"Incredible. He's such a powerful beast, and yet Zain has full control over him," Jorgen says, while I keep rubbing my scar, thinking about Calvin. Rough edges on my cheek are stinging a little. I suspect that the wizard’s dead. He made a commitment to join us on this journey and I couldn't rescue him, otherwise I would’ve been dead too. I shouldn't blame myself, but in a way I do. I can’t help feeling sorry for the way he died. It shouldn’t have happened.
"Yes, his dragons are willing to give their lives for him. It doesn’t surprise me that no one’s survived trying to enter the valley."
"We were lucky Astri, very, very lucky," Jorgen adds, and a moment later Zain calls us to follow him.
"I have to show you the other cottage; there’s plenty of space inside. From what I can gather, you two have been through a lot. You need to rest in order to accumulate your energy."
We keep moving slowly through the masses of snow, but I don't feel cold anymore. The furry jacket is extremely warm, only my fingers are a little numb. Zain's dragons are obedient, and they keep watching us as we pass by.
Rivenna’s truly beautiful, but the valley hidden deep in the mountains seems like I’ve ventured into a completely different world. The weather in this area is harsh, and I don't think I could ever get used to living here, but it's an experience of a lifetime and one I’ll never forget. My blood pressure starts rising when I stare at the high mountains, feeling the warmth travelling through my core.
Zain takes us around a steep hill and behind the threes, almost hidden away, we spot a little cottage. Snow’s getting into my boots, and I’m struggling to walk through it. Despite his age, the druid’s in great shape, and he seems to be very resourceful. I have no idea how he’s managing to take care of all his dragons on his own, especially living in such harsh conditions. I'm impressed by his dedication and determination.
"I hope you will enjoy staying here. This house hasn't been used in a very long time. I had a lot of dreams and aspirations when I built it until I decided to stay away from humans and shifters," Zain explains, sounding nostalgic.
We can't thank him enough and once we’re alone, awkward silence stretches for a long moment.
I keep telling myself that soon enough he’s going to become a mage again and I’ll be able to tell him the truth about that night in the Decaying Mountains. I have to stop allowing my nerves to get the better of me, just face the truth of the matter and stop obsessing. There’s been so much going on today that I’ve completely forgotten about my hormones. Then, I notice one large bed in the middle of the room, and my heart starts beating frantically in my chest.
Jorgen isn't saying anything, so I decide to make myself busy in order to deal with sudden heat that’s embracing me once again. Indeed, the room is very dusty and there’s a lot of furniture that’s definitely seen better days. Jorgen helps me clean up a bit, opening the windows and trying to get some fresh air inside. No one’s been in this cottage in most likely over a decade. We don't talk, and I think the duke’s sensing the tension between us. A bit later on, Zain comes back with food, telling us not to wander outside after dark. The dragons aren't used to us yet and Zain can’t guarantee our safety if he isn't around.
He leaves us alone again, and in the evening we eat a nice supper together, hearing the snow storm outside, and listen to the howling wind. The food yet again, tastes delicious and Jorgen finds an old bottle of wine in the storage. We can't ask for anything else, this whole set up is very romantic, and slowly my hormones remind me that I need to be getting closer to Jorgen.
"We should make a call to Emilia through the mirror, let her know that soon enough we’ll be on our way back," I suggest, pushing my empty plate aside after I'm done with dinner. I keep feeling a little homesick, maybe because I’ve never been away from Rivenna for this long. My aunt and uncle travelled all the time, but they never took me with them.
"I'm going to attempt to use the shower while you talk to her," Jorgen says and I nod, watching him when he gets up and a moment later he vanishes into the bathroom. I'm glad that he’s not going to witness this conversation, because I haven't told him about the unstable situation in Rivenna. The rumours about Jorgen not being in the city must have already spread, but I'm hoping that we have nothing to worry about just yet. I don't think that the strangers in the city have anything to do with Ruscal, who as far as we know, is currently on his way to see Ming.
Once I do the dishes and hear running water in the bathroom, I walk to my rucksack and look for the white box. I'm excited to chat with Emilia, and I miss my Pixies so damn much. Lenin and Jetli have been my companions for as long as I can remember, and I’ve never left them for more than a few hours.
I unwrap the mirror and open it slowly, staring at my scarred reflection. I finally stopped cringing every time I look at myself and I'm no longer insecure like I used to be. I feel beautiful for the first time in my life. A few months ago, I proved to anyone who ever doubted me in the past, that I'm strong and fierce.
"Emilia, are you there? I really need to talk to you," I say, trying to call her with my thoughts.
For about a minute or so, I keep seeing my own reflection in the mirror, Emilia’s not responding. This isn't like her, and I don't know what to think. I don't want to worry about her, but my gut tells me that she might be in trouble. After around ten minutes, I put the upside down mirror back in the box, telling myself that maybe she’s swamped in the shop and I should try to connect with her again tomorrow. Maybe something’s blocking our connection. After all, we’re high up in the mountains, in the middle of nowhere, and the magic doesn't work as well out here.
When Jorgen leaves the bathroom, I tell him that I wasn’t able to get in touch with Emilia. He doesn't seem too concerned and I feel a little guilty that I still haven't told him about the suspicious activities in the city. I hate keeping so many secrets from him, but I keep telling myself it’s for the best.
In the end, I forget about it and we drink more wine. We listen to the storm outside, talking about our future once we get back to Rivenna. My hormones are calm and I feel good, finally being in control. I stay up late reading a book that I found hidden in an old dusty box under the table to avoid going to bed. We have to sleep together again, and I secretly wait until Jorgen falls asleep, avoiding the temptation. When I hear his loud snoring, I slide under the covers.
Sometime later in the night, he moves his strong arms around me and savage heat rises from the tip of my toes, moving slowly up to my cleavage. Soon enough, I start drifting away, surprised that I’ve been able to control myself so well. It's a miracle, but I'm grateful that I'm finally getting a break.
The next morning I wake up early, but notice the space next to me is empty. I find Jorgen in the kitchen and it looks like he’s trying to cook breakfast. For a moment I just stare at him, not believing that he actually knows what to do.
"Wow, what's all this?" I ask, thinking that we need to stop acting like we’re strangers. Last night we avoided talking about my complex situation, but we can't keep doing it forever. I'm going to be in heat very soon and staying longer than a day with the druid might complicate things. "I had no idea that you knew how to cook."
"I'm not that useless, Astri. Once in a while, I like wandering off to the kitchen to prepare my own food," Jorgen says, laughing and gestures for me to sit down. On the table, there’s already fresh coffee, toast and even porridge. I need to ask Zain where he’s getting his food from if he’s been cut off from the modern world for over twenty years.
"Really? Then you must see Lenin there often. The cook hates him, and I'm surprised that the Pixie’s still alive," I chuckle, feeling a little nostalgic this morning
"The Pixies steal food at night, and I'm sure he’s using his magic to trick the cook," Jorgen chuckles. "Eat, we need to see Zain and talk to him about the venom. I think we’ve avoided the subject for as long as we could."
I pour some coffee into my cup, thinking that I could really get used to this
. After all, we’re going to be together after we mate, and this is what couples do. The only other issue is the hidden truth about my involvement in cutting of the mage ritual.
Stop thinking about the ritual, Astri and eat your food.
Once we’re done eating, Zain knocks on our door. It looks like he’s an early bird. Around seven am, he takes us around, showing us his day to day duties and explaining in more detail how he’s able to communicate with his dragons. Jorgen and I are both amazed with his commitment and I need to keep telling myself that he’s still only a human, even if he’s a druid.
An hour later, he takes us to another long cave, situated on the other side of the mountain. We have to walk for an hour in deep snow to get there. Later on, he sparks up a fire torch and leads us inside through a long, dark path. For some reason, I start missing the warm climate in Rivenna. Most likely because I’m freezing to death and my fingers are numb.
At least half an hour later, we finally reach an open space where the rocks become spiky, and tiny glittering stones are slightly blinding me. I gasp seeing dragon eggs scattered around, placed on piles of straw that was presumably brought in here from outside during the summer months.
"There’s twelve dragon eggs in here that will be hatching very soon," Zain explains, sounding proud and I walk around, staring in amazement at the new creatures hidden inside the colourful eggs. "Unfortunately, only half of them are going to survive. I try really hard to make sure that they have everything that they need once they hatch out, but no matter what I do, many of my precious dragons die anyway."
"I had no idea," I admit, thinking about Jetli and still hoping that I can save her. We stay in the cave for another hour, during which time Zain walks around, checking if there are any cracks showing.
Later on, the druid crawls on the back of a female dragon to check her horns. Apparently, she was hurt, scraping her horns over a rock. Zain thinks that she was flying too low, but he’s not exactly sure what happened to her. Once we get back to the cottage in the early evening, Zain sets the table with more food, and asks me about our lives in Rivenna and my magical abilities.
"Asrti and Jorgen, I hope I don’t come across pushy, but I would like for you to stay another day. I didn’t realise how lonely I was until you two showed up here," the druid admits, and I feel a little guilty. "Another twenty four hours can change your prospective about the world."
Jorgen’s silent and he keeps staring at me like he’s asking me to make a decision. My thoughts trail off to Jetli. We need to head back, but Zain might be reluctant to give us the venom, so we need to keep playing by his rules.
"All right, we’ll stay one more day."
Chapter Nineteen
The unexpected heat.
"You should’ve asked him about the venom, Astri. I have a feeling that he knows why we’re here. It's his denying tactic. Zain isn't stupid," Jorgen says, sounding annoyed when we’re walking back to the cottage later on that day. He makes me feel a little guilty that I haven't approached the subject of the venom. I want to put myself in Jorgen shoes, knowing that he’s most likely suffering being without his dragon for so long. We talked to Zain a lot about our life in the Eastern World, and I was curious to ask about his life, but I felt that he wasn't prepared to share much about himself.
"I'm sorry, we’ll talk to him about the venom tomorrow. We won't leave the valley without it for sure,” I tell him, trying to be hopeful. Snow starts falling from the sky and when we approach the cottage and I feel an odd calmness settling inside me.
Jorgen opens the door to the cottage and something shifts inside me. Incredible heat swipes through me, odd for such a chilly day, and it’s already ravaging my body. I sense darkness enveloping me, like an invisible fog drifting around, slowly slipping into my heart.
I glance at Jorgen and his eyes are a heated-tawny, consuming in their intensity and frightening in their ability to draw me in. I forget about the venom, Zain and everything else, dying to be close to him. Seconds later, I realise that I haven't taken Alex’s potion since we left the wizard's home deep in the forest.
Jorgen growls low in his throat, and I shudder with desire, already panting.
"Astri, I can smell your desire, it's driving me absolutely crazy. How is this even possible?" Jorgen's asks, his voice is low and seductive.
My blood’s flowing in a heated rush to parts of my body I’ve never needed to worry about before. Then I realise what he’s talking about; his scent smells of ambrosia, sandalwood and eucalyptus. It feels so odd, because I never felt so aroused just by sensing it. I have a feeling that things might get out of control really fast. A split second later, I'm ready to rip his and my clothes off, just so I can have him touching me with his bare flesh. Desire pours into me like molten lava, filling every cell and nerve in my body. He keeps talking, but his voice isn’t reaching me.
"And your eyes, your irises are flaming red … Astri, I think it's too late. I think you're about to go through heat," he whispers.
In the next moment, Jorgen crashes his lips against mine, pulling me close; we’re kissing passionately, like two humans who’ve been separated for years, touching each other. Chills are running over my raw skin as I kiss him, not able to get enough, needing him even closer. I start taking off my clothes, ripping the buttons from my shirt and jeans, shaking with desire, feeling as if every nerve in my body is inflamed. All my self-assurance, plans that I made about this day, no longer matter.
I plunge my fingers in his soft hair, laughing to myself. I start caressing his lips with my tongue, nipping at his lower lip between my teeth, teasing him before pushing my tongue inside his mouth seductively. It's me who takes full control this time, and these kisses are far from innocent. He’s devouring me, pressing his lips harder to mine, like he can't get enough of me. Blood keeps pounding in my ears, and Jorgen leads me, already pulling my panties down, fighting with the buttons of his shirt.
"You can't even imagine how much I’ve wanted you this entire time, but was too anxious to make a move. Now we don't have to hold anything back. For Hommis, you're so smart and beautiful," his words reach me, but I'm too busy fighting with myself not to go too fast.
My whole body turns into a fiery inferno, my core’s saturated with proof of his primal allure and the power that he has over me in this moment. I moan loudly, arching my head backwards, when he starts kissing my neck, slowly working his way between my breasts. My nipples harden and I want him to lick me, kiss me; do anything just so he can ease the ache between my legs. Then he grabs my arse cheeks, pressing me closer to him, moulding my breasts. I close my eyes, seeing explosions of colourful magic–purple, red, green and yellow waves of light are streaming everywhere.
I moan, grabbing his hand and pushing it down, so he can touch my drenched sex.
"Try taking long, deep breaths, because I want you to enjoy this and remember every detail, Astri," he tells me, but I'm shaking my head, not wanting to listen to him.
Then he pushes me towards the bed, still kissing me, trying to lead me, but I'm too turned on to let him take control. My sex grows moist and ready for him. I want him badly, and I can't stop thinking about anything else. Then he starts shaking me, still talking to me, but I don't understand why he’s trying to deny me this pleasure.
"Astri, focus. Damn, otherwise you won't remember a thing."
"No, no, stop talking. Kiss me, fuck me, just ease these burning flames inside of me," I plead, shaking my head. He makes a deep sound in the back of his throat, and brings his mouth to mine, kissing me hard. The rush of heat is making my eyes heavy and I'm not able to keep them open any longer. His fingers are caressing my hard nipples, moving even further down, passing my stomach.
When he touches my sex, and caresses me in the most intimate way, I just about lose my freaking mind. We’re both naked on the bed. Jorgen must have undressed me or I ripped his clothes to pieces, either way, heat’s pooling between my thighs. I can't take anymore.
He pushes me d
own, then spreads my legs wide, while my heart keeps jackhammering in my chest. Even my vision goes blurry, as my mind’s clogged with desire. I feel the weight of his body as his fingers move over my soft folds, making my body shudder violently. My muscles are trembling, as my joints stretch painfully.
Jorgen lowers himself further, as he plants small kisses on my stomach. He continues to move, doing things with his tongue, driving me wild, and once his hot breath is on my drenched sex, I grip the sheets with both hands, panting loudly. My legs are trembling from the sensations and I'm ready to explode.
"I can't take the pressure between my legs. Please help me," I shout at him, and then he inserts his finger deep inside me and I climax a split second later.
The colours, the light shatters through me and I scream at the top of my lungs. Sweat keeps surging down my face, but I want more. This isn't enough, so I pull Jorgen towards me, and we’re kissing again.
"This may hurt, but you're in this wave of heat, so it won't matter" he says, while I continue to pant. My sex burns slightly when Jorgen slowly enters me, and I finally begin to understand what’s happening.
He stops, but I urge him to keep going, because his presence starts to consume my mind with desire that scares and exhilarates me at the same time. Then he thrusts himself into me, slow and steady. I'm starting to sink into a wave of ecstasy, moaning loudly.
"You feel amazing, unbelievable," he rasps and I know that I'm going to come soon, as he keeps pounding into me with his hard erection. Seconds, maybe minutes –I have no idea how much time passes–my body explodes with another mind-blowing orgasm and I cry out. My nails are digging into his skin, while I feel the pressure slowly easing off, and my body begins levitating above the bed.
When I glance at Jorgen a moment later, his face is red, and his breathing is laboured, but I collapse next to him, dragging my hand through my hair and giggling like I’ve gone crazy. The room around me starts spinning away and the fire inside my core burns with less intensity.
Wyvern's Passion (Mage Chronicles Book 3) Page 14
