by Sammie Joyce
Rose barely participated in the conversation at lunch. She had the afternoon free, and she wanted to spend it talking to the dragons. She couldn’t go there in person yet, but she could work on trying to control the mind speaking thing.
“Rose, you coming? We’re going to practice the pain spell—Kaylee said she’d lend us one of the dragons.”
“What?” Rose stared at Wendy in horror. “But—we don’t have class again until tomorrow!”
“I know, but it’s good to get practice, particularly with that one.”
“I can’t. I’m tired. I think I need to go take a nap.”
She rushed away, doing her best not to run. Asher! Rose knew that Asher was the leader, and he was the one she needed to warn, but it seemed she still needed help tuning in to a particular dragon’s thoughts.
Nope, try again.
Gavin—sorry, I can’t really control who I connect with. Listen, Kaylee is going to come and get one of you, if she hasn’t already. The other witches in my class want to practice the pain spell! You need to warn the others.
What good would that do? Fighting back will just earn us more pain eventually.
But you can’t let them do this!
What choice do we have? Gavin asked bitterly. Believe me, it’s not my favorite thing either.
No, this can’t happen. I’ll—I’ll find a way to stop them.
Don’t you dare, Rose. You’re not getting yourself into trouble over this. You can’t stop it, and we can’t stop them if they decide to hurt you, not now. We’re not strong enough yet.
But—
Rose, this is Asher. Gavin is right, you absolutely have to stay out of it. I’m the one Kaylee has chosen—I’m her favorite one to hurt, since I’m the leader. Listen, I promise I can handle it. The witches in your class aren’t nearly advanced enough to cause me any real pain. At most, they’ll be able to give me the equivalent of a small electric shock.
I can’t just sit by and allow—
NO. You have to listen to me. I am the leader of this dragon clan. I have the authority here. At the very most, your authority as the chosen one is equal to mine. I am the one they will be hurting. I choose to let it happen, because I know that the consequences of resisting will be worse. It’s my body, and my choice. You do not get to make it for me.
Rose wanted to argue, but what could she say? Asher was right. She hated this, but that didn’t give her the right to make decisions about his body for him.
Asher…
They’re about to start. I need to withdraw—I don’t need you or any of my clan hearing my pain. I’ll talk to you later.
She didn’t know how he did it, but he was suddenly gone from her mind. Rose realized that she’d come to a stop in the middle of an empty corridor as she spoke with Asher. Tears prickled at the edges of her eyes. She broke into a run, dashing to her room. She just managed to make it before she started crying.
Right now, Rose hated the coven and everyone in it. She knew a number of the witches here, and knew they weren’t monsters, but it didn’t seem that way to her at the moment. She needed to distract herself, and the witch versions of history weren’t going to cheer her now.
Rose grabbed her tablet and quickly navigated to the folder with her favorite novels. She didn’t often read fiction, but she needed to immerse herself in another world to forget the troubles of this one. As she read, she tried her best not to think of Asher.
Chapter Ten
Rose was trembling slightly as she took the dragons’ food down that evening. Asher had been silent since their conversation just before he was taken to be tortured. Gavin had told her not to try to speak to him, that he was resting.
She had the silencing box in her pocket. She’d set it to span the entire main room of the basement. She wasn’t entirely sure she had all the measurements correct, but it was probably close enough to do its job. Of course, she couldn’t spend long in the basement now. The witches on guard duty would notice if it was silent for too long. They’d only have time to talk properly when she came later tonight.
As she entered, her eyes were immediately drawn to the couch. Asher was lying on his side, sleeping, though his eyes opened when she stepped into the room.
“Asher.” Rose left the trays at the door, hurrying over to him. “How are you?”
“Not too bad. I’ve certainly had worse. Kaylee decided to demonstrate the full power of the spell, but she had other places to be, so it didn’t last too long.”
“You knew,” Rose accused. “You knew she’d do that. You told me that you wouldn’t be badly hurt.”
“I wouldn’t have if it was just your friends doing it, but I did suspect that Kaylee would demonstrate. She often does.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Hey.” Asher reached out and took her hand, wincing as he did. “It’s not your fault. Don’t ever take the blame that belongs to others. I know you would have stopped it if you could. There was nothing any of us could do.”
“I have to get you out of here. We need to escape.”
“No,” Asher said firmly. “I have to think of my whole clan. The four of us are here, but there are six others in the two other covens. If we escaped without them, they would be punished or even killed. No, we have to stay, at least for now.”
“Do you have a plan? A long-term one, I mean?”
Asher leaned back against the couch, his eyes closing for a minute. It was clear he was exhausted.
Jagger answered for him. “For now, we’re just recovering from the rebellion. It was hard on everyone. Now that we have you, I think our best plan is to find a way to unite witches and dragons.”
“I don’t know how to do that! Trust me, you don’t want to rely on me as your plan. It’s not going to go well.”
“We know you don’t know how.” Mace gave her a kind smile. “We’re not expecting you to do it alone. We’ll all figure this out together.”
That made her feel a bit better. Rose brought each of them their trays. She perched on the couch next to Asher, feeding him one small bite at a time.
“Perhaps I should volunteer to be their spell guinea pig next.” Gavin winked at Rose. “Asher’s position certainly seems enviable right now.”
Rose threw a pea at him. “Don’t you dare! I don’t want you getting hurt either.”
Asher chuckled as he accepted another bite. “I’m certainly not complaining.”
Rose wished she could stay longer, but she knew that it wouldn’t be long before someone came down here to check what was taking her so long. “I’d better get back.” She lowered her voice, even though she knew the spell should be keeping her words from going far. “Is everything set for tonight?”
Jagger nodded. “We’re all set. I’ll contact you when we’re ready—probably at about midnight. You should try to get some sleep before then.”
“Are you sure you’ll be able to wake me?”
Gavin sniggered. “Have you ever had someone scream in your ear as loudly as they could? Trust me, you’ll wake up.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t do that to her—you’re the one who gets all stubborn and refuses to wake up.”
“So you attack me?”
“Like you get to talk. Remember the time—”
“Enough.” Asher spoke over them, putting an end to their good-natured bickering. “You’re right, Rose, you’d better go. We’ll see you tonight.”
Rose was reluctant to leave, but she had to. At least they’d get time later. Fortunately, there were no mishaps in getting past the guards. She returned to her room and went straight to bed, hoping to catch as much sleep as she could before her meeting with the dragons.
The next thing she knew, she was being dragged out of sleep by a persistent voice.
Rose. Rose, time to wake up.
It was Jagger’s voice in her head.
“I’m up,” Rose mumbled, then clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she’d spoken aloud. She peeked over at Annabelle, but she still seemed deeply asleep. I’
m on my way, she repeated mentally.
I know, I heard you the first time. We all think about what we say aloud, so if you’re concentrating, you’ll be able to hear what one of us says when we’re in link, whether it’s said physically or mentally.
A disturbing thought came to Rose. How much of the time do you know what I’m saying?
Nothing more than you already know about. Being in someone’s mind without making your presence known is bad manners. We wouldn’t do that to you.
Rose finished pulling on some clothes, stumbling a bit in the dark, but managing not to make too much noise. Alright, I’m ready. You can do the spell.
Give us a moment.
Only about ten seconds passed before Jagger spoke again. Done. You can come to us.
Rose looked down, but she could still see herself just as well in the dark as she’d been able to a minute ago. I don’t think it worked. I’m not invisible.
You are to everyone else. The spell doesn’t work on the subject—it’s not supposed to. Not being able to see yourself tends to freak people out.
Are you sure? Rose was envisioning someone catching her walking to the dragons’ compound at night.
Trust me, you’re good. We wouldn’t risk you if we weren’t sure.
Alright, I’m on my way. Rose tucked the silencing box into her pocket before slipping out of the room.
There was no one about, and her walk to the basement was uneventful. Rose slowed as she got to the guards. None of them seemed to notice as she walked right past. The door was trickier. They wouldn’t hear it open, thanks to the silence box, but if they were looking, they’d be able to see it.
Rose cast around for something to use as a distraction. There was a potted plant by a nearby window. She picked up one of the little stones that decorated the top layer of soil and aimed carefully. She tossed the pebble over the heads of the witches, right on the opposite end of the corridor.
They all turned to the source of the noise. While they weren’t looking, Rose was able to slip through the door, closing it behind her.
All of the dragons were waiting for her. Asher was sitting up and looking a lot better.
“Hey.” She suddenly felt shy as she hesitated just inside the door. No one else knew she was here. They were protected from anyone hearing them. Rose now had as much time as she needed to spend with the dragons. The thought was both nerve-wracking and intoxicating.
“Glad you made it.” Jagger got up, giving her his place on the armchair. The dragons were grinning at her as though she were a delectable dessert.
Rose tucked her hair behind her ears. “I don’t really know where to start.”
“How about we start with the basics? We don’t know each other that well yet, and I think we should.”
Jagger had a point. Rose really didn’t know them that well, considering how much she was already beginning to care for them. “I’d like that.”
They quickly got drawn into easy conversation and Rose learned a lot about all of the dragons. Asher had a motorcycle that he loved to ride, but wasn’t allowed to anymore. Jagger and Gavin were twins, but polar opposites. Gavin was broody and assumed the worst in people—except her, apparently. Jagger was a joker, always finding something to laugh about. Mace was the youngest and the least sure of himself. He tended to be the peacemaker, when it was called for.
Jagger flirted with her, and Rose found herself flirting back. At one point, Jagger got up, and when he sat back down, he sat next to her. Rose could feel the warmth of him beside her.
She glanced guiltily at her watch. “I know we should probably be talking about how to unite witches and dragons, and all that.”
“Nah, we’re having too much fun. Let’s not spoil it.” Jagger grinned at her. “We can do this again tomorrow, if you want.”
He was right—they were having fun. Rose found she loved hanging out with the dragons. They all had completely different personalities, but somehow, she got on with all of them. After a while, Asher went to bed. Gavin and Mace went about an hour later, leaving Jagger and Rose on the couch.
“I should probably get going,” Rose sighed despondently. She didn’t want to leave.
“You can stay as long as you need. The spell will be active until one of us deactivates it, though of course, we can see you.”
Jagger was staring at her in a way that made Rose forget what she’d been about to say. His gaze flicked to her lips. Rose found herself staring just as intently at his. What would they feel like against hers, like in her dream?
She held her breath as he moved closer to her, so that she could feel the heat coming off his skin. Jagger’s eyes flicked to hers, checking her expression. Whatever he saw there must have encouraged him, because he closed the rest of the distance, pressing his lips lightly to hers.
He pulled back, watching her, waiting for a reaction. Rose was the one to lean forward this time, kissing him back. They kissed some more, gently exploring each other’s lips.
Rose gasped as Jagger suddenly stood up, lifting her into his arms. He pressed a finger to her lips as he carried her to his room.
He set her tenderly down on the bed and went back for the silence box, which Rose had left on the table after explaining how it worked. She watched as Jagger took the paper out and replaced it with one of his own, after quickly scribbling down a number.
“I don’t want my brothers to hear us,” he explained. Rose shivered at the implications.
Jagger joined her on the bed, guiding her mouth back to his. It wasn’t long before Rose was breathing hard. This was just like one of her dreams. She’d questioned Asher, and discovered that the dream was just that—a vivid dream. He wasn’t there in her head.
Rose broke away to gasp some air. Jagger kept kissing her, lifting her shirt up, reaching back to unclip her bra.
“Jagger—I’ve never—never done this before.”
He paused, looking up at her. “We can stop, if you’d like.”
Rose hesitated, unsure what she wanted. Her body was screaming for Jagger, but she didn’t know how far she wanted to go.
Perhaps he read some of her thoughts, because Jagger’s next words soothed her worries. “I’m not planning to take you that way, at least not tonight. It’s too soon, and I want to get to know you better. However, I would like to bring you pleasure, if you’ll let me.”
“Yes,” Rose breathed. She knew the basics of sex, of course, but she didn’t know what Jagger was planning. Right now, she was up for pretty much anything he had planned.
“Tell me if you want me to stop.”
Rose nodded as Jagger quickly pulled off her top and bra. He caressed her breasts, and she felt her nipples tightening. She groaned in a most undignified manner as he took one nipple into his mouth. God, that felt amazing. Rose’s entire being was focused on Jagger’s mouth, desperate for more.
He lavished attention on her breasts until she was covered in sweat, practically writhing with pleasure. Her clit was throbbing, something Rose had never experienced before. She’d never been with a guy, and she had never been interested in masturbating.
Now, she was interested. Jagger obviously knew something of what she was feeling, because he moved to her pants. Rose eagerly lifted her hips, helping him pull them off. He spread her thighs, glancing up at her.
Rose nodded eagerly to the unspoken question. Jagger stroked her pussy from bottom to top. His hand came back soaked. Rose was too turned on to be embarrassed. He parted her folds, finding her clit with one finger.
She cried out, arching her hips, desperate for more than just that light touch. “Jagger, please—I need—” Rose didn’t finish her plea, not entirely sure what she needed.
Thankfully, it seemed that Jagger did. He rubbed her clit in steady circles with his finger. It was driving her wild with desire and overwhelming waves of pleasure. It felt like everything was building inside her. It was both too much and not enough.
Rose knew what an orgasm was, of course, but she’d n
ever had one. She had a feeling that was going to change, and soon.
Jagger’s finger disappeared, but before Rose could protest, it was replaced with his mouth. He licked her clit with steady strokes. Rose was barely aware of the noises she was making. Everything narrowed down to Jagger’s mouth on her.
Her thighs clenched as she cried out, the orgasm wracking through her. Jagger kept licking her, dragging it out. Her hips bucked wildly beneath him. It went on and on, Rose’s world whited out with pleasure. She finally collapsed heavily back on the bed, gasping for air.
Limp with pleasure, Rose could do nothing but grin like an idiot as Jagger moved so that he was level with her, lying down next to her. “That was… incredible.”
He grinned back. “Glad to know my skills haven’t become rusty.”
Rose wondered where he had acquired those skills, but decided not to ask. It didn’t matter. “Can I do anything for you?” She glanced down to see that his cock was hard and straining through his pants.
“Not tonight. You said you’ve never done this before—I don’t want to rush you.”
Her heart clenched with affection. She would have thought any guy would insist on reciprocation after giving her an orgasm like that, but not Jagger. He must be uncomfortable, but he seemed content just to know that he’d brought her pleasure.
Rose rolled closer, resting her head on Jagger’s shoulder. He put an arm around her. It felt easy and natural. She was wrung out by the powerful sensations, and Rose felt her eyes closing. She was safe and content in Jagger’s arms.
When she next opened her eyes, Jagger was fast asleep. Rose groaned slightly as she stretched. She glanced at her watch and yelped in alarm. It was half past seven! She’d slept the entire night here.
Jagger jerked awake at the noise. “Rose? What’s wrong?”
“I stayed here the whole night, Jagger! Crap, what am I going to do?”
He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to be still and look at him. “It’s okay, Rose. I won’t let anything happen to you. Now, what time do you usually have breakfast?”
“At eight, usually, but Annabelle will be waking up at any moment.”