Jezibaba sighed and nodded. “When the Council of Witches announced the public caldron had shown them my potential successors, I was giddy with the news. I filled out retirement forms and started making vacation plans. Then Nathaniel consulted the Fates and they laughed at his question. Despite all the hell I’ve been through, now I have to watch over children who may or may not make it to adulthood. Even if they live, it could be another fifty to a hundred years before those two are ready to serve. My life isn’t changing any time soon. Now on top of all that bad news—I’m officially babysitting.”
Damien walked across the room. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to his. “I could make you forget all that for an hour or two, but I’d rather talk to you about how I can help you long term. The rest…” he waved a hand at the bed, “will happen as it’s meant to happen. And it will happen. I will try my best not to burn that red dress when I remove it, but no promises.”
“Oh Professor, you do make lovely speeches,” Jezibaba said huskily. “Okay. Give me a moment to change and I’ll go to dinner with you.”
“Okay.” Damien dropped his hand. “Should I leave?”
“No need.” She shook her head. “Just step back. My hands are tired. I have to use my wand.”
Damien did as she ordered, watching as she picked up the wand and waved it over her body. The red dress disappeared and in its place were tight jeans, western boots, and a snug fitting green shirt the same color as her eyes. She looked normal… and vulnerable.
His dragon’s flame rose inside him as the need to protect her layered on top of the lust he still hadn’t set completely aside, no matter what he’d said to convince the great Jezibaba otherwise.
“Before we leave the privacy of your room, you should probably know that I haven’t had sex in seventy-five years. I tell you this because it’s all I’ve thought about since the moment I laid eyes on you. If you have any reservations about being intimate with me, work through them fast.”
Jezibaba made a face and shrugged both shoulders. “Wow. Talk about pressure to perform. I hadn’t gotten past the fear of kissing you yet.”
Damien snorted and hung his head. “Sorry. I didn’t mean that quite as intensely as it came out. I’m not as smooth as I would like to be.”
His heart leapt inside him when he felt her pick up his hand and squeeze.
“My my, Professor Hottie, what big hands you have,” Jezibaba taunted. “I’m starting to believe your bragging might actually be true.”
“My my, lovely Jezibaba, I assure you it’s all true. I wasn’t bragging at all,” Damien whispered, lifting her hand to his lips to kiss her knuckles.
When she laughed with ease, Damien smiled and tugged her hand to make her follow him.
Chapter 4
With the moon hidden behind clouds, the night was dark as Damien stepped out of the building. He slid his teaching robe from his shoulders, freeing his naked body to enjoy the breeze. He placed the folded robe in a special box he’d installed there years ago and walked forward until he was in a large enough space to shift.
His human form flinched at the first expansion of bone and muscle into a creature that dwarfed the building he’d just exited. It had been months since he’d changed to dragon, and now like one enduring his first change, Damien felt it all over as scales replaced skin. But as always, the struggle was worth the glory of connecting to his true self again.
Flying was the only way to get to where he needed to go and his regular magic was not strong enough for transport.
It felt like it took an hour to shift, but in reality it took less than a minute before his claws gripped the earth and his wings unfurled. His launch into the air was as effortless as always.
Fortunately some things never changed. Flying was like breathing for creatures like him.
As he circled overhead, his roar called to the dragon magic of his people and a ring of protection fell from the night sky to surround the entire campus. Now he would know if anyone tried to harm his charges while he was gone.
His golden eyes blinked approval before he shot off. The trip home would take hours, but he’d return before his first class tomorrow morning. His mind was set on protection and it would not rest until he’d done all he could to make sure those he cared about were safe from harm.
***
The distracted dragon hadn’t seen her standing in the shadows watching him. That was just as well, Jezibaba decided. Confirmation of Professor Hottie’s naked ass being as perfect as she’d imagined made her wince over his rather painful change into the creature that hosted his true soul.
She stayed where she was pressed against the building, watching unnoticed from the shadows as her mild-mannered, polite dinner date silently launched his terrifying dragon form into the night sky. A shiver had coursed through her body when his giant talons dug deep trenches into the vulnerable earth as he launched into flight. Old dragons like him had powerful claws and knew how to use them.
If she accepted Damien Smoke as a lover, what she had seen tonight was the real nature of the creature she’d be letting have her, no matter the human form he might temporarily hold for her benefit. Her sexy dragon dinner date was descended from the most ancient of creatures in the world, as were all dragons. But the red markings on his otherwise black wings told a bigger story about who he was, one most recognized on sight. Those red tipped wings alone were enough reason to have her deciding to never share his bed.
Damien Smoke’s red wings marked his dragon family’s debt to Morgana The Red. With only a thin blood red band left on what once were likely full red wings, she knew his debt was nearly paid. Admittedly, the information told her little about him other than they potentially served the same Goddess. Having already lived more life than most witches ever did, she had acquired some painfully learned lessons about not knowing what motivated those who tried to befriend her.
There was indebted service to the Goddess… and then there was genuine service. After all her years, she still wasn’t sure which category she fit into, but if she was indebted, Morgana The Red had chosen not to show it to the world.
No matter how attracted she was to the dragon in human form, she would not lose sight of the only reason she’d involved herself in his life. If emotional distance from him served her purposes better—and it was looking like it would—then she would never know the pleasures of him. She could live with that choice.
But she would not reveal her reticence until it was necessary. Their banter amused her… and warmed her. Professor Hottie seemed to be trying to woo her. She’d all but forgotten what it felt like to allow a male such liberties over her emotions.
She walked out to investigate the deep grooves marring Damien’s launch space. It surprised her to find magical residue in them. Doing him a favor, she waved a tired hand, mending the earth to hide all traces of dragon activity. The ring of magical protection he’d dropped over the campus had been impressive and powerful enough to hold for several days if he didn’t call it back to him.
Where had he gone in such a hurry? Professor Hottie certainly hadn’t mentioned going anywhere over the poorly prepared cafeteria food they’d been eating a few hours ago. Ground smooth and blemish free once more, Jezibaba now studied the night sky.
“Are you my friend or foe, Professor? I guess only the Goddess knows for now. But I will find out, dragon. I will find out. I always do.”
“Yes. Morgana said you would learn the dragon’s secrets and help him finish his task.”
Jezibaba’s head turned as a tall white bird materialized wearing an Egyptian headdress. He transformed as she watched into a male with silver eyes, pale skin, and dark blue hair the color of most lakes. Emeritus was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen… and not surprisingly, the first one who’d ever broken her heart. Her emotional pain might have been avoided if he’d just told her from the beginning that he was Morgana’s Consort.
His natural form was that of a Bennu or a Chol, but over time h
is creature’s form became known by many names. These days it was most commonly referred to as a Phoenix. The myth of his rising from his own ashes was a metaphor. The truth was Emeritus eventually aged, came close to dying, and then changed back into a mere babe.
She’d met him during his current regeneration. Emeritus and Morgana, on the other hand, had been entertaining each other for well over a millennia. The Goddess she served once confessed to choosing celibacy while waiting for the creature she loved to progress far enough past being a child to take him as a lover again.
In the youth of his regenerative change, Jezibaba had met the young Emeritus when Morgana had sent the Bennu to be her familiar. She’d fallen madly in love with him the day they met, but he’d told her from the very beginning that no female born could take Morgana’s place.
She could have asked for a different familiar, one she hadn’t cared for so much, but Emeritus had begged her not to and vowed to learn shape-shifting so he could serve her better. They had been professional friends for nearly three hundred years. Now she thought of him as a rare, true ally—of which she had few that had proven incorruptible.
Did she still feel a twinge of desire for Emeritus now and again, especially when she remembered she was still a woman with needs? Certainly. It was strange he’d come to visit now since throughout the evening she pondered if a dragon with the nicest ass she’d ever seen might actually have the power to cure her from longing for a man who would never grace her bed.
Jezibaba walked to where Emeritus stood glowing in the dim moonlight. “To what do I owe this rare pleasure, old friend? I didn’t expect to see you again today.”
“I wanted you to know that I checked in on the children for you this evening. They might fight in front of people, but last I saw, they were both fast asleep in one bed with the kittens curled around and between them. Their friendship will be tried sorely as they age, but to sleep with someone is to trust them with your very life. It makes me hopeful for your replacements.”
Jezibaba smiled and nodded. “I’m sure they’ll be fine until some unworthy male comes along and gets between them to screw things up.”
Emeritus laughed. “Still cynical about love I see. Perhaps the dragon might soften that a bit, if you choose to let him.”
Jezibaba snorted. “You know I think males are pricks one and all… even you, Emeritus. But my weakness is that I adore them regardless of their flaws. Now what does that say about me?”
“That you’re an optimist under all that cynicism?” he offered, smiling at her chuckle.
Jezibaba shook her head. “No, Emeritus. I’m a needy woman. That’s worse than being an optimist. Being female gives me a foolish heart that can be won over by poetry and gallant actions. My body craves a devotion I have never found in any male’s arms. I have come to think of it as a curse to even hope. Low expectations are easier to live with.”
“Well, you haven’t slept with the dragon yet. Your caution denotes progress for you, right? Normally you try a male out immediately and cast them aside when they disappoint. You seem to be standing your ground against the dragon’s eagerness.”
“And you know bloody well why…” Jezibaba declared.
“Do I?” Emeritus asked. “Do you? Morgana has placed no prohibition on the species of your suitors. That’s all in your mind. Isn’t it time to release the past?”
Her laughter rang out, despite her need for discretion since it was after hours for the students. “Even if I did—which I doubt is possible—I would still not trust the dragon. Perhaps I could be more discrete about bed partners in general, but for what reason should I make such a change? I take what I need wherever I can find it. There are plenty of males without adding dragons to the mix. Here is the reality, my friend—the bad males don’t want much and the good males are always taken.”
Emeritus bowed his head. “Not always, El. Not always. This dragon serves Morgana. He has pleased her so far. If he helps you save the chosen ones, it will free his family from their debt to her. It would be unwise of him to betray her at this late date, even if it means never having you. Denying his desire for you will be a harder war for him to fight than any he has seen in his long life to date. He already cares. That’s why he left this evening.”
“Right.” Jezibaba snorted at the mysterious pronouncement. The Consort, like the Goddess, often took pleasure in tormenting her. “So you’re saying if I decide to sleep with Professor Hottie, it’s okay because he’s mostly a good guy?”
Emeritus shrugged. “It is not my place to say and good is a subjective opinion. Dragons are arrogant… and possessive. He will tend to forget your power and be shocked when reminded of it. Even if your union were true, it would never be an easy pairing. I once kept company with a dragoness. This was before Morgana. I knew we were not meant to last, but the dragoness would not let me go until I found her true mate for her. It took me two hundred and fifty-three miserable years to find someone she liked more than me. I even tried to regenerate and didn’t escape her. She raised me like a son for decades and then forced me to service her when I was of a proper age. She killed every other female who caught my eye.”
“Scorned women can be cruel,” Jezibaba said dryly.
“Tell me about it,” Emeritus agreed.
Jezibaba looked at the building where her future replacements lay innocently sleeping. Emeritus might be too pushy about the dragon, but he had agreed to watch over Carol. His service demanded a genuine gratitude she didn’t express often or easily.
“Thank you for taking on the wild one for a while. I have another familiar in mind for Carol, but he is serving out a sentence. The timing should be right for him to come to her in about twenty years.”
“Not a problem. The time is a mere blink in my life,” Emeritus declared.
“But probably going to feel like an entire lifetime in mine,” Jezibaba stated in return. “I don’t see both chosen ones rising to the challenge of the job equally. Carol has a dark side. Controlling it will be hard for her. Goddess knows, I’ve struggled to control mine. Hildy is still a mouse. She’ll be eaten alive in any real fight. Those two are going to make my life a living hell. I just know it.”
“Taking a mate might have served you better than the emotionally unfettered life you’ve chosen. As the one who taught you self-control, I feel qualified to say you’ve just never found a proper outlet for that pent-up energy that so frequently builds up inside you.”
Jezibaba shrugged. “That sounds very sexist. Does a proper outlet even exist?”
“Morgana, whose temper exceeds yours, would say yes. She says peace is the greatest gift I have brought to her. She says I know every dark thing there is to know about her nature and still choose to stay at her side. But I tell you truthfully, I stay only because our Goddess brings me true joy in return. Our stability has allowed me to pass into much higher thinking. Our pairing is very satisfying in many ways… and I must take my leave of you now to go to her.”
As Jezibaba turned her face to Emeritus, she caught the utter sincerity of his words shining in his human face just before he changed back to his true form. It made her sad to know his personal devotion was not for her, and yet hopeful that her “proper outlet” might truly one day cross her path. Maybe after her retirement… when she could be less on guard with all creatures.
Sighing, Jezibaba pushed aside all wishing for what might never be. Emeritus had been with her for her entire service and never once let her down. He would never love her back the way she wished was possible, but he would always be her standard for loyalty. Older than dirt Nathaniel was the only other male who had earned her trust.
“Blessed be, Emeritus. Give my love and well wishes to the Goddess.”
Never bothering with goodbye because he didn’t believe in them, her oldest friend showered her with silver mist before he faded from her sight.
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About Robyn Peterman
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Edition License Notes
Acknowledgements
Dedication
shift happens 03 - no were to run Page 28