Fated Fortunes

by Angela Colsin

  Nodding, she reached up to rub her eyes and mentioned, “I'm fine, don't worry. But … where's Dalris?”

  “He spent the night in Adravi's den. I told him to sleep in one of the empty huts, but I think he wanted to give you space after your spat.”

  Jada frowned, staring down at her lap in remorse for her quick temper the night before—a temper Novak called her flash fire because it was quick to spark, but usually fizzled out fast. She knew Dalris hadn't meant to upset her with his questions. She simply hadn't liked how easy it was for a proverbial stranger to take one look at the situation and make an accurate guess at something she'd spent the better part of her life figuring out and trying to accept.

  But she didn't want to be at odds with Dalris. After all, mate or not, he would be helpful during their journey to Sadonia, and she certainly didn't want to complicate an already difficult task by arguing with him left and right.

  So maybe today, they could get a fresh start—and it seemed like a good idea to try by making everyone breakfast.

  “Do you think Dalris likes basilisk eggs?”

  She glanced at Karina, who shrugged uncertainly. “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I'm going to cook some.”

  Standing from the bed with her answer, she took two steps away before Karina stopped her.

  “Jada, wait.”

  “What?”

  Turning around, she watched her sister stand and check her pockets. “I have something to give you that might come in handy.”

  Waiting curiously, she watched the mage produce two vials containing a murky blue liquid and place them in her palm, explaining, “It's a two month sterility potion.”

  Quickly, Jada's gaze darted from the contraceptive and up to Karina's face in stunned disbelief. “What?”

  “I know, I know,” she rushed out. “You're not planning on anything, but that's the whole point. It's better to be prepared for any instance.”

  With that said, Karina leaned in and added conspiratorially, “Besides, you were just moaning his name in your sleep.”

  “Oh goddess!” Jada exclaimed, mortified. “Please tell me I wasn't!”

  Karina cringed in a manner that said she only wished she could, adding hastily, “That's another reason I woke you up! Dalris is still asleep, but I wanted to make sure he didn't hear you.”

  Jada groaned, whispering honestly enough, “It wasn't like that. Not entirely.” But it was getting there fast.

  Her sister shrugged as if to say the details didn't matter, mentioning, “Okay, but keep those potions just in case. I mean the ride to Northern Sadonia will take at least a week on Novak's ship, and who knows what could happen from now to then.”

  Jada grumbled, admitting, “I know. But in order for this potion to work, we both have to drink a vial, and if I handed it to Dalris, he'd probably assume I was open to the possibility of sex.”

  “I really don't think he would, Jada.”

  Karina sounded too confident about that not to ask, “Why?”

  “I talked to him last night, and he understands your position. Actually, I'm surprised by how rational he is.”

  Jada could agree with that much at least, and wondered if Karina was right. Would he really assume she'd offer a sterility potion because she was interested instead of being careful? Maybe, but at least he seemed to respect her boundaries, as was evidenced by her thank you kiss the previous evening.

  Dalris had been in a prime position to take the simple gesture much further, but he'd only complimented her and then backed away, offering the space she'd wanted.

  As she had the thought, Karina added to her previous statement by mentioning, “Still, I'll leave the timing up to you. I just hope it helps.”

  Knowing she meant well, Jada smiled and leaned in for a hug, replying sincerely, “I know, and I don't think I've told you enough how glad I am that you're here.”

  Karina snickered. “Don't start gushing. I'm hungry, anyway, and there's a fresh batch of basilisk eggs near the wood stove.”

  “A fresh batch?”

  “I picked them up in Eversgate last night.”

  “Eversgate?”

  “Yeah, I had to make a delivery, remember?”

  Knowingly, Jada stepped back and asked, “Did you go there alone?”

  “No, I asked Dalris to accompany me, and he is a gentleman, just so you know.”

  Karina gave a pointed nod as if to say nothing more happened, but Jada already knew the truth. She went to Shore's End.

  For months now, her sister had been asking to visit the seedy tavern because she thought it might give her an idea of what to expect from a werewolf mate. But Jada absolutely refused to allow her to go, and drew out on a motherly tone, “Karina … .”

  “What? Just … go make some breakfast already!”

  Jada sighed, but decided not to push. After all, she could get an answer from Dalris—and if he'd actually taken Karina to that place, she'd make sure to give them both an earful.

  But for now, she exited the hut and prepared their food, which soon had a tantalizing scent wafting through the grotto. Basilisk eggs were one of Jada's favorite meals anyway, if only because they were so filling with a zesty flavor she enjoyed.

  So the scent had her stomach growling in no time, and Karina eagerly took her share once it was done—then urged Jada to go eat with Dalris.

  She tried to resist, unsure she wanted to spend so much time with the draconian, but her sister wasn't taking no for an answer, insistently ushering her to the tunnel leading to Adravi's den with two plates of food in hand.

  Jada grumbled the entire way, but walked out to the cave regardless, and the first thing she noticed was an unsurprising lack of Adravi's presence. Considering the wyvern was nocturnal, he usually spent his nights hunting and didn't return until after sunrise, sometimes with a kill he would consume before sleeping the day away.

  But the draconian who'd spent the night with him was also absent. All that remained to prove he'd slept in the den was a pallet of several blankets he'd likely gathered from one of the huts in the grotto.

  Still, it wasn't hard to guess his whereabouts because there was only one other place on the island that connected to Adravi's den—the lagoon.

  Jada frowned at the thought, not especially keen to go check. Not many creatures made a home on their small island, but among those that did were scorpions—large, white scorpions that liked to hang out near the lagoon.

  The creatures were much too spider-like for Jada's tastes, and as she moved through the large tunnel exiting the caves, she made sure to keep an eye out for movement along the walls and around her bare feet.

  Thankfully, nothing caught her eye, and she soon emerged several yards from the shore. Sunlight was starting to peak over the horizon, reflected by the ocean in a bright glare, but the large palm trees and flowering bushes offered enough cover to make it easier to see.

  Still, she didn't spy Dalris anywhere, and grumbled while heading down to the waterline for a closer look.

  Had he decided to explore the island above the grotto? As she questioned it, a set of clothing piled up on a rock with a pair of boots sitting in the sand nearby caught her attention.

  Attempting to process the sight, Jada only figured out what she was seeing and why the moment Dalris breached the surface of the water without warning—or clothes.

  Her eyes widened in the process, watching the big draconian rise up with a cascade of water and dark hair rolling down his broad back and hard ass, which was half visible above the surface. Good morning indeed … .

  She stared dumbly at the sight, at least until he started to turn around—and since her gaze was already down there … Oh goddess!

  Jada quickly looked up before Dalris could catch her staring at a sensitive spot, but too late. If that handsome, and irritatingly knowing grin that formed on his face was any indication, he'd already noticed where her vision had gone.

  “Good morning, Jada. It looks like you slept well.
There's a nice, red hue to your cheeks—”

  “I was just bringing you something to eat,” she rushed out, spinning around while holding his plate to the side where he could see it.

  “Thank you,” he returned, and the water began sloshing in a way that said he was exiting the lagoon, probably to grab his clothes.

  So she continued facing away with the plate held out to allow him to take the food once he was finished getting dressed.

  “What's wrong?” he inquired. “Shy?”

  “No,” she answered honestly. Jada had a strong sense of modesty, but she wasn't reluctant to look at a naked man. In fact, Karina had scolded her for indecency a number of times, which only made Dalris's ability to keep her blushing like it was a fashion statement galling.

  “Then perhaps I can convince you to join me before we eat,” he suggested. “You could help me wash my back.”

  Jada scoffed. “I'll pass on being your maid, thanks.”

  “Oh, you're much more than that. I don't return the favor to maids, but I would delight in the chance to pamper my mate.”

  She sucked in a deep breath and held it until her frustration had passed—and not all of it was caused by vexation. Instead, his comment had painted a nicely explicit image in her mind of what it might be like to bathe with him, which reminded her of the dream she'd had that morning.

  Her pulse sped over the erotic thoughts, and she tried to push them away for worry Dalris might scent her arousal and—

  “I think you'd enjoy how thorough I am, as well,” he remarked, and his accented voice was now right at her ear, causing her to jump.

  She'd been so preoccupied she hadn't heard him approaching, and quickly spun around. Thankfully, he grasped the plate before she could drop it, and Jada immediately demanded, “Don't do that!”

  “Do what? Walk up behind you while you're imagining how much you'd enjoy letting me wash you from head to foot?”

  She couldn't tell if he was just being arrogant, or simply teasing her, but it wouldn't have been so vexing if he wasn't right about the source of her distraction. And had a shirt on. At least he's wearing pants now.

  Still, Jada kept her gaze up at his face while shaking her head, dismissing the conversation by directing, “Enjoy your breakfast, Dalris Vök Dra'Kai, but don't get used to having me cook for you.”

  He looked surprised, perhaps because she'd pronounced the draconian word for House, Vök, right. Verg. Or maybe he was just surprised she'd used it at all when draconians only placed the word in their names during formal introductions, or as a way to show esteem.

  But Jada wanted him to know that even if he got on her nerves, she respected him, and didn't want her departure to be taken as a sign of dislike.

  He must've gotten the point as well because, as she turned to walk away, he called, “Wait.”

  “What?”

  Looking back, she saw him waving a hand. “Come join me.”

  “Why?” More tartly, she suggested, “So you can try to gain ground?”

  “Yes, and I wouldn't mind the company.”

  She pursed her lips, glad for his honesty—and also unsure. But deliberating seemed like a waste of time when thinking too hard would just get her into trouble.

  So she humored him if only to see what he'd say. Or do.

  Still, Jada took a lesson from his book and bargained for what he wanted by remarking, “Fine, but only if you put on a shirt.”

  He accepted her terms without qualm, setting his food down to grab his vest.

  In the meantime, she occupied a spot on a rock jutting up from the sand not far from the waterline. Dalris was quick to join her, occupying a space on the low-lying trunk of a palm tree stretching toward the water, and she soon realized that his vest didn't help matters much.

  Though his chest was covered, her gaze centered on his thick arms, the desire to trace the marks trailing across his biceps impossible to ignore. This might just be the longest breakfast I've ever had.

  But at least he wasn't shy about eating, and seemed satisfied by the food—and there was something strangely gratifying about watching him enjoy her cooking.

  “Hungry?” she asked playfully.

  “Of course. You made basilisk eggs.”

  “So?”

  “So it's one of my favorite meals, and I haven't had it in a long time. All that's missing is a little dill.”

  “Dill? Isn't that a Terran seasoning?”

  “Yes. Have you tried it?”

  She shook her head. “I tried dill pickles once, and didn't like them. They were too … tart.”

  “That's the vinegar,” he replied. “Dill is a bit different.”

  Jada decided to take his word for it, and his knowledge of Terra made her curious enough to ask, “You've spent a long time in that realm, haven't you?”

  “Almost half my life. Why?”

  “I guess I'm wondering why you'd leave home. Were you seeking something new?”

  “At first,” he confirmed. “But the longer I stayed, the more jobs I organized for my siblings living there. Then, the more successful they were, the more lucrative the work became, until eventually, I was named the Terran head of my House.”

  “What about before that?”

  “Before that, I was a Skyrider for two centuries.”

  “A Skyrider?” she asked, genuinely intrigued. The Skyriders was an organization that raised and rode drakes in defense of draconian cities and territories, and Jada had always wondered what it might be like to join their ranks.

  After all, creatures like wyverns and drakes would always consider her one of their own since she was supposed to be a draconian's mate. So she knew she could learn to fly with the best.

  The only problem? They don't take elves.

  Yet Dalris had accepted her, and even suggested, “You sound curious about them.”

  “I suppose I am. I've ridden Adravi, but only when absolutely necessary, so I've always wondered what it would be like.”

  After swallowing another bite of food, he described, “A wyvern's spines make it next to impossible to saddle them. They're also more erratic in flight, and temperamental. But drakes are steadier with stronger backs.”

  “That's what I thought,” she returned. “Flying with Adravi is always shaky. I actually prefer it when he carries me in his claws.”

  Dalris grinned as if he knew why, then unexpectedly suggested, “I can arrange for a flight on a drake sometime, if you're ever up for it.”

  Something in Jada leaped at the possibility, and she nearly agreed instantly. Yet it also felt … personal, and she had to wonder at his motivation for making the offer. Did Karina tell him about my interest?

  It was hard to say, but even if she had, Jada wondered how many chances she'd get to ride a drake. Passing it up just because he might be trying to gain ground would be stupid.

  So she dismissed her hesitation and conceded, “I'd like that, if everything goes well in Sadonia. Also, I just remembered a question I needed to ask you about Karina.”

  “What's that?”

  Jada eyed him curiously, remarking, “She said you accompanied her to Eversgate last night. Did she ask you to go to Shore's End?”

  With a mouthful of food, he nodded in confirmation—and she glared.

  “I can't believe you'd take her to a place like that!”

  Dalris lifted a brow, swallowing before he mentioned, “I talked her out of it.”

  “I don't care, you're both—what?”

  “She'd asked me for protection, so I did my job by talking her out of going to a dangerous place to begin with.”

  Jada blinked, her ire immediately fading. But then she grew suspicious. “Karina told you to say that so I wouldn't get mad, didn't she?”

  “No,” he replied simply, and she didn't get the sense that he was lying, her shoulders finally slumping in relief.

  “Okay, good, and I'm sorry. She just has this crazy idea that visiting such a place might help her prepare for meeting he
r mate, and I've told her again and again that I didn't want her going there.”

  “I know, her mate's supposed to be a Ferine, and she was worried about how savage they're said to be.”

  Jada wondered if Karina had qualified that information, or if he'd charmed it out of her, but decided it didn't really matter in the end. He'd stopped her sister from getting hurt, and she was grateful, saying so with a warm smile.

  “Thanks for going with her either way.”

  “You're welcome,” he replied sincerely enough, though his expression grew devious with his next question. “Does that earn me another thank you kiss?”

  Jada rolled her eyes. “Not this time, scale farmer.”

  Dalris grinned, setting his now empty plate aside. “Then tell me, have your feelings changed about having me along?”

  Checking a smile, she conceded teasingly, “I'm not completely unhappy, and if I have to deal with it, I'll make due.”

  “Ah, then I'm just a mild inconvenience.”

  Finally, the corners of her mouth lifted, retorting, “Actually, you're more like—Udana's light!”

  Jada shrieked the last when a large, white scorpion scurried up the side of the rock where she was sitting, moving so swiftly she nearly hadn't spotted it fast enough to evade.

  Yet she bounded away in a heartbeat, her now empty plate landing in the sand as she came to stand next to where Dalris was seated.

  The draconian regarded her curiously in response, then looked back at the rock, asking, “Don't like scorpions?”

  “No! They're why I hate coming to the lagoon!”

  Following her announcement, she brushed her hands over her body while turning circles, both to look herself over, and make certain there weren't any scorpions in the sand around her feet.

  Dalris must've been looking as well because he asked, “What are you wearing on your ankle? Some of those charms have runes.”

  Her mind was so far removed from her anklet that she could barely focus, rushing out, “I'll tell you later, I'm going inside.”

  Attempting to march off, she instead found Dalris grasping her wrist to pull her in and settle on his lap, so preoccupied with watching her step that she didn't resist.