Page 45 of Stolen By Dragons

The next morning, Elowen gathered us all in the training area. Her expression was grave as she addressed us, and whatever tiredness I had was gone. We’d stayed up chatting about home far longer than we should have before we’d said our goodnights and gone to our own rooms.

"The time has come for final preparations," she announced. "In three days, you will face the Trial of the Stone Sentinels. You will attempt to awaken the ancient dragons, as foretold by our Seer. You will train hard and focus, and be ready, so today, take some time to gather your thoughts, spend time together, and prepare, mentally.”

A ripple of nervous energy passed through the group. This was it - what we'd been training for all these weeks. The reality of it hit me hard as a chill swept over me, leaving me breathless with fear and anticipation.

Time for the moment of truth. Our grand purpose.

“So it’s right around the corner,” Lydia breathed beside me, while Chris squeezed my hand. I swallowed, my heart pounding as the reality set in.

Crap. It was actually going to happen.

17

ARIA

As we dispersed to have the day off from training, which was a thoughtful move on Elowen’s part in my mind, I found myself wandering towards Chris's room with him.

“Need to talk?” he asked softly as I leaned into his side, focusing on his warm hand around mine.

“Yes.” My mind was a whirlwind of doubts and fears, all of which were becoming overwhelming now.

“I’m going to chat with the other feline shifters I think,” Lydia said as we reached the shifter hall, a frown marring her brow.

“Okay,” I said softly, trying to focus on her, but my own thoughts were causing too much of a mess inside my mind.

“I’ll catch up with you all later,” Zephyr added, glancing at Chris and I before he nodded and headed off to his hall. Many others stood or sat around the large communal area, talking quietly amongst themselves. All of us were overwhelmed right now.

Chris led me to his room and opened the door, letting me step inside. I headed straight for the bed and sunk down, hating how my hands were trembling.

“Aria.” He shut the door and moved to stand before me, taking my hands in his and tracing circles on my palms to ease the shakes. “What’s going on?”

The words tumbled out of me in a rush. "What if we got it all wrong, Chris? What if I can't do this? I can barely manage a wisp of magic, how am I supposed to awaken an ancient dragon? What if I fail? What if I’m the only one who fails?”

I stared up at him, furious at the lump in my throat as he offered me a small smile.

He pulled me up and into his arms, and I melted into his embrace, drawing comfort from his solid presence and his uniquely wild and earthy scent. It made me think of the forests and mountains, and I adored it.

"Hey, hey," he murmured soothingly. "You're not alone in this, Aria. We all have doubts, we're all scared. Some of us are just better at hiding it."

I pulled back slightly to look at him. "Even you?"

He nodded, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Especially me. I may be a werewolf, but this... this is way beyond anything I've ever faced."

I sighed, resting my forehead against his chest. "I miss home," I admitted. "All of this - the magic, the different realms, ancient dragons - it's so much. I feel so out of place here sometimes, other times, I feel oddly at home.”

Chris's hand came up to cup my cheek, gently tilting my face up to meet his gaze. "You're not alone, you never will be, I promise you that. We will get through this.”

Before I could respond, he leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss. It was soft at first, tentative, but quickly grew more heated. I found myself responding with an intensity thatsurprised me, all my fears and doubts momentarily forgotten in the warmth of his embrace.

Maybe it was the emotional rollercoaster, or the fact that we’d done this dance so much, stolen kisses that had gotten so hot and heavy, but something had always gotten in the way, whether it was exhaustion or interruptions.

With the Trial so close, I wanted to finally see what it was I’d been missing. To be with him the way I sometimes wondered about.

One kiss led to another, and soon we were tumbling onto his bed, hands exploring, breaths mingling. As Chris's lips trailed down my neck, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered that I should be worried, more focused on everything else. But the feeling of his skin against mine, the way he looked at me with such warmth and desire, silenced that voice completely. I needed to forget everything, and we’d been playing a devilish game of teasing and wondering, never fully giving in.

Well, I wanted to give in now.

Chris's hand gently cupped my face, his hazel eyes holding mine with an intensity that took my breath away. "Aria," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion, "I've wanted this from the moment I first saw you. The need to be with you has been overwhelming. But I fought it, I resisted because I didn't want to scare you off or make you uncomfortable. And we had so much else going on. Every time we’ve kissed, I’ve wanted more, wanted to be with you completely…”

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