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Her mother and her sisters didn’t share these extra physical traits, but they’d helped her figure out how to keep them healthy and glowing, even if they weren’t always out for the world to see.

She turned as she examined the rainbow hues threaded onto her wings, falling more and more in love with her body the longer and harder she looked. Fuck the world if they thought of her as less than just because of their presence.

“Is this part of a nightly routine?”

Rowan’s eyes snapped to scan her surroundings, only to catch sight of his astral body in the corner of her bedroom.

The only difference from his physical presence was a faint glow outlining his body.

“I thought you were busy.” She had, of course, taken him at his word that they wouldn’t be seeing each other and felt more than comfortable in confronting her new truth. “Wait, the cabin let you in?”

Alessandro smirked at her and she could practically hear him purring,“Honey, I’m the Dragon King.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Wasn’t it you who begged me to come?” He moved to her papasan chair and relaxed into its form.

“Does it really count when you’re so ghostly?” She pouted as she slid into a red robe hanging on the corner of the mirror. “I wanted to have sex.”

Alessandro used his elbows to prop himself up. “Is sex all I bring out of you, little elf?”

Rowan shrugged. “I mean, Iamalso a succubus.”

He gave a low chuckle, then motioned towards the plant he’d left the day before. Small buds had emerged from the stalks, but not much else was different in terms of progress. “I see you’ve attempted to figure out how to make it bloom.”

The elf groaned, “We had one at Spellcasters, but this one might be defective. I’ve tried every chakra point and I’m getting no action.”

“Innuendo?” He asked dryly, “I thought you were above those.”

She slid her gaze over his form. Her hunger had been growing since he uttered his first word. It was growing too quickly for her to be comfortable with.

Before he’d blasted into her life, she’d only required feedings every three months. She couldn’t be sure if the new hunger was because of her heavy magic usage, or because she’d become addicted to the high of his otherwise neglected celestial energy.

Her eyes slid over the bulging erection just underneath the fabric of his pants. It was frustrating. She wanted to smell the usual sweet proof that his lust was stirring. The physical presentation did little to nullify her as she recalled how it felt in real life.

Alessandro’s low growl raised her attention to his eyes, but it didn’t help her situation as the sound only reminded her of the sweet noises he’d made while he slammed into her.

She couldn’t tell what color his eyes were, but they were glowing as they locked onto the plant. Clearly, he would not be changing his mind on an impromptu visit.

His voice was strained when he spoke. “This plant gauges how efficient you are when you channel your magic, not how strong it is. I noticed the damage to your hands after you intervened with the wolves. It’s worrisome if you’ve never actually channeled through the proper methods. Your gates could be close to collapsing and you’ve never even realized.”

Forcing herself to change focus from her cravings to the plant, she felt the frustration the damn thing had incited in her flare back to life.

Most of her training had been untraditional. She had not only kept her true power levels a secret, but also half of her genetic makeup. Other than how to feed off sexual energy, neither her mother nor godmother had given her the tools she needed to use her succubus’ side to filter magic.

But she wasn’t willing to talk to anyone, much less him about that aspect of her life.

“You may have to go back to basics to cast the blooming spell.” He moved from the papasan chair to beside her in the blink of an eye. “What’s the first step?”

Rowan shook her annoyance with the man off as she recalled the baby steps of magic from her elementary school. There was no way she was going to pass up learning something from the most formidable Spellcaster to exist. This was what she’d wanted from him since she’d first learned who he was.

For the next hour they worked on meditation, then a bit of incantation until they began trying the different channels. Rowan found her mind sharpened by this point. Intentionally using the building blocks of magic was making her every move feel purposeful and strong. It changed the way she sat, the way she breathed. She was ready.

With her eyes closed, she felt for the threads of life that the plant exuded. It pulsed as it thrived, eager to reach the next stage of its life.

Plants were always eager for it. It was why she adored working with them so much. It was an infectious trait.

Working from the ground up, she gathered the bit of magic it would take to nudge the plant with her muladhara gate at the base of her spine. The bud increased in size, but minimally.