Page 28 of The Dragon of her Dreams

Jaegar shifted in his chair as though uncomfortable with the compliment. “Thank you, King Stavrok, but I know the vital role you played in saving us all from the wolves. I was only a young child, but I remember it all the same. Our people spoke of you and your bravery for many years afterward.”

I glanced between the two men at the table, surprised by the kinship I could see growing already. I nudged Jaegar with my elbow. “Well, it sounds like you know more about my father than I do.”

“I wouldn’t say that” he said softly, “but it’s safe to say that I may not be here, alive and well, if your father had not helped us on that day.”

Dad coughed to clear his throat.

My heart ached for the deep feelings being shared in the room.

“The five kingdoms support one another,” my dad finally managed to say, his voice thick with emotion.

“Yes. We do,” Mom said, staring directly at me. “No matter where you go, you’ll always have a home here.”

I gave my mom a small smile, my stomach roiling.

Jessa called for some sweets and started talking about the Kingdom in the Black Mountains.

The rest of breakfast went by quickly, but it left me wanting more time alone with Jaegar. I needed to know what his plans were moving forward into the future, and if he’d consider staying here with me.

Surely, he’ll stay?

Chapter 11

Jaegar

BREAKFAST HAD BEENa bit of a strained time, but interesting, nonetheless. Which was how all my mealtimes had been since I’d gone to the castle and told my father who I was. It seemed royal life was not short of intrigue. When the king and queen of Bravadok excused themselves, I was left alone with Vanya and her sister, Jessa.

Jessa’s keen, bright gaze landed on me. “So... what are your plans now, Jaegar?” Her lips twitched as though she wanted to ask me more but didn’t.

From the way Vanya stiffened beside me, I had to assume that Jessa holding back wasn’t normal behavior for her. “I don’t actually know,” I managed to say before giving in and reaching for the coffee pot. I had a pounding headache and wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep, or the stress of the last few days, but I needed some caffeine to help get me through, which was not something I normally would admit to.

“What do you mean?” Jessa asked, her eyebrows narrowing further. “You’re Vanya’s mate, so the choices are pretty clear. Either you stay here with our family, or you both go back to the Northern Kingdom. Right?”

Her tones brooked no argument, and yet, I wanted to snap back at her. There were other choices.

Always.

But I managed to take a breath and wait a heartbeat, a trick I’d learned so I didn’t react on pure emotion. Instead, I said, “I think that’s between Vanya and me, don’t you?” When I flashed an annoyed look at her, instead of the anger I expected to see in her face in return, there was a flash of surprise, then a growing respect.

Jessa got to her feet and tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulders with a subtle smile and a nod. “You’re right, of course. And I think it’s high time for me to check on Rocky. I’ll see you both later.” Then she grinned at her sister and left the room too.

I took a long sip of hot coffee. “Damn, this is exhausting.”

Vanya twisted in her chair to look at me. “Which part?”

I gestured to the huge table. “All of it, honestly. The enormous family for starters. I’m not used to being around so many people.”

Vanya glanced down at the table, appearing hurt.

Damn it.

“I don’t mean to imply anything against your family, Vanya. Not at all. It’s just... I grew up with only my mother for company. Then I joined Damon’s family a few days ago.” Not intentionally, of course, but now none of them seemed to want me to go back. They wanted to keep me in their lives. “And it’s just been very full on. I need more quiet and some time to think.”

I didn’t know how to explain it better to her. Vanya had grown up in the castle, one of four siblings. Of course, she was used to the sort of noise and bustle that came with this life.

She chuckled softly, her expression brightening. “Oh, I can totally understand what you mean. I’m the only one of my family that doesn’t handle all this very well.” She made a gesture with her hand to show the encompassing area around us. “I’m a little bit of a black sheep, here,” she joked.

I relaxed back into my chair and took another sip of coffee, thankful that she wasn’t offended and understood where I was coming from. I didn’t want my mate to feel ill-at-ease so early into our relationship. “How’d you sleep?” I ventured.

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