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Dymitri buttoned up his coat as we continued the walk up to the castle. It really was cold out tonight. I shivered, waiting for my uncle to answer.
The more we walked the more I realized how grateful I was for my uncle. I wouldn’t have loved walking this whole way by myself.
“Have you found your fated mate, Veronica?” Dymitri asked suddenly. “Is that what this is about? Is he human?”
“What?” I asked.
“Did you find him while you were away on holidays? Because you know—”
“Oh no.” I put out a hand and grabbed his arm to stop whatever he was about to say. “Nothing like that.”
“Ah. Okay.”
We were almost home. My time was running out to get an external opinion. “Dad said that you and Sarah didn’t have the easiest road. With your relationship.”
Dymitri broke into laughter. “That’s an understatement. Sarah had been kidnapped and injured. We had to rescue her, then convince her that it was totally normal that dragons and other realms existed.”
“What happened?” I asked. “When she found out what you were?”
“She freaked out, naturally,” he said with a grin. “But when her sister dragged her out into the storm and they almost died, well... I was willing to do anything to be with her after that. Even move to the human realm if that’s what she preferred.”
“Anything for your fated mate, huh?” I asked. My heart sank. This is what I was partly afraid of. What would I sacrifice to be with Iain? What would he sacrifice for me? Would either or both of us be asked to sacrifice too much?
“Yeah,” Dymitri said with a smile. We’d reached the top of the stairs and he stopped and turned to face me. “You happy for me to give you a little advice?”
I nodded. “Please do.”
“Your dad will pull through. I know he will. Just be there for your mom and don’t give your dad too much shit when he finally wakes up, okay? The poor guy’s been working at putting this castle back together since he was sixteen years old. He’s earned a rest, though I was hoping it wouldn’t take a near-death experience to slow him down.”
My throat clogged with sudden tears as I gulped and nodded. “Yeah. My dad... I always thought of him as being... you know...”
“Strong? Immortal?”
I nodded, wiping at the tears on my cheeks.
“He’s not, Veronica. He’s just a man. A shifter, yes. A king, most definitely. But he’ll die one day, like we all will. What’s important is the time you spend together before that happens.”
I inhaled sharply. He was right.
“And as far as a fated mate goes, it’s often the last person you expect. Look at the kings. Stavrok found Lucy in a village on the other side of the Veil. Erik’s fated mate was his older brother’s widow. And your father’s fated mate was a young virgin under Stavrok’s care.”
I covered my face with my hands. “Oh my God.” I mean, I knew my parents’ story, of course. I just hadn’t thought about it quite like that.
Dymitri laughed at my discomfort. “Your father was not ready for his mate. He was barely able to keep the lights on in the castle. But Fate has a plan and she’s always right. You’ve just gotta have faith.”
I dropped my hands down and away. “Faith, huh?”
My uncle grinned. “Yep. Always. And speaking of fated mates, I better get back to mine.”
The castle’s front door opened and our night butler gestured for me to come inside. I watched my uncle walk away, then finally returned to the warmth of my family home.
Chapter 7.
IAIN.
Auntie Cass had put everyone up, either in the guest quarters or sharing the family rooms. I was lying in a bed a few feet away from Anselm, who was snoring like a chimney.
Anselm’s wife had given birth to their second child not long ago, and he’d said he hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in forever. A foreign concept to me, and every prince... everywhere.
