Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 101379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Vasily hadn’t realized Dimitri had gotten out of his chair until a pair of strong hands landed on his shoulders and tightly squeezed. He blinked a couple of times, forcing his eyes to focus on his friend and leader’s stern expression.
“Listen to me, Vasily,” Dimitri growled. “My mate is a stubborn, grumpy, sassy male Jaeggi mage with a broken core. If you had told me that five hundred years ago, I would have ripped out your throat with my bare hands and laughed while you slowly died at my feet. Fate has plans for us we can’t even fathom. That’s why it’s better to not try. If you were born to have a mage mate and a dragon mate, then so be it. Quit worrying about all the precepts and history of our people. Shit got broke a long time ago thanks to that bastard, Kaiser Jaeggi. Every time we find a new mage, we’re writing a new piece of history.”
“What about Luka?”
Dimitri sighed long and heavily. “Sometimes I think you don’t see it because you’re so close to him. Vasily, Luka would do anything to put your happiness first. If you walked up to him and demand he tear off his own wings because it would make you happy, I don’t think he or his dragon would hesitate. I have no doubt he saw you and Amaru happy together. That was enough for his brain to proclaim Amaru belonged to you and there was no place for him, no matter if he did have feelings for the mage.”
“Then what am I supposed to do? What do I tell Luka to convince him Amaru belongs to both of us?”
“I don’t think there’s anything you can tell him. His brain is stuck in mate-fog. Not a goddamn one of us has an ounce of common sense when we first find our mate. And that includes unintentionally sabotaging the best thing in our lives. You need to give him time, and you need to hold on to your hope. Keep fighting for both Luka and Amaru. Eventually, those brilliant brain cells of his will start working again and he’ll figure this shit out.”
“In the meantime,” Gregori chimed in as he came to stand beside Dimitri. “We’ll keep hoping and helping where we can. You know the entire clan loves you and Luka. We’ve always supported you. The clan just wants you both happy.”
To Vasily, happy was only one thing—Luka and Amaru.
He had no idea how to get that short of tying them both to his bed.
Probably not the best option.
Or the smartest.
But he wasn’t tossing it out yet. Maybe that would be plan B if he didn’t come up with a better one first.
The nighttime campfire chats were turning into his favorite and most hated time of the day.
He loved sitting around with the Valerii Clan and the visiting Burkhard Clan telling stories and laughing.
He hated that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get both Vasily and Luka to sit with him.
He’d come close once or twice, but then something would happen and one of them would dart away for some emergency. Usually Luka. If they hadn’t enjoyed such a wonderful lunch, he’d start to believe Luka didn’t actually like him much.
This was ridiculous.
Vasily and Luka were his mates. The gods had gifted him with two. He must have been a very good boy in a past life or something.
Or maybe he’d been bad, because this was not working out how he’d expected. It was torture to be chasing after one of them all the time. His enjoyment with one was always tempered since he was constantly wondering how to grab the other one to join them. Was it time for an intervention? To play matchmaker? Or better yet, therapist. Those two had issues and Amaru was tired of being stuck in the middle. Why couldn’t he have them both?
Though, Luka had been amazing today. So sweet and gentle. He hadn’t expected that in a dragon. All the Tupã dragons he’d known were more like Vasily—a bit rough around the edges, overprotective, and grumbly. But one look at Luka left him wanting to cuddle the dragon close and never let him go.
Especially when something very fragile entered Luka’s eyes whenever Amaru said Vasily’s name. It was like watching his heart shatter in slow motion. Amaru had done it simply to drop the hint that he was happy to have both of them with him. But the mere mention of the other dragon looked as if Amaru was driving a knife into Luka’s chest. In the end, he had to stop or risk hurting Luka beyond repair. What in the world was going on?
Despite how well the lunch had gone, Amaru found himself missing a dragon tonight. Luka, again. Vasily sat on one side of him with his magical smile and laughing eyes, while Sam was on the other.