Mina put a hand against her mouth to stop herself from laughing while hiding behind a blackberry bush. She and Jayden had been picking berries in the forest close to the Stone Tribe while Shin was practicing flying. A day after she, Jayden, Shin, and Xander made it to the Stone Tribe, Mina learned Shin could take the form of a white raven. A Daughter of the Air named Iverona, but everyone called Rona became Shin’s mentor. Rona could take the form of a hawk and was mated to the Tribe’s Chief—Agus.
Jayden stopped next to the bush, and Mina stopped breathing, hoping he would not find her. It was not the first time she had hidden from him, but he tracked her in less than a minute each time. But she was determined to take him by surprise, at least once.
“Little lamb, come out, come out, where ever you are!” Jayden cooed. “There’s a big bad wolf in the forest!” A branch snapped a few feet away from the blackberry bush. Her heart started beating faster. She was almost sure she would finally outsmart Jayden. “And he is looking for you,” his calm tone sounded far away from her hiding spot. Mina was about to jump from behind the bush when a pair of strong arms scooped her up. She squealed in surprise—she was sure she had managed to trick Jayden. When amusement danced in Jayden’s blue eyes, she knew she had been the tricked one. “Found you, my beautiful lamb!” Jayden claimed triumphantly before kissing her.
Mina circled her arms around his neck and melted against him. He tasted like the wild strawberries they found earlier.
Jayden broke the kiss abruptly and rested his forehead on her shoulder. Lately, he had been avoiding kissing her for more than a few seconds. She understood why but craved the days when he had spent hours kissing and touching her.
“Just three more torturous days until I can finally take you to Isyleon Island!” Jayden groaned.
Their time in the Stone Tribe was coming to an end. The next day they would travel back to Athea. Mina was somehow sad to leave, for the past five weeks had been the happiest in her life. The Stone Tribe had received her, Shin, and Xander with open arms. The day they arrived in the tribe, Mina was still shaken by what had happened in Count Dickman’s house, but the moment she saw Rona, she felt protected. Not that she felt in danger with Jayden, but Rona acted like a mother toward Mina and the boys. And Mina had missed the loving embrace of a mother.
She was glad Jayden brought her to the ocxoa tribe. She had not only healed from her trauma and finally stopped having nightmares about the Count finding her but had learned so much about the ocxoas. And Jayden also.
Whenever Jayden wasn’t with Agus and the tribe elders, learning about traditions, customs, or hunting with the males, and Mina wasn’t telling stories or playing with the tribe’s children, the two were together, spending every second talking, laughing, or sitting under a blanket of stars and enjoying each other’s company.
Jayden was not only fun and caring, but he was also intelligent. More so than Mina initially thought. Not only did he teach himself how to read or write, but he also found a way to sneak inside the Royal Library and the Opera. He would often sit hidden in a dark corner reading while listening to famous singers interpret in front of lords and ladies from high society. More than once, Mina and Jayden, unknowingly, had been at the Opera at the same time, only a few musical notes separating them. While she was in the Royal Palace visiting with her parents or, later on, with her uncle, she would sometimes go to the Royal Library to borrow books. More than once, she wondered if she had touched the same books Jayden did or looked at the big bookcases with the same fascination he did.
Mina could spend hours with Jayden talking and not get bored. He had a vast knowledge of many subjects—from mathematics and alchemy to poetry and old tales and myths.
“Three more days, and you can finally take me to the Crystal Cave and do whatever you desire with me,” Mina teased him.
Jayden growled, his chest vibrating. “Mina!” he warned her.
A smile appeared on her lips. “And I will love each second of it,” she kept teasing him.
“You are such a wicked little mate,” he said before his lips clashed on top of hers, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth.
His arms tightened around her body while he kept devouring her with his kisses. A throbbing arousal started to beat between her legs, and she ached—ached—to be touched there. Jayden made a hungry sound—a sound of need and want.
“Jayden!” she breathed against his lips. She wanted him to.
He buried his face in the hollow of her neck. “Be strong! Stay in control! Just three fucking infernal days! Beliar take me!” he groaned, his breath tickling her skin. Mina had to bite back her laughter. “When we get to the Crystal Cave, I will fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk for weeks!”
Mina was looking forward to their mating night. During the night, when she would lie in her bed in Agus and Rona’s house, the wind would often sing into her ears—whispers and secrets about the ocxoa mating ceremony.
“I am honored that you are taking me to the Crystal Cave! I am honored—honored—to be your mate!”
Jayden lifted his head—his eyes, two little suns—and gazed at her with adoration. *“You shatter my sleep,*
*All soft and petal lips.*
*You smile, and my heart stops.”*
It was not the first time Jayden composed little poems for her—one more beautiful than the other—and he had written them for her in a small journal she had taken with her when they left Athea. Each morning she drank her tea while reading them. She had memorized all of them, but Jayden had such beautiful handwriting that she could not stop staring at the runes he drew for her with great care on the white pages. And it wasn’t only the poems he put in the journal; he also added simple drawings for her.
Mina loved Jayden’s writing so much that she was practicing each day to make it similar to his. She would spend hours, night after night, by the candlelight and draw the same rune over and over again until it matched his.
Mina kissed Jayden’s cheek. “Will you write it for me in the journal?” she asked. She already knew the answer but didn’t want to take his kindness for granted.
Jayden arched an eyebrow, and she bit her bottom lip. “And what will I be getting in exchange?”
“A kiss.”
“Just a tiny kiss for all the poems I wrote for you?”
Mina’s lips curved up. “A dance then.”
A loud growl echoed inside the forest. “If I see your sinful body moving under the moonlight while wearing those gypsy clothes that leave nothing to the imagination, my last treads of self-control will finally snap. And talking about self-control, we better return to the tribe. Your scent is—” his nostrils flared. “Stronger today.”
Mina’s cheeks turned pink. “What do you mean by strong? I don’t... stink... do I?”
Jayden chuckled while helping her stand. “I mean, you are in your fertile time of the month. If you smelled good before, now your sweet-smelling fruit scent is ten times beckoning.”
“Stop sniffing me!” Mina, embarrassed, said.
Jayden smirked. “Can’t help it. It is in the male nature to know when his female is fertile.” He nuzzled her neck. “So he can mate with her and have offspring.”
Her heart drummed in her chest. “Then I can get pregnant on our mating night?” she asked, all hopeful.
He cupped her cheek. “We already talked about this. Maybe in a year or two, after we settle in Ora Dorei.” He touched her flat stomach. Yearning flashed in his eyes. “But one day, my son will grow inside you. Or a daughter. Besides, we already have five little ones. And two kittens.” He looked at the sky and rubbed his jaw. “It is getting late. We would not want to be late for our goodbye feast!”
“But we haven’t finished collecting berries!” Mina protested.
Jayden pretended he was upset. “And whose fault is that?”
Mina ignored his question and grabbed his hand. “It won’t take long!” she said as she tugged him to where she had left the basket.
Various berries were in the basket—from wild strawberries and raspberries to mulberries and even tayberries. In the short time she had hidden, Jayden not only managed to find her but also to fill the basket with berries. But what caught Mina’s attention was a handful of orange fruits. Mina recognized them immediately, for they were her favorite berries—cloudberries. She vaguely remembered mentioning it to Jayden when they first went foraging in the forest. Her eyes filled with tears and her shoulders shook.
Jayden moved in front of her, his brows furrowed. “Why are you upset?”
Mina smiled while she whipped her tears away. “I am not upset. I am angry at you!” A confused look appeared on Jayden’s face. “You always do things for me and make me happy.”
Jayden kissed her tear-wet cheeks. “And why is that a bad thing? I did promise to spend all my days making you happy.”
Mina huffed before giving him a chaste kiss. “Thank you for the berries and the poem. You remind me of my father. He would always make my mother smile.” A proud smile appeared on Jayden’s face. “You should have seen them, Jayden. They loved each other so very much.”
“I wish I had met them properly. Especially your father. I remember one day he gave me a bird-shaped caramelized sugar candy on a small stick. That was the last time he visited my mother.”
Mina gasped. “He used to buy them for me each time he took me to the market.”
“As for your mother, I remember seeing her a few times at the Opera. She was stunning!” Jayden picked up the basket from the ground and interlaced his fingers with those of Mina. “Your father was a good man. I am glad that I married his daughter,” he said as they made their way to the tribe.
Dusk settled when Jayden and Mina made it back to the Stone Tribe. A white raven circled above the small houses while music from a vielle and drums invited everyone to the feast. Young ocxoas, with their faces painted white and yellow, danced around campfires, while children stared at them, fascinated.
Tables with all sorts of delicacies—from goat cheese, meat, roasted chickens or ducks to a variety of sweets—had been placed in the middle of the village. Wine, mead, beer, and other drinks sat next to the plates of food. Close to the tables, a pit had been dug and filled with hot coals, and the wild boar Jayden hunted the previous day had been roasting slowly in it until the meat was tender and juicy.
“Andarra!” Rona said in a relieved tone when Mina and Jayden entered the village. She turned her head and looked at Jayden. “Uzgaia! What have I told you to bring Andarra home early? Now I won’t have time to get her ready for the feast!”
“But!” Jayden tried to protest.
Rona ignored him. “At least you brought the berries I asked of you!” She sniffed the air. “And you should wash! You reek!”
Mina tried to stifle her laughter with her sleeve. Several males were sitting close by, drinking and talking, laughed upon hearing Rona scolding Jayden. Mina felt sorry for him.
Jayden snorted. “I do not! Besides, I took a bath this morning!”
“Take another one! A cold one! It will cool you down until your mating night!” said Rona as she directed Mina to the Great Hall—where all the important meetings were held.
Many women awaited Mina inside, but her eyes were on a beautiful dress made from silk and shadowbeast fur dyed in a lovely shade of monarch purple, and precious gems had been added around the neckline and the hem. It was the most beautiful dress Mina had ever seen.
“A gift from the entire tribe for our Andarra!” Rona said while Mina tentatively ran her fingers over a sleeve.
Mina took a step back. She loved the dress, but the tribe needed the money more than she wanted the dress. “I cannot possibly accept this. It must cost a fortune!”
“We have been working on this dress for many years, hoping to gift it to our Andarra. Our Queen. It has been an absolute privilege to have you living with us. If you refuse it, it will bring great shame to the Stone Tribe,” Rona explained.
Mina studied the faces of the women present. She could see the excitement of seeing her wearing that dress. “This gift—I will treasure it all my life,” Mina said and bowed before them.
The women squealed in joy before preparing Mina for the feast. They bathed her before applying lotions and perfumes to her soft skin. When she was dressed, and soft boots covered her feet, Rona brought a delicate gold circlet. Emeralds that matched Mina’s eyes adorned it. Two women brushed Mina’s hair before placing the jewelry on her head.
Jayden was drinking mead and talking to Agus when Mina came out of the Great Hall. Time seemed to stop; music and laughter faded away when he whipped his head in her direction. His eyes turned from blue to golden, his goblet slipping through his fingers as he went to her.
No adult saw Shin, Xander, and two other boys taking a small casket of wine from a table and three plates of food, for their attention was on their Uzgaia and Andarra.
“You look so alluring. So beautiful. Dance with me,” Jayden said as soon as he stood in front of Mina.
She shifted her weight from one foot to another. “I have never danced with a man before,” she admitted.
Jayden gently grabbed Mina’s hand and placed a kiss on top of it. “Then allow me to be your first.”