Welcome to the family, Teebie.”
He was huge, shared most of the blond and gold colouring that Andor had, but his eyes were diamond white. His body hummed with very old magic, and his strength was carefully held in check as he hugged her.
“Thank you, Lord Kyrok.”
Andor cleared his throat. “Enough hugging, Father.”
The dragon slowly released her, standing back with a slow smile. “You are still changing colour.”
She nodded, and Andor removed his father’s hands from her before sliding his arm around her waist. “She will continue to shift until we finalize the bonding.”
Kyrok nodded. “Get to it, then.”
Teebie snorted. “Not with this crowd. It can wait a few hours. If I grab him and fly off, the time is up.”
Meridith smiled and pulled her mate back. “Kyrok will keep his mouth shut on the
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