Page 32 of A Witch and Her Dragon
I FLY UNTIL THE SUN sets over the distant horizon, painting the world in hues of coral and gold, then in swaths of glittering purple and black. I don’t know how many hundreds of miles I must’ve covered, but I know it’s time to return—to her.
I descend through the clouds and land in a clearing hugged on all sides by trees, though most of their leaves have turned shades of red and orange and fallen to blanket the rich soil beneath my claws. Because I can’t chance being seen by anyone—especially after how badly I fucked up at the academy—I’ll need to walk back in my human form.
My verynakedhuman form.
It takes some battling of my own nature to force myself back into my small human bones, my wingless body, my earthbound feet. But I do it for Alina.
And when the cold air hits my skin, I gasp in a breath.
I’m on my knees in the leaves and dirt, my fingers digging into the soft wet soil. All around me, the air smells of rain and mineral and forest decay. But it smells nothing like it does when I’m in my true body. In comparison, my scent and sight are so limited it’s almost disorienting, and I take a few minutes just to breathe and reestablish myself in this form.
And when I’m finally sturdy enough to stand, I turn my feet in the direction of Coven Crest Academy and start to walk. It’s a long way back to the campus, and with no boots or clothes, I have to be more careful as I move through the forest, stepping gently and mindfully. My eyes, even in their human form, can see well despite the darkness, and I make my way back to the outskirts of the academy grounds with little difficulty.
But one problem still remains: I can’t go walking onto campus fully naked. At the very least, I’d draw significant unwanted attention, and at the worst, Headmistress Moonhart would probably ban me from ever stepping foot onto academy grounds again, and that simply can’t happen.
I skirt the campus, eyes sweeping the darkened outbuildings. Perhaps a student left a cloak lying around, or maybe I can sneak into one of the buildings and find a blanket or atablecloth oranythingto cover myself. I just need to make it back to my room, and then I can start to deal with the fallout of my transformation.
Suddenly, I’m hit with a barrage of my human memories from early this evening: kissing Alina in the hallway, the heat on my skin as she grabbed my hand and brought it to that perfect place between her thighs, then the excruciating pain that racked my body, Alina’s concern as she knelt beside me in the rain, the chain searing my skin as the magic tried to hold my beast at bay.
With a jolt, I reach up to touch my neck and realize the chain is gone.
Alina removed it. As a Ravenscroft, she’s the only one here who has the power to do so. Even I can’t remove it on my own—a maddening but necessary component of the charmed chain.
And Ineedit back. Without it, I won’t be able to do my job, likely won’t even be able to stand in the same room as Alina without my dragon instincts taking over and trying to force my transition.
Fuck!
I did this. I allowed myself to get carried away by my want for her. And I may have just ruined everything. If the king finds out about this...
Maybe he already knows. Maybe Alina sent a messenger as soon as I flew away. The fear on her face when she looked up at me, rain soaked and trembling, makes my stomach twist uncomfortably. She was terrified of me. And for good reason.
But now she knows the truth, and there will be no taking that back. I need to find some damn clothes, get back to my room, and figure out how the fuck I’m going to fix this.
Continuing along the outskirts of the academy, sticking to the darkness of the trees, I come across a small thatched hut standing just inside the forest line. Potted flowers and herbs hug the walls of the hut, and large gardening gloves lie on a low bench cluttered with tools. Smoke puffs from the chimney, filling the forest with the scent of woodsmoke, and nearby, fluttering gently on a clothesline, are two pairs of trousers, a few earth-toned tunics, and a collection of woolen socks.
My gaze snaps to the side window of the hut. There’s movement inside, a horned shadow gliding along the wall. Perhaps this is the groundskeeper I’ve heard about, the reclusive minotaur seldom seen but often whispered about.
Hopefully he won’t mind me borrowing some clothes.
I wait another moment, but no one appears in the window. So with one swift movement, I sidle up to the clothesline and remove a tunic and one pair of trousers, then melt back into the shadows without a sound.
When I pull the trousers on and yank the tunic over my head, I realize that thesemustbelong to the minotaur, for I’m no small man, yet I’m drowning in these clothes. But at least I’m dressed now, even if I may draw odd looks from anyone who sees me. At this point, though, that’s the least of my worries.
I cast my gaze upward, to the north tower. The storm and fog have cleared, and candlelight dances through someof the dormitory windows. I wonder what Alina’s doing right now, wonder if she’s looking into the darkness as I’m looking back at her.
And I wonder what she’s going to say about this.
About my dragon.
About the beast she unknowingly set free.
Chapter 16
Alina
I TOLD THE GIRLS THAT I don’t know where Raelan went, that he ran outside after we had an argument and I slipped on the grass chasing after him.
But I’m not sure they believe me. In fact, I’m almost certain they don’t. But I can’t tell them the truth. It’s not my secret to tell.
