The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

Kaelen looked down at Morgana, who was still sleeping peacefully against his chest.

He hated the idea of leaving her. Hated it with every fiber of his being.

But Draeven would not have sent for him at this hour unless it was genuinely urgent.

”Tell him I will be there shortly,” Kaelen said, his voice carrying a note of barely-concealed irritation. ”Give me thirty minutes.”

Lysander bowed again.

”It will be done, My King,” the servant said, and then he withdrew, closing the door quietly behind him.

For a long moment, Kaelen simply held her, unwilling to move, unwilling to separate himself from her warmth.

But duty called.

He brushed a strand of hair from her sleeping face and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

”Sleep well,” he whispered. ”I’ll be back.”

He rose carefully, cradling her against him one final moment before gently laying her back on the bed, positioning pillows around her to keep her comfortable.

He got dressed and then walked out of the office.

***

Kaelen walked into Draeven’s office with the bearing of a man who had just experienced something absolutely transcendent.

His pale hair was slightly disheveled, falling across his forehead in a way that suggested it had been thoroughly rumpled. His shirt was buttoned, but not quite properly, one button off, giving him a slightly untamed appearance. There were marks on his neck, faint bruises where Morgana’s nails had caught him, evidence of the night’s intensity written across his skin.

And his expression....gods, his expression was absolutely unbearable.

He was smug. Satisfied. Like a dragon who had just claimed the greatest prize in the kingdom and couldn’t quite believe his luck.

He settled into the chair across from Draeven’s desk with complete nonchalance, his pale eyes gleaming with something between amusement and absolute possession.

”You called for me, brother?” Kaelen said, his voice carrying that irritating note of satisfaction. ”I hope it’s about something relevant. I had other matters to attend to.”

The implication was clear. He had BETTER things to do. Better things....or rather, BETTER PERSON.....to do them with.

Thorne, who had been standing near the window, turned sharply at the sound of Kaelen’s voice.

His dark eyes took in his youngest brother’s appearance....the disheveled hair, the marks on his neck, the absolutely smug expression, and something flashed across his face. Jealousy. Rage. A raw need that suggested he wanted to be exactly where Kaelen had just been.

”Bastard,” Thorne said coldly.

But there was more beneath the word. There was a frustration that went beyond simple irritation. There was a hunger that matched Kaelen’s own but had not been satisfied. There was the knowledge that Kaelen had spent the night with Morgana while Thorne had been left to pace the halls and think about what was happening in that chamber.

Draeven, seated behind his desk, simply smiled slightly.

The First King’s golden eyes took in the scene....Thorne’s obvious jealousy, Kaelen’s obvious satisfaction, and he understood immediately what had transpired.

”So,” Draeven said, his voice carrying a note of curiosity, ”how was it?”

Kaelen’s smug smile returned in full force.

He settled back in his chair, the picture of absolute satisfaction, and looked at his brothers with eyes that burned with pride.

”She was magnificent,” he said simply.

The words were delivered with the kind of confidence that suggested ”magnificent” was somehow an understatement.

Thorne’s hands clenched into fists.

”She responded beautifully,” Kaelen continued, apparently enjoying the effect his words were having on his brother. ”Her magic... gods, her magic is incredible. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced.”

”What do you mean, her magic?” Draeven asked, his strategic mind already working through implications.

Kaelen leaned forward, his pale eyes burning with the memory of the night.

”When she climaxed,” he said, his voice dropping slightly, ”her eyes glowed. Silver light, so bright it was almost blinding. And objects in the room....they lifted. They floated. They moved around us like they were responding to her pleasure, her power, her magic.”

Thorne turned away from the window, unable to watch his brother’s satisfied expression any longer.

”Her entire body responded to stimulation,” Kaelen continued, clearly enjoying every moment of this. ”Multiple times. And each time, her magic grew stronger, more uncontrolled, more absolutely wild.”

”How uncontrolled?” Draeven asked, his tone shifting to something more serious.

”Very,” Kaelen said. ”By the end of the night, objects were being thrown across the room by the force of her power. The windows shattered completely. Cold air rushed in from outside.”

He paused, letting that sink in.

”She has no idea what she’s doing,” Kaelen said. ”When the objects started moving, when her magic started responding, she didn’t understand it. She had no idea what was happening. She was completely incoherent, lost in the sensation, lost in the pleasure. Her magic was responding to me, to what I was doing to her, but she wasn’t controlling it. She was barely aware of it happening.”

Draeven leaned back in his chair, his golden eyes thoughtful.

”So you’ve confirmed it,” the First King said. ”She is definitely a witch.”

”Unquestionably,” Kaelen replied. ”The power, the way her magic responds, the raw force of it....no question.”

Thorne turned back to face them, his dark eyes intense.

”She can’t control it,” Thorne said, his voice sharp. ”If her magic is responding like that, if objects are being thrown around, if windows are shattering....she’s dangerous. To herself, to the palace, to anyone near her.”

”That’s not necessarily true,” Draeven said thoughtfully. ”Her magic is responding to pleasure, to stimulation. In a controlled environment, with someone managing the intensity, it can be contained.”

The implication was clear. Kaelen had managed it. But the question was whether she could ever manage it herself.

”She needs to learn control,” Draeven continued. ”Before her magic becomes a liability. Before the council notices. Before someone realizes what she is.”

Kaelen nodded slowly.

”I can help with that,” he said, his voice carrying a note of possession. ”Teach her to control it. Show her what she’s capable of.”

Thorne’s jaw clenched visibly.