My orgasm goes on and on. Casius doesn’t relent. He keeps fingering my ass as he fucks my pussy, and I whimper and moan and writhe.
Finally, his rhythm falters, and I feel him tense behind me before a burst of warmth floods my pussy.
“Whoa.” His weight pushes down on my back as we both try to catch our breaths. “That was amazing.” I wriggle free of his grasp, and he tugs me into his arm for a gentle kiss. “Are you going to be in the library again for my lesson tomorrow?”
He laughs softly. “I think I must be,” he agrees. “After all, it’s very important that you learn to use your magic.”
5
Bastian
Derther Roth is in his eighties, but you’d never know it from the strength of his handshake. “Bastian,” he growls. “Took you long enough to come back to your castle.”
“Hello to you too, Derther.” I sit down in the chair by the fireplace and survey the old wolf. I haven’t seen him in twenty years. The last time we’d met, the pack had been celebrating Derther’s son’s mating with Elena Driscoll. There are more lines around his face, and his hair is thinning. Wolves live longer than Norms, but Derther’s still approaching the end of his years. After my conversation with Aria, I’m even more aware of the mortality of the other races. “How’s Pack Helferich?”
“Good, good. Stefan and Elena’s daughter Lena passed the Abitur and is attending Cologne University. Jonas doesn’t seem as concerned with his education, but then, he’s only fifteen.”
It’s odd to think of Derther as a proud grandparent, but there you have it.
“We’ve had five new births this year too,” the Alpha continues.
I look up warily at that. None of the packs like to talk about the cubs that are born without magic. Lukus Hyde only came to me because he found out about the Bloodstone and hoped there was a cure to be had.
Most packs are similar to the Red Growlers, the pack that Raedwulf was once a part of. They might not demand that the parents abandon their cubs, but the children that can’t shift are definitely viewed as inferior. It’s a troubling situation. Some parents send them off to live with Norm families in the hopes that the cubs that can’t shift might find happiness in a world without magic, but that’s not the right answer either. The cubs have magic—they just can’t access it. Zyrian’s curse blocks them.
I don’t want to bring up what might be a sore subject, but I need to know how bad the situation really is. “All healthy?” I ask hesitantly.
Derther gives me a piercing look. “Don’t beat around the bush,” he advises. “It’s not your style. Yes, we have been fortunate. The cubs can all shift.” He takes a deep drink from his beer stein. “We believe your mother’s wards protect more than Castle Jaeger. The K?nigsforst is untouched by the ravages of the outside world. For now.”
“For now?”
“I haven’t been sleeping well,” the old wolf replies. “My dreams are filled with ill omens. Geri and Freki run amok, unchecked by the AllFather. The Dark Dragon is awake once more, and he prepares for battle. War is coming, Bastian Jaeger.”
He drinks deeply from his mug. “The woman is your mate?”
I blink at the sudden change in topic. I’m not surprised that Derther knows about Aria. Frau Ziegler and Wilhelm are both members of Pack Helferich. Their first loyalty will always be to their Alpha. This doesn’t really bother me. The Jaegers and Pack Helferich have been allies for generations. “Her name is Aria Archer.”
“She’s Norm.”
He doesn’t sound judgmental, just curious. My answer is still defensive. “The mating mark appeared on us.”
“On all the dragon princes.”
It’s not phrased as a question.
Maybe an impartial observer will be able to offer some insight. Derther is much younger than me, of course, but he’s lived a long life, and he’s known for his wisdom and good sense. And the wolves have their own myths, handed down from generation to generation. Maybe Derther will know something about the prophecy and the curse that I don’t.
I have few secrets from the Alpha. “She’s also got a piece of the Bloodstone in her,” I reply. “My mother spoke to her last night in a vision.” I lift my shoulders in a helpless shrug. “I wish I knew what that meant.”
All my life, I’ve searched for my mate, hoping to shatter the curse. The Bloodstone was our most precious treasure, but I never thought it was connected to Zyrian’s revenge. Now, everything is coming together in ways I don’t understand.
“You know the story of the Bloodstone,” Derther Roth starts.
“What story?”
He gives me an impatient look. “The Bloodstone holds magic,” he replies. “At least, it did until Zyrian cast his curse. The dragon balls—Annwn, Olympus, Duat, and Valhalla—were social dances for dragons to meet and find their mates, of course, but they were also occasions when the magic of the Bloodstone was replenished.”
That old legend. “You’re talking about the BloodGift. Is it even true?”
“Of course it’s true.” The Alpha gives me an irritated look, and I’m taken back in time, being rebuked by my tutor for not sitting still and paying attention. Derther reminds me of Leopold Kaiser, my dragon teacher. He’d been a mage too, and he’d have known about the history of the Bloodstone. Unfortunately, he’d been killed in one of Zyrian’s murderous sprees, as had the rest of the House of Kaiser.
“Don’t you talk to the others?” Derther demands now. “Lord Valder was alive before the curse. He would have bled for the stone.”
“It’s taken all the pressure I can exert to even get Erik to attend the balls,” I retort frankly. “Valder never talks about the past, and you know it.”
“He has a new mate now,” the other man says. “His heart has been frozen in grief for a very long time, but the past will slowly lose its hold on him. Yes, the BloodGift is true. When I came of age, my father taught me our legends, like his father before him. Pack Helferich’s duty is to remember and to record until a day comes when hope rises once again on the horizon.”
“You’re talking about Aria.”
He nods soberly. “She is your biggest treasure, Bastian Jaeger. Guard her well.”
He refills both our steins from the draft tap in his office. “For centuries, dragons have offered their blood to the stone,” he says. “It was a tool to keep the world’s magic in balance. A reservoir, if you will. The gemstone took from the dragons and gave to the rest of the magicals.”
“The magic is locked now.” This much I know to be true. Dragons should be able to reach for the magic of the stone, but we can’t. Even Mateo can’t access its contents.
“The stone doesn’t work that way anymore,” the Alpha confirms. “When Zyrian cast his curse, he sealed the Bloodstone. You can bleed all over it, but it will absorb nothing. The seal can only be broken by one with the key.”
Once again, he’s talking about Aria.
“If that key falls into the wrong hands,” he warns. “The world will be filled with dark magic.”
“Zyrian’s hands.”
“Yes.” He downs his beer in a gulp. “I have spies everywhere,” he says. “Even in the Dark Dragon’s castle. They tell me that Zyrian’s magic is fading. For centuries, he’s gained power by slaughter. He’s killed thousands of magicals, and he’s absorbed their life force. But the effects are waning. Zyrian needs a new source of magic. And there’s more…”
“Of course there is.” I can’t keep the note of bitterness out of my voice. Just for once, I’d like life to be simple. After years of searching, we’ve found our mate. It would be really nice if we could just enjoy that. I’m overtaken with a surge of envy for Derther Roth, who has a mate, happily-married children, and grandchildren he can speak of with love in his eyes. “Isn’t that always the case?”