by Riley Storm
Circe waved her hand at Bowen, who just sputtered impotently.
“Infected. Here? How?”
Anna shook her head. “We don’t know. Through the portal somehow, last night. We’re not sure. We couldn’t see any sign of change in it. But they were here.”
“Only one came through,” Damien said, speaking up. The other one we recognized as one of our own who came through the portal themselves. He must have been in the area and the Infected found him and overwhelmed him.”
Circe nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
That was what Anna admired about the woman. Despite the news that one of the Infected had somehow made it through the portal, her first instinct was to feel sad for the dragons that another one of their kind had been killed. That was a woman she could respect.
“Thank you,” Damien said solemnly. “I’m sorry for the trouble I have caused at Winterspell.”
Circe continued to nod slowly. “I believe you.”
Anna sensed a major ‘but’ coming.
“But I also believe that, based on your actions defending my witches today, you did so not to cause trouble, but because you believed you needed to do what you were doing.”
Initiate Bowen’s eyes were bugging out as the Circe continued to refrain from doing what the young woman wanted.
“It was my fault too, Circe,” she said, speaking up. “I disobeyed your orders about the shifters. Punish me, not him.”
“Yes!” Bowen cried, but was silenced by a glare from Circe.
“By rights I should,” the head of the Coven of Winterspell said slowly. “But it sounds like you’ve done a great deed today as well, helping defeat these Infected. Should I punish you for that as well?”
Anna shrugged, not sure what to say in response to that.
“Perhaps, in light of these new circumstances, the two acts should cancel each other out?
Anna could barely believe what she was hearing. No punishment?
“What about for Damien?” she asked, speaking up. “He was just as instrumental as I was. More so, really. If he’s still going to be punished, then I am too.”
Circe sighed, tapping her jaw. “Perhaps I was too harsh on trying to keep our respective peoples apart. It seems that you’re getting along much better than I expected.”
Anna bit her lip, trying not to smile.
“Circe!” Initiate Bowen could no longer keep silent. “You can’t possibly be saying that! These two, they…they…”
The head of the Coven turned. “Initiate Bowen,” she said icily, emphasizing Bowen’s low rank. “I’m sure that I do not hear you telling me how to do my job. That’s not what you’re doing, is it?”
Bowen gulped. “No, Circe. Of course not.”
“Good.” The youngish-looking hand slipped from the robes again, tapping the smooth, defined jaw, which was all that Anna could see of the head of Winterspell. “Yes, I think my original idea is best. No punishments. No rewards.”
Anna held her breath as Circe turned to her.
“You will rejoin Winterspell. Your Apprentice level tests will commence as planned along with the others. If you pass or fail will be entirely in your hands, Initiate Sturgis, though I suspect you will have no troubles with it now.”
“Thank you, Circe,” she said, bowing her head, trying to keep it together.
“And you,” Circe said, pointing at Damien. “While I cannot discipline you, I will not request that Rokh do so either.”
Damien nodded. “Thank you.”
“However,” Circe added emphatically. “I will state that there are rules in effect for the dormitories. I will not have you wandering around in there. Nor will you break the curfew rules of the Initiates,” Circe said, switching her gaze back to Anna.
“Yes, Circe,” she said, much more subdued this time.
Circe was right. Initiates had a curfew they were expected to obey.
But Apprentices did not.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Anna
Anna steadied herself, taking in a low, slow breath as the black door in front of her split in half and began to swing open.
This was it. The final part of her Apprentice test. She’d taken the written section and passed that with flying colors, though nobody had really expected her to do any different. Even Anna had gone into that feeling fairly confident. Her brain was not a weak spot.
The practical test had been little different. Potions and enchantments, she’d been able to demonstrate with ease. Potions had arguably been her weakest showing so far. She just wasn’t that interested in them, and it showed. She’d passed, but it was closer than she was comfortable with.
Enchantments was a different story. Her ward was stronger than even she’d expected, and she’d added new runes to her staff that channeled power even more effectively before. With her newfound strength in magic casting, she’d needed something that could help contain the power better. The alterations were exactly what she wanted.
Now came the final test. The most important one of them all.
The Challenge.
It was a magical simulation designed to test her combat skills against enemies from the Abyss that the witches might face. There was nothing easy about it, and this was where the majority of those trying to pass would fail.
Anna was determined not to fail.
Gripping her staff, she walked forward into the darkness, waiting as the doors boomed closed behind her. There was no going back now.
A voice spoke from everywhere and nowhere. “Initiate Sturgis. You have been granted an opportunity to take the Challenge, to pass from Initiate status to that of Apprentice of Winterspell Academy. This is a great honor and also a great test. Are you ready to proceed?”
“I am,” she called into the darkness, standing firm.
“Then begin.”
That was it. No preamble, no warning period. Nothing. The voice cried out, and then the room was dark, silent.
Anna fed some magic into her staff and bright white light pulsed from the top of it. She flicked the staff in front of her and the ball of light split, with half of it arcing through the air, sticking to a wall. She repeated this in every direction, lighting her surroundings.
So typical they would start us in the dark. Humans are instinctively afraid of that which they cannot see. Make us nervous to start, more likely to overreact.
Anna was in a tunnel, she realized quite quickly. Not large, rounded at the top.
From behind her, she heard the sound of many feet hitting the ground. Her eyebrows came together. No, not feet. Hooves. Lots of hooves.
Centaurs.
She smiled and, instead of running away, turned to face the oncoming sound.
After facing the Infected, a herd of centaur was nothing.
“Bring it on,” she hissed, and then Anna did something she never thought she would have done in the test.
She advanced to meet her enemy, staff blazing the way.
Nothing was going to stop her from becoming an Apprentice now.
***
Damien was pacing around in the waiting area, nerves clearly getting the better of him. He couldn’t help it. Anna was in there. His love. She was facing the biggest test of her life, and he couldn’t be there to help her.
“She’ll be fine,” Genna said from nearby, rolling her eyes. “Stop fretting.”
“I’m not fretting,” he said, crossing his arms and leaning up against the stone wall.
“Yes, you are. And it’s getting on everyone’s nerves,” the other woman said.
“Listen, just because you passed your test already, doesn’t mean you get to be arrogant about it,” Damien retorted.
From nearby, Anna’s other friend Courtney laughed. “Right? She’s insufferable.”
Rane smiled from where he stood next to Genna. “I don’t think it’s that bad. She has confidence in Anna. Isn’t that a good thing?”
Damien frowned at his storm dragon kin. There was something in the
way he spoke…
Before he could place it, the brown door opened, admitting Circe and another pair of Masters that he didn’t recognize.
“What’s this?” he asked nervously. “Where’s Anna?”
Behind them came Anna, and Damien breathed a sigh of relief. He knew it was extremely rare for someone to actually get hurt in the Challenge, and that only a couple of students had ever died during it, but he’d still worried about her.
He refrained from rushing over to her as she pivoted to face Circe and the flanking witches.
“Your challenge is complete, Anna Sturgis.”
Damien sagged. Not Apprentice. Just Anna. Clearly, it hadn’t gone that well after all.
“Yes, Circe. Thank you for the chance to show you what I can do. I am appreciative that you came to view my Challenge personally,” Anna said, standing straight, shoulders back.
Thank you for coming personally? So, the Circe did not attend every Challenge? Damien was confused.
“You present a most intriguing case to me, the Coven, and indeed to witches around the world. Never before has a witch grown in power like you have. I wished to watch to see if you were able to replicate that feat.”
Damien held his breath as the Circe continued.
“And you have succeeded. Congratulations, Apprentice Sturgis. You are a great boon to this Academy, and I expect many big things from you in the years to come. Keep it up.”
Circe extended her hand to Anna and shook it, while Damien tried not to shout with joy. This was her moment to celebrate after all, not his, but boy did he want to bellow and shout and make all sorts of noise. That was his Anna out there.
His mate.
Circe nodded once more to Anna, then she and the other Masters left the room.
Damien couldn’t hold it in any longer. He rushed over to her and picked her up, spinning her around. “I knew you could do it! I’m so proud of you!” He kissed her, only breaking apart when she pulled back.
“Thank you, my love,” she said quietly. “I know you’ll have faith in me always.”
“And forever,” he said.
Then they were mobbed by her friends and the celebrating began in earnest as Altair and Rane broke open bottles of champagne they had been hiding.
Damien smiled as Anna was swept up in it. He liked seeing her this happy.
He was going to do whatever it took to keep her this way.
This I swear.
Chapter Forty
Damien
“You’re positive this is a real thing?” he asked.
“Very positive,” she replied, not letting go of his hand. “The Legate handles all legal matters. We are still humans living in a non-magic country. Many of the customs there are used by us.”
“Uh huh.” He wasn’t so sure he bought that line. After all, there was no real way for him to verify this information. Anna could just be conning him into something.
Not that he was overly worried. He would do anything for that woman, but sometimes it didn’t hurt to put up a little bit of resistance. Make her work for things she really wanted. It helped him know what really meant a lot to her, and what didn’t.
“Oh, come on, what’s the harm?” she teased as they exited the building where the dragons were housed and headed across the courtyard.
“I don’t know…yet.”
She swatted at him with their joined hands. “Oh, come on. It’s not a big deal.”
He frowned. “Actually, it kind of is a big deal to me,” he said, ignoring the stares coming their way as they walked together, not bothering to hide their relationship from anyone.
There was no need anymore. The rumors of what had happened at the outpost had reached the Academy itself before either he or Anna had returned. Everyone now knew they were an item—if they hadn’t already—because of the now infamous Dormitory Dustup, as it was being called.
Still, he felt somewhat uncomfortable being the center of so much attention, and worried that those radicals, those who did not approve of the union of dragons and witches, would act out against Anna. It had been a week and so far, no change, but he did not know what the future held.
“Why is it such a big deal?” she asked, looking up at him. “It’s not taking anything away from you. Just adding.”
Damien considered that, his head bouncing from side to side as he thought it over. “You’re right,” he agreed. “But at the same time don’t forget, it’s changing me. Making me unlike the rest of my people, in a way that they have never done before. So, if you look at it that way, it is a big deal.”
Anna’s pace stalled and she spun lightly to be able to face him as they came to a halt. She didn’t drop his hand.
“If you’re not okay with this, my darling, we don’t have to go through with it. I just thought…”
“I know,” he said, giving her a reassuring grin. “And I’m not saying I don’t want to do it. Not at all. I just want you to know that it’s not just a casual thing you’re asking of me, but that it is a big deal.”
Anna nodded. “You’re right. I hadn’t really considered that it would be such a big deal for you. I’m sorry, dear.”
Damien smiled and leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. “No need to apologize, my love. I just wanted to ensure you were aware, that’s all.”
“Well I am now,” she said, cozying up at his side. “So, what do you want to do?”
“I want to go forward with it,” he said. “So let’s go!”
She smiled and started walking again. “That’s a sudden bout of enthusiasm,” she said suspiciously. “What am I missing?”
Damien grinned, leaning over to whisper in her ear as they walked. “Well, after we’re done with this, I figured that maybe we could go celebrate, and try out that thing you wanted to do with the…”
Anna swatted at him. “Oh, my God, you pervert,” she hissed. Then she smiled slowly. “Okay.”
“Then lead on!” he said loudly, taking several large steps, until Anna was forced to hurry to keep up.
“Good lord, what have I gotten myself into?” she moaned playfully.
Damien shook his free finger at her. “As if you don’t know. Now, we have a serious thing to take care of first, my dear. So, get your mind out of the gutter if you can.”
Rolling her eyes, Anna guided him into the main hall and toward a set of stairs. “As if I’m the one with the dirty mind. Yours is filthy.”
“Maybe,” he agreed with an innocent smile, bending over and abruptly lifting Anna into his arms. She yelped but didn’t fight back, having come to expect that sort of thing from him.
The Legate’s office was on the third floor. He carried her right up to the door before letting her down.
“Last chance to back down,” she offered.
He snorted and pushed the door open. “Not a chance.”
They walked inside and up to the desk, where a bored-looking witch waited. “Welcome to the Legate’s Office. What form do you need?”
Anna looked at Damien. He nodded his assent.
“We’d like to file for a formal change of name.”
The witch nodded. “Very well. You’re taking his?”
Anna shook her head. “No.”
Damien squeezed her hand. “I’m taking hers.”
***
***
Thank you for reading Stolen by the Dragon. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review so that others might enjoy the adventure as well.
Next Book: Trapped by the Dragon (Storm Dragons Book 2)
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Other Books by Riley Storm
High House Ursa
Bearing Secrets
Furever Loyal
Mated to the Enemy
Shifting Alliances
Blood Bearon
High House Canis
Savage Love
Blood Mate
; Moonlight Bride
Shadow’s Howl
Royal Alpha
High House Draconis
Fire Dragons Bride
Mated to the Water Dragon
Ice Dragon’s Caress
Earth Dragon’s Kiss
Claimed by the Dragon King
About the Author
Riley Storm
Riley is one of those early-morning people you love to hate, because she swears she doesn’t need caffeine, even though the coffee-maker is connected to her smartphone. She lives in a three-story townhouse by the good graces of a tabby-cat who rules the house, the couch, the table, well, basically everywhere. When she’s not groveling for forgiveness for neglecting to pet her kitty enough, Riley is strapped in to her writing chair coming up with crazy worlds where she can make her own decisions of when feeding time is and how much coffee can be drank without her friends—of which she has three—holding yet another intervention that they threaten to post on the internet.
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