Chapter 13
Jaegar
I WANT TO GO HOME.
Damon and Cass had plans to stay longer, but even the promise of my mate’s kisses and warm body against mine, couldn’t make me want to stay. Vanya and I had enjoyed a deliciously sexy encounter before dinner, and after as well, but no matter how close I felt to her, or how strong our connection, something seemed to be missing. Something important and integral to my very being.
It wasn’t until the next morning when I woke up feeling homesick, my heart yearning for the snow, and the familiarity of home, that I understood the feeling for what it was.
Vanya snuggled into my side, all lithe limbs and milky skin.
I kissed her hair, inhaling the scent and committing it to memory.
“Hmmm... Morning,” she mumbled, rolling away and stretching her arms above her head luxuriously like a cat. The blankets slipped lower, revealing her tantalizing berry-red nipples.
I couldn’t help but reach out and touch them, unable to resist the urge and desire to feel their pert peaks against my fingers. “Good morning,” I returned.
She crawled back over to kiss me, then excused herself to go to the bathroom with a smile.
I waited for her to return, then did the same, taking a moment to splash some cold water on my face to try and calm the anxiety within me. I loved being with Vanya, but no matter what angle I attacked the situation from, I wasn’t sure I could stay here, in her kingdom. It wasn’t where I belonged, I knew it in my bones.
She’d said she wanted to visit the North with me sometime, which had temporarily lifted my spirits, earlier.
But will she come home with me today? Now?
Unfortunately, I didn’t know the answer to that question, and that worried me more than anything. The uncertainty of our predicament was slowly eating away at me.
“Are you coming back?” she called out when I didn’t immediately return.
I finally returned to the bedroom, feeling the weight of my fear in the pit of my stomach like a stone.
“What’s wrong?” she asked when she saw my face, sitting up in bed and gathering the blankets around herself.
I took a breath, then just said what I feared to share. “I have to go home, Vanya.”
She smiled. “Yeah, I know. We’ve already planned—”
“No. I mean, I have to go home now. Today.”
Her jaw dropped, and I could see her mind ticking over as she digested my words. “But we already decided we’d all leave in a few days’ time.”
I nodded my head and grimaced in apology. “Yeah, I know. But I can’t wait that long. I’m sorry.”
She gulped, her throat working hard as she swallowed. “As in... you don’t want me to come with you?”
“No!” I reassured her, rushing back to the bed to sit on the covers and face her. “I want you to come with me more than anything. I couldn’t leave you, I just... I can’t wait any longer. I can’t explain it. Would you come with me today? This morning if possible?”
She chuckled nervously. “Um, I guess? I’d have to speak to my parents, and my sister, Jessa. She organized her life around staying here with me for two weeks because I’ve been missing her so much...”
I sighed, a sense of guilt overwhelming me. Vanya had a life already, family, and friends—plans she’d made. My heart ached. “I suppose I could go ahead without you, and you could catch up when everyone else flies back?” I suggested, though my stomach twisted at the thought.
She stared at me for a long moment before answering, “You really need to go home, today?”
I nodded. Though if she pressed me further as to why, I wouldn’t be able to explain it rationally. I just felt a pull to the ice and snow, to the lands that had always been my home—the stomping grounds where I grew up—where I became a man.
“Okay,” she said suddenly with an officious nod of decision, then slid out of the bed on the opposite side. “I need a shower and breakfast, and we’ll have to send some clothes and things ahead, but I’ll organize it all this morning.”
I gaped at her, my heart hammering anew as a fragile hope blossomed within me.
She hurried into the shower without looking back.
I followed after her in wonder and partly because I just wanted to gaze upon the beauty of her as she bathed herself. “You’ll come with me? Really? Today?”
She nodded again, already stepping beneath the hot spray of the water. “I will. Though I must warn you, I haven’t flown to the North before, so I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make it in one flight. It’s a long way.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. I hadn’t thought about that. The flight had been exhausting for me coming over, but I’d refused to be weaker than my half-brothers. “Is there a halfway point where we could rest?” I asked, having never travelled beyond my homelands.
She tilted her head as though thinking about it. “Hmm, I think the Black Mountains, technically. But that would mean an extra night away from your home. Though there might not be another option, the more I think about it, the less confident I feel about being able to do the flight in one day.”
I wanted to rush into the shower to hug her but caught myself and my excitement. It wasn’t like me to express emotion so openly, but my need to go home was swallowing me alive, one large mouthful at a time.
Vanya scrubbed her hair with soap, all business as she got on with the job.
“I don’t care,” I said. “As long as we’re on our way home, my dragon will be satisfied.”
She nodded, her face still thoughtful. “I’ll talk to Marienne and Erik today. I’m sure they won’t mind us stopping in for the night.”
I didn’t know much about the king and queen of the Black Mountains, so I kept my thoughts to myself. I just internally rejoiced that I would soon be home, and I would finally feel safe where I belonged.
AS EXPECTED, EVERYONE wanted us to stay the final few days as planned, but Vanya put her foot down and told everyone that we needed to go. The way she spoke brooked no argument, which was a wonder to see.
Our clothes and personal effects were packed and sent ahead via horse and cart. Then we said goodbye to our families and stepped out into the cold air on the top balcony, ready to fly.
I undid the sash that held my robe closed and turned to look at my beautiful mate, my heart in my throat as I tried to find the right words. “I need to say thank you,” I said in a rush before I could doubt myself. “You stood up for me, you fought to give me this. So... thank you.” It felt awkward as hell to say, to admit gratitude and a debt owed, which was something I definitely wasn’t used to. I’d always stood on my own two feet, been my own man. To be beholden to a mate was as wonderful as it was foreign.
The brilliant smile Vanya gave me in return made up for all the tension in my heart. “Of course,” she said. “I’ll do everything I can to make you comfortable in this new world, please know that. I understand royal life and all its trappings are still very strange to you.”
I nodded with a small smile and took one final look at the kingdom around me. “Let’s go.”
She smiled back and inclined her head. “You first?”
I laughed as I shook my head. “No, definitely not. Ladies first.”
She shrugged and dropped her robe without hesitation, revealing her gorgeous body for mere moments before she took a step up to the balcony railing, then jumped, plunging toward the earth below.
I raced forward to watche my fated mate.
She shifted mid-fall, her gorgeous dragon extending its wings and swooping low over the village in a circle as she waited for me to join her in the air.
I turned around and raised my hand one last time, waving at my father and his family, that familiar ache stealing over my heart again.
King Damon smiled and nodded at me.
Not wanting to make Vanya wait any longer, I turned and threw my robe away at the same moment I dove off the castle walls, shifting to fly after my mate.
The flight to the Black Mountains was long and arduous, and my whole body was aching by the time we got there.
As soon as we landed, servants came running out with cloaks. “Your Highness,” one of them greeted Vanya, “we got word that you were stopping here for the night.”
Vanya took the cloak and quickly wrapped herself in its warmth. “Thank you, Samuel. Yes, that’s right. This is Jaegar, he is King Damon’s son, and my fated mate.”
The servant didn’t even blink, he simply nodded his head and flicked his hand, sending another servant running my way to hand me a cloak.
I took it gratefully, smiling at the young man as I wrapped myself up. “Thank you.”
“Come,” Samuel said. “We have made up a room and have food waiting.”
It was dinnertime, and my stomach lurched with hunger at the mention of food. I definitely needed to refuel and rest. “Thank you, again.”
We were shown to a large, opulent room warmed by a roaring fire.
Vanya hurried towards the fireplace, extending her hands to drink in its heat.
I walked around the room, taking in the richness of the furnishings and decor. “This place is as beautiful as your palace.”
Vanya laughed, rubbing her hands together and shuffling from foot to foot, trying to warm up. “King Magnik was a tyrant, but he liked to show off his wealth. You’ll see his touch throughout the palace. There’s gold and jewels added to the strangest things.”
“King Magnik?” I asked, having never heard of him.
“Yeah, Uncle Erik’s half-brother. He was the king before—”
“Before what?” I asked, my brow creasing.
Vanya turned to me, a smile quirking her lips. “Before Uncle Erik, and before my dad killed him.”
I stopped my perusing and stared at her, dumbstruck. “I’m sorry... what?”
My mate quickly recalled an event that had taken place more than thirty years ago, of a King who’d stolen Lucy from King Stavrok—out of blind greed, rage, and a thirst for power.
I growled loudly, anger rolling through my chest like an inferno at the mere thought of such a thing. “I would have killed him too,” I growled. If someone ever took Vanya because she could be bartered for land and power, they’d be dead before they knew what hit them.
Vanya smiled softly at my reaction. “You’re a lot like my dad, you know.”
“Hmm?” I enquired, unwilling to accept such an immense compliment. King Stavrok was an excellent man, king, and father. I could never compare myself to someone such as him. I’d never even dare.
“You are,” she repeated. “But I doubt I’ll be able to convince you. You’re as stubborn and unyielding as the mountains, though you’ll see in time, I’m sure.”
There was a knock at the door and a woman came in, with clothes draped over her arms. “Princess Vanya, I brought some of Queen Marienne’s clothes for you. And, sir... some of the King’s clothes. They are simple but—”
“They’re perfect,” I interrupted her. “Thank you.”
She hurried away at my swift but polite dismissal.
I walked over to the bed, picking up one of the shirts laid out for me. “Simple... I don’t understand.”
“Uncle Erik was the bastard son of the old king. He never expected to inherit the throne,” she explained. “And he doesn’t like all the pomp that comes with being royalty. Much like your father I assume, he isn’t comfortable in royal robes.”
I didn’t bother replying, afraid of what it would reveal about myself. But instead made a mental note to speak to King Erik in the future, if he would speak to me about such personal topics. “Well... these clothes are still beautiful,” I said.
Vanya picked up one of the dresses and nodded her head. “Oh, yes. Marienne has beautiful taste too.” She dropped her cloak and began dressing.
I feasted my eyes on her slim body before she covered it once more. I would have stripped her and taken her to bed again if my stomach wasn’t empty and my body not incredibly fatigued from our trip.
“Dinner?” she suggested, as though reading my thoughts. “Then bed?” Her eyes held a mischievous twinkle, which lightened the mood considerably.
“Absolutely,” I said, dropping my own cloak and not bothering to hide my half hard cock. “Seeing your beautiful body is never going to not affect me, sorry.”
She giggled and covered her mouth with her hand as she enjoyed what was on view. “Never apologize for wanting me. I’ve spent my whole life around my curvy mom and sister. I know I’m lacking in places, but honestly, I just didn’t have a choice in the matter. This is me.” She gestured to her perfect body with a lop-sided grimace.
I reached out and grabbed her hand, guiding her to wrap her fingers around my swelling cock.
She did so and stroked me once, drawing a long groan from me.
“Sweetheart, you’re perfect,” I managed to say before kissing her on the lips. “He doesn’t lie,” I winked, glancing at my cock between us.
There was another knock on the door interrupting our moment, and we broke apart.
Vanya excused herself to speak to the staff.
Meanwhile, I quickly dressed, now impatient to get back to bed as soon as I had something in my belly to tide me over.
“Dinner?” she prompted again, pulling on some slippers and standing by the door.
I did the last of the buttons up on my borrowed shirt and grabbed the coat for extra warmth. “Yes, let’s go.”
We followed the servant to the dining hall where we were treated to a simple yet ample fair. Then, with our bellies full, it was time to return to bed.