Page 27 of The Dragon of her Dreams

Isn’t he hungry?

“Would you like something different for breakfast, perhaps?” Mom asked. “We can get anything you’d like cooked.”

“No. I... was just waiting in case there were some sort of... rules.” Jaegar sighed heavily.

I reached over and squeezed his hand in encouragement. “Just eat. You’re family here with us.” I stood up and pulled the platter of meat and potatoes closer. “If you’re anything like my dad, you eat a lot of meat?”

He met my gaze and nodded, heat searing me right down to my core. “Thank you.”

I sat again and returned to cutting up my morning meal.

Meanwhile, Jaegar began serving himself.

Mom and Dad watched us with keen interest.

It was somewhat unnerving, and I wasn’t sure what to do except change the subject. “So, where’s everyone else?”

Mom answered first. “Most of the families went home last night. Marienne and Erik, Anthony and Charity.”

I glanced over at Jaegar before asking. “What about Cass and Damon? Veronica and Iain?”

“They’re all still here,” Dad said. “But they ate early, and said they wanted to go shopping at the markets in town.”

“How long are they staying for?” I pressed. Wanting to know how soon I’d be losing Jaegar, unless I could convince him to stay here, with me.

“Only another day,” Mom said. “Though perhaps Jaegar might want to stay longer?”

Jaegar lifted his head and stared directly at my mom, “Oh... well, I’d planned to leave with the king and queen, but....” His gaze moved to me.

I managed to smile back at him, my heart racing at the thought of his departure. “Maybe we can talk about it later? Who knows, the way Veronica throws her weight around that family, you all might end up moving here.” I meant it as a lighthearted joke, which my family seemed to understand.

They all laughed at the absurd thought.

But Jaegar reached for his glass of water and frowned. “My home is in the Northern Kingdom. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

The breath caught in my throat as I stared at Jessa as panic rose within me.

What does that mean for us?

“Have you travelled much?” Jessa asked him suddenly to detract from his awkward statement, fiddling with a croissant on her plate as she did so. “Have you been to any of the other kingdoms?”

“No,” he answered. “Before yesterday I’ve never left my home.”

His words settled over me and gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, I could convince him to stay here.

He doesn’t know what he was missing!

“That’s not unusual,” My father said. “Especially for those in the North. When I had a dinner for the kingdoms, and this was many years ago, we would invite everyone. Damon was almost never able to join us. He hated coming this far south.”

Jaegar nodded again. “Yes, the North is special. Have any of your been to the Northern Kingdom?”

Jessa shook her head.

I mirrored her reaction. “No.”

Mom perked up and grinned. “I have, but only a few times. It’s a long way for me to travel, unfortunately. But when Cass had her babies, I went to keep her company each time.”

“The Northern Kingdom is wild,” my father said, “and beautiful. Of all the kingdoms, it is the toughest to survive, let alone thrive in. Your ability to withstand hardship, Jaegar, is unparalleled in this room.”

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