Chapter 480: Coupling under a tree
He moved toward the door with the purposeful stride of a man accustomed to marching toward battle. "Young Jaegar, I trust you to keep watch over things here."
Jaegar nodded, though frustration flickered in his dark eyes. His power might rival that of the departing trio, but he understood the wisdom in their caution.
Diana was still new to this world of active magic and ancient threats.
"We’ll be fine. Just... be careful."
Within minutes, the three figures had vanished through the shimmering portal that Eradarin had created, leaving only the faint scent of crisp air and displaced air to mark their passage.
The farmhouse suddenly felt much larger and quieter, as if their absence had somehow diminished its very essence.
-
The afternoon passed in gentle companionship.
Meredith, the young servant, prepared a meal that would have graced any noble’s table—succulent lamb steaks seasoned with herbs from Angelina’s garden, roasted vegetables that seemed to capture the essence of sunshine itself, and bread still warm from ovens that had been blessed by generations of kitchen witches.
"This is incredible," Diana murmured as she savored the perfectly prepared meat.
The lamb was tender enough to cut with a fork, its flavor enhanced by rosemary and thyme that carried subtle magical properties—herbs that would strengthen the body and sharpen the mind.
Jaegar smiled, watching her rediscover simple pleasures after weeks of anxiety and flight.
There was no use sitting around sulking — at least, that’s what Jaegar told himself.
He tried to spend as much time with Diana as possible, not knowing where he might end up in these desperate times.
"Grandmother always said that good food was the foundation of all other magic. ’Feed the body well, and the spirit will follow,’ she used to tell me."
After their meal, restlessness drove them from the confines of the house.
Jaegar took her to the town nearby, just a stroll to take their mind off the things that bothered them.
The nearby town of Wettap’s End beckoned with its stone-paved streets and quaint country charm, a place where horse-drawn carriages shared the roads with the occasional enchanted conveyance, and shopkeepers sold both mundane goods and discrete magical supplies.
They strolled through the market square like any normal mother and son, Diana’s arm linked through Jaegar’s as they admired the wares displayed in bow-fronted windows. Gas lamps were beginning to flicker to life even in the afternoon light, their warm glow competing with the occasional fairy light that danced around the eaves of buildings where practitioners had woven subtle enchantments into the very architecture.
At a flower seller’s cart run by a woman whose knowing smile suggested she recognized a beautiful pair when she saw one, Jaegar purchased a bouquet of wildflowers that seemed to glow with their own inner light.
"For the most beautiful woman in two worlds," he said with theatrical gallantry, presenting them with a flourish that made Diana laugh for the first time in weeks.
"You incorrigible boy," she said, accepting the flowers with a smile that transformed her careworn features.
"What would the people think?"
"Let them think what they will," Jaegar replied with the easy confidence of someone who had never doubted his place in the world.
"I’m proud to be seen with you."
They were making their way back toward the farmhouse as the sun began its slow descent toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of gold and rose that spoke of peaceful endings and gentle dreams.
The path wound through meadows where wildflowers nodded in the evening breeze, and old oak trees stood guard over secrets older than memory.
It was beneath one of these great oaks, its trunk easily wide enough to hide a carriage, that Jaegar suddenly caught Diana’s hand and pulled her aside from the path.
His eyes danced with mischief that reminded her so strongly of the boy he had once been, before power and responsibility had begun to weigh so heavily on his shoulders.
"Jaegar, what are you—" she began, but her words were lost in delighted laughter as he spun her around until her back was against the rough bark of the old tree.
For a moment, they were nothing more than what they appeared to be—a young man and a woman who was truly in love with him, sharing a moment of perfect contentment away from the watching eyes of the world.
Jaegar’s hands came to rest on either side of her head, his palms flat against the tree’s bark, and his smile was soft with an affection that needed no words to convey its depth.
"I love you, Mom," he said simply, the words carrying weight that had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with the bonds forged in quiet moments over twenty-one years of shared life.
Diana could see the love in his eyes; no, it was more than that. He truly and deeply cherished her and also the strong desire he had for her.
He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, the gesture as tender as a benediction. He stayed that way for a second, then he moved down, staring into her eyes, and a big grin spread on his lips as he brought them close to hers.
She closed her eyes, feeling his slender lips across hers, as he started kissing her.
Then he moved back, leaning down to her ears, and whispered, "I want you, Momma!"
"Right now, right here."
A jolt of shivers ran up her body as she felt his warm breath against her skin, his words sending a rush of excitement through her. She couldn’t resist the intensity of his desire, knowing that she wanted him just as much in that moment.
The scent of crushed grass and damp soil filled the air, a wild perfume undercut by the intoxicating sweetness of Diana’s skin.
Jaegar’s body was a furnace against her back, pinning her to the rough, unyielding bark of the old oak. His breath was hot on her neck, a low growl rumbling in his chest as his hands slid from her shoulders down her sides, his touch burning through the thin cotton of her summer dress.
Gods, he’s strong! she thought, her own desire rising up.
He wasn’t a boy anymore.
He was a man, all hard muscle and fierce intent.
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