It had been two weeks since the mages arrived. There had been more expeditions since the first night, and Jael seed a little more confident about them. But that wasn’t the problem for Mauve—the problem was that Jael was leaving the castle in only a few days.
She didn’t know how long he would be away, but given how swiftly he wanted to act, Mauve worried he might stay away for so ti. That felt especially hard for her, with her baby due in less than two months.
It would be naïve to think the war could possibly be over by then. They had to do a thorough job—leaving even one Paler would guarantee that more would rise in its stead. Their best bet was to get rid of them completely.
"You aren’t eating," Jael’s voice broke through her thoughts.
Mauve forced a smile as she looked at him. He was sitting next to her and carefully placed his palm on her arm, lightly caressing her.
"I am fine," she said, noticing that the whole table had stopped eating to pay attention to them. She didn’t want to draw it out any longer.
Jael didn’t press, and he slowly took his hand off her arm. Eventually, the last al was over and Mauve was led to the bedroom. She got ready to sleep, and Jael joined her in bed.
"You’ve been out of it all day," he said with concern as she lay beside him.
"Have I?" she asked, feigning ignorance as she scooted closer.
"Yes," he replied seriously. "Are you in pain? Or is the baby bothering you?" He rubbed her stomach as he spoke.
Mauve shook her head. She didn’t want to tell Jael she was worried about him leaving, but she knew the less she spoke about it, the more her anxiety would grow.
"I will miss you," she whispered. She would have given him a tight hug if she could, but not with the baby between them, so she would have to settle for this.
" too, darling."
She blushed, feeling her face grow warm as he pressed against her back.
"I haven’t left yet, and I already miss you," he said, placing his nose at the nape of her neck and taking a deep breath.
Mauve smiled sadly as she did her best to savor being held in his arms. She didn’t have much longer, and she told herself it was for the best, but she found herself close to tears at the thought of him leaving.
The next couple of days were quite busy as they packed supplies and weapons, and intense preparations were made. However, as busy as things were, Jael never left her side. He was spending even more ti with her.
Kieran was also part of the expedition and had arrived at the castle five days after the mages. Jael had needed soone who could attend to their wounds close by. When he arrived, Mauve had discussed her idea of using magic to heal, and he told her he was making significant progress with her blood. He was convinced he already had the cure but wanted to run a few more tests before drawing any conclusions.
It was also then that she learned Louis had stayed behind to train healer mages. He was fully aware that humans couldn’t heal as fast as vampires, and with so few mages, he had to ensure they remained at optimal strength.
According to Jael, Louis would return with three healers, but instead of coming to the castle, they would head straight for the stronghold. So of the mages were already there—including Farrell, who considered himself the leader of the mages and was the only one who had remained composed the first ti a Paler appeared.
Mauve was pretty disappointed that Louis would not be returning to the castle before they left for Nolands. She had not seen him for quite so ti. But her disappointnt was nothing compared to Mill who looked heartbroken.
Mauve was pretty convinced now that there was sothing between them but she couldn’t. Even if she was that nosy, she was too overwheld with the thought of Jael leaving her.
The last day Jael would be in the castle soon arrived, and Mauve couldn’t sleep. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, and even the baby was restless—though she suspected that might be her own fault.
"I am going to be fine, my darling," he whispered into her ear.
Mauve sniffed and nodded. She wasn’t crying yet, but she was close. She was so sad it physically hurt. Part of her felt confident, and another part worried she would never see him again—but overall, she knew she would miss him terribly.
"It pains greatly to leave you—you have no idea. Especially so close to our child’s birth. I can’t believe I have to let you do this all on your own."
"I will be fine," Mauve said, even though she didn’t quite believe her own words. "The physician and midwife are here, and Ferguson tells there’s nothing amiss. He checks every day. I have your aunt, too, and Mill."
"I know you’re in good hands."
"I know you’re in good hands, too," Mauve repeated his words.
"Good," he whispered.
She knew all the vampires would protect their Primus, and even if so wouldn’t, she was confident that Erick, Danag, and Louis would do everything to protect him. She had also heard rumors that Damon would join them at the stronghold for the battle. The lords were bringing as many vampires as they could spare. This was a large-scale war and the success would benefit them all.
She had little cause to worry with everything in place, but as they had both refused to say, it still wasn’t enough. They both wanted to be right next to each other. However, neither voiced it—they didn’t want to make it any harder.
"I will send you off with the biggest smile ever. Make sure you co back to ."
Jael wrapped his arm tightly around her. "I wouldn’t dare leave you, My Love. I will be back before you know it."
Mauve nodded, forcing herself to sleep, but she barely got any rest. When she finally did, it was filled with nightmares. She was deeply distressed but did her best to keep it hidden, and finally dusk arrived.
Mauve sat on the bed as Jael dressed for battle. He put on simple clothes—at first, Mauve was worried—but then he placed light armor on top, protecting the most vulnerable parts of his body. Finally, he took his axe and strapped it to his back.
Mauve nodded as she sat in bed, her lower lip trembling as she fought back tears. Not long ago, Jael wouldn’t even use weapons, preferring to attack Palers with his bare hands. Now, he was willing to wear armor.
She couldn’t be prouder. It made her extrely happy and lifted her heart just a little. Things were going to be alright.
"My mate," he called.
Mauve couldn’t help but smile—the nas he called her ward her heart. Her eyes were a little red, and her jaw hurt from holding back tears, but she had promised to send him off with the biggest smile ever.
"Yes," she replied, stretching her hand out so he could help her up.
Jael pulled her to her feet and kissed her. When he broke the kiss, Mauve’s vision blurred as tears made it hard to see. They rolled from the corners of her eyes down her cheeks.
He wiped them gently. "What happened to sending off with the biggest smile ever?"
"Who said I can’t smile while crying?" she scoffed.
"I did," he replied. "It breaks my heart."
"I love you," she said with a laugh. "May the goddess be with you."
Jael kissed her cheek and held her gaze for a long mont before pulling away and taking her hand. He led her toward the door just as Mauve leaned against him.
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