XXVIII
Salak

For once, we got to sleep in. Today we had no hurry to the Peak or another family drama meltdown. Jaejin was sleeping down the hall in another room and the past few days have been hard because every part of my bond with him is making it harder to not have that mark on my neck. I look over at my window and it looks to be a couple hours after sunrise but it's quiet in the castle. I grab a blue tunic out of my dresser, with some black pants, and brown boots. I brush my hair and teeth. I put on some deodorant and fix the strings at the base of my neck, tying them in a small bow. I head down the staircase and into the kitchen, nobody is awake. Not even my adoptive mother. I shrug the thought off, making myself my white tea, and Jaejin some black coffee. I put some toast in the toaster, grabbing a plate. I place them on the plate once they pop out with a ding. I scramble some eggs and grab some fermented cabbage, placing them on the toast for Jaejin. My mother must've remembered the recipe and made some for JJ; I love the smell of the spicy red paste on the cabbage. I grab silverware, I put  the plate and drinks on a tray. I walk up the stairs carefully and knock on Jaejin's door. I push the door open and Jaejin is still asleep. I put the tray on the coffee table he has in the room and sit on the side of the bed. I grab his shoulders and softly shake him. He opens his eyes and the first thing he does is give me that closed mouth smile.

"Good morning sleepy head." I tell him and kiss his forehead.

"Morning baby." He stretches his arms out and yawns. He gets on his side and pushes on his hip, popping his back. I stand up as he swings his legs over the side. He's not wearing anything to bed other than his boxers. He makes his way to the couch in front of the coffee table, grabbing his coffee. He takes a few sips before I sit across from him on the armchair across from the loveseat he's sitting on. I've never been a breakfast person, and Jaejin can't go without his three meals. He gets cranky.

"You slept in late. Care to explain why none of my family is up?" I ask him, arching my brow at him. I know after dinner, I went to take a shower and Jaejin stayed out there with my family. He only chuckles and takes a bite of his eggs.

"We may have stayed up late. Your family wanted to talk to me, Zsoka was up in bed ten minutes after you. It was just me, Lucijan, Orion, and Nova. I don't think we went to bed for another couple of hours. We just talked." He says with a shrug and I take a long gulp of my warm tea.

"About?"

"You."

"What about me?" I ask him and he only laughs. I let him finish his breakfast, he eats all of his food and his coffee. He looks refreshed.

"Nothing to worry about, Pluto. They were just asking me what you were like growing up." I only nod in response as he finishes his breakfast. I watch him finish his breakfast, using a fork or using the two thin wooden tapered sticks that I grabbed for him. He finishes his coffee and then he gives me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I wanted," Jaejin gives me another kiss, "To ask you-" He kisses me again and instantly I'm hard. I place my hand on my crotch to try and hide the tent in my trousers.

"No need to hide it from me, baby boy." Jaejin huskily whispers and starts to reach for me, but I grab his hands. I look at him and the lust in his eyes is evident. This mating bond was tired of us waiting to complete the bond. It made my skin itch, my head hurt with his scent, and made me have blue balls every damn night.

"Much as I want to stay in bed all day with you and complete the bond," I lick my lips, "I came here for a reason this morning and made you breakfast for a reason." I tell him and he nods.

"What for? And since when do you know how to cook?"

"I am the son of Zsoka Drakos, a Kingdom renowned chef in Black Soul. I do know a thing or two when it comes to the Kitchen," I scoff and roll my eyes at him, still holding his hand, "I came here to ask you if you'd like to go to Red Blaze's capital with me, Salak-"

"Are you asking me out, Pluto Kardos?" Jaejin grins at me and I can't help the blush that spreads against my cheeks and up to my slightly arched ears.

"I mean- If you don't want to- We don't-" I stutter and he only laughs at me more. He cups my cheeks with his rough hands and gives me a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I would love nothing more than to go out on a date with you, my little Pyro," He gives me another kiss that takes my breath away, "I never thought  you'd be the one to ask, I always thought that I would be the one to ask you out. I always figured you'd be too scared." He says, while grabbing my hand, and knocks his shoulder into mine.

"Get dressed. It's two hours away, we're going to the capital, Salak," I told Jaejin as I stood up, "You need to dress comfortably for the ride, and nice enough for walking around, along with eating dinner." I explain to him and lean down to kiss him on the cheek. He only nods in agreement and I take my leave. I head down the hallway to my room, deciding how I want to dress for tonight. I hear a knock and the door opens, it's my sister, along with my brother.

"Father just told me that you and Kígyó will be heading to Salak for the whole day and won't be back till tonight. I already told you all your belongings from that rental house and the rest of the rent has been paid for, Pluto." My sister says and I know it's the High General in her, it makes me smile.

"Jaejin and I are going to Salak for our first date," I tell them both, scratching the back of my neck, "That's why we will be gone for most of the day." I explain to them and both of their mouth's open to form an 'o'.

"Well, you better bring me back some Aero silver for Charys, I lost her battle caps for her horns, I just need one and make sure you go to Mr. Buzas, tell him that Nova and Czillia sent you, it's Czillia's father. He'll give it to you for a coupon price, I'll  give you the money when you get back."

"Anything you need?" I look at Orion after listening to my sister and he nods.

"I  need some saddle polish, Buzas should sell the polish that I like. Make sure that it's the label with a Red Dragon on it, and it's an Embery brand, I'll send you back to Salak if you get me the wrong one, and make you apologize to Nyíl for when I can't ride him tomorrow." Orion jokingly threatens and I only toss my head back to laugh at him. Nova helps me to pick out an outfit that is acceptable for riding and a date. I pull on the maroon pants, a white ruffled tunic that has ruffles on the chest area, and a lace neckline that is snug across my throat. It doesn't choke me but it's not loose either. I wear a red vest that has white lines that lay across the vest vertically. I pair it with a maroon jacket that stops at the back of my knees, there are 5 white buckles but I leave them unfastened. I pull socks on and my black boots over my feet and the pants. I head to my closet to pull my brown fur coat out, pulling it over my shoulders, and tying the rope at the base of my throat. I grabbed some money my father had given me about an hour ago, and told me that there would be two guards in the air and on the floor at all times. I push it deep in my chest pocket and take my leave out of my bedroom. I walk down the hallway and to Jaejin's room. I can feel the lump in my throat, the sweat that is gathering in the palms of my hands, and the anxiety in my veins. I knock on his door and Jaejin opens on the second knock.

"Where did you get the nice outfit?" I asked in surprise and he smiled at me.

"Orion said I could dig through his closet. This is the only black I could find, the green I did bring with me though." He's wearing black boots, black pants, a white tunic, and a dark green vest. The vest has gold detail sewn into the vest that makes it beautiful. He wears a black jacket over the vest that rests on the floor, it has a small train behind him. He has a black fur jacket that is tied at the base of his neck and it just makes his neck sexier.

"I don't think I have ever seen you wear a white tunic in my life." I chuckle and reach out my hand which he grabs. We walk down the hall, down the stairs that cascade down the castle, and out through the front doors. I whistle and Kígyó is landing in front of us both. She kneels, I help Jaejin up first and get on her next.

"How long is this ride going to be?" Jaejin asks as I tell Kígyó, 'Hegan' She flaps her majestic wings and barrels herself into the air. We head Northeast towards the capital, and level out in the skies of Red Blaze.

"3 hours, Jae. We'll get there at noon, our dinner is at 6, and we'll be home by midnight."

We land on the outskirts of Salak at noon, just like I told my mate. Salak is always alive with people and festivities. I don't think the city ever sleeps. The city is filled with street lights and hanging lanterns that have a fun pattern. There are red, black, a dusty blue, and white lanterns that paint the city. The people of Salak are in either tunics of maroon or gray tunics, probably depending on where their family is from. Luckily, Jaejin and I didn't wear any crowns to draw any attention but that didn't seem to matter when it came to me. The first Fae to walk up to us, had pointed ears, a bright red tunic with blonde hair. She had a small mouth, and these green eyes that reminded me of the forestry back in Black Soul.

"Prince Pluto, am I right?" She asks me and has a smile on her face that lights the hope in her eyes. I smile and nod, grabbing her hand to shake it. She gladly grabs my hand and brings me into a small hug.

"That is me. The one and only." I tell her after I pull away from her and she eyes Jaejin next to me, then the guards behind us that haven't been all that subtle at all.

"I hope you were treated fairly before coming home. We are glad the Lost Prince is home again." She curtsies and leaves. I translate the Embery to Jaejin and he chuckles.

"Home." He says, I can see the furrow in his brow and he only shakes his head.

"Jae.." I whisper and he only grabs my hand in response. I take the directions that Nova gave us and find her General's father. He has a big booth, all sorts of steel and armor is at his booth. There's rider armor and dragon armor. The booth is made of wood but it's strong considering all the weight that it's carrying. I then notice how much she looks like her father. He's human and on the older side, but he still looks like a buff warrior. He has ebony dark skin, brown eyes, and a shaved head. I notice the roundness of his ears and the smile that he conveys with every customer that comes up to his booth. We walk up to his booth and he smiles.

"Mr. Buzas Steel, how can I help you today, sir?" He asks in a thick Embery accent that I almost don't understand the language. Since I had to relearn it.

"Nova Kardos and your daughter, Czillia, sent us," I told him, "Nova needs battle caps for Charys. They dulled. Orion also said he needs polish for his saddle, the one label with the red dragon." I tell him and he nods, grabbing two horn caps that are made of the finest silver. I can tell they have been sharpened recently and don't have a dullness to them at all. He hands me a vial of polish with a red dragon on it, made here in Embery it reads, and should last my brother quite a long time with its thickness.

"Are you related to Nova? Or a warrior of hers?" He asks after I pay for the caps and hand it to a guard that was behind me, along with the polish.

"Pluto Kardos." I tell him and he nods, then grabs my shoulder, squeezing it.

"Welcome home, son. Red Blaze will be in good hands with the Kardos children united again." He says and then he's off to the next customer. I look at Jaejin out of the corner of my eye and I watch his jaw tighten. He doesn't like it when they welcome me home, not that I can't blame him. It was like every time his father would talk about the cute children he would make with his ex-girlfriend, Olivia. It was like there was a dragon sitting on my chest, and that my heart was in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't imagine him with anybody else and right now, I'm sure he doesn't want to think about whether I want to stay here or not. We walk down the dirt path of the city and pass the many shops, booths, and food vendors that line both sides of the path. Some call out to get us to stop, more people ask to speak with me, and a lot more congratulate me for coming home. Jaejin's jaw tightens, and the more he gets quiet. By the time we walk around the city, it's time for our dinner reservations. I'm not so sure that I am ready for my date with Jaejin.

I knew what I was doing when I set up the dinner reservation but I wasn't aware that my sister tampered with it. The restaurant is a one level building, tan marble columns that seem to hold up the building. There are four square shaped tables with silver silk tablecloths. There are red chair covers, two plates, and two wine glasses that seem to sparkle in the sunset. Jaejin had pulled my chair out and pushed me in when I sat back down. I had looked at the menu and noted that it was a mixed menu. It was in Embery so I had to translate it for Jaejin, then also told him it was time he learns the language. His in-laws speak the language and so do I, now. The dishes are mixed between Red Blaze and Silver Air traditional dishes. It seems that there are more Silver Air dishes though so I am guessing the owner or the chef must be from there or their family was before it got acid spat to ashes.

"I am Ceyx, I will be your server today," The name is Notian, the language they spoke once in Silver Air, "Can we start off with drinks?" I notice his Embery is rusty, his accent must be Notian because I don't recognize it.

"Your finest Merlot wine," I tell him and he nods, "Do you speak Notian?" I ask him.

"I do. My family is from there, did you recognize my accent?" He smiles and I nod.

"It's my mother's language, it was easy to recognize. I hope a kid of the Kallis family knows his mother's language." I say with a nervous chuckle and Jaejin knocks his foot into my ankle; I look over to my mate with nervous eyes. I can read Jaejin like the back of my mind, but this look? I don't know it at all. His eyes are narrowed, his lips are in a straight line, and his jaw is tense.

"Welcome home, Prince Pluto." The man smiles and Jaejin's jaw seems to tighten even more if that's possible.

"Our drinks please? My mate and I are thirsty." My mate grits out in Embery and I'm shocked. He must be teaching himself or someone in my family is teaching him. His Zraeg accent is ringing through when he speaks but I find it sexy. Our waiter bows and is off to grab our wine.

"Since when do you know how to speak the language?" I ask him with a small smile on his face and that seems to relax his tense body language.

"Zsoka has been teaching me, and so has Lucijan." He curtly tells me and I wince. Something is bothering him and I don't know what possibly it could be. Our waiter comes back with the bottle, and is off again, helping another table that is on the other side of the restaurant. Jaejin grabs the bottle, pulling the cork out, and pouring us some wine in our glasses.

"Do you know what you are going to eat for dinner? Can you read it?"

"I'm fine, Pluto. I can read it fine." He curtly tells me again and I huff, crossing my arms across my chest. He finally looks at me and my pissed off expression. The waiter comes back before Jaejin can ask me what's wrong, although I want to know the same with him.

"What do we want for dinner?"

"I'll take the eggplant lasagna." I tell our waiter and he writes it down on his notepad that he is carrying around. I look at Jaejin and so does the waiter.

"I'll take the stuffed cabbage rolls." He says and the waiter leaves us once again, and I look at Jaejin again.

"What's wrong? You've been cranky since we got to Salak, and I am mad at you," I snapped at him, "We are supposed to be on our first date! But all you can do is glare at my people, my home, even the waiter." I angrily tell him and he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Pluto, I'm sorry, okay? It's.. just, I need to get over myself is all. Let's have our date huh?" He asks me and I don't really believe him but he smiles at me so I relax. So I dive myself in like I always do when it comes to Jaejin, hoping he catches me this time.