Chapter 22 - Camilla

Stryker holds my hand tightly in his as he leads me down the hallway. The walls are furnished with gold ornaments on wooden shelves and hanging vines, bringing about a sense of the picturesque gardens outside. Between each shelf, hangs portraits of the Vulkan family. From the way Stryker described them to me before, I get a sense of what each of them looks like before I meet them.

The homey feeling fills my chest with ease and swells my heart, overshadowing the nervous dread lodged in my throat. I’d been here for three weeks, but today feels like my first time on the island.

It’s a monumental day for Stryker and me when I get to meet the rest of his family. He stops near a doorway, coercing me to look at the spot he’s gazing at with a smile toying on his lips. It’s just an empty spot between the hanging shelves, but I already know what he has in mind before he says it aloud.

The scar on his palm is still evident beneath my thumb. I trace it while looking at the scar on my own palm, and realize that this deep, innate sense of knowing what the other is about to say comes with the mate bond between us.

That’s what the knife was for—the blade I’d been so afraid of. It was only meant to be used to bind Stryker and me in a ritual that bonds us to eternity. All because of my lineage, and being born into a bloodline of powerful white witches.

If I ever doubted that Stryker and I were meant to be fated mates, it’s learning the truth about what I am that came in time to put those doubts to rest.

I’m sure of it now—just as sure as I am about what he’s going to say. I lift my face to meet his eyes, smiling knowingly.

“This spot is reserved for our portrait,” he affirms.

“Who paints the portraits?” I glance down the line of hanging paintings.

“Not Kairo,” he chuckles. “But, I’m gonna ask her to do the honors for our portrait when she’s back. I think it’s only fitting.”

I nod as Stryker proceeds to lead me to the doorway. A multifoil arch made from gold trimmings frames the doorway, and I marvel at it for a moment since I haven’t seen one in real life. I’d only read about them in history books while I studied, but being in the castle with its rich, exotic Middle-Eastern flare, outweighs sitting in a lecture room.

I’ve definitely made the right decision. Destiny has led me to a life I find so interesting. Maybe this is why my life in the mortal world wasn’t interesting to me, and I preferred hiding in my apartment when I didn’t need to work.

I never did fit in, because I wasn’t meant to. I was always different, but discovering that I’m not just the dragon shifter’s mate but a powerful white witch confirms how different I am.

Somehow, I feel like I’ll fit in on Aurora Island just fine.

Until indistinct chatter billows into my eardrums like a gust of wind that terrifies me.

“What’s wrong, Cami?” Stryker asks softly when I freeze on the spot, the color seeping from my cheeks and leaving me cold.

“What—What if they don’t like me…?”

My absurd question earns me a slap on my shoulder, and I shriek with surprise.

It’s Abuela, who glowers at me with fierce eyes. “Chin-up, mi hija . Remember who you are…”

On the other side, Stryker leans in and whispers, “She’s right, you know? You can overpower the fittest one in the room. Don’t forget that.”

I turn to meet his eyes, giggling nervously. “I don’t know how to immobilize a dragon shifter yet.”

“You’ll learn,” Stryker winks and continues to lead me into the dining room. As Abuela advised, I keep my chin held high, feigning a confidence that only becomes real when Olivia comes rushing forward to hug me warmly.

“Finally!” she exclaims, grabbing my hand from Stryker’s and leading me further into the room. “Everyone!” she clears her throat to pull everyone out of their conversations before she announces, “This is Camilla Torres!”

The silence turns to the shuffling of feet as Stryker’s family comes over to introduce themselves. I meet the family with warm hugs from every single one, including his mom, Phoenix, and father, Dedrik.

“And who is this fine young lady…?” Diego, Sierra’s father, who still remains an aging human on the island, lifts Abuela’s hand and kisses the top in a chaste greeting.

“This is my grandmother, Maria,” I respond curtly when I notice how flustered my grandmother becomes.

I’ve never seen her like that before. When Diego lifts his eyes to meet her gaze, he says gently, “ Abuelita … si …”

Abuela’s cheeks fill with rosy color when Diego calls her “grandmother” in a cute, friendly way. Something tells me that I’m not the only one destined for romance on Aurora Island, and when I glance over my shoulder at Stryker, he wiggles his brows knowingly.

Once the formal introductions are done, I meet each of their children, who are all under two, thanks to the human mating process. As the day dragged on, I soon realized I had nothing to worry about.

The Vulkan family is a tight-knit unit that oozes warmth while remaining demure and radiating their innate strength. Everyone shares the same sentiment, wishing their sister, Kairo, were here to meet me.

According to them, she’s the resident mediator between the dragon shifter men and their human mates. Slowly, I learned that each human woman on the island had been through the wringer with their dragon shifter mates. Stryker and I exchange glances while we listen to Lily’s account of how she came to the island. Now, as the Lady Dragon beside the clan’s Alpha, she leads with a graceful demeanor.

Stryker clears his throat when we’re all seated at the table, the hearty spread of lunch calling my name and forcing me to purse my lips while my tummy rumbles with painstaking hunger.

“There’s something you should all know…” Stryker begins, taking my hand on his lap as if he needs to draw courage from the scar, but he doesn’t stop skimming with the pad of his thumb.

“... Camilla is my fated mate, but she’s not an ordinary human from the human mating process. She’s a descendant from a long line of earthly white witches.”

A chorus of surprised gasps fills the room, but I keep my eyes on my empty plate, t afraid to find any look of disdain from his family.

“A witch, huh?” Aragon, Stryker’s third-eldest brother snickers. “You know… I dated a witch once.”

“Hey!” Aragon’s mate, Yazmine, scolds him with a fist thrown at his shoulder. “You’re not supposed to say that in front of me!” she growls, but Aragon continues to chuckle while the rest of the room falls into lighthearted laughter.

“What, baby? I’m just happy for my lil’ brother, that’s all.”

“Sure you are…” Yazmine grunts. “Just wait until we’re alone.” She rolls her eyes, and Aragon grins nervously at Stryker.

“Seriously though, Bro. Watch your back,” Aragon warns him.

“You need to watch your back,” Yazmine mumbles, but she throws me a wink through the curtain of her long, dark lashes, and grins.

Their playfulness eased the tension I’d been feeling, and everyone seemed so accepting of who I was.

I guess I was overthinking.

After all, I’m in a room full of the scariest preternatural beings who hide on a remote, invisible island.

As the day progresses, we share lunch in the dining room and chat away. Soon, the children become restless, and their parents disperse to tend to each of them.

When the dining room grows silent, I look up from my second helping of pudding and frown. The room is empty, save for Stryker and me.

“Where’s Abuela?” I ask as I turn to Stryker.

A coy smirk curls his lips. “She’s being shown around the castle.”

“By who?” I ask, but his mischievous chuckle already gives me an answer.

“Oh, my God!” I giggle, rolling my eyes and stuffing another helping of pudding onto my plate. “I didn’t think I’d ever see the day when she forgets my grandfather.”

“Hm…” Stryker muses. “... I hope I see the day you get over that pudding,” he teases with a light chuckle, and I look down at the generous heap of the pudding on my plate and blush bashfully.

I hadn’t even realized that I’d been eating more than my fair share of dessert. Usually, I’m so self-conscious about my eating habits in front of others up until today. The only time I’m caught stuffing my plate is when I’m in the confines of four walls without any eyes to spy on me.

It must be because the hearty dessert is heavenly, that I’m unable to stop stuffing my mouth. There’s just something about the warm cinnamon that embraces my tummy and has it begging for more.

“I don’t know what’s in this thing.” I shake my head, lifting another bite to my lips. “Are you sure the cook isn’t a witch? It’s like she threw some magic potion in here.”

Stryker chuckles again. “I can assure you; the cook isn’t a witch. Just my mother…”

“Uh-huh…” I nod with my mouth stuffed again, the chewed mouthful slipping down my throat and traveling toward my stomach when suddenly, it comes right back up along with fizzling bile.

A hand flies to my mouth, and I hurry off my chair, bolting for the closest bathroom when everything I had for lunch threatens to come to the surface. My belly bubbles with that threat, and by some stroke of luck, I find the bathroom and rush inside.

I fall on my knees in front of the toilet, flinging the lid open and retching into the pan. While the once-delicious lunch is discarded along with gut-wrenching acid, I feel Stryker pulling my hair aside and placing a hand on the small of my back to keep me steady.

When I’ve emptied my tummy, I groan and feel like I’m about to cry. Stryker holds out tissues in front of my face, but they’re not to wipe my tears.

They’re to wipe my mouth from the traces of vomit left on the corners.

Sinking onto my heels, Stryker tucks my hair behind my ears and pulls out more tissues, this time taking them to the basin to dampen them. When he returns, he joins me on the floor and then uses the tissues like wet wipes to dab on my lips.

Seeing him care for me this way shed a brilliant light of realization on what I feel for him. The intensity of my feelings is reflected in his actions right now when anyone would have felt revolted by what just happened.

Instead, Stryker was at my side in no time, no questions asked, and it just felt natural for him to be here when I would have died before I let anyone see me be sick over a toilet.

The words hang heavy on the tip of my tongue, and I don’t see any reason to hold them back anymore.

“I think I love you…” I whisper, catching the exact moment when Stryker hears my confession and gasps.

He lifts his eyes to mine, searching for confirmation with a faint frown. “What did you just say?” he asks.

I reach out and feebly touch his cheek, smiling through the sudden wave of exhaustion that washes over me. “I said… I think I love you…” The exhaustion spreads across my bones, turning my mind hazy, but I’m not afraid to close my eyes. I know Stryker will catch me every time I need a reset.

I trust him.

I love him.

***

With my head swirling with the love I feel for Stryker, I open my eyes again with a smile, my hand instinctively reaching for my belly.

I feel the soft cushions behind me, the silk of the lavish sheets whispering beneath my body as the bed hugs me and keeps me grounded. I turn my face to see Stryker’s radiant green eyes glimmering with a newfound sense of appreciation.

“I’m pregnant…” I whisper as gently as Stryker nods his head slowly.

“I know,” he concedes, his hand warmly joining mine on my belly.

“You do?” I ask without a trace of surprise. Our bond—fated mates according to dragon shifter lore, and soulmates according to the coven of witches—allows us to be in tune with our feelings.

Like the one I felt when I fainted in the bathroom and dreamed about a baby.

“I saw your dream,” Stryker explains, folding his fingers over my hand and lifting it to plant a chaste kiss on my knuckles. “I felt it. It was spectacular and profound, Camilla. I am honored to share this experience with you. You have no idea how proud I am to be a father.”

“It’s only the beginning, Stryker,” I assure with a sincere smile. Gone are the insecurities. I had been replaced by a valiant spirit that has me believing that I can conquer the world with my soulmate on my side.

Even if I look the way I do. It means nothing except to remind me that I have always been different because I was born different, and it’s a badge of honor I must wear with dignity.

“... There’s so much I have to learn about my heritage,” I continued, staring into eyes of conviction that confirmed he’d be with me throughout it all. “Now that there’s a baby on the way—a dragonspirit baby…” my voice tapers off as I glance at my belly.

“One that will bring you immortality, Camilla,” he reminds me. “Now that you’ve discovered you’re a white witch, can you imagine how powerful you will be once the baby comes and you’re immortal?”

I nod slowly, letting my reality sink in. “I can’t believe it happened so quickly,” I giggle nervously.

“Did you not hear what any of the other ladies said today?” Stryker chuckles. “They all found themselves pregnant soon after their first time with their dragon men.”

I can’t help but blush, memories of our first time together flashing into my mind while Stryker gets on his knees and plants a soft kiss on the top of my belly.

“I know what you’re thinking…” he reveals calmly, lifting his eyes to meet mine again, a heady swirl of lust darkening the green depths. “... But I think it’s unfair that you’re always one step ahead of me.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, feigning ignorance with a frown.

“You know exactly what I mean…” he muses as he presses more kisses on my belly. “I wanted to be the first to say the words, Camilla.”

Carding my fingers through the silky locks of his strawberry-blonde hair, I giggle again. “I already knew how you felt, Stryker,” I smile warmly. “I knew the words were on your mind. Call it intuition.”

“Well, just so you know, I don’t just think I love you. I do love you, Camilla Torres.”

My heart is swept in a whirlwind of emotions, feeling more whole than it ever did before. Not even the completion of the mating ritual could bring about such wholeness, and I realize that it’s more than just the decree of the gods that binds us together.

We’re not only supernatural beings, but we’re humans, too, with human emotions that make it impossible not to feel our bond. We have emotional needs that have to be met, and we found that in each other.

“I love you too, Stryker Vulkan,” I profess, wrapping my arms around his neck and drawing him onto the bed to lay beside me. “I know I love you. I feel it.