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CHAPTER NINETEEN

J ocasta tosses her long white hair back behind her shoulder and claps her hands once. “Alrighty, I hope you’re well rested.”

The six of us exchange a glance. Because of our escape attempt and Orion’s punishment last night, we didn’t get more than a few hours of sleep. But it’s probably best not to tell her about that.

“Like I said, we only have a week to train before the first game starts,” she continues. “And since you’re the weakest team here, we’re going to need all the time we can get.”

The massive arena is filled with the distant clang of swords and rush of magic.

All six teams have been given separate rooms so that they can train in private without the other teams spying on them.

Ours is a decent-sized rectangular room with arched windows along one wall and packed sand on the ground.

“So, first we’ll—” Jocasta begins, but Alistair cuts her off.

“Why did you pick us then?”

She blinks, her pink and gold eyes shifting to him.

“If we’re the weakest team here, why did you pick us?” Alistair clarifies.

“Ah.” A sly smile spreads across her lips. “Well, for one, I picked you because it will draw a huge crowd. It will also make for very interesting betting opportunities.”

He frowns. “Are you saying that people are going to bet on us?”

“No. I’m going to bet on you. No one else will likely do so, since, as I said, you’re the weakest team here.”

“Again, then why the hell did you pick us?”

“Because of you , you sneaky little manipulator.”

I start in surprise when I notice that she is looking at me . Suddenly feeling everyone’s attention on me, I clear my throat a bit self-consciously. Holding Jocasta’s shrewd stare with my own bewildered eyes, I ask, “Why?”

“Because you have emotion magic.”

“I, uhm… Yes. But most people think that’s a bad thing. You don’t?”

“No.” Her sly smile widens. “Because I have emotion magic too.”

My jaw drops.

She chuckles at the utter shock on my face and then winks. “I told you, kid. It’s about a hundred years too soon for you to try to manipulate my emotions.”

Kid . I will turn one hundred and sixty-eight in three months. But sure. Kid.

Cocking my head, I study Jocasta intently. Both fae and dragon shifters generally live to be around a thousand years old. I wonder how old she is.

“So I know just how powerful and dangerous emotion magic can be,” she finishes with a confident smirk.

My heart does a backflip in my chest and a sudden overwhelming sense of hope surges through me.

I have never met anyone else who has emotion magic, so everything I know about my own powers, I’ve had to figure out myself.

But if Jocasta is both older and more skilled than me, she might be able to teach me things about my magic.

She might be able to help me become even more powerful.

Powerful enough to take on the Icehearts, even without the Unseelie Court’s assistance.

My pulse thrums, and I suddenly feel a world of possibilities open up before me.

“And besides, the crowd wants entertainment,” Jocasta continues while lifting her slim shoulders in a shrug.

“And what better way to provide that for them than to give them a team consisting of three Seelie fae and three dragon shifters. That has never happened. Not once since our borders were closed. And that will make for some great betting.” Her eyes glint.

“Everyone will be betting against you. Everyone except me. And if I can somehow whip you into shape in time, this will be my ticket to fortune.”

For a few seconds, we all just stare at her in silence while trying to figure out how to feel.

In the end, I decide to be grateful for the opportunity.

Another person with emotion magic. Someone who wants me to get as strong as possible and will help me train.

It’s far better than anything I had ever dared hope for.

Jocasta claps her hands again. “Alright, then. Let’s get to it.

I need to see what each of you can do so that I can plan a strategy.

” She flicks her wrist at Galen, Lyra, Alistair, and Isera.

“You four, go get the practice dummies from the storage room. It’s the door just to the left of this one.

” Without waiting to see if they obey, she simply turns to me.

“You, I want to see what you can do first.”

Next to us, our four companions frown at her bossy command. But, just like me, they seem to realize that Jocasta wants us to win just as much as we do, and that she will give us our best chance to do that. So in the end, they just shrug and walk towards the door to get the practice dummies.

Draven watches them for a few seconds before shifting his attention back to Jocasta. The white-haired fae, however, is solely focused on me.

“Alright,” she says, her eyes still on me, as she motions for Draven to take a few steps back. “I want to see how you create emotions. So demonstrate on him and create whatever emotion you want.”

After moving a little back as requested, Draven just turns to face me, looking completely relaxed. Yet again, I’m practically stabbed by the realization of just how much Draven actually trusts me. But I can barely concentrate on that right now, because I’m so confused by Jocasta’s order.

“You mean manipulate , right?” I begin hesitantly. “Choose one of the emotions he’s already feeling and manipulate it?”

“Well, I suppose we’ll get to that too. But first I want to see you create emotions.”

Frowning deeply, I shake my head in confusion. “What do you mean create emotions? ”

She draws back, blinking at me in surprise. Then she rolls her eyes and blows out a frustrated sigh. “You haven’t even learned how to do that yet? Malachi’s balls, you’re much weaker than I thought.” She massages her brows. “This is going to be difficult.”

“No, I…” I almost trip over the words trying to get them out of my mouth fast enough. “I’ve been practicing with my magic for over a hundred and fifty years. I’m good at what I do. But it’s not possible to create emotions from nothing. There needs to be a spark there first. That’s how it works.”

Jocasta stares at me as if I had just told her that wearing pants outdoors is overrated. Then she lets out another long sigh. Breaking eye contact, she instead turns to Draven and flicks her wrist. “Come stand closer to her.”

I turn to Draven as well when he starts towards me. And even before my gaze lands on him, I can feel the irresistible pull of his body. Can feel the way his entire presence just consumes me. And when my gaze finally finds him, it sets my blood aflame.

His muscular body moves with lethal grace as he advances on me.

I rake my gaze over his powerful body, suddenly desperate to touch him.

I want to run my hands all over him. Trace his sharp abs and rake my fingers down his back and lick that absolutely sinful V that I know hides underneath his armor until I reach his cock.

Fuck, I want to wrap my hands around his cock.

I don’t want to wait anymore. I want him now.

Fire rushes through my body as I drag my gaze up to Draven’s eyes and find them burning with lust as well.

He comes to a halt right in front of me.

His chest heaves, as if he is struggling to contain himself.

But I don’t want him to contain himself.

I want him to rip my clothes off and fuck me hard against the wall.

No, I want to rip his clothes off and fuck him hard.

I want everything. Everything. And I want it now.

Lust burns through my entire soul like wildfire.

And my restraint snaps.

Grabbing the back of his neck, I yank his sinful mouth down to mine and kiss him desperately. He kisses me back as if he’s starving. As if he has waited millennia for this. I press myself harder against his firm chest. Fuck, I want to feel everything.

There is a hunger inside me. A new hunger. A desperate hunger. Something that feels different from before. Stronger. More mindless. More irresistible.

Fuck, I want him. I’m going to die if I don’t get him.

I rake my fingers down his chest, but all I can feel is the hard dragon scale of his armor. I want to feel him . I need to feel him. Right now.

My fingers fumble with the clasp of his belt, practically yanking it open while Draven continues to steal the breath from my lungs with furious kisses.

I try to shove his pants down, but because it’s his armor and not normal pants, I only manage to get them open enough to reach his cock.

It hardens instantly in my hand as I wrap my fingers around it.

A delicious moan rips from Draven’s chest as I slide my hand up and down his cock.

That burning lust inside me flares up even brighter.

Oh fuck, I need him. I need him more than I need air.

I can’t even wait another twenty seconds for him to take his clothes off.

If I don’t get him now, I’m going to die.

Breaking the desperate kiss, I drop to my knees in front of him. His golden eyes burn with uncontrollable lust as he watches me kneel before him and slide my hand down along his throbbing cock. With my hand still gripping the base, I lean forward and take his thick cock into my mouth.

Another desperate moan rips from deep within his chest. The sound makes my clit throb with need.

I slide my lips back up and then lick along the side of his cock before swirling my tongue around his tip.

His hand shoots out and grips my hair. Lust burns through me as his fingers tighten, holding my hair in a firm grip.

I draw my hand up and down the base of his cock while I work my lips and tongue on the other half.

That fire inside me is so intense that I can’t concentrate on anything else. I could spend my entire life like this. On my knees sucking Draven’s cock. I don’t need anything else. I don’t need?—

In a flash, that all-consuming wildfire of lust inside me disappears.