Chapter 20
AURA
The bathroom is warm, filled with cedar-scented steam.
Golden wood panels line the walls, glowing softly in the lamplight.
A frosted window lets in the pale shimmer of snowfall across the flagstone floor.
The tub is the centerpiece, a deep sunken basin carved from polished black rock, large enough for me and at least one dragon man in mostly human form.
Iron hooks hold thick towels near the stone hearth, where a small fire crackles gently, taking the mountain chill from the air.
A shelf beside the tub holds simple glass jars filled with bath salts, oils, and soaps that smell of pine and citrus.
It isn’t as opulent as the penthouse, but still quietly luxurious in a way that’s more personal.
I savor a quiet moment alone as I sink into the bath.
Ever since I ran from my makeshift shelter at the sound of a twig snapping, my life has been a blur of extremes: defeat mixed with victory, weakness tangled with power, fear woven into devotion and desire.
I haven’t had a single quiet moment to process what’s happened or sort out my feelings.
Even now, as I try to relax, my thoughts wander back to my dragon mates—their faces, their claws, wings, and scales, the flicker of forked tongues and heated looks.
Ever since their first kisses and caresses, heat has settled between my thighs, pulsing with my heartbeat, reminding me that I’m not the same woman I was before.
I press my legs together, but it doesn’t help. Only one thing can ease this ache, or rather, three dragon men, each so skilled at making my body sing that I lose track of my senses, my mind spinning.
But I need to focus, because beneath the craving, the heat, and the rush they bring, something else is waking inside me.
My magic.
At first, I thought it was the memory of magic surging through me, sparked by leftover energy from pleasure. I was sure it came from being close to dragonfire.
But then I felt it more clearly, humming under my skin like it did when fear made me hide it. It moves through me like warmth under stone, gathering slowly and refusing to fade.
They told me they had contained my magic so it couldn’t be used. Binding it was supposed to keep me safe from myself, from others, and from what my power might become. For a while, I believed them.
But every time they take pleasure from me, every time they make me break apart and fill me with their fire, something inside me loosens. A thread of magic slips free. A pulse of power comes alive again.
It’s slow and subtle, but it’s happening.
And now, I look forward to the subtle flare under my skin when my body relaxes in their arms and our magic blends together.
Instead of fear, I’m filled with hope.
My magic is returning, like roots pushing through the earth.
Knowing this steadies me. It reminds me I’m not merely a body to be claimed or a vessel to be filled.
I'm powerful.
And even though my dragon mates wish to contain my magic, it is their bodies and their magic that call to mine.
I'm becoming whole again.
I stare at the surface of the bathwater. A faint shimmer of silver dances over my forearms, swirling with the runes still aglow from Kelan’s claiming and Ronyn’s attention. I bite my lower lip and raise one hand from the water, watching droplets trail down my wrist.
Then I take a risk.
I call my magic to my palm.
A small, pale violet light flares, fragile and swirling like mist above my skin.
My lips curve into a slow smile.
They don’t have to know.
I close my fist, putting out the light, and sink deeper into the water, my heart pounding.
I know I’m not supposed to let my power come back.
They suppressed it to keep me safe and because of some mission they have.
They want me to trust them, but my magic is part of me.
Losing it for good would be like losing a limb or erasing part of my soul.
Even if I trust them and love them in ways I don’t fully understand, I don’t want to give up my gift forever. I don’t see why I should. I don’t want to use it to hurt anyone. If anything, they’ve shown me how powerful it can be when used for good.
***
When I dress and join them in the dining area, the air smells like fire-roasted meat. Ronyn’s shirt hangs loose on me, the sleeves too long and the collar wide enough to show a bit of skin. I don’t bother fixing it. I like how their eyes follow me when I wear their clothes.
Ronyn stands on the back deck, turning thick steaks over the open flame with his claws, moving with easy skill.
His red wings are folded back, his body glowing faintly with heat.
He looks more beast than man, and my pulse jumps with a mix of primal excitement and affection.
Kelan sets the table carefully, his face focused, but when he glances up and notices me, he gives me a sweet smile.
Darial is behind the bar, mixing golden liquid in tall glasses.
“Did you rest?” he asks.
“Yes. It was nice.” I did find the bath relaxing, but guilt still prickles at my magical exploration.
Darial hands me a glass and taps his own to mine. “To warm blood and hot nights.”
“To our queen,” Ronyn says from outside.
“To finally being complete,” Kelan says, melting my heart, as guilt surges at what I’m keeping from them.
The sharp clink of crystal rings out. I take a sip and let out a pleased sound. The drink tastes of spice and citrus, warming my stomach.
Dinner is unbelievably good: grilled meat, flame-roasted vegetables, and thick slices of dark bread covered in honeyed butter.
Our conversation drifts easily from favorite meals—theirs are mostly meat, while mine is all about mac and cheese—until I set my fork onto my plate and lean back, watching them.
“I want to know more,” I say softly. “About your pasts. About the goddess, magic, and mates. It’s like I’ve been sleepwalking and now I’m in this cabin in the sky with three magical creatures and no idea how I fit into all this.”
Kelan is silent for a beat too long.
“She deserves the truth,” Ronyn mutters.
Kelan nods. He places his hands flat against the wooden tabletop before he speaks. “Long ago, the goddess gave us a task. We were to hide ourselves from the world and maintain balance and control over magic. We were given the power to contain magic that's out of control.”
“But why does magic exist if the goddess doesn’t want it to?” I ask.
Darial continues, his voice softer. “Magic has always been a part of the world, but its role has flipped from good to bad depending on who wielded it and who controlled it. At its best, it can heal and protect. At its worst, it can wound and destroy.
“Magic unchecked can lead to chaos. It unravels everything. Inspires wars, creates plagues, and consumes entire civilizations,” Ronyn adds.
They speak in a way that’s ancient and distant, and I struggle to see how it connects to me and my magic.
“So, you snuff it out because it could be used badly?”
It doesn’t seem fair or right to me. Think of the good I could do with my healing magic, or the difference I could make if I could use all my power. I need time to learn to use it safely, but I know I’m a good person. I’d never use it for selfish reasons. I’m sure it was given to me for a reason.
“Humans are afraid of what they cannot control,” Ronyn muses. “Throughout history, they have captured and burned those they consider evil.”
“And other darker powers seek to control magic,” Kelan says.
“Like Gregory?” Even saying his name sends a shudder of fear through me.
“And the beasts that chased you through the forest,” Darial reminds me softly.
Kelan tenses, as though the conversation is making him uncomfortable. “We’ve caged power for the best of everyone. It’s our role in the world.”
“And me?” I ask, my voice barely audible.
Kelan looks at me like he’s seeing my soul and finds it beautiful. “Has magic served you? Has it made your life better?”
I close my eyes and think. My magic has saved me, but if it had never been there, maybe I wouldn’t have needed saving. I sit quietly for a long moment, fingers wrapped around my drink, the runes on my skin pulsing faintly under my sleeve.
“I’m trying not to hate what you’ve done,” I say slowly. “But I don’t want to be a tool. I don’t want to be locked away. And I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“You won’t need your magic, Aura,” Kelan says fiercely. “Now you're our mate, we will provide you with everything you need, including protection.”
“But you use magic all the time.”
“It isn’t magic, Aura. It’s our nature, and it is tightly bound by the Goddess.”
I shake my head, unwilling to hear their excuses.
Don’t they understand that I’ve never known what it’s like to be protected and safe?
How can they expect me to trust them to keep their promises when we are so new to each other?
Letting go of my learned fear of betrayal won’t be easy.
I’m uncertain about all of this, but I nod anyway.
And when Darial moves beside me, when he kisses my hand and rests it against his heart, I try to believe him.
Even so, I still plan to keep that small secret flame hidden.