She moved her knees to either side of me and adjusted herself with her hands on my stomach. Her weight pinned me inside of her as she took me deep. “So big it hurts,” she whimpered.

  “Take it all, and fuck me,” I growled.

  Desperate moans fell out of her as I moved my fire from her nipples to her clit and circled it, keeping the rhythm of the flames in sync.

  “Ro—Rowan!” She clenched around me and threw her head back. Then she began to move, rocking and circling on top of me as she got used to me.

  Fuck, she was perfection.

  Her eyes popped open, and she locked eyes with me as she began to bounce. A snarl ripped out of her as pleasure built in both of us. Our magic violently swirled around each other as we fucked. Her breasts bounced as my flames consumed her sensitive areas.

  She worked my cock with passionate need, wildly riding me as my flames burned her skin slow enough for her healing to keep up. “Need you so bad!” Her ears popped out on top of her head, and I could feel her tail sweep against my thighs as she moved.

  A mangled moan tore from my throat. “Wren…”

  Freezing, she dug her nails into my stomach, making me wince. “Rowan.” Pleasure stuttered down the bond as her eyes pleaded for help.

  I gripped her hips and drove into her harder as she gasped and moaned, riding me as her release claimed her. It rippled through her to me like a volcanic explosion. I thrust faster until pure bliss swelled inside of me with my fire, and I shot my seed into her with a surge of need.

  She sucked in a deep breath, her body shuddering and twitching on top of me before her muscles relaxed. All the anger that had been pent up inside her had exploded with her release, and I could feel her exhaustion through our bond.

  Pushing off my chest, she moved her hips up. My cock slid out of her and slapped against my stomach as she climbed off of me and down off the desk.

  My cum leaked down her thighs in thick rivulets.

  “You're not keeping it,” I noted, my instincts despising that.

  “I was on top. Gravity is working against it, you know.” Her breath ragged as she rolled her eyes playfully.

  My nostrils flared at her sarcasm, and I climbed off the desk and dropped to my knees in front of her. My fingers swept through my seed sliding down her thighs as I scooped it up and stuffed it back inside her pretty pussy with a growl.

  She whimpered at the intrusion, but my instincts shuddered in satisfaction. “Much better, fledgling.”

  A knock sounded on the door to my office, and I snapped my head toward it. I scented Blair and Tabitha on the other side and groaned.

  Wren turned and padded into our room before coming back with a robe. “I'm gonna take a shower,” she murmured, pressing a kiss to my cheek as she passed me the robe. “Thank you, Rowan. That was exactly what I needed.”

  “Good. Go take your shower, then I want you in my arms for the rest of the night.”

  “That sounds perfect.” She smiled, watching as I tied the robe on, then disappeared into our room.

  I stomped over and opened the door as I heard the bathroom door shut.

  Blair let out a frustrated sigh.

  Tabitha snorted. “It's great that you found your mate, but don't you think maybe you can save the sex for when you don't have company that you just called to come over?”

  Smoke billowed from my nostrils as I grunted, opening the door wider for them to come in. “Grayson was here.”

  “I know,” Blair clipped. “He tampered with her birth control potion. He's planning on taking her so that she can bear a dragon or drake. He thinks your seed will impregnate her, since you’re the strongest of her mates. He plans to steal her when she's pregnant. That's his plan. I saw it when he was talking to Roak,” Blair explained tentatively. “I just had the vision before you called.”

  I roared, flames bursting from my hands as I turned and grabbed the sphere from the ground. It must’ve fallen when Wren and I had been busy. “Like hell he will!”

  “It's okay,” Tabitha assured me, holding up a pink bottle. “Blair checked the past, and this is the first time he's done it. I made her a new birth control potion to take now.”

  “She's in the shower. I'll give it to her as soon as she's out.” Tabitha passed over the potion, and I put it in the pocket of the robe. “How did he get through the ward?”

  Tabitha strolled into my room and gasped. “He didn’t just get through the wards.” She spun on her heels as surprise flickered through her expression. “He shattered them. There are no wards in this room.”

  “How is that possible?”

  “Dark magic, I’d assume.” Her brows bumped together as she frowned. “I can make stronger wards in the room and bathroom and put an alarm on it so to speak. So if anyone other than who is allowed to get through it or if it breaks, magic will combust in here, alerting whoever is in the room or nearby and alert me as well.”

  “Do it.”

  She nodded, already getting to work as she pulled a dragon scale from her bag. She cast the spell for the wards.

  Tabitha and Blair did all they could to reinforce the wards, and Blair assured me that she didn't see any more moves to be made from Grayson for a while. She said she’d keep an eye on him, though. I took little comfort in that and saw them out.

  I tugged on a pair of sweats and transferred the potion to that pocket before climbing in bed with a sigh.

  Dragons were sick, but Grayson may be even sicker. Dark magic reeked of evil. We should’ve looked into it more when they did the ritual.

  Wren cracked the door open, steam rolling from the room as she stepped out. Her pale skin was red, and her tail and ears were still out.

  My eyebrows furrowed as she walked over and crawled over to me in bed, completely naked. “Fledgling, did you take a hot shower?”

  She rested her head against my chest as I embraced her tightly. “My magical energy is haywire, and while I feel much more relaxed after what we did… I'm just so angry.” Her voice cracked as she snuggled closer.

  I inhaled her bearberry scent, appreciating the hints of her other mates and me embedded within it. “You know, you had no fear or panic coming through the bond this time when you faced him. All there was, was anger and unease. You've grown so much, my fledgling. I couldn't be more proud.”

  She sniffled. “It just makes me mad. I mean, I don't know what he was trying to do with my birth control, but I do know that if I had…” Her breath caught in her throat.

  I shifted, shoving my hand in my pocket and pulled out the birth control potion that Tabitha had made and handed it to her. “Tabitha made this for you. Take it. I know you don't want any kids right now, and as much as I would love a little you running around, now is not the time.”

  A breathtaking smile spread across her lips as she looked up at me through glassy eyes and giggled, tossing back the potion in one gulp. “I only take it once a month, and it works. I usually take it as soon as I buy it, but this is the one time I haven't. It makes me wonder if he's somehow watching us the same way that the twins had watched Rhett.”

  My stomach churned at that. Rhett had come so far since meeting Wren. She changed all of us and for the better. We couldn't let anything happen to her.

  “I do want kids,” she told me, handing me the empty bottle, and I leaned over and placed it on the nightstand. “Just maybe after the war.”

  “Definitely after the war,” I rumbled. “I'm a firedrake. Our life expectancy is pretty long, and since it lengthens yours and your other mates, we have plenty of time to think about kids.”

  “That’s true,” she hummed.

  Damien came through the shadows and took one look at Wren, and his horns and tail slipped out. His shadows clung and swirled around him. “What happened? Why does she look like that? What was all that unease and anger through the bond?”

  Wren took a deep breath before explaining what had happened with Grayson, the birth control, and the wards.

  Damien punched two large holes in my wall, and I was thankful they magically repaired themselves, thanks to the enchantment on the academy. He undressed in a frenzy before he got in bed with us, Wren trapped in the middle of us.

  “Did you find anything?” I asked him.

  He growled, pressing another kiss to Wren’s head, inhaling her scent greedily. “There are two human facilities that hold werewolves. I have the locations.”

  Wren tensed. “You've been stalking the human territories without telling me?” Her voice went up an octave, and anger flooded the bond again.

  He flinched at the fury and venom in her tone. “I'm sorry, little bird. I was just doing a favor for Rowan. I didn't think anything of it.”

  She sighed, turning her head back and forth between us with accusatory glances. “If I were to go to the human territory in my incorporeal form to do some scouting without telling you, you would have been livid.”

  Understanding flashed in his eyes and resonated within me. She had a really good point, not that we’d ever have a need for our mate to do something so dangerous.

  “I'm sorry, little bird. I won't do it again. I promise.” Damien’s eyes glistened as he nuzzled her neck.

  “I'm sorry, too. I'm the one that told him to do it. We weren't hiding it or anything. We just didn't think about it.” I kissed her temple.

  “Just promise me you guys won't do that again without telling me.”

  “We promise,” we said in sync.

  I swooped in for another kiss, and desire permeated the air again.

  Damien growled. “She's insatiable.”

  “Sleep,” she murmured, pulling away from me and scooting herself under the covers more as we chuckled.

  “Get some rest, fledgling.”

  She was asleep before I even finished telling her. Damien and I shared a brief look before snuggling down in the bed beside her. A look that meant we would protect her with our lives.

  TWENTY-THREE

  Thorn

  I yanked the ornament out of my hair, letting the blue strands tumble down around me. I hated having my hair in that style, and I only wore it like this when I went to the Ice Kingdom. The ceremonial updo was a style all royals were supposed to abide by across the kingdoms. I crossed my legs as I shifted in the chair in front of Rowan’s desk.

  His fiery eyes met mine with a grim smile. “Do you think the Fire Kingdom royals will figure out you were behind Nate's death?”

  Letting out a ragged sigh, I tossed the ornament on his metal desk with a clank. “Honestly, I don't know. I don't think Nate was working by himself. I never quite thought he could corrupt himself the way he did. He wasn’t always so slimy. There had to be someone else pulling the strings with him. He was always impressionable.” I spread my fingers and lifted my hand, letting ice crystals form in the air around it. “I’ve discussed it with my parents already. They know Nate has been dealt with and that I did it. Hopefully, the Fire Kingdom doesn't catch wind of that, but it’s really only a matter of time.”

  “The kingdoms are already at war. What more can they do?” he mused, clutching that crystal sphere in one hand as fire swirled inside it.

  I snorted, letting the ice crystals dance around my fingertips. “They can come at us harder. I still don’t know the reason for the war. But Nate did, and he was angry about it. I should’ve let him tell me why, but I killed him before he could.”

  “I would’ve done the same.” He rubbed his other hand across his forehead with a sigh.

  “Not sure how I’m going to be king if I keep making reckless decisions…”

  “I’m one-hundred-twenty years old, the headmaster and founder of this academy, and the only firedrake on the Supernatural Council. I still make reckless decisions. I shifted into my drake form in here, and you’re the sole reason I didn’t tear this building to the ground.”

  “That’s true.” And it made me feel better to hear. Rowan was drowning in responsibility, and I would be the same when I became king. A bitter feeling swirled in my throat, and I swallowed it down.

  “You’ll be fine, Thorn. You have Wren as a mate, after all.”

  “She would be queen,” I murmured, more ice crystals forming around my hand.

  “A fine queen she’d be, but you know she wouldn’t be staying in the fae realm.”

  “Yes, I do.” I frowned, my chest aching from the thought of being away from my mate for so long. She’d visit, yes, but she wouldn’t live with me once I became king. I wouldn’t be able to leave my realm.

  “We lost the majority of the fae after the battle at the academy. The fire and ice fae have pulled out of the academy. We still have the earth and air fae in classes, and I just received word that they would be sending previous fae students to the academy to support us during the war.”

  I arched a brow. “The Earth and Air Kingdom aren’t at war in the fae realm, so I suppose it makes sense. This academy teaches us a wealth of knowledge about war. It’s the only reason my parents agreed on me attending. Me being the only ice fae attending now has caused some grief among the marked in my kingdom. They wish to attend, but with the war…”

  “It’s not smart to lose your people during war, I get it.”

  I shot a few ice bolts from my hand into the floor. “I'll figure it out. Once I figure out the reason for the war, hopefully we can put an end to it. My main concern right now is Wren and what the daffodil is wrong with Grayson.”

  “No kidding,” he grunted. “The way Grayson spoke was as if he was the one controlling the dragons, but knowing Roak, I'm sure that Grayson is his pawn. The punk just doesn’t know it yet.”

  “I guess we’ll find out sooner or later,” I muttered. “But haven't the humans been a little quiet since our battle? There's been no communication. Zero attacks on the academy except for Eve, and I'm pretty sure we've only seen, what, three or four human specimens around the wards? And they weren't trying to get in the academy. They were walking around the wards.”

  “Yes, that's eerie too.” He pumped more magical power into the sphere. Flames and sparks combusted within it. “At least we have some knowledge on the humans, thanks to Damien. And we no longer have to worry about Rhett’s stalkers. Those twins apparently had nothing to do with the war, even with their acquaintance with Grayson. They were solely focused on Rhett,” Rowan told me, and I nodded.

  Wren told me all about what happened that night when she bonded with Rhett. I hated that the succubus had touched her, but Rhett and Damien had protected her.

  “I'm glad that Wren has all of her bonds formed, though. Can you feel it?”

  He nodded, his power slowing within the sphere. “I can feel it. Not only has her magic stabilized, but her emotions have too. She's no longer afraid.”

  “She’s angry,” I finished, and he nodded.

  “After Grayson, she needed to let go of her anger…” Rowan started, clearing his throat.

  “Oh, I know. I felt her let her anger out through the bond. I figured it had something to do with you,” I grumbled, shooting the rest of my ice crystals into the ground before dropping my hand in my lap.

  I’d felt her orgasm and pleasure through the bond in a way I hadn’t before. It was uncomfortable since I was in a meeting with my parents.

  He smirked. “Yes, well, she has never been so aggressive during our intimacy.”

  “I'm glad she was able to get some of that aggression out.”

  “Me too.” He cleared his throat, and set down the sphere. “Plus, Wren’s achieved a lot more control over her shadow, and she's learning how to pinpoint where she wants her incorporeal form to take place in her body. She’s a lot stronger than we've been giving her credit for.”

  “I know she's strong,” I said with a grin. “I've known her the majority of my life, and her strength is unmatchable.”

  “Yes. I can see that.” He smiled, and his magic calmed even further. “Anyway, I wanted to mention that Eve was the only one the humans sent for Wren. They didn’t send any specimens with her for backup, so I’m not sure how true her statement was on them being interested in her power.”

  “Why wouldn’t they be? Her power is unique, and if Fallon was telling the truth, there is a desire for unique powers or the blood of supernaturals with unique powers. More importantly, I want to know if the shifter’s claims about the other arctic fox shifter is true, and I’d like to know who it is.”

  “I had Blair do a spell to trigger a vision about Wren being the only arctic fox, and it came up inconclusive.”

  “Meaning there’s something blocking her magic,” I muttered. Of course there was.

  “She was able to verify that Wren is the last arctic fox, as in the youngest, but she might not be the only one in Kalista.”

  “I thought that when she got marked, it came up as she was the only one.”

  “It did,” Rowan said, gritting his teeth. “There has to be some powerful magic at play to mess with a seer’s vision.

  “Bacopa,” I cursed under my breath.

  “Listen, Thorn, I want Wren to have a good time at the festival. She deserves to not think about war and violence for a night. But with war between your kingdom and the Fire Kingdom being active, I wish I could go too.”

  “But being the headmaster, you are bogged down with a lot of responsibility, I know.” I sighed. “Wren knows that too, and I made a beautiful dress for her that I figure you can help take off when we get back.”

  His lips lifted into a broad smile. “I'll hold you to that.”

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Wren

  A sharp tingle spread over my fingers and through to my elbow as half of my arm went incorporeal.

  Simmons nodded. “Very good, Wren. Have you been practicing?”

  I ducked my head down a bit with a slight frown. “Not really. Just a little bit, but to be honest, I feel very comfortable with this power.”

  “And you've been doing better with your shadow, isn't that right?” A proud smile teased the corners of his lips.

 

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