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"She's just excited about the possibility of babies," Jerimiah explained. "There haven't been any born here in a while."
"There haven't?" Jared seemed surprised. "Why?"
"I don't know." The kabouter glanced away, a sorrowful look on his face. "But for the past year, not one of the women has been able to conceive. It's the same across the world."
"A year?" Macey whispered, counting back the months in her head. Depending how long she'd been in the Voice's care, it'd only been three or four months since their quest to save the Staran had started. Certainly not that long.
"Yes. At first, we thought it was just a timing thing. Now..."
"Now it seems more purposeful," Jared finished for him.
"It's certainly not right. But we're not sure what the cause of it is."
Macey exchanged glances with Jared, who shook his head slightly. She nodded, there was no use scaring the people he considered family with what had happened to the Staran. It was their issue to sort.
"That's sort of why we're here," Jared started. "I've been getting this feeling like there's something wrong with the earth."
"Ah, you've felt it too. I wasn't sure with you living in the mists."
"Yes, it's only been faint for now, but it's gotten stronger," Jared explained.
"Worrying," the kabouter mused.
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Macey asked, hoping they had at least some answers.
"No, but the kludde have been getting restless. They've made others very wary of going near the water."
"Kludde?"
"Tricksters. They like to lure humans to certain death and destruction. I suppose they're not unlike your Scottish kelpies in their murderous intent," the kabouter said cheerfully.
Macey bristled, hating the bad reputation of her kind. Jared's firm hand gave her knee a reassuring squeeze. Maybe she shouldn't get too angry. She didn't want them to think even worse of her.
"I found it!" S
mal interrupted the awkwardness by hurrying back in with something shiny in her hands and a triumphant grin lighting up her face. "Here." She passed the glittering object to Macey who took it reverently.
Holding it up to the light, the pendant glittered, revealing intricate swirls of thinly cut strips of gemstones. It twirled around in the light, reflecting off the gems. "It's beautiful."
"Just like you." Smal grinned at her.
Macey blushed. Beautiful wasn't something she'd considered herself up until meeting her men. In kelpie terms she was kind of plain. When it came to human ideals of beauty, she supposed she was pretty at most. But it was hard to tell when she was looking at herself. It was only when her men's eyes were on her that she truly felt beautiful. There was something about the reverent way they looked at her that spoke straight to her soul.
"Well, put it on," Smal insisted.
Jared took the necklace from her and looped it around her neck, making sure he moved her hair out of the way first. With each brush of his fingers over her skin, Macey trembled and wished they were alone. Maybe that was Smal's plan. Make her so turned on that she had too much sex not to get pregnant.
She frowned to herself. Incubi were rare, even Jared said so, but why? They were all about sex and needed a lot of it to survive, so surely babies should be common. Unless they took on the characteristics of their mothers.
"It's very hard for an incubus to have a child," Jared whispered in her ear as he clasped the necklace.
"How do you..."
"Your body language," he answered. "And I know you. Your mind is far too curious not to wonder."
"Oh."
He leaned back before she could say anything else and she knew the conversation was done for now. They could pick it up later when there was actually time to discuss children and how it would work with four potential fathers. Hopefully she wouldn't add anyone else into the mix, though six did seem like a good family number.
