Chapter 11
Calum
Inever knew love until Asher. Not an all-consuming love like I felt for him.
Sure, I loved my parents and brothers, and I cared a great deal for Eli and the twins.
But none of that compared to what I felt for Asher.
I honestly wasn’t expecting him that morning, but I wouldn’t change the fact that he’d been sent to me.
We’d been mated for an entire eight days now.
Ironically, after we had claimed each other, his fertile period had hit almost immediately, and I’d spent the next six days taking care of his constant need.
When I wasn’t knotted inside of him, I was using washcloths to clean us and feeding him fruit, yogurt, and energy drinks.
Anything I could get down him in order to keep his energy up.
I would forever be grateful for my father and his help with providing not only furniture for the house but also food and drinks that would be ideal for a fertile period.
When Asher’s heat broke almost two days ago, I was relieved.
Not because I didn’t want to take care of him any longer but because I’d become incredibly concerned for him.
I wasn’t sure how long his fertile period would last, but I’d been sent messages from my father when I’d asked questions in concern.
I’d been reassured that this was all very much a possibility, but now I had new worries.
Asher was sleeping. Deeply. I could still very much feel him through our bond, and I’d spent some time getting to know him through it.
But my fox was beginning to worry he wouldn’t wake.
He seemed perfectly fine, except for the fact that he was still sleeping, and it had been two days now.
I’d done everything I could to keep myself occupied.
Granted, I’d fallen asleep beside him for a good twelve hours, possibly a little more.
But when I finally woke, my mate continued to sleep.
I went upstairs to the main bedroom, finding a nice bed and other furniture in it.
On the bed were our bags, and beside those were multiple shopping bags that were filled with any and everything we could need in the bathroom.
I took care of personal needs, then went about unpacking everything and putting it away.
A long, hot shower later, I emerged feeling better than I had in a while.
I dressed and went back downstairs, wondering if Asher was awake yet.
I found him exactly where I’d left him—on his stomach, sound asleep on the makeshift bed in front of the fireplace.
I knew my fathers had both been here at least once—their scents lingered slightly in the air.
I wasn’t upset about that, even a little.
I knew they would have been respectful of us, and what Asher and I were going through was completely natural for paranormals.
My phone was plugged in and fully charged, and there happened to be a now fully stocked pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.
My stomach was complaining about the lack of a solid meal in such a long time that I couldn’t help but give in and eat.
I knew that no matter what, I needed to be strong enough to take care of my mate.
I found frozen pizzas in the freezer, and after setting the oven temperature to where it needed to be, I located a pan and tossed a pizza in the oven before setting the timer.
That was the first meal in several days, and I’d had so many alone since.
I was beginning to become worried as Asher continued to sleep away on the blankets in front of the fireplace.
I was currently waiting on the coffee maker, wondering if today would be the day that Asher would finally wake.
I’d had several conversations with Father over the past two days.
It wasn’t uncommon for omegas to rest for extended periods of time after a fertile period.
And with Asher being fae, we didn’t really know what to expect.
Father had asked around, and there were a couple of other fae in the area, but one was an alpha and was new to the area.
There was another, but he, too, was an alpha.
His mother was also fae, but she was female, and their bodies and cycles were completely different, much like the difference between shifter male and female omegas.
I was simply out of luck when it came to asking anyone if this was normal.
The coffeepot gurgled, signaling the end of the brew cycle, and I grabbed a mug, adding cream to the bottom before I set it on the counter to wait for the coffee to stop dripping. Suddenly, I heard the most beautiful sound ever.
“Calum?”
I was thankful I’d not been holding anything still. I rushed out of the kitchen and around the couch and over to where Asher was now sitting up.
“Hello, sweetheart. How are you feeling?” I asked, kneeling down beside him. Beautiful blue eyes looked up at me.
“Honestly, crummy. I feel yucky.”
I grinned. “I did give you sponge baths, but there was only so much I could do. Let me help you to the bathroom, and you can take care of things while I run you a bath.”
I reached for Asher, easily picking him up in my arms. He had lost a lot of weight, but hopefully, a few really good meals and his weight would be back up to where it had been before we mated.
I hurried up the stairs, my mate not a burden in my arms. Once in our bedroom, he gasped, and I froze in place. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s furniture.”
I looked around the room. “Oh, yeah. Father helped with furnishing the house.”
I continued on to the bathroom and placed Asher on his feet in front of the toilet.
I went to the tub, plugging the drain and turning on the hot water with about half as much cold.
There was a bottle of healing oil that Father had left, and I poured half into the tub as I’d been instructed.
When I stood back up, Asher was still sitting on the toilet.
“Do you need me to leave? I can give you privacy if you need.”
Asher shook his head. “I’m actually finished already. I just…my legs don’t really want to work too well. They feel like bread dough.”
I chuckled. “I understand that.” I glanced at the water in the tub. There were only a few inches, and it would likely take a while longer to fill. “Did you want help brushing your teeth? I can hold you up while you do that.”
Asher shook his head. “I’ll do that after the soak. I understand my breath is most likely incredibly foul. My mouth tastes terrible. But I know I’ll feel more up to standing once I soak for a bit.”
I nodded and then glanced back at the tub again. “Unfortunately, it’s probably going to be a while before the tub is full enough.”
“I can help with that.”
I glanced back at the tub when the sound of the water running could no longer be heard. I looked back to the toilet, but Asher was gone. I heard water moving, and there he was—in the tub.
“Ahh, this is incredibly nice. It has a little bit of a tingle to it.”
“I think that’s the oil. Father left a bunch of different ones. That one said healing oil, and the note said to have you bathe in it for a time after your fertile period ended.”
Asher grinned up at me. “Well, it’s really nice.” Asher slid down in the tub, the water now coming up to his chin. I could only stand there and stare down at my gorgeous mate.
“Unless you want me to stay, I’ll leave you to soak in peace.”
Asher’s eyes opened, and he grinned up at me. “If you have things to do, I won’t keep you. But I would love to talk to you.”
I returned the smile. I wanted nothing more than to spend time with my mate. He’d been out of it for six days, and two more after that, he’d spent in a deep sleep.
“I’ll be right back. I’m going to run to the kitchen for my coffee. Would you like something to drink?”
“Mmm, yes, please. Anything. If there’s juice, I’d love some.”
We had plenty of juice. “I’ll be back in just a few minutes,” I told him.
I hurried back down the stairs and into the kitchen.
First, Asher’s juice. We had orange juice as well as mixed fruit juice.
I opted for that and poured it into a large glass.
I was thankful for the insight of my fathers and placed the glass on a tray.
I’d been warned that it was a very real possibility that I’d be serving Asher a lot of meals in bed or on the couch if he ended up feeling poorly during pregnancy.
Well, now was a good time to start using it as far as I was concerned.
I added a plate of baked goods that Father had sent over with a little bit of magical help this morning. He’d stopped at the bakery next to the council building, and when a box appeared on our counter with a note, I quickly texted him a thanks.
I pulled off a paper towel just in case, and after placing my coffee on the tray, I headed back to my finally awake mate. He was exactly where I’d left him. Not that I expected him to have moved in the few minutes it had taken me to retrieve a small breakfast for him. A snack, if you would.
“I brought mixed fruit juice. I’m a fan of it, but if you find you don’t like it, I’ll get you some orange juice.”
“Oh, I’ve not had mixed fruit. Is it good?” Asher asked, sitting up. I placed the tray on the corner of the tub, thankful it was secure there.
“It’s one of my favorites. And there are fresh pastries from the bakery on Treasure Ridge. Father sent them this morning with well-wishes from him and Dad. They have been reassuring me that you sleeping for two days after your heat broke was actually normal in some cases.”
“Two days?”
I nodded.
Asher took a drink of his juice, and when his eyes widened, I watched as he tipped the glass and drank down half of it in one go.
“I take it you approve.”
“That is good. I’m glad I went ahead and brushed my teeth. I’m sure nothing would have tasted good until I had.”
I chuckled. “It’s understandable. Here, do you like sweet or savory?” I asked, my hand hovering over the pastries.
“Yes,” he told me.