Crown of Beauty and Vengeance

Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Jai felt like he needed a drink after the long first day of the autumn equinox festival. Especially when Alyvia and Destan were so obvious in public. Seeing his brother constantly touching her, holding her hand, brushing kisses against her cheek and forehead...

But she looked happy. Both of them did. Jai had never seen his younger brother look at another female the way he had Alyvia. She seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with him and Jai could sense she was falling for him as well, even though it was taking longer to get over the one still in her heart.

When he'd converged paths with Destan once they were back at the palace, he saw that smile on his brother's face. It broadened when he saw Jai and they started walking the hall together.

"You really like her, don't you?" Jai asked after a few moments.

"That obvious, huh?"

"Definitely. But I'm happy for you."

Destan sighed, shaking his head as he ran his hand through his hair. "There just something about her...I don't know what it is. But from the moment I saw her when Laurel and I were coming back with Felyx from Aarden, I knew she was special. And not just because of her magic."

"In the few weeks I've known her, I know what you mean."

He looked over at Jai then, wanting and not wanting to ask his next question. He did anyway. "There's nothing...going on...with you and..."

"With Audry? No."

"Oh, all right. It's just...seeing you the day we got back...I could sense there was something between you two. Audry said it was annoyance. She wants to murder you for being annoying, you know."

Pretty sure that is not the only reason, he wanted to tell him. But then that would reveal that he'd known her before and he wasn't going to tell Alyvia's secret before she told it herself.

"Maybe it's got something to do with her healing you and her magic bringing me back from the brink of death. She's got a similar connection with Thia, but with you..."

"Destan, stop worrying."

He didn't stop worrying.

"And then there's the ring she never takes off. I don't know much about the male, but he must have loved her a lot to want to spend the rest of his life with her."

"She is still getting over his death."

"Did she say anything about what happened to you?"

"No."

"I want to take that next step with her, but his ghost will always be in the way."

Jai wasn't even thinking when he said what he did next. "Well, when you lose a mate as she did, I don't think you would ever be able to move on fully. Just give her time to find room for you."

Destan stopped in his tracks. "You think they were mates?"

Shit. "They were," Jai answered honestly. "I have been around those who have lost their mates to know."

"You're serious."

"Yes. What? Did you think she could be yours?"

Destan's silence was answer enough.

"Destan..."

"It's different with her, so I thought...yes, I did think she could be. But now that you tell me she has already found and lost her mate, it has me wondering. Can someone have more than one mate if they lost their first?"