Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Wyvern’s Passion
Mage Chronicles Book 3
Joanna Mazurkiewicz
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Newsletter
Copyright © 2017 by Joanna Mazurkiewicz
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Chapter One
The start of the heat.
I turn around to see the time on my bedside table; it's three o'clock in the morning and I'm wide awake.
I yawn and stare at the ceiling for a moment, realising that tonight’s going to be one of those sleepless nights again.
I feel tired, and every muscle in my body’s aching badly. I’d like to wake up rested for a change, but it's been three long weeks since I’ve been able to get a decent night’s sleep. I’ve been waiting for the moment when I finally hit the wall, but my magical energy keeps carrying me through the day.
Moments later I sit up, trying to make sense of this new me. My stomach feels like someone’s dropped a tonne of bricks inside of it, then filled it up with cement. Day by day, I wake up and then go to sleep filled with guilt and regret. Nothing ever changes.
My poor Jetli’s still in critical condition in the hospital wing. I have no idea if she’ll survive Ruscal's vicious attack or not. Derek keeps telling me to prepare myself for the worst, but just I can't let her go. This doesn't feel right; it's not her time yet.
I get up a few minutes later, hoping not to make any noise because of Lenin. The Pixie can sleep through an earthquake, snoring loudly, as usual, and in a way I'm annoyed that he’s not up flying around, worrying more about his sister.
I know that I shouldn’t be irritated by the fact that Lenin’s sleeping through the night without any problems. This ins't the way he deals with his anger and grief. He spends most of his time in Jetli's bed. He talks to her about his day, still making jokes and telling her off, as if there’s nothing wrong with her.
I sigh loudly and switch on the lamp at my desk that Thayer brought in from his office the other day and try to focus my attention on reading. It's a new fantasy novel that I picked up from the library a few days ago. This is how I spend most of my nights these days, reading until I drop off, then wake up a few hours later with a stiff neck. Eventually, I close my eyes and drift away, dreaming about Jorgen.
"Astri, you’ve done it again. This is like the tenth time this month," Lenin mumbles in my ear, waking me up later on. "Ask Derek for some medicine. Maybe you're ill, this isn't normal."
I stretch my arms and neck, feeling even more tried than before. My whole body hurts and I'm starving.
"What time it is?” I ask, wondering how much longer this will continue to go on. I need to train today, even if my body refuses to do any exercise, otherwise my hormones might get out of control; my unsteady emotions are already causing havoc in my system. I just don't need this hassle right now. Being a dragon shifter in heat season is tough, but I'm not quite there yet.
"There’s nothing that I can do, my brain just won’t shut down,” I say to Lenin and quickly vanish into the bathroom before he starts giving me all of his Pixie advice, telling me what to do in order to get a good night’s sleep. I’ve heard it all before, and Lenin doesn't realise that I’m partly human, so none of his advice will ever work.
I take a quick shower, helping to bring my body temperature down. Regardless of what I do, I still feel exhausted.
A few weeks ago, Jorgen’s twin brother, Ruscal, tried to kill me. He took the identity of Falcon, a guard from Leahori, who travelled to Rivenna with Lady Cassandra. She and Duke Jorgen were engaged, and they were supposed to get married, but now the wedding has been called off.
It turned out that Ruscal was the one who tried to kill me eleven years ago. He murdered my parents and then caught up with me in some dark chamber. Unfortunately, my own magic turned against me in a blow-back spell and I nearly died that night. At the time, Ruscal thought that he finished the job, killing the last Wyvern, and I’ve spent the past eleven years being treated like a maid by my only living relatives; Richard and Beatrice.
Then several months ago, I saw Ruscal in a vision, and since then I’ve wanted nothing more than to exact my revenge. I took part in a contest to become the Duke’s assistant, still convinced that Ruscal was Jorgen, as the two of them look very much alike; nearly identical. Word about the contest spread throughout the entire Eastern World, and Ruscal learned that I was actually alive.
He hired two other shifters to kidnap me, but their plan backfired. I managed to escape, and went back to the castle, straight into Ruscal's hands. I had no idea that Ruscal was still in the castle, or that he had captured my beloved Pixies. I adopted Lenin and Jetli a few years ago, after I found them all alone in the forest. Ruscal spent a lot of time in the castle watching and learning about me, realising how much my Pixies meant to me. I was ready to sacrifice myself in order to save them.
The entire time I was participating in the magical contest, I was convinced that Jorgen was the mage from my vision. During the final task, Jorgen allowed himself to be captured by a bunch of wild shifters living in the Decaying Mountains. All of the contestants believed that they were supposed to rescue a guard who was being held in the mountains, but it turned out to be Jorgen after all. Convinced and driven by revenge, I ended up making the biggest mistake of my life. I stood by in the trees and watched while the Duke of Rivenna’s dragon was ripped away from him. The leader of the wild shifters, Bratlav, performed the cutting of the mage ritual, ultimately stripping Jorgen of his magic, along with his dragon, basically making him nothing more than a human. Bratlav believed that he was the true ruler of Rivenna even before the mages took over the city.
At the end of the night, Emilia, my ex-boss and long-term friend, saved my life and managed to disable Ruscal, who ended up shifting into his dragon form and escaped through the roof of the castle, damaging the main wing and severely injuring Jetli. Everyone in Rivenna has been in shock
since this happened, and I’ve been trying to find a way to heal Jetli, so far without any luck.
Over the period of time that I’ve been staying in the castle, I’ve started developing feelings for Jorgen. I hated him since the moment I saw him in my vision, but then things began changing. More doubts were filling my head as things didn’t add up. The Duke was always kind, and treated me well, and I kept telling myself that it was only because he was planning to kill me in the end.
We shared a very special and steamy moment together during the dragon festival straight after I saved him. Falcon challenged him in sword fight and then he shifted. People wanted to see Jorgen in his true form, fighting with Falcon but no one knew that he wasn't a mage anymore–that he had lost his dragon. I stepped up and fought with Falcon instead, before anyone could stop me. Then straight after, I turned back into my human form. Jorgen dragged me into a tent and confessed that he had been fighting with his own feelings for me since I became his assistant and we shared the most amazing kiss that I had ever experienced in my life.
Since that moment at the festival, nothing else has happened between us. I’ve been avoiding Jorgen, spending time with Jetli and Lenin, trying hard to figure out what I want. Jorgen's chamber is right next to mine, so this whole avoiding thing hasn't been easy. I just can’t bring myself to deal with my feelings, especially with heat season looming over me.
These days, I just don't know what to do with myself. I'm certain that Jorgen would’ve changed his mind as soon as he knew that I could’ve saved him that night in the Decaying Mountains. He’d hate me and send me away.
I'm still his assistant, and he should be teaching me magic, training me, but we’ve both been avoiding each other it seems.
The reality is, that no one in the castle would accept me as Jorgen's mate. Only a few weeks ago, he was engaged to Cassandra. He has royal blood in his veins and I'm considered no one; a Wyvern dragon shifter that was scarred by her own magic. I'm not fit to be his duchess in the eyes of most Rivennians.
"Hold on, Lenin. It's Jorgen. Let’s just wait until he disappears on the stairs,” I hiss at Lenin, backing away into the corridor when I see the duke walking further away. My heart shudders in my chest, and something inside my stomach shifts. Yes, I'm a little pathetic, but I just can't face him today, especially now when my hormones are all over the place. His blond hair seems a bit longer, and he’s dressed in dark trousers and a green jacket made from real dragon skin.
I swallow hard as small beads of sweat start appearing on my forehead. The scorching heat is making me lose my mind and it seems that this is only the beginning. Every day I find it harder and harder to deal with my overwhelming emotions. There’s no doubt that sooner or later, I’ll have to mate with someone. Female dragon shifters go through heat once in their lifetime, usually when they’re already married and settled down. Normally it's not an issue, but I haven't been following the standard rules. Ruscal left me with an ugly scar that covers half of my cheek and neck. Because of that, I’ve never really dated anyone, until I took part in the contest for the duke's assistant. And even then, I fought hard to overcome my insecurities.
"Fiu, fiu, so you two have been fighting again. So, how long is this going to go on for?” Lenin asks, and I'm glad that my Pixie doesn't realise what’s going on with me. This whole thing is embarrassing enough as it is.
Soon enough, I can breathe in normally again, but the heat leaves my skin hypersensitive.
"No, we haven't been fighting. I’m just not ready to talk about what happened and I know he’ll ask questions about Jetli,” I say. "Come on, let's have some bacon. I'm starving."
We wait another few minutes, just to make sure that Jorgen vanishes upstairs before we head down for breakfast. This is silly, but I just don't know how to act around him anymore. We’re not together, but we’re more than friends. It's just wired.
When we get to the dining room, a few guards wave to me and one of the maids asks about Jetli. I’ve lived in the castle for several months now, and practically everyone knows me here. All the staff had a chance to get to know my Pixies because of their mischievous behaviour, and the fact that they often steal food from the kitchen.
Lenin tells me to load my plate with more eggs and toast in case Jetli wakes up. I don't say anything and just do what he asks. Lenin misses his sister, but he acts tough, pretending that he’s not affected by her condition. Deep down, I know he’s devastated about what happened to her.
We eat in silence for several minutes while I wonder if I should look through Emilia's old books, just in case I missed something.
"Astri, when you’re done with breakfast, can you meet me outside?" Jorgen’s enigmatic voice startles me all of a sudden.
I try to chew the rest of the food in my mouth, while my blood pressure starts rising. The last time I checked, he was heading upstairs, so what the hell is he doing in here?
I slowly lift my gaze and smile, aware that the glorious heat melts my insides. Jorgen must realise that I’ve been avoiding him. We haven't really spoken since that day, just after Ruscal escaped through the roof when he told me that he wanted me. Every part of me wants to get closer to him and I keep having flashbacks from that day at the festival when he was kissing me with scorching passion.
"Maybe the lordi, lord will tell us what’s going on between the two of you? What have you been fighting about?” Lenin asks, embarrassing me further and making this whole conversation even more awkward. I can’t keep pretending that I don't want him and every time I pass his chamber, my heart bounces in my chest.
"No Lenin, we haven't been fighting. We just needed space,” Jorgen states diplomatically and I feel a little relieved. At least he’s not lying to Lenin. It's the truth, we both needed space. "So do you mind if I speak to Astri in private?"
I try not to act nervous, but it’s very difficult. Of course he wants to talk. It's been too long and we might as well get this over and done with. I really need to catch up with Alexandra. She promised to give me a list of remedies that will help keep me from acting like a sex-crazed animal. Lenin rolls his eyes, mutters something under his breath and vanishes a moment later, leaving me and Jorgen alone.
I don't know what to do with my hands while the silence stretches for several long moments. I glance at Jorgen who’s watching me with his azure eyes. I notice the fire that starts racing in his irises, and my pulse skyrockets. This is not good, he has no idea what’s happening to me, and I'm not rushing to tell him that my body’s ready to take on a mate. I think I would die of embarrassment first.
"How much longer are you planning to avoid me?" he asks and sighs. "I have given you plenty of space, but it's time for us to talk about what's going on between us."
Then he reaches out for my hand, and when our fingers touch the temperature in my body rises way too quickly. I glance around, but the dining room is almost empty now. The only other two people in here aren't paying attention to me and Jorgen, but we need to be careful. Rumors are spreading fast in the castle.
"Don’t know, but I guess my strategy’s no longer working,” I say, trying to be funny, but fail. We continue to stare at each other, forming a silent connection until he leans over and says:
"We should start spending more time together. I can't keep staying away from you. You’re my strength and the voice of reason,” Jorgen says, reminding of my terrible mistake.
There must be a way to reverse that damn ritual, and at the same time bring Jetli back. My Pixie cannot die.
Jorgen’s touch feels like fire on my skin, and raw flames keep burning down to my core. His gaze is so intense and I know that whatever’s going to happen won't be easy. We’re from too different worlds.
"You know that people will talk and your father won’t approve of our relationship,” I say, but Jorgen doesn't seem to agree with me. We were friends before we both started having feelings for each other. My ex-boss, Emilia’s going to be thrilled. She’s been trying to set me up with shifters since I
started working for her years ago.
Then he laughs and squeezes my hand harder, and I wish that I could just forget about other people and kiss him. The fire in the pit of my stomach is making me uncomfortable, messing with my sharp mind. I can't think when he’s around.
"I don’t care about other people, Astri. Cassandra’s out of the picture, and I’m not here to listen to any excuses. Our feelings are far more important than other people's opinions. We’re going to find a way to save Jetli together, because we’re a team,” Jorgen says, and I smile weakly.
"Yes, we will, but I don't want to rush things between us. This is all new to me, and then your bro–"
"Don’t talk about that coward. He isn't important right now. Meet me in my chamber later tonight, so we can talk about this properly,” Jorgen adds, rising back to his feet unexpectedly. His eyes are back to normal now, and my pulse finally slows down.
Then I realise that he asked me to see him in his own private chamber, but for what?
Is this a date?
I wipe the sweat from my forehead and take a few deep breaths. There’s no point in overthinking this. Jorgen made it perfectly clear that he wants me, and he’s not going to give up. I push my plate away and realise that I lost my appetite.
Then I get up and head towards the exit, knowing that I need to speak to Alexandra as soon as possible. My legs feel a bit wobbly when I walk towards the castle gate. Even my heartbeat’s still out of control, but this will pass. I don't want to think about tonight. Whatever happens, I can’t lose control around him.
He might change his mind about me as soon as I break the truth to him. I ruined him, let Bratlav destroy his dragon all because I couldn't let go of my revenge. No matter what happens between us, I must find a way to help him, and save Jetli too. It seems like an impossible task, but there’s always a way to fight against evil.
Chapter Two