Destined for Vengeance ✔️

Chapter 35

Aaron chuckled and pulled her into him again. Jade was standing close enough to feel his laugh reverberate through his chest. Her fingers moved to her lips, her cheeks hot enough to roast a deer.

"We should probably not be doing this right in front of my ancestors," Aaron said, nodding up to the painting above them. He was grinning and Jade was sure she'd caught a fever.

"Or at all," she said. "People will talk. That servant's going to tell everyone."

"So? You are my mate. If I want to kiss you, then that is nobody's business but ours."

"Your parents might hear about it."

"Let them. Come. You look like you could do with some fresh air. I will show you the garden next." He took her hand and led her to the door. She followed blindly, his touch the only thing keeping her from floating away.

He took her to the part of the garden that lined the back of the castle. She stepped outside and halted, closing her eyes and tipping her head to allow the sun to warm her face. Blinking her eyes open, she gasped. There were trees and brightly coloured flowers as far as the eye could see.

"Do you like it?"

She nodded, setting herself in motion, tugging at his hand. He trailed after her, chuckling at her enthusiasm.

"So many smells," she said, her eyes wide to take in as much as she could at once. They started down a path leading straight through the garden.

"This way," he said eventually, nudging her off the path.

Jade gazed down at the grass, her wolf urging her to roll around in it. "You ought to take off your shoes when you walk here. Feel the grass underneath your feet. But I suppose that's not how it's done here."

"You suppose right, though the thought is tempting."

She shook her head, shooting him a glance. "I don't understand how you can live with all those restrictions." She released his hand and strayed to a bush with little pink flowers, leaning in to smell it.

"It is all I know," he said. "Come, we are almost there."

She looked up. "Almost where?" She followed when he started again. He led her towards a large oak tree beside the curtain wall.

"Do you remember?"

She stopped, craning her neck to look at the tree. It had thick branches sprawling out in every direction, even reaching over the wall. Memories flashed through her mind. "This is where we met." She walked towards it, her hand trailing over a branch at the level of her chest. Two seconds later, she was on top of it. Another blink of an eye and she was halfway up the tree.

"Careful," Aaron said, inching closer. She merely grinned at him and climbed higher. "Jade! You might break something!" He gasped when she jumped from the tree onto the wall, just like she had done four years before. "Are you insane? Get back down here! You'll fall!" He didn't climb after her, remaining safely on the ground and staring up at her.

She sat down on the wall, her legs dangling off the side. "Come!" she said, looking at him over her shoulder.

"I do not have a death wish, thank you very much. Come back."

"You forget I have done this before." She bent forward, gazing down into the abyss. Deep below her, a couple of goats roamed the steep cliffside of the hill. "You should see the view!"

"No, thank you. It has been four years and I still do not comprehend how you scaled the side of the wall."

She laughed. "We're good climbers." She planted her hands beside her and got up, balancing on the top of the wall.

"Jade! O, Goddess." He squeezed his eyes shut and turned from her.

She laughed. "Don't tell me you're afraid of heights."

"Of course not."

She jumped, landing smoothly on the thick branch at the level of the wall. He flinched and shielded his eyes with a hand. She grinned and slid down further, climbing back onto solid ground. "Yes, you are! You're afraid! You live on a hill. How can you be afraid of heights?"

"I am not afraid." He shook his head and turned back to her, scowling.

"Prince Aaron is afraid of heights. Who would have thought." She wiped her hands on her dress, leaving two five-fingered stains on the fabric.

"I am not afraid of heights." He crossed his arms over his chest. "You need to stop laughing at me."

She wanted to, but couldn't. How could that mountain of a man, who lived in a castle high enough to pierce the clouds, be afraid of heights? She pressed a hand against her mouth, hiding her grin.

"Stop laughing! I demand it."

It only made her laugh harder, her shoulders shaking. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness, but that's just really adorable. Do you never look out any windows? What if you have to go down the hill?"

"I am not afraid of heights. I simply dislike them. Now, would you finally stop laughing at me?"

She knew she was hurting his pride, but that only added to her amusement. She pressed her lips together as tightly as she could, but a laugh bubbled out of her regardless. She hadn't realised how normal he was, underneath it all.

He scooped her up in his arms and she squealed, arms flailing. Her laughter died into a breathless gasp when he pressed her against him. "Are you done now?"

"Never." She rested her head against his chest, panting. "I'm sorry if I hurt your pride, Your Highness."

"I did tell you to stop using my title."

"But I like it." She twisted her head to look at him, her arms circling around his waist. "I love how much it annoys you."

"Little tease." He frowned at her, but she only grinned brighter and kissed him, which effectively silenced all his protests.

"Now you can replace the old memory," she said, when she drew back.

"What?"

"This memory is better than the one four years ago. Now you may look at this tree and always remember today."

"O, yes, I will always remember how you laughed at me."

She moved her hands up to his face, fingers tracing his cheekbones. "No, you will remember how I kissed you."

"Just so? Well, in that case you might need to remind me." He grinned against her lips when she kissed him again.

_____

A/N: Maybe there's hope for them yet ;) 

Thank you for reading!