Chapter 100

Jaxon’s POV

I stared in amazement as Anila nurtured the baby dragon as if it were second nature. I knew Emily was impressed too; the only ones who were able to communicate and bond with dragons were dragon masters, but Anila wasn’t a dragon master. At least not yet, but the way she cared for Ember as if she was her own child, did something to my insides that I didn’t particularly like.

I never wanted to have real feelings for Anila. I recognized her as my mate when I first saw her in the forest and despite the fact that she has other mates in the mix, I knew exactly what she was to me. I saw her as an opportunity because I know it’s expected of me to have a queen and produce an heir to take the throne if anything were to happen to me. But once I got Anila to the underground city of Dragon Valley, something else stirred inside of me. Something I wasn’t expecting and something I didn’t want.

Maybe lust? Or just straight-up desires. It’s been a while since I’ve been with a woman. I tend to keep my sexual desires to myself and not complicate my life with unnecessary tomfoolery. But something about the curve of Anila’s hips and the tenderness of her breasts when she folds her arms across her chest in her stubborn manner, not to mention the way she bites her plump and delicious-looking lips, it makes me cock twitch with passion.

I had to be seated at my desk when talking to her earlier before I embarrassed myself with my unintentional boner. Being stuck in that small elevator with her intoxicating scent filling my senses was almost too much for me.

The way she looked at that wolf and that bear when she said goodbye to them, made me feel uneasy. It wasn’t jealousy, but envy. I wanted her to look at me in the same way, which was ridiculous because I hardly knew the girl. I still don’t really know her other than the fact that she’s nurturing to dragons and seems to have a gentle nature about her.

She was also drop-dead gorgeous.

But she couldn’t have been much older than 20, which was problematic because I was 32. I was much too old for her, which really didn’t matter in the supernatural world, but we did try to abide by human laws and standards, and for someone who really doesn’t date, starting with someone these young felt odd to me, even if she was my fated mate.

“Are you ready to go?” Anila asked, bringing me out of my head. I hadn’t even realized she returned to the baby dragon to Sapphire and was standing beside me until she spoke.

I blinked a few times, taken aback, which didn’t often happen.

I cleared my throat and ran my fingers through my hair.

“Yeah,” I said. “Wait outside. I need to speak with Emily for a second.”

She frowned and I could practically smell the uncertainty oozing off her body. But then she nodded.

“Okay,” she said softly before turning to Emily. “It was nice meeting you.”

“I’m sure we will be seeing plenty of each other,” Emily said, nodding to her.

She nodded again and then left the stable. Emily was practically squealing.

“She’s lovely! You’ve done well. She’s going to make such a good queen,” Emily cooed.

“So, you don’t think I’m making a mistake with her? She’s young,” I told her, shaking my head as the thoughts clouded my mind. “I’m not really sure what I’m doing.”

Emily’s smile softened and she placed a hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“I can tell you have feelings for this girl; you are practically glowing. Just follow your heart and do what feels right to you.”

I sighed.

“I barely know her,” I muttered. “I can’t have feelings for her just yet.”

“She’s your mate, isn’t she?”

“It’s complicated,” I confess. “But yeah, she is.”

“Then, it’s not that complicated at all,” Emily said, shrugging. “I should get back to work and you should get to your mate before she changes her mind and makes an escape.”

A sudden surge of fear rushed through me; it was unexpected, and my eyes grew large at the feeling. This only made Emily laugh as she gave me a gentle nudge towards the doorway. Emily was the only one who was allowed to treat me so casually and that was because she basically raised me. She was the closest thing I’ve ever had to a mother, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

After we said goodbye, I quickly rushed outside, relieved to see Anila was waiting for me with her arms folded across her chest, making her breasts stick out even more. My mouth practically watered at the sight of them and despite the fact that I was obviously checking her out, she didn’t cover them.

“So, is there anything else I should see?”

I looked at the watch around my wrist with a frown.

“Are you hungry? It’s about lunchtime,” I suggest, motioning with my head for the small restaurant set up in the middle of town.

“I could eat,” she admitted.

I nodded and took hold of her hand, bracing for the sparks of electricity to course through my flesh and make goosebumps form on my skin.

We walked to the restaurant and the hostess gave me a small bow.

“Good evening, Your Highness. A table for two?”

“Yes, Caroline. Thank you,” I said, nodding my head to her.

Caroline grabbed a couple of menus, even though I knew the menu front and back, and then she sat us in one of my favorite booths near the window that overlooked the small town that has become my home. Hopefully, it would soon become Anila’s home as well.

“Can I start you off with something to drink?”

“A bottle of the best red wine,” I answered and then looked at Anila. “If that’s okay with you?”

Anila’s face turned an adorable shade of pink as she bit that damn bottom lip of hers.

“I’ll take a water with lemon too,” she adds shyly.

“Coming right up.”

Caroline walks away, leaving us alone.

“This menu is big, so many options. I’m not sure what to get,” she admits. Then she peeks up at me when she notices I’m not looking at my menu, I’m staring at her. “Do you know what you want?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“I guess I just feel a little out of my element,” she said softly. “I’m sorry if I’m so awkward.”

“I don’t find you awkward at all,” I confessed. “You are interesting, to say the least.”

She raised her brows.

“Interesting how?” She asked.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“You are just a mystery. You somehow bonded with a baby dragon, and you aren’t even a dragon master. It’s just fascinating to me.”

Her cheeks turned pink again, only brighter.

“Is that a bad thing?” She asked, dropping her voice so it was barely audible.

“I didn’t say that,” I tell her. “It’s just interesting, that’s all. No need to overthink it.”

She bit her bottom lip again, chewing on it vigorously.

I leaned over the table and closer to her; she stared at me with wide eyes her lip still tucked between her teeth, but frozen.

“Keep biting that lip and I’m going to bend you over this table and rub my teeth across every inch of your body,” I tell her in a deep throaty tone.

She released her bottom lip, only because her jaw had dropped. She was shocked by my words, and I leaned back in my seat, satisfied by her reaction.

“I… um…” she stammered and then she cleared her throat. “So, how many dragons are there? Does everyone here own one?”

I smirked at her subject change.

“No, but all dragon masters have a special infinity for dragons. They can call dragon magic at any time,” I told her honestly. “Many dragons died during the last battle thanks to the former Dragon King. Now the dragon race is going extinct and it’s my duty to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“That’s awful,” she whispered, and I could see the genuine worry in her gaze.

“There are 2 boy dragons and 3 females. Not including the babies; there are 3 baby dragons right now. Two of them are twins born from a different dragon. They are in another stable with their mother. We try to keep the baby dragons with their respected mothers for the first couple of months and then they will get their own stables.”

She stared at me in wonder for a moment longer and I couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Then Caroline returned and took our orders.

“I’ll have the steak, cooked rare, garlic mash, and steamed broccoli with no butter,” I told her. She nodded and wrote that down in her notebook before glancing at Anila.

I knew Caroline was probably wondering who Anila was, but I wasn’t going to tell her. At least not yet, soon, an announcement would be made that Anila is to be my queen. But until then, I didn’t want to put too much pressure on Anila.

“That sounds good,” Anila said before looking at Caroline. “I’ll just do the same.”

Caroline nods and leaves us alone once again.

Anila peeks up at me through her long lashes, that curious gaze returning to her.

“You truly do care about these dragons, don’t you?”

I looked at her, surprised by her question, but I nodded without hesitation.

“I truly do,” I answered honestly. “They are my life and hopefully, you will share that life with me.”

She blushed at my admittance before saying, “This is all a little overwhelming. I can’t just leave my other mates. But I need Xaden to be okay…”

I nodded, admiring her will to continue with our little deal even if it meant saying goodbye to her current life. A ping of guilt sliced through my stomach, but I ignored it as I often did. I became good at ignoring that feeling ever since I met the Alpha King.

“There is much for you to discover, Anila,” I said eyeing her carefully. My voice deepened as I added, “And much for you to learn.”