“Yes. Well, you were quite preoccupied with your whining, so I felt this most efficient,” I replied, forcing myself to sound disinterested as I placed her on her feet. All I truly wanted to do was gather her back up and demand to know if Dreadgrave was the vampire that had marked her before ripping his head from his shoulders.
“I was not whining,” she snapped, her cheeks flushing a pretty red as she put her fists on her hips.
“It is of no consequence,” I said, waving my hand in the air. “Now, as I was saying. The human realm has less ambient magic than this realm. Simple spells like those you’re being taught in spellcasting don’t require any magic from the caster, and they temporarily raise the amount of ambient magic in the air. This is why mages in that realm form covens and why others who visit in search of a mate often spend time with the covens. If they let their wells dip too low, they’re unable to use their magic, shift, or even recognize the mate bond, defeating the purpose of their visit entirely. Events like a full moon can increase it as well. I suspect this is where your realm’s mythabout shifters originated.”
“What does any of this have to do with me?” Bechora frowned.
“I pulled the records of every student with an issue similar to your own, and each of them had one thing in common. They’d grown up in the human realm, away from anywhere the ambient magic would be thicker. Their wells were completely empty when they arrived at the academy—so much so they’d been likened to dried-out riverbeds—and needed an extra boost above and beyond the ambient magic here to allow them to fill their wells and access their magic properly.”
Her brows dipped and her hands dropped from her hips as she considered my words. One hand raised toward her throat before she caught herself and dropped it. The corner of my mouth twitched, threatening to break into a grin when I realized she must be wearing the flame I’d sent her and was keeping it secret as I’d told her to do.
“I wouldn’t say it feels like a dried-up riverbed, more like an unending void, but what you’re telling me makes sense. That doesn’t explain why we’re in the middle of the woods, though.”
“Simple. I’m going to raise the ambient magic,” I answered. “If you don’t mind stepping back, Ms. Knight.”
She did as I asked, her lips pursed in confusion as she walked backward until I motioned for her to stop. As soon as she was far enough away for me to safely shift, I began unbuttoning my dress shirt. Bechora’s eyes widened, and her nostrils flared as I slipped it off, my hands moving to undo my belt as I toed off my shoes. My dragon preened at the hungry way her eyes roamed my chest, dipping down to my hands before her face went scarlet and she yelped, covering her eyes.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, whirling so her back was toward me.
“Shifting. These clothes aren’t spelled to shift with me, so unless you’d rather we return from the woods with me in the nude, I have to remove them before I shift.”
“You couldn’t, I don’t know, warn me?”
“Are all from the human realm this prudish?” I retorted. “Nudity is not uncommon in this realm. Even those who aren’t able to shift find freedom in being bare.”
“Just… just tell me when you’re shifted.”
“I cannot speak in my other form, Ms. Knight.” I sighed, shaking my head as I stripped my pants and underwear off.
Bechora didn’t respond, and I let the shift take over. My dragon burst forth, shaking our massive head and fluttering our wings. The beast was eager to meet our mate, gently nudging her with his snout. She stumbled forward a few steps before facing us. I’d expected fear. It was a common response when faced with such a large creature for the first time. Instead, her face was filled with awe and wonder.
Bechora reached out her tiny hand and rubbed our snout. A loud purr rumbled in our chest, causing her to laugh in delight. I allowed myself and my dragon to enjoy her touch for a moment longer before taking control of our form and gently nudging her further back. When I was satisfied with her position, I carefully drew fire into my throat, encircling her in the magical flames while keeping them far enough away not to burn her.
“Uh… What am I supposed to do inside the ring of fire, Professor?” she called out nervously.
I took a moment to consider how I would respond, regretting that I hadn’t claimed her as my mate. If I had, I’d be able to speak into her mind while in my dragon form. The ability to speak with their mate in their shifted forms was a trait all shifters shared, regardless of their mate’s species. There was even a slight possibility that my inner dragon would be able to communicate with her by sending his emotions and impressions to her mind directly. But none of that was possible since she didn’t wear my mark.
“Right, you said you couldn’t talk like this,” she muttered to herself, most likely unaware that my shifter hearing allowed me to hear her as if she’d meant the remark for me.
She nodded her head as if she’d decided something before sitting cross-legged on the ground. Her eyes fell closed, and her breathing fell into a rhythm I recognized. Bechora was using the technique we’d been working on to seek out her well and determine if it felt different. Eventually, she cracked open an eye and focused on me.
“I don’t feel any different than I did when we got here. I don’t think this is working.” I blew out a puff of air, causing her hair to blow behind her. “Christ, even like this, you’re cranky. Fine, I’ll wait.”
Over the course of the next hour, things continued in much the same way. Every once in a while, I would add more flames to the ring around her, hoping that I’d reach the threshold she needed to finally feel the difference in her well. Each time she opened her emerald-green eyes and pinned them on me, they were filled with growing frustration and disappointment.
When our time came to an end, I recalled my flames, and Bechora collapsed onto her back. Shaking my head at her dramatics, I retrieved my clothes and dressed quickly, not wanting to offend her prudish sensibilities. Once dressed, I moved to stand beside her, my eyes taking in the sweat and dirt streaks across her face.
“You did not tell me it was too hot, Ms. Knight. I would have moved the flames further away.”
“Not like it matters. It didn’t work anyway,” she grumbled, scrambling to get her feet under her. “My ‘well’ feels exactly the same.”
“It may take more time, as you were in the human realm longer than the others,” I said, offering a hand to help her up.
Bechora frowned and rolled her eyes, sliding her tiny palm into mine. An electric jolt ran through me from where our skin touched. I recognized it for what it was, a sign of our unsealed mating bond, but there was something else hidden beneath it. My tiny mate gasped, yanking her hand free of mine, and I thought she’d felt the same jolt I had.
“That made it feel different,” she said. “Whatever the hell you just did when you touched me, I felt it. The magic filling my void, I mean. I fucking felt it.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
