Page 48 of Stolen By Dragons

A shadow passed over Zephyr's face, and for a moment, I feared I'd overstepped. But then he sighed and leaned back, twirling his hand so that a small butterfly fluttered around him, glowing vibrant pink.

"It's a long story," he said, "but the short version is... I made a mistake. A big one."

He went on to explain about the diplomatic meeting between the Summer and Winter Courts, about his ill-fated prank that had gone awry and caused embarrassment to both courts. He’d attempted to perform illusion magic of the grandest scale, but another fae corrupted it with their own magic, someone who wished ill on his family after his sister didn’t marry into theirs.

“I didn’t think it through, ultimately,” he said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "I thought it would finally make people take me seriously, that my illusions and magic were grander than they thought. Instead, it just proved what they'dalways thought - that I was nothing but a jester, unworthy of real respect or responsibility, and my magic couldn’t deflect anything. You see, my family is known for illusion magic, but the rest of my family can make it become defensive if necessary. Mine cannot.”

My heart ached for him. I reached out, placing my hand over his. "I'm so sorry, Zephyr. That must have been awful."

He looked at our joined hands, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "It was. But in a way, I'm almost grateful. If it hadn't happened, I wouldn’t have started venturing from the fae plane, exploring the human world more. Perhaps, it was because deep down, I had this ancient magic lying dormant, this elemental magic from the Dracarians,” he said as he conjured up a tiny tornado that swept up his little butterfly so that it spun around madly.

He sighed as both the magics dissipated, and the blue glow of the fire cast flickering shadows around the room. Those green eyes held mine as he smiled softly.

"Aria," Zephyr said softly, "I want you to know... whatever happens tomorrow, you're going to be amazing. You're stronger than you know, braver than you give yourself credit for. We can do this. You can do this."

Before I could respond, he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. The touch sent a tingle through me, leaving me confused and breathless.

"Goodnight, Aria," he murmured, rising from his chair. "Get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day."

As he left, I sat there for a long moment, my mind spinning. Just when I thought I had a handle on my feelings, something like this happened to throw everything into chaos again.

Zephyr and I were friends, but when he’d kissed my forehead…

God, I couldn’t let that mean anything, not with how close Chris and I were. I shook my head and rose, my stomach knotting at my warring thoughts.

I made my way back to my room, pausing before my door as I thought about everything that had been going on. The men who had gotten tangled in my life, the magic, the dragon shifters, the whole awakening thing.

“Aria.”

I flinched, my heart skipping a beat as I turned, only to find Chris headed my way.

Of course, and my stomach tightened even more.

“Thought you wanted to sleep?” he asked as he strode down the hall to me.

“I tried, but couldn’t, went and chatted with Zephyr. How was the magic training?” I asked, hating the bitterness that boiled up inside me at my inability to conjure up more than some wispy white mist in my hand.

“It was good,” he said as he moved to pull me into a hug.

I melted into his arms, hating the niggling guilt that I’d ever felt a twinge of anything for Zephyr.

Then there was Ossian, lingering at the back of my mind.

Chris kissed the top of my head. "Want some company? I don't think I can sleep either."

I hesitated for a moment, thinking of our passionate encounter just days ago. But the weight of tomorrow's trial seemed to have dampened any such desires for both of us. What we needed now was comfort, not passion.

"That would be nice," I said softly, opening my door.

We curled up together on my bed, Chris's arms wrapped securely around me. No words were needed; we both understood the fears and hopes that filled our hearts.

As I drifted off to sleep, my mind a jumble of ancient dragons, elemental magic, and the three very different men whohad come to mean so much to me, I couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.

18

ARIA

The morning of the trial dawned cold and clear, the beautiful sky of Dracaria painted in hues of lavender and gold as I stared out the window. As our group gathered in the dining hall, I could feel the nervous energy crackling in the air like static electricity. Chris sat beside me, his hand warm and reassuring in mine. Zephyr and Lydia sat on either side of us, their faces set in uneasy expressions.

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