One

Nessa swallowed her tears. The emotions tangled in her belly were half frustration, half anticipated homesickness. She was eager to get on her way, yet sad to go, and her mother’s nervous hovering wasn’t helping things.

“I’ve got to get packed, Mama. Ig’s waiting.” She surveyed her bedroom for any last-minute items she thought she’d need over the next few months.

“I know, honey. But you know it won’t be that long a trip. Gerri Wilder could call any day to tell us she found you a mate. The clan leaders’ sons are all at the age when they should find mates, and no doubt they’ll be going to her. She’s the best matchmaker there is!”

Nessa suppressed a long-suffering sigh and instead just nodded at her mother. “Well, if that happens, I’ll be on the next transport home. I promise.”

The truth was she put little stock in the likelihood of the matchmaker hooking her up with an actual clan leader’s son. That was her mother’s dream, not hers. Not that she wouldn’t entertain the idea if it happened—the trio of ancient bear shifters who led the Hill Clans all had sons worthy of any woman’s attention. But the three elders who made up the council were still hale, robust leaders, and their sons weren’t actually required to mate until they assumed the mantles of leadership.

At this stage, it was all just a little girl’s fantasy to be the mate of one of them. She’d outgrown those dreams in her father’s kitchen, learning to love cooking for their rich dragon patrons. The Karstens felt more like family than any of the southern bear clans did, even though her parents were their employees. She’d grown up with Ignazio, looking up to the young dragon shifter like she would an older brother.

Now that Ignazio was a famous Arena League Champion, he had begun carving his own path. He’d stepped out from his late father’s shadow, but hadn’t forgotten Nessa’s family.

She snapped her luggage closed and turned to give her mother a hug. Her mother’s sweet honeysuckle scent pervaded her senses, and she inhaled despite the surge of sadness that nearly overwhelmed her. She wished her father were here to say farewell to her, and to beam and chuff about how proud he was.

“I only want you to be happy, honey, you know that,” her mother said softly. “I want you to have what your father and I couldn’t give you.”

“I know, Mama,” Nessa said, wiping her eyes. “But this is what I want more than anything. Now that Papa’s gone, it only makes sense for me to work for Ig. And with him moving, it’s my chance to . . .” She shrugged. “Have my own kitchen.”

She was also ready to step out from her father’s shadow, which had lingered long after his death two years earlier. Her dad had been a master chef for more than a century to the Karstens and their entire extended family of dragon shifters. It wasn’t as prestigious a position as working for the leader of the Nova Aurora dragon clans, but it was close.

Her mother patted her cheek and gave her a patient smile. “Soon enough you’ll have your own staff to cook for you. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

Nessa almost strained herself to avoid rolling her eyes. There was no getting through to her mother that the thing she loved most was cooking. It was the closest thing to making magic that she could think of. But then her mother wasn’t a chef. It was her father’s first love, and he was the one who had instilled that love in Nessa practically since birth.

She hauled her heavy suitcase off the bed and carried it through the door, heading down the stairs with her mother close behind. Ignazio sat at the breakfast table, silently sipping his tea. He looked up when she came in and she gave him a little wave. “Ready when you are.”

“Excellent!” he said, standing and approaching her. “Thank you for agreeing to this, Ness. Your dad’s old kitchen misses you. You’re going to love it at the lake. It’ll be like old times.”

“Until you’re mated, anyway,” her mother interjected. “I will call you as soon as I hear from Mrs. Wilder.”

“Can’t wait, Mom!” Nessa gritted through her teeth. She shared another teary hug with her mom, then extracted herself and shut the front door behind her.

“You’re not going to run off and get mated on me, are you?” Ignazio asked on the way to his transport. The cargo hold at the back was filled with her belongings, mostly kitchen supplies, along with any other things she couldn’t live without. He carefully loaded her suitcase in the last available spot and closed the dome-shaped hatch.

“Hell no. Mama means well. I think she’s always idolized the upper class and sees me as her chance to become part of it before she gets too old to enjoy it.”

Ignazio frowned as he started up the transport and they lifted off the ground, hovering in mid-air for a moment while the engines warmed up. “I thought you guys were always happy working for us,” he said. “If you ever need anything . . .”

“Oh! Ig, please. Don’t let my mom’s behavior give you the wrong idea. I’m beyond thrilled that you asked me to be your chef. And by the way, thank you for not letting it slip that you’re renovating the lake house. If Mom knew, she’d have tried to make me wait until it was finished.”

“Well, you can’t very well give your input on the new kitchen if you aren’t there. I’ve hired one of the best builders for this project. He’s ready and waiting to work with you on every detail. And I mean that—whatever you want, you just tell him. You’ve got carte blanche on the kitchen.”

She grinned at him. “I can’t wait!”