I Married A Dragon (Prime Mating Agency)(69)

Speaking of which, Kaida would leave work any minute now. I had given her a special marked stone, telling her to join me there when she was done, as I might be late picking her up otherwise. She didn’t question me. After all, we regularly went to the Kairns of Alja on Friday evenings, either to attend a Vayarka match, do an activity at the fair, or just hang out with my family or some other Shadow Lord-Ejaya couple by the orchard on the plateau. One of us arriving early would allow us to secure a good spot if watching the match or picnicking.

But I had a very different plan in mind.

I checked one last time that I hadn’t forgotten anything, including utensils. Feeling both excited and nervous, I headed to the Spirits Cave to prepare everything. The natural formation—although slightly helped by architects—had many little chambers that provided complete privacy for couples. They needed to be reserved in advance, the price very reasonable and affordable once a year. However, any additional visit in the same year became extremely steep to discourage those who would simply use it as a regular romantic getaway.

Moments after I finished setting up the table, my com chimed. A quick glance at the interface of my bracer displayed a message from Kaida, stating she was on her way. Considering the great distance it had traveled, the message had been sent at least a couple of minutes ago, meaning she’d be here any second now.

Heart pounding, I hugged the side of the cave, hiding in the darkness so that she wouldn’t see me when she first arrived. My perfect night sight had allowed me to function without light. The stone would take my Kaida right at the entrance of this specific cave, bathed by the fading daylight of Oddran.

As if summoned by that thought, a portal opened with a muffled thundering sound. Through its window, I watched my beautiful female wave goodbye to her colleagues before entering it. Like all non-Shadow Lords, she couldn’t see the other side of the portal like I did. So when she emerged on this side, Kaida stiffened to find herself in this unexpected location rather than the Kairns of Alja.

Lips parted in confusion, she tried to peer inside the darkness before casting an uncertain look over her shoulder at the portal. My poor female no doubt wondered if I’d accidentally given her the wrong stone. Not wanting to risk her jumping back into the vortex, I dismissed it with a flick of my hand.

Kaida jerked her head in my direction when my throat and chest glowed as I filled my heating chamber with hydrogen. I breathed out a soft stream of shadow flames at the ceiling, starting half a meter in front of her. Instantly, the microorganisms—somewhat similar to mushrooms that coated it—lit up in a wave. You would think a carpet of glowing pearls had unfurled overhead, lighting up the space.

My female gasped, her eyes widening with wonder. I extended a hand towards her. Her eyes still flicking this way and that, she approached with slow steps, taking my hand absentmindedly as she took in the dreamy aura the glowing lights had given the space.

“Welcome to the Spirits Cave, my love,” I said in a soft voice, drawing her to me.

“This is the Spirits Cave?” she exclaimed, finally focusing her stunned expression on me.

I stiffened, taken aback that she would know of it. “Y-yes. You’ve heard of it?”

She gave me a strange look, which shifted into a taunting expression. “You’re not the only one reading about the weird other species in our couple.”

I snorted. “Derakeens aren’t weird. Humans are.”

“Says you,” Kaida replied teasingly, before kissing my lips. “I can see why your people come here to exchange their wedding vows,” she continued wistfully. “It is breathtaking.”

I swallowed hard, tension building in my back that she knew this place’s main purpose. Sure, couples often came here merely for the magical experience of quality time together. But most came here to seal their engagement or formally exchange vows. I had intended to slip it in during the evening to see how she would respond to that possibility. After all, we hadn’t discussed her becoming my mate in months since that first time.

To my relief, Kaida didn’t seem distraught that I brought her here, appearing instead quite eager to find out what I had planned for us. I gladly obliged. Leading her by the hand, I breathed out more shadow flames, lighting up the rest of the space.

“Oh, my God! This is stunning!” my female exclaimed when the rest of the wide corridor we’d been walking in lit up.

The hallway flared open into an intimate four-square-meter space overlooking a pale purple river. The same dreamy glow bathed the room in the perfect light. In the center, a stone table laden with food awaited us.

“Sit, my Kaida,” I said, pulling the stone bench for her, the plush cushion on top making it comfortable.

She settled down, her beautiful face split in a wide grin. I turned on some soft, romantic human music from a portable device. My female couldn’t seem to decide if she wanted to feast her eyes on the various delicacies or on the spectacle of the bubbling river. Me scooping small portions of everything onto her plate forced her to pay attention to the meal I’d gathered for her.

“How did you get all of that?” she asked, a greedy expression settling on her features. “And how did you know these are all my favorites? I mean, how do you even know what they are?”

I puffed out my chest, feeling smug. “Simple, my Kaida. I listen when you speak. I memorize and take note when you don’t look, then research. Your colleague, Maeve, actually helped.”