Fated Fortunes

by Angela Colsin

  For some reason, Ana groaned, making him think she was about to tell him that she'd been working for someone he trusted all along. Or maybe she was someone he actually knew extremely well, which made sense considering he'd never been fully convinced of her identity before.

  But of all the possibilities he could entertain, Dalris wasn't one bit prepared for what Ana said next, and it honestly felt like he'd been hit by an eighteen wheeler, and then kicked while he was down.

  “For starters, I'm not a fae, I'm an elf. Furthermore? There's a chance I'm your mate.”

  CHAPTER 4

  Silence ensued Jada's confession, and for several agonizing moments, she could only wonder what have I done?

  Of course, this was the first step of Karina's three-part plan, and while Jada didn't like certain points—namely admitting her suspicions of being his mate—she couldn't deny that it was the best course of action available.

  Yet the fact that Dalris merely stood there, staring so intently, only strengthened her doubts. It was almost the exact same look he'd given her all those years ago in Novidos, and it wasn't any easier to handle now.

  Not only was his gaze intense, the way his thick arms were crossed over his massive chest made him seem like a fortress, especially in his expensive business suit.

  And it pissed Jada off.

  She'd hoped her perceptions of him as a seventeen-year-old were caused by nothing more than youthful inexperience. But here she was now, forty-seven and still attracted to him.

  Not to mention daunted by his presence. I almost wish I had my swords.

  Yet she stood her ground, refusing to back down while Dalris finally gave a response—and it wasn't quite the one she expected.

  “That's impossible. If you were mine, I'd know it.”

  He's not mentioning the elf part? Jada almost pointed it out, but decided at the last moment that until she knew the truth of their matehood for certain, it wasn't important.

  So instead, she replied, “Not if I've cloaked myself with magic to be completely ambiguous.”

  Dalris grew quiet, and something about his expression was enlightened, as if deep down, he'd just realized she could be right. It must've stunned him into silence as well because he parted his lips, but initially, nothing came out.

  Yet he finally asked, “What makes you suspect this?”

  Jada groaned. She knew Dalris would ask her reasons, but didn't want to go into depth about them until she knew whether or not he'd give her Morwin's tome. So instead of offering a direct answer, she only stated, “Let's just say I have it on good authority that a draconian would find his mate in me, and I've seen the looks you've given me even though I'm cloaked.”

  At that, something fierce glinted in his azure eyes that actually had her taking a step back. He was more than just a few centuries old, after all, and the chance to finally locate his mate after so long made her fear he'd try to grab her and remove the cloak to know for sure.

  Not that removing it would be easy.

  The black clothing Dalris saw when he looked at Jada was just an illusion created by a pendant around her neck, but in actuality, her clothing was a set of brown leather pants, boots, and a vest tied over a purple, long-sleeved shirt.

  In order to see it, however, her pendant had to be removed—and she had absolutely no intentions of enlightening him on that method of revealing her true face.

  So instead, Jada took advantage of the fact that she had his full attention now, and put some space between them by heading to the opposing side of the coffee table, grabbing her scroll on the way.

  Once there, she continued with the first part of Karina's plan to tell Dalris the truth of things in the hopes of gaining his cooperation, and confessed, “My true name is Jada Tavar. I'm Morwin's granddaughter, so that tome is rightfully mine anyway.”

  Surprisingly, Dalris conceded, “If he's your grandfather, then perhaps it is, but that doesn't change the fact that it's in my possession now, and you've yet to explain anything. So what are your goals here? Are you trying to uncover Rinora's temple in the hopes of proving elves are right and her draconians went insane instead of slaughtering her out of malice? Or are you simply looking to harvest the gold purportedly used to construct her temple?”

  His assumptions had Jada grinding her teeth. He would think I only want to prove the elves right, or gain wealth. It was irritating to have her hard work chalked up to such spiteful and greedy reasons, but at least the comment gave her a better idea about his perception on elves, making it much easier to quell her curiosities over being his mate.

  It also made her proud to say, “Neither, and if you'd ever read a single piece of Morwin's research, you'd know that. Papa sought the truth, and he was banished for it, then killed almost directly afterward. So my aim here is to finish his life's work, nothing more.”

  Dalris unfolded his arms, and for a moment, Jada believed he was about to scoff at her claim.

  But instead, he surprisingly remarked, “A noble cause, but why would the elves banish him for seeking the truth?”

  Returning the scroll to her belt, she answered, “Because he uncovered evidence that threatened age-old traditions, and elves are nothing if not traditional.”

  The draconian nodded in a way that said he knew as much from firsthand experience. “What did he find?”

  Returning to his side of the coffee table, Jada considered her answer carefully before giving him any information. After all, she couldn't be sure he wouldn't try to organize some kind of expedition to travel against her if he possessed too many facts.

  It was a point she'd argued with her sister when Karina said to tell him the truth. But Jada had some contingencies in mind if push came to shove, meaning she only needed to make sure Dalris knew that any exchanges made were going to be fair.

  So she began by declaring, “Before I tell you anything, I want some reassurances, starting by going to your estate to see the tome for myself to make sure it's in good condition and has the content I need.”

  Dalris thought it over, and she bit her lips in worried uncertainty until he finally gave a nod of agreement. “Very well. But do you actually trust me enough to accompany me outside of the Spire?”

  Confidently, she returned, “I think I've captured your attention well enough to keep you from misbehaving if that's what you mean.”

  The look on his face proved he didn't disagree, and in motioning a hand toward the door, he said so.

  “You certainly have, Jada Tavar. So, shall we?”

  CHAPTER 5

  A limousine waited to take Dalris home, one which offered a number of luxuries, such as its own wet bar. But despite such lavish amenities, he simply couldn't relax on the way, his thoughts centered on Ana—or Jada—and everything she'd told him so far.

  Currently, the elf was sitting across from him, peering out at the passing scenery and seemingly unaffected by their conversation at the Spire. Or perhaps she was hiding whatever discomfort she might be experiencing, it was difficult to tell with that cloak in place.

  Dalris, on the other hand, was more anxious than ever to learn all he could, both concerning the things she'd told him about the lost House of Rinora, and whether or not she was actually his mate.

  In eight hundred years, he'd lost friends and fought enemies, suffered numerous injuries and helped family recover from their own troubles. Sometimes the people he'd assigned jobs hadn't returned, and he always blamed himself for whatever harm they'd suffered.

  But none of it was more nerve wracking than sitting in that limo, wondering whether or not the woman right across from him was actually his, and being unable to find out.

  Initially, he wasn't certain he could believe such a claim—it just seemed too simple to be true. But when he thought over his strange reactions to her, he had to admit her reasons were sound.

  Draconians were resistant to most basic magics, and sometimes they could even see through the stronger stuff. Dalris also had no doubts the cloak she wore used mag
ic that was more powerful than average, but he still had an instinctive interest in her, as if his dragon blood was urging him toward something he couldn't fully see.

  It reminded him of the way his youngest brother, Ulric, had met his mate. During their first encounter, Charlotte was a human, and draconians never found their mates in mortals. Yet Ulric couldn't shake the sense that there was more to her, possibly because of her fae lineage, and the moment she transitioned, Ulric learned he was right.

  So could the same be happening here? Could Jada's cloak be masking enough of her identity to prevent Dalris from recognizing her as his, but not enough to fully conceal the possibility?

  Perhaps, yet his strange fixation on Jada was only the first reason for his curiosities.

  The second was the oracle, Tanda Lei.

  A few weeks after his job in Antarctica, Dalris paid a visit to the oracle to get a refund for her lack of information, and easily located the tall, slender elf standing at a shelf in her vast library, ignoring him to search for a book. Yet he didn't immediately confront her, too confused by the presence of an open briefcase filled to the brim with money to know what to say.

  But once his confusion faded, he'd asked, “Is this my refund?”

  Turning a set of ethereal, yellow eyes in his direction, Tanda answered on a quiet tone, “It's the half you paid for Liam's divination.”

  Dalris canted his head. “Why his half?”

  The elf didn't smile, or frown, she simply turned back to her books and answered, “I knew withholding his information would draw you here.”

  Well this is unexpected. “Does that mean you know something about me? Or my mate specifically?”

  “Yes.”

  In that moment, Dalris decided he may have been too hasty to judge the oracle, finding himself much too curious not to ask, “What is it?”

  Vaguely, Tanda stated, “In a matter of decades, she'll entreat you for that which is rightfully hers, but only after overcoming her current trials.”

  He stared at the elf disbelievingly, and didn't hesitate to demand to know what trials she was facing, as well as what he could possibly possess of his mate's when they hadn't even met.

  Yet Tanda silenced his questions by passing on a significant warning; knowing more too soon would jeopardize both their relationship, and her life.

  Hearing this, he'd grudgingly let the issue go, and returned home while trying to figure out what, precisely, he owned that belonged to her. His library was filled with valuables, to say nothing of his private gallery, so there was literally a plethora of items in his possession that might qualify.

  He'd even decided, after two decades passed with no sign of his mate, that Tanda was simply trying to get a rise out of him by driving him crazy.

  But now? Roughly three decades had passed, and Ana had returned for her grandfather's tome—after acquiring scattered pieces of a disc that he knew had to be difficult to find.

  So it seemed Tanda was right after all, and the thought that Jada was actually his mate made it nearly impossible to resist reaching over to remove her mask and hood.

  But he did, and for two distinct reasons.

  First, and most importantly, if Jada was actually an elf, things could become complicated very easily. Not only was there friction between their people, elves were also forbidden to mate with a number of races, draconians included.

  So care would have to be taken, which led to his second reason—all draconians went into Wrath upon meeting their mates, and couldn't come out of the aggressive state until their acquisitive dragon blood was satisfied by consummating the relationship.

  Had Jada been a draconian, it wouldn't have mattered. But in this situation, going into Wrath upon seeing her for the first time could wind up being disastrous for establishing a stable relationship—and he couldn't say he was optimistic that it would be easy regardless.

  Dalris held no personal bias toward elves. Of course, he'd run into trouble from time to time because of the friction already existing between their people, but aside from utilizing caution where it concerned trusting an elf, he had no qualms.

  Yet Jada might harbor bias against draconians, and even if she didn't, Onoria would definitely frown on such a union—not that Dalris cared what the elvish kingdom thought.

  If anyone tried to keep him from his mate, he'd make them pay dearly.

  Still, it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Onoria could cause problems, or just assume their meddling wouldn't have an impact on his efforts of starting a relationship with Jada at all.

  So there was much to think on, and the situation would be easier to deal with in the meantime if she kept the cloak on—for as much as it irritated him. Eight centuries wondering, and now I can't even confirm my suspicions.

  Dalris almost growled at the thought, thankful when the limousine pulled up the long drive of his estate to park beneath the front awning.

  Jada peered through the window in the process, and suddenly remarked, “Your home is smaller than I imagined.”

  He lifted a single brow in response. Was she truly unimpressed by his home, or simply trying to bait him? Either way, her comment evoked the keenest urge to boast about the many facilities and luxuries it possessed.

  Yet he settled on asking, “And just how many draconian estates have you visited?”

  “None, but after everything I've heard, I thought you'd live in a palace.”

  “This could be considered such by some standards.”

  Opening the door as soon as the car stopped, Jada shrugged indifferently. “It doesn't really matter, scale farmer. Let's just get this done.”

  As she climbed out, Dalris gritted his teeth, uncertain if her indifference was more frustrating, or her use of the term scale farmer. Typically, those words were meant to insinuate that a draconian wasn't as affluent as they'd like to be—so in essence, a mild insult.

  But whether or not Jada knew that, he couldn't be sure, and decided not to say anything.

  For now.

  Instead, he followed her outside and allowed the chauffeur to drive the limousine away, a process Jada watched while asking, “Where's he taking your car?”

  “He's the chauffeur.”

  “So he's parking it for you?”

  “Yes,” he confirmed, giving her a curious look on the way to the door. Her question made it sound as if she hadn't completely adapted to the way things worked in Terra, prompting him to ask, “Have you spent much time in this world?”

  Jada shrugged. “Only as much as I've needed to. Perhaps a few years in all.”

  “And you're from Onoria, correct?”

  As they reached the doors, a butler opened up to allow them inside, and Jada seemed distracted in the process. It was simply hard to tell if her attention was drawn by his staff, the décor, or the general set up of his home as she answered vaguely, “Sort of.”

  “Sort of?”

  “Long story,” she remarked, looking ahead again while changing the subject. “You have humans working for you.”

  Letting her strange answer go for the time being, Dalris asked, “So?”

  More quietly, she inquired, “Do they know the truth about what you are?”

  Somehow, he found a smile over the curiosity in her voice. “They do, and if you're wondering, they're paid well and given their own quarters here.”

  “Huh,” she drew out, turning her head up in his direction.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I've just always heard how draconians are too greedy to pay anyone well.”

  He didn't respond, knowing precisely who would say such things about his kind—though he wondered at her tone. Somehow, it gave the impression that she didn't believe everything she'd heard, and he hoped that was true. But if not, the simplest way to change her misconceptions was by allowing her to see for herself that those rumors were wrong through his actions.

  Besides, he didn't want to argue, particularly not when they'd just reached the gallery. Inside were a numbe
r of artifacts, weapons, paintings, a few statues, and several old books on display, most housed in protective glass casings. Furthermore, he'd warded those belongings with magic to protect them from thieves—should someone attempt to take anything, they'd be knocked unconscious for several hours, allowing him the time to apprehend them.

  Morwin's tome was no different. Contained at the right side of the room, he led Jada to the case where the book was stored and stated, “There's the tome, in the same condition it was in thirty years ago. Are you satisfied?”

  “No,” she retorted determinedly. “I want to look through it.”

  “Ah, then we have a problem,” he started, “because I don't trust you not to take off the moment you have it in hand. Besides, I already promised it to you once you've explained things, so what are you hiding that's so important you don't want to tell me before knowing if the tome is fully intact?”

  Without pausing for thought, Jada muttered, “Everything. You don't trust me not to run away with the tome, and I don't trust you not to take advantage of my information for personal gain. I've worked too hard to make a foolish mistake, Dalris, and I won't.”

  He didn't need to see her face to know she was being sincere. The conviction in her masked voice was obvious—and he admired it.

  He also appreciated her willingness to work with him when she asked, “So if you have any suggestions on how we get over this hurdle of mistrust, I'm listening.”

  Dalris took a moment to think it over, glad it didn't take long for an idea to come to mind. So, turning to the display, he opened it and lifted the tome to place beneath his arm, instructing simply, “Follow me.”

  If this worked, it would prove they had nothing to worry about concerning trust, but at the very least, it would keep Jada from vanishing entirely.

  After all, he refused to spend another thirty years waiting, no matter the consequences.

  CHAPTER 6

  Jada had no idea where Dalris was about to take her, but if he had a plan that would get them on their way, she was all ears.