Page 86 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

They were his family, his clan, and he was theirs—his commitment to them was as strong as his commitment to their princess.

Dagor

As the ceremony ended with the couple holding up their conjoined hands, the impact of the vows they'd exchanged stayed with Dagor. Clapping and cheering with everyone else, he wondered why he felt tightness in his chest.

Typically, he was not the type to get emotional, but he'd found himself unexpectedly moved by the heartfelt exchange between Amanda and Dalhu.

Their vows resonated with something inside of him.

It wasn't only the words, though. People often exaggerated their feelings or their statements for a greater impact on their audience. But the looks Dalhu and Amanda had exchanged, the expression of devotion on their faces, those were much more difficult to fake or seem more remarkable than they were.

Their love was authentic, deep, and evoked a yearning in Dagor that he was tired of fighting against.

He wanted what Amanda and Dalhu had, and he wanted it with Frankie, a human who might or might not be a Dormant who he might or might not turn immortal.

How could he allow himself to fall for her, given so much uncertainty?

Perhaps the nurse was right, and the Fates had brought him and Frankie together for a reason, and hopefully, it wasn't to torment them.

Dagor had done things that he wasn't proud of, but none had been serious enough to justify retribution from the Fates. A few pranks that hadn't been as funny as he had hoped and a few arguments that had gotten heated and resulted in hurt feelings or long-held grudges did not make him a bad guy who needed to be taught a lesson.

Everyone had some of that in their past.

Had Frankie? Perhaps the Fates wished to teach her a lesson?

Casting a glance at her, he chuckled. She was clapping much too enthusiastically for a human recovering from a gunshot, but when he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes, he didn't have the heart to tell her to stop.

Evidently, she'd been moved by the ceremony as much as he had been.

Were the same thoughts coursing through her mind?

Of course, they were.

Then again, even though she had been very clear about her expectations of him, she hadn't really verbalized her feelings for him.

Did she love him?

Feeling ridiculous, he shook his head. He was a god, young but not a boy, and he had always been pragmatic and goal oriented. Loving Frankie was illogical and impractical, and therefore, he should stop with the nonsense of thinking about her as his mate.

When Frankie had gotten hurt, Dagor had been overwhelmed with guilt and shame for failing to protect her as he had promised, and those feelings had clouded his thinking.

"It was so beautiful." Gabi wiped tears from her eyes with the napkin. "I need to start working on my vows for when we get married because the competition is stiff. Amanda and Dalhu's vows were even more impressive than Alena and Orion's."

Aru shook his head. "It's not a competition. All I want you to say is that you are mine forever, but since that doesn't need saying, a smile and a kiss will suffice."

"I need food." Frankie glanced at the doors leading to the kitchen. "When are they going to serve dinner? It's nearly midnight."

"I'm hungry too," Negal said. "All I've had since we came back were peanuts and pretzels."

As dinner was finally served, Frankie attacked the roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus with gusto, and at the rate she was going, Dagor would need to ask the servers to bring her another helping.

Was it a sign that she was entering transition?

Had Gabi been more ravenous than usual when hers had started?

Regrettably, Dagor couldn't ask Aru without revealing what he had done.

Aru had been the one who had suggested the transfusion, but only if it was necessary to save Frankie's life.