Chapter 23: Chapter 23

ANNA

Lev and I go to the throne room. Amethyst is already waiting there.

“Hey, welcome back.” I give her a huge hug.

“Hey.” She smiles at me as her gaze moves to Lev.

“Hey, Lev.”

He smiles brightly at her and pulls her in for a hug, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.

“Hi. I’m so glad you’re back and safe.”

Amethyst’s whole face lights up, and she blushes.

“I would really love to chat, but I need to talk with Roland,” she says, all serious.

Lev nods. “Come, he is in the study.” He wraps his arm around her waist as we walk to the study.

~Aww, they look so sweet together.~

Roland, King Keijo, Prince Xavier, and Collen are sitting around the table as we enter.

Roland stands. “Welcome back, Amethyst.” He hugs her and walks over to me.

“Hi, Roland. Can we talk? It is important,” Amethyst asks.

He places a kiss on my forehead and nods at her.

“Please sit.” He points to the chairs, Amethyst and Lev take their seats, and Roland pulls me down on his lap.

“Now, what is it you want to talk about?”

She clears her throat, “Well, as you all know, I went to visit an old friend of mine. I needed some answers and he was able to help me get them.

“I asked him about you, Anna. I wanted to know how you could enter our world. His answer shocked me.

“You are human. But when you were born, you almost died, and your father saved your life. He is not a full-blood human; his great-grandparents were wolves. He pleaded with the Moon Goddess to save your life.

“They made a deal. She wanted you to someday return to this realm. In exchange, she gave him a piece of the dragon’s heart, which is beating inside you.

“I am not sure why she wanted you to return here yet, but I will try to find out.

“No one else knows about this, and no one can know you have a piece of the dragon’s heart inside of you.

“It is a very strong thing to have, Anna, and if the wrong people find out they will try to take it by any means necessary.” She looks at me, worried, then shakes her head and continues.

“Roland, I suppose you know it is your brother who has come for the crown.”

He nods.

“Well, he has the means to destroy you, and he will not back down. He also has some of the witches at his side.

“I have asked my coven to help us. They are on their way, along with a few more witches loyal to the crown.

“Your brother will be here in two days. We need to prepare for battle.”

The air is tense and everyone is waiting for Roland to say something. He clears his throat and lifts me to my feet as he stands.

“Thank you, Amethyst. Will you please escort Anna out?”

She nods, and we leave together in silence.

I’m still shocked.

~The dragon’s heart? Well, I guess that would explain my powers.~

We walk to the patio. Everyone is training and getting ready for the battle to come.

“Anna, come. Let me help you control your powers.” Amethyst strolls down the stairs and I follow her.

She puts a dome around us and starts by telling me a bit about my power, and how strong I can become if I only connect with it.

“Why did the powers come forth now?” I ask as I try to create a fireball on my palm.

“Well, this is a magical world, and the dragon’s home. I think that is why, and I think you can only use it in this realm.”

~That was a lot of “I think.”~

“Okay, Anna, I need you to focus now.”

As we go on, the training gets harder. Amethyst shows me how to make a fire wall and to create a shield around myself, then teaches me a few offensive moves and a few defensive moves.

I can tell that her powers have grown and her hits are more controlled.

“Did you practice while you were away?” I ask when we take a break for lunch.

She smiles radiantly. “Yes, I did. I can feel most of my powers now.”

We practice for several hours more. When I finally manage to keep my shield up and shoot Amethyst with a fireball, we stop.

“I need some rest. My body is exhausted,” I say breathlessly.

Amethyst chuckles at me. “Okay, then we’re done for now. I’ll see you at dinner.”

I walk slowly back into the castle and head straight to my room.

~I need a bath so bad~.

Opening the tap, I start to strip out of my clothes and slide into the bath. The warm water sends shivers through my body, relaxing my muscles.

I hear my bedroom door open.

“Hello?” I call.

Roland comes strolling into the bathroom.

“Hey, mind if I join you?” he asks with a smirk on his face. I shake my head and smile. He strips and slides in behind me.

“Amethyst told me about your training session. She said you are getting stronger.” He grabs the sponge and runs the water down my back, placing soft kisses on the nape of my neck.

“You are mesmerizing,” he whispers in my ear and nibbles my earlobe. He cups my breast with one hand and starts to rain kisses up and down my neck.

I feel his canines on my skin and fireworks start to fill my body. I let out a soft moan and he spins me around. We lock into a mind-blowing, passionate kiss.

He pulls me onto his lap so I straddle him. My whole body yearns for him, and our kiss gets more lustful. He wraps his hand in my hair and deepens the kiss.

He gently pulls me down to him. I let out a soft moan as he fills every inch of me.

***

“Well, let’s get you some food, flower,” Roland gets out of the bath, grabs a towel, and holds it out for me.

I get out, he wraps the towel around me, and we walk to the bedroom. I pull on my clothes.

“Can we snuggle for a little while first?” I ask him sheepishly.

He pulls me to his chest and kisses my head. “Sure, baby.” We make our way to the bed and get in.

“Now come here.”

He pulls me close and nuzzles into my hair, running his hand under my shirt and cupping my boob. “Mmm, so sweet,” he whispers.

I smile at his words as we drift off into a deep sleep, wrapped up in each other.