Jovari the Blue

Chapter 21: A Message From the King Tree

Northern Wilderness

Talon tried to ignore the swoop of his stomach as he led Claire away from their camp. They'd flown all day, resting several times to stretch and see to their needs. It felt good to step away and simply walk, especially with her beside him.

It was almost cruel, being near her all day, and yet, being deprived of her. She had made her discomfort clear, that she wasn't ready to fly with him yet. He tried not to take it personally. Especially when going without her touch, even for the period of a day, frayed his mood.

The prairie was alight with sounds of insects, the grass high enough to skim his thighs.

Gods, it was good to be back in Dragonwall. He'd felt a weight lift the moment he set foot on the other side of the gate. It didn't feel like home, per se, but close.

Claire walked with her shoulders back, chin lifted. She looked every inch the queen, with a backdrop of stars above him. "It's beautiful here," she mused. "I almost didn't want to believe this existed. Despite everything, your story, your proof. It's really...real."

"Seeing the truth always makes it easier," he said. She hummed in agreement.

"This was our tradition, you know," he found himself saying, draping her hand through his elbow. He craved the contact. He often found himself looking for every excuse to touch her, even if it was the brush of a knuckle here, or the trail of a fingertip there. "You and I took walks every day. It was one of my conditions for forgiveness, after you risked your life to fight the vodar." His lips twitched, fighting against a smile. Gods, she'd never been good at following rules. "One hundred walks together, to get to know each other better. That was before you touched my scales."

"Before we became mated," she mused, her eyebrows drawing together.

"Yes. Although, after we discovered our bond, we often preferred flying together, instead."

Her eyes darted to his, and then away. She cleared her throat. "I admit, it's challenging, piecing together the bits of our lives."

"I know," he said, hating that she was forced to take this beautiful thing between them and make it make sense. Perhaps they would be better for it. Stronger. Perhaps their love would only bloom deeper.

"So..." she said, filling the silence. "Am I the only one who thinks something is going on between Leah and Jovari?"

His steps faltered. "Something is going on between Leah and Jovari?"

"Yeah. Haven't you noticed?" She lifted her brows.

He opened is mouth, then snapped it shut. To be fair, he didn't notice much beyond her these days. A mixture of fear over losing her and relief over finding her had turned him into something unrecognizable. He spent nearly all his waking moments either thinking about how to help her, or gazing wistfully at her.

She huffed. "Well, there's all this tension between them. He tried to keep her from coming with us, you know. He wouldn't have done unless he felt very strongly towards her. Do your shields make it a point of striking up romances?"

He rubbed a hand over his face. "You have no idea..."

He'd have to pay better attention from now on. The last thing he needed was Jovari, the kingdom's biggest flirt, engaging in some dalliance with his mate's best friend. When he inevitably broke her heart, that would only make things tense between all of them. "I'll have a talk with him."

Claire merely shrugged. "They're both adults."

"Even still..."

"So..." she said again. Probably because he was terrible at filling the silences between them. Before, it had been so easy. While she wasn't a different person, it still felt unknown and frightening, this thing between them. "I haven't had anymore of my memories resurface. Here I thought..."