Chapter 1. The Introduction
A young girl twirled in front of the mirror. Her white, curly hair framed her round face beautifully. Blue eyes sparkled with joy, and her red-tinted lips stretched into a wide smile.
“Don’t forget your coat, it’s so cold today that even a dragon wouldn’t stick his nose outside,” came the voice of a friendly brunette beside her.
Aurora opened the wardrobe and pulled out a light blue fur coat. The soft fur and elegant design perfectly complemented her silver dress.
“Max will love it,” the thought flashed through her mind, making her smile even wider.
Who could have imagined that the heir to the great Earth Dragon lineage would invite her to the event of the year?
❄ ✦ ❄ ✦ ❄
A Month Ago. Aurora.
Kami had gone out on another date with Sky, and I, as usual in the evenings, sat over my third-order spellbook. I couldn’t change the colour of my dress; instead of a solid black, three huge splotches had once again appeared on the fabric.
For the past few months, ever since I got my hands on the textbook with more advanced spells, I’d been trying to invent a way to change the colour of my outfit.
It would be both convenient and beautiful, and the mouse-grey uniform issued by the Academy could easily be blue instead. Not extravagant, but at least not so dreary. Coloured fabrics were expensive, and our dragons were only willing to splurge on dragon uniforms, while the commoners trudged around in their drab grey.
When a knock sounded at the door, instead of a blue sleeve, I was faced with more splotches that I’d have to remove.
Sighing, I shuffled over to open the door, expecting yet another classmate who had skipped lecture and had come to the diligent student for notes.
“Next time, I’ll send you to the professor,” I said, adopting the tone of the strict course monitor as I swung the door open.
The rest of my reprimand caught in my throat.
Leaning against the wall across from me was a tall, dark-haired dragon. He raised an eyebrow questioningly and surveyed my dress, now smeared with dark stains.
“Maximilian?” I croaked, surprised to see the arrogant dragon at my door.
“Sky and Kami got a bit carried away. It’s freezing outside, and the snow is coming down hard, so I’ll just hang out here, princess,” the guy stated calmly, shoving me aside and confidently stepping into my room.
“What do you mean, ‘hang out’? Do you even know what time it is?” I hissed quietly in reply, glancing around the hallway.
The last thing I needed was for the heir of Terragon to be spotted at my door.
“Sky placed a mark on her. They’ll both be out cold until morning. So when I say ‘hang out,’ I’m actually downplaying things. I’m spending the night here,” Maximilian Terragon declared, taking in the room.
He sniffed the air, confidently grabbed the blanket from Kami’s bed, and, kicking off his boots, sprawled out on the bed, letting his legs dangle off the edge.
For a few moments, I struggled to find my voice in response to such dragonish audacity. I had seen this dragon maybe three times, and he just waltzed into my room, ready to sleep. Only his words about the mark indicated that Kami wouldn’t be coming back tonight. After the ritual, she might be out of it for several days while the dragon’s magic fully melded with her own.
“Don’t you have any friends?” I quietly asked the guy, who seemed already ready to doze off.
The young dragon folded his arms behind his head and, despite the short and narrow bed not quite fitting his size, closed his eyes and covered himself with the blanket.
Reluctantly, Maximilian turned his head and stared at me with his grey eyes.
“I do, princess, but Sky doesn’t need rumours, and neither does your Kami. Her status will only be decided once the head of the family gives approval. Until then, it’s better I crash here to avoid any unnecessary questions. You never know what might reach the ears of Vir Aerolus, thanks to my ‘friends.’ Many of those I could spend the night with wouldn’t mind taking Kami’s place. You seem like a smart girl, yet you ask such blatantly stupid questions,” he replied calmly, with a hint of disdain.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” I leapt off the bed and stood over the arrogant dragon, furious at both his remarks and his assessment of my intelligence.
“Not only do you barge into my room, but you insult me, too. And stop calling me ‘princess,’ I have a name—it’s Aurora.”
The guy smirked and let out a heavy sigh.
“I know. Kami told me. She also mentioned that if the ritual worked, I could crash here to avoid rumours or the warden getting involved,” he said, turning onto his side as the bed creaked pitifully under him.
“So, what do you want in exchange for letting me cover for my friend and stay here tonight, Aurrrrora?” Maximilian practically growled my name.
In the context of how he asked the question, I hesitated to kick the arrogant dragon out.
If rumours started flying, Kami would never forgive me. But at the same time, why didn’t she warn me about the ritual or the possibility of a guest? I thought we’d become friends over these past three months.
“Faster, Aurora, or I’ll go back to calling you princess. What do you want? A new dress? Shoes? A cloak? Some trinket? I’m dead tired after training,” the dragon asked more insistently, his eyes flickering black, revealing the presence of a bonded spirit. It was terrifying.
The idea of what I should ask the heir of a great family for came to me on a whim.
“A Portalsinger,” I blurted out, freezing as I watched Maximilian’s eyes darken.
“What did you say?” the dragon snarled, more than said.
“I’ll let you stay if you get me a Portalsinger. I’m sure you and Sky can manage that easily,” I said, my voice trembling slightly from the tension, and the dragon’s eyes shifted from surprised to furious.
“Do you have any idea how much that bird costs, Aurora? For a single trained Portalsinger you could buy a mansion in the capital! Isn’t that a bit too much for just one night on a squeaky cot?” The dragon sat up on the bed, which creaked as though it might collapse any moment, and glared at me with eyes darkened in anger.
“I’m not asking for a trained one. I want a wild one. The forests around the Academy are crawling with young birds. You’re an earth dragon, Sky is an air dragon, if you both put in the effort, you can find a young Portalsinger. I would do it myself, but I’m just a domestic mage, I don’t have enough magic.” I replied calmly, which only made him angrier.
“You want us to wander through the woods hunting down small creatures? I’m a dragon, not a hunter!” he hissed.
“Then find a hunter if you’re too lazy. You asked what I wanted, Maximilian. I want a wild Portalsinger. Keep your trinkets for the airheads you can’t spend the night with because they’ll snitch to daddy.” I crossed my arms and watched as the arrogant dragon processed this.
After about a quarter of an hour, he seemed to have figured out how to get a little bird from the forest without dirtying his aristocratic boots, as he nodded to himself and relaxed slightly.
“You’ll get your wild Portalsinger. Now turn off the light, I want to sleep,” he muttered grumpily before lying back down on the creaky bed.
By morning, the room was empty, as if no one had ever been snoring in the next cot.
Kami didn’t show up until the evening, proudly displaying the Mark of the Chosen that Sky had gifted her on her shoulder.
❄ ✦ ❄ ✦ ❄
Three days passed peacefully.
Kamilla showed off the latest jewelry the dragon had gifted her each day, and I silently shook my head. I couldn’t share my friend’s excitement. The role of a dragon’s mistress was clearly not for me, and it was hard to understand her.
Then, on the third day, Kami announced that she and Sky had long-term plans, and this time she warned me to expect our neighbor for the night.
Closer to midnight, the black dragon appeared at my door again.
“A wild Portalsinger for the princess,” he declared smugly, surveying me with his gray eyes, a smirk plastered on his face as he entered the room.
“I have a name! It’s Aurora!” I barked at Maximilian and set the cage with the bird down on the table.
The dragon huffed and sprawled back on Kamilla’s bed. The cot creaked pitifully under the weight of his muscular frame.
“And why exactly do you want a wild bird, Aurora?” he yawned, recalling my name.
“I’m going to teach it to talk,” I asserted confidently, shooting him a disdainful glare.
He radiated arrogance and disdain, but upon hearing my reason for wanting the bird, he turned on his side and raised an eyebrow skeptically, as if I had just uttered something ridiculous.
“Have you ever seen a talking messenger? They’re trained for ten years to open the right portal and deliver messages. And your imagination is quite the thing, girl,” Maximilian replied with a sly grin.
“My father and brother were probably told something similar. But thanks to my father’s imagination, dragons no longer flaunt their bare behinds during spontaneous transformations. And thanks to Krastin, products don’t spoil during transport, even without a refrigeration artifact,” I hissed back, diving into my notes once more.
The dragon huffed again and, creaking the bed, leaned closer, curiously inspecting my calculations and spell sketches.
“Your family is respected in the capital. The younger Winder’s innovations were valued at the palace. Are you aiming for that too? What about family, love?” he said quietly, leaning in closer.
His warm breath practically scorched the top of my head, causing me to tense up and shiver.
I had never been this close to dragons before, or to men in general. At seventeen, I hadn’t even had my first kiss. And here I was, not just with a guy in the room but a full-fledged dragon. Unlike me, the twenty-two-year-old black dragon had already entertained more than one girl in his bed.
Skylar and Maximilian were in their sixth year and would be heading off for an internship in the Southern Lands in just six months.
Apprentices typically entered at seventeen and studied at the academy for only two years, while dragons were sent off to study at sixteen and trained for around six years.
It was unclear who in the capital decided that learning domestic magic was easier than managing a second entity. But this kind of discrimination immediately revealed the priorities of those in power.
Pulling myself together, I fixed my gaze on Maximilian’s darkened eyes.
“I’m only seventeen, and I have no plans to become anyone’s mistress or marry hastily. You can laugh, but I really want to get into the Department of Urban Development,” I said softly, and he smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth.
“So naïve and innocent,” the dragon growled quietly, his eyes shining strangely, making me practically leap from my chair.
“You’re scaring me. Don’t do that,” I whispered, retreating closer to the door.
“Sorry, Aurora. My dragon liked your scent,” he said in a low voice, slowly approaching.
Under his gaze, I felt like a snack at a banquet. Goosebumps raced down my body, and I instinctively rubbed my arms as if I were cold and needed warmth.
“Don’t even think about it. I will never become an Amatrix. So calm your earth spirit and go to sleep if you don’t want to end up outside,” I stated more confidently, lifting my chin high.
The mark of the Chosen could only be placed by mutual consent, and I knew enough protective spells to fend off an arrogant dragon.
A throaty chuckle echoed through the room from the young dragon.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, there are plenty of willing souls to warm my bed. My dragon will never touch an innocent girl trembling with fear and anger,” he said, tilting his head to the side and smiling in a mischievous way. “You just smell delightful when you’re excited, and even when you’re scared.”
I silently pointed to the cot, and with that same smug grin, Maximilian slipped under the covers, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.
After turning off the light, I wrapped myself in the blanket up to my nose, trying not to shiver. This night was tough; I flinched at every rustle from the guy, running protective spells through my mind. I finally managed to fall asleep just before dawn and nearly missed my classes.
After sharing my impressions of sleeping in the company of an upperclassman with Kami, I spent the following week in peace.
My friend realized that I wasn’t in the mood to cover for her escapades, and she returned to our room before curfew. However, she looked sad and quietly sobbed at night, missing her boyfriend. It was clear she enjoyed sleeping with Skye.
As the annual Winter Ball approached, Kami grew increasingly anxious, and the weather seemed to reflect her mood.
Rare snow falls turned into blizzards, and our room grew colder with each passing day. Neither the warming artifacts nor the household spells could combat the old, partially drafty windows that let the cold seep in relentlessly. The little warmth we managed to trap from the artifact struggled to escape through the cracks in the wood.
“Due to the snowstorm, classes are canceled for two days,” my friend chirped excitedly, waving a letter from the dean.
“Let’s just hope we don’t turn into icicles,” I said, chattering my teeth as I wrapped myself in the third blanket I had fought to take from the warden.
“Ava, dear, I’m begging you, this is such an opportunity. Skye is leaving for his internship in the Capital after the ball. And with this mark, it’s like I’m tied to the dragon, and I’m just wasting away from longing,” Kami pleaded, looking deep into my eyes.
“More dragon night,” I exhaled, averting my gaze.
After the last time, just the mention of the black dragon made me shudder.
“Just for one night, Ava, please,” she said, folding her hands in a pleading gesture.
I sighed heavily and nodded ever so slightly.
How could I refuse after her late-night sobbing and the look of despair etched on her face?
With a squeal, she darted off to change, chattering about how Skye had a talk with his friend and that he would behave himself.
“Let him bring some candy. The cafeteria is closed, and I desperately want something sweet,” I grumbled, pulling my notebook under the blanket.
Kami rushed off to her dragon, while I dove into my notes, trying not to shiver and grind my teeth from the cold.
As a native of the North, I shouldn’t have disliked the cold so much, but it certainly didn’t like me either. My delicate white skin would flush red in the frost, and my hands would itch horribly if I forgot to tuck them away or wear gloves.
The day passed quietly, but in the evening, the promised storm began.
The glass rattled, as if ready to shatter from the sharp, powerful gusts of wind. Rare snowflakes even managed to slip through the large gaps in the windows.
Pouring extra magic into the warming artifact, I placed it by my bed, draping one of the blankets over the window. We definitely didn’t need any more snowdrifts piling up on the table.
