by L. C. Mawson
Elizabeth raised her hands. “All right, all right.” She opened up her packet of crisps before changing the subject. “So, do you have any classes this afternoon? I don’t and Naveen won’t be back until later if you want to hang out with me in my room to avoid the Mer-bitch.”
“Yeah, I’m free and hanging out sounds nice.”
ELIZABETH AND I BOUGHT a lot of snack food – mostly at Elizabeth’s insistence that I was probably underestimating just how many calories I’d burned with my fiery explosion earlier – and then took it back to her room.
I started doing my reading for History of Magic, and as I slowly recovered my energy, Elizabeth showed me some basic training exercises to focus my magic.
It was mostly sitting on the floor and doing breathing exercises and meditation, the fire from before now completely faded and feeling beyond my reach.
“Are you sure this is the best way for me to figure out my magic?” I asked as it got late.
Elizabeth had shifted me some pyjamas from my room before promising to show me later, so I was at least comfortable as exhaustion crept in.
“I mean, I’m a Dragon,” I continued. “Shouldn’t I focus on things that are slightly more... active?”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Who is the top of her class here?”
I huffed. “It’s not my fault that I wasn’t allowed to study even basic magic before now.”
Elizabeth gave me a soft smile before shifting two wine glasses into her hands.
She made her way over to a box of wine at her desk, one that I recognised as the one she’d charmed to never run out. I hadn’t considered that she might take it to uni with her...
“I’m sorry, Skye. I know it must have sucked to wait so long to get your magic.”
I smiled back, appreciating the effort, but Elizabeth couldn’t really understand. She’d hit puberty early, so she’d gotten both her period and her magic at age ten.
And then their bond had triggered Naveen’s magic not much later.
They probably didn’t even remember a time before.
And they’d grown up with three magical mothers. Yes, Mina was mostly Human, but she still wielded a wand that her Witch grandmother had given her. And they all worked within the magical world.
Elizabeth didn’t know what it was like to go to high school and university with Humans that she had to lie to constantly, knowing that letting them close was potentially dragging them into lethal danger.
Elizabeth and I stayed drinking and talking until the early hours of the morning, when Naveen finally stumbled into the room.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow as he approached. “You feel awful. Have you had your nose stuck in a book all day? Have you even eaten?”
“I’m fine,” Naveen mumbled as he dropped his books onto his desk.
His sister gave him a look that said that she very much didn’t believe him, but then she shrugged. “Well, at least you didn’t try to pull an all-nighter. Seriously, what got you so distracted so early in the school year?”
“New library books on rune-making.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “You should know better than to let your special interest get in the way of your sleep.”
“You’re no better.”
I just focused on my wine, getting the impression that the twins had forgotten I was there.
“Maybe not, but I at least show some restraint when I’ve got classes in the morning. Not to mention, you need to respect my sleep as well as my roommate.”
“Sorry. I’ll shift in quietly next time. And if you were waiting up for me, you don’t have to. I promise, I’ll be quiet when I come in.”
“You say that as if I can sleep when I’m worried that you’re not back yet.”
“Worried? About what, Lizbeth? We’re on campus, nothing’s going to happen to me. And you can see that I’m okay through our bond. I’m not going to set my schedule around your anxiety.”
Elizabeth just glared at him as he pulled off his shirt and heat flushed my cheeks.
Yeah, he really hadn’t noticed that I was there.
I looked away as he pulled on some pyjamas, doing my best to pull my gaze away from his lean muscles.
“I should head back to my room and let you sleep,” I mumbled, putting my wine glass down as I made my way to the edge of Naveen’s bed, where I’d been sitting.
But Naveen ignored me, flopping down on the bed next to me and immediately passing out.
As soon as he was out cold, he reached out with his arm, wrapping it around my waist and drawing me closer.
I was sure that I was bright red at that point as I tried not to read too much into the move.
He probably had no idea that it was even me next to him. It was just an instinctive reaction in his sleep.
Elizabeth smirked. “You know, if you want to keep avoiding Lorelei, I’m sure Naveen won’t mind you staying over.”
I glared at her. “Yeah, I’m sure he’d be thrilled to wake up and find me here, curled up next to him.”
Elizabeth’s smirk widened. “Well, I didn’t necessarily mean with him, but I also don’t think he’d mind that.”
I glared at her as I tried to gently extract myself from Naveen’s arm.
But it refused to move.
Damn Demon strength. Naveen really was latched onto me...
I tried to pull harder, though still careful not to wake him.
“Skye,” he mumbled as his arm gently pulled me closer to him.
Ice ran down my spine as I thought he’d woken up and I would have to explain this – not that it was my fault, but still... – but no, he was still asleep.
And his unconscious mind clearly knew I was closer and wanted me to stay there.
I could just wake him, but... Well, he was so exhausted, that seemed almost cruel. And if he wanted me there... Well, he couldn’t be too annoyed with me in the morning if he was the one to keep me pinned there.
And I really didn’t want to deal with Lorelei if I could avoid it.
“Fine,” I hissed at Elizabeth. “I guess I’m staying here.”
Chapter Seven
I frowned as I found myself in a familiar-looking cave. Where had I–
Right. I’d dreamed of this place during my initiation.
Just as I was about to question where he was, the gorgeous half-naked man who claimed to be a Great Dragon walked out from the shadows.
I did my best to keep my gaze firmly on his face, not his muscled torso, but that only marginally helped the situation.
“So,” he drawled as he approached and I found myself once more rooted to the spot, “your second time visiting me and you do so while in the arms of another man.”
My cheeks flushed. “You say that as if... Well, as if something happened last night. It didn’t. Naveen and I are just friends.”
I had no idea why I was defending myself to a man who was probably just a figment of my imagination – some fantasy my mind had come up with in my sleep because it was getting sick of waiting for me to confess to Naveen – but the words tumbled from my mouth before I could think better of them.
“Just friends?” the so-called-Great-Dragon said as he closed the space between us, his hands going to cup my breasts while I forgot how to breathe. “Your body’s reaction doesn’t tell me that you’re just friends.”
His thumbs gently stroked over my nipples, as if to make the point that they were rock hard, and I couldn’t stop myself from whimpering.
Damn it, why did I have to have the weirdest sex dreams?
And while curled up next to Naveen as well...
Somehow that thought only added fuel to the desire building within me.
Xiatyan smirked. “No, whoever this boy is, you want to straddle and ride him until you’re both thoroughly spent. And I’m sure that I could find more evidence of your desire if I ventured lower, but perhaps that’s an adventure for another night.”
I didn’t know whether to be relieved or frustrated as he stepp
ed away from me, his hands moving from my chest to rest gently on his hips.
“Don’t worry, Skye. Dragons do not cage their mates. It seems only fair that you find others to sate yourself with while I’m trapped beneath the ground.”
I placed my hands on my hips, his distance allowing my rational mind to slowly retake the wheel. “Yeah, so, this whole bride thing. Quick question: what the fuck?”
He just smirked at my glare. “It’s fairly simple, Skye. I like you and want you to be my mate.”
“Uh-huh. But, see, I remember you saying something about children last time, which was a real leap, given that it was our first time talking.”
He shrugged. “I am immortal, Skye. I don’t treat time the same way you do. What is a long time for you is the blink of an eye for me. I’m aware that I may be speaking as if I see this all going by quickly, but that is only from my perspective, not yours. I don’t expect you to bond with me or bear my children tomorrow, but several years from now feels almost the same to me.”
“So, in several years? That’s what you’re expecting? And what if I don’t want to meet those expectations? This is only the second time we’ve talked and you seemed pretty certain that I would want to bond with you and have your children even the first time we spoke.”
He just grinned. “You know, most people wouldn’t be able to ask such questions so quickly. Great Dragons tend to inspire awe in others, even in our Human forms. It can take weeks or even months for people to shrug it off, but you’ve already done so.”
I frowned. He was right, I could barely think straight around him before, but the longer I stayed in his presence, the easier it got.
My mouth still went dry at the sight of him, but I wasn’t so lust addled that I couldn’t question his ridiculous propositions.
“I suppose, if you want answers, I should start at the beginning,” Xiatyan said, casually leaning back against the stone wall of the cave. “The other Great Dragons and I came to a disagreement. Back when there were other Great Dragons.”
“A disagreement? What kind of disagreement?”
“I assume you know your history. How Priestesses like you came to be.”
“The Great Dragons had children with Humans. They became Priestesses, Drakes and Wyverns.”
“Indeed. We used to travel to Earth to take Human lovers, and then our children would often choose to follow us back home to the Vulcan Plains, where they could help us when we were too tired to change forms. The Vulcan Plains were a dangerous place, and smaller threats were sometimes harder for us to deal with in our large forms. But Priestesses find their Human form less tiring, and Wyverns are naturally small, despite their strength. And Drakes can have any combination of those strengths.
“But then the Great Dragons started to tire of travelling. Why go to Earth, where the other Humans could discover your true form and attack, when we could just bring the Humans to us?” He shook his head in disgust. “Mass kidnappings. The Great Dragons grew too greedy and complacent, and they sought to make their lives easier by making Human lives miserable. Yes, living on Earth was hard for us, but living in the Vulcan Plains was much worse for a Human. The environment itself was inhospitable.”
“So, you didn’t agree?”
“No. I didn’t want complacent breeding stock made miserable by life in the Plains. I wanted what we had before. To go to Earth and find marvellous gems like you.”
Heat rushed through me at the compliment, and the dark glint in his eye as he’d given it.
He then shrugged, letting the moment pass. “Some Dragons agreed with me, some didn’t... We got as close to civil war as we ever had in our history, and that was far from what I wanted. So, it was mutually agreed that I would slumber beneath the Earth, where I couldn’t incite more trouble. I was supposed to be woken up when the trouble had passed, but I suppose that the Shadows came and killed all the Great Dragons before they could.
“I’ve been straining against the spells binding me for years, and while they have weakened, I can only break free for short periods of time, with the help of a powerful Priestess. Like you.”
I frowned. “So, that’s all this is? You know, you could just ask me to free you without bonding with me.”
“I could, but it would only be temporary. No, it is not you who will free me permanently, but the children I will sire with you when you temporarily break my bonds.”
“Yeah, I’m still not sure about the whole children thing. Especially if you only want to have them with me because I’m powerful enough to produce kids that can free you.”
He gave me a reassuring smile. “This isn’t just because you’re powerful. I made that mistake once before, and it did not end well. I will not choose a Priestess that I do not love this time.”
“Love? You barely know me. How can you know that you love me?”
He shrugged. “I have lived for millennia and have had hundreds of partners over that time. I know myself well enough to choose an appropriate bride from just a short time observing her.”
“And how do you know that I will love you?”
“Well, one of the criteria for an ‘appropriate’ bride is one who will return my affection. I’m not looking for another pawn, Skye. I’ve spent the past twenty years thinking this over, and I think I need a partner. Not just to free me, but to help me when I take my first steps in this new world. I am tired of being alone.”
His expression turned sombre, but only for a moment before smiling once more. “But I should remind you that I think of time differently. I’m aware that affection and love take time to bloom. I can be patient.”
“So... If you don’t expect me to love you or bear children for you now, what do you expect?”
“Well, I got enough of a feel for you when you were initiated to know that you would make an appropriate bride, but I want to know more about you.”
“About me?”
He shrugged. “I told you about myself, did I not?”
“I... I suppose you did. But what do you want to know?”
I expected him to ask me about my past, but instead he said, “How was your day?”
“My... My day?”
“Yes, what’s so confusing about that?”
“What’s so confusing about a Great Dragon wanting to hear about my first day at a new university? Won’t that be... Boring?”
“I have been trapped, sleeping, in an underground cell for hundreds of years, only able to reach out every so often to talk to people through their dreams like this. There is very little that bores me at this point.”
“All right. Well... I had my first class in Dragon magic today. But I struggled to maintain my fire in the same way that my classmate did. And when I tried to strengthen it, I lost control and created a blast of flames across the room.”
He cocked his head as he examined me. “Can you show me your powers? I would like to see that blast.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me.”
I frowned, not sure that I was ready to trust a man claiming to be a Great Dragon and saying that he wanted to take me as his mate, despite only talking twice in my dreams.
But... Well, what did I have to lose?
So, I reached my palms out and thought back to how I’d felt in the classroom, my need to prove that I was just as capable as James.
Fire sprang from my hands, just like it had before, reaching up to the ceiling of the cave.
I didn’t fall back this time, but I did stumble, turning to Xiatyan to apologise.
But he wasn’t annoyed. No, he was staring at me with awe, his eyes wide as if seeing the sun for the first time.
“Skye... You should not be ashamed of your powers. Any Priestess would struggle to tame a power so strong.”
I flushed. “I... Really? I mean, I knew it was strong, but...”
“A blast so strong so soon after your initiation is incredibly impressive. Of course, you can’t control it, no one could.”
I sighed. “But I n
eed both strength and control if I want to become a High Priestess. I can’t just settle for one or the other.”
Xiatyan smiled. “I admire your fire and your ambition, but you have been misled here. You should not seek to control your power – you can’t, a being of pure fire cannot be tamed – but you should instead seek to work with it. If you let me, I can show you.”
I frowned. “If you do, will I remember in the morning? I didn’t remember our last discussion until I was back here.”
“Not exactly – not while your mind is still adjusting to the tentative bond between us – but hopefully some part of you will remember your time here.”
“If you’re so sure that this will work out between us, why is the bond ‘tentative’? Surely if we’re so compatible, it would get strong quickly.”
“Because the bond goes both ways. We both need to accept it for it to strengthen. And you need to accept it when you’re awake, which means that you can only accept it once you start to remember.”
He shrugged and shifted his weight. He was sheepish, I realised, the knowledge feeling strange.
Even if he wasn’t the powerful being he claimed, he’d still been nothing but confident while we’d talked.
“I must admit that I’m nervous,” he said. “Until you remember enough to accept the bond between us, I can’t protect you. Life on Earth can be dangerous. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you in the meantime.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I’m at university on a campus magically guarded from the rest of the world. I don’t think I’m going to be in any danger here.”
Chapter Eight
I awoke with a pair of warm arms wrapped around me and I tensed.
Andrea always got weird when we woke up together.
But no, I remembered as the sleepy fog slowly lifted from my mind, Andrea had reacted like that because we’d never established our relationship as anything more than drunken hook-ups.
And when I’d tried, she’d pushed me away.
But this wasn’t Andrea, this was Naveen.
