Page 76 of Thorulf
“Here’s hoping.” Endearingly hopeful when that wasn’t really her style, Jade’s eyes met his. “So are you ready for it...ready for everything it might mean?”
“Might?” He reeled her close and tilted her chin, keeping her gaze on him. “Nomights.Only absolute certainty. I said I wanted you as my mate, and you are. Now I can say without a shred of doubt, I want you as my mate time and time again. I want to know when I die, I’ll find you again in my next life. That you will always be with me.”
“Are you sure?” She grinned. “I can be a handful, and something tells me that won’t change life after life. That it’s just part of my energy.”
“A very entertaining energy that I enjoy.” He met her grin, focusing less on her craving for action and putting herself in harm’s way and more her energetic, creative bed sport. “I’d much prefer an interesting, exciting mate to one more subdued.”
“I’ll hold you to that, you know.” She chuckled before her gaze grew serious. “Are you truly sure, though, Thorulf? Fated mates is a big step.Hugestep.”
“Never more sure of anything,” he replied without hesitation. “What about you? Are you willing to be with just one dragon for—”
That’s all he got out before she stood on her tip-toes, pulled his mouth down to hers, and showed him just how willing she was. Had been from the moment they first met. In turn, he showed her even more when their kiss deepened. In fact, he would have taken her then and there, had little Maya not toddled by wailing.
“Hard to believe she ever cried like that,” Jade muttered, frowning at her sister before her expression softened. “I can’t remember what happened to her, but I do remember hating seeing her sad. I guess that’s all it took.”
“No matter how difficult it’s been on you,” Thorulf said, proud of her, “it’s an amazing gift, Jade. A very kind thing you did for your sisters over the years.”
“They were worth it,” she said dismissively even though he sensed how glad she was she could do it. That she’d been able to help them that way.
They drifted deeper into the lair, seeing more memories than he would have thought possible. Memories that, while gave glimpses of good, were mostly the negativity attached to all stages of growth. Pain, sadness, heartbreak. Trinity teething. Maya learning to walk and failing the first few go-rounds. Trinity trying to shift the first time with little luck. Maya going on her first date only to realize she could never get close to any male. That it was too risky for her positivity. Yet through it all, one little girl was there most often. Far more than Maya and Trinity and always sitting alone.
“Poor Raven,” Jade murmured, sad for her black-haired sister. “Filtering her negativity was a full-time job, and that was with Trinity and Maya’s help.”
Thorulf could see why Jade thought Raven was a bad fit for Tor. Truth be told, he couldn’t think of anyone her youngest sister was suited for. He had never come across so much sadness as he sensed and saw in Raven. Sometimes she was curled up in a ball, other times hanging her head crying. Then there were chilling times that she simply stared ahead as though in a trance.
“Those were the worst times to try to filter her energy,” Jade revealed, following his thoughts. “Because it felt so...foreign. Different.”
When he looked at her curiously, she went on.
“It’s hard to explain.” She shook her head. “It’s almost like I was filtering someone else’s negativity. Like I was helping Raven more than usual in some unexplainable way, I guess.”
“Were those the times you were trying to keep others away from her?”
He’d heard what they’d had to do when they first arrived in Maine. How they had scoped out the area to get rid of extra negativity, so it didn’t affect Raven. They couldn’t risk it pulling her down too low and making her susceptible to evil.
“Susceptible to evil,” Jade whispered before her eyes widened on Thorulf. “You don’t think her negative energy coming here somehow made her accessible to the monster we’re fighting, do you?”
“No more susceptible than Maya or Trinity would have been.” He considered one of many Ravens they passed. “Though it’s safe to say her negativity would have made this lair a truly vulnerable place, seen clearly in Carman’s gateway.”
“Yes, it would have.” Jade flinched when teenage Raven stormed by, her eyes blazing. Literally afire. “I remember that bout of negativity. It attracted three storms it was so bad.”
The idea that Raven attracted bad weather was sobering. He frowned. “What happened?”
“It’s whatdidn’thappen,” she corrected. “Or should I saycouldn’t.” In response to the memory and what she’d done during the actual event, Jade jerked a little as though getting ready to duck. Seconds later, Raven whipped a fiery spear at her. “She’d just found out dating was off the table because men dragged her down too much. Their moods were too changeable at that age. Not just that, but they couldn’t handle her. She was too intense. Even for male dragons.” Jade shifted a little to the right, instinctually avoiding another fiery arrow. “She threw the first arrow at me. The second at her boyfriend when he broke it off.”
“That had to have been hard on her.” He narrowed his eyes, surprised by what else that alluded to. “Does that mean she’s never...?”
She followed his meaning easily enough.
“No, she’s never slept with anyone.” Jade shook her head and looked at him in warning. “And trust me, you never want to mention that around her. Seriously sore subject. Riles up her negative energy enough to attract tornadoes. Damn scary.”
He could just imagine.
Jade started to say more but trailed off when Raven’s memory faded, only to be replaced with another.
A memory, as it happened, that was downright heartbreaking to watch.