The Dragon Kings' Forbidden Witch

He settled onto the bed carefully, not wanting to disturb her, and simply looked at her for a long moment.

She looked so young. So vulnerable. So completely and utterly his.

There was a possessiveness that rose in his chest at the sight of her, the same possessiveness that GLACIUS felt, the same hunger, the same absolute need to claim and protect and keep. But beneath that was something else. Something he wasn’t entirely sure he had a name for yet.

Something that made him want to protect her not just from external threats, but from everything that might ever hurt her.

Something that made him want to spend eternity watching her sleep in his bed.

He reached out slowly and pulled her close, arranging her so that her back was against his chest, her head resting against his heart. Her arm immediately sought him out, draping across his chest, her fingers curling slightly as if even in sleep she was holding onto him.

The trust in that unconscious gesture undid something in him.

Morgana made a small sound....not quite a whimper, not quite a sigh, and pressed herself closer to him. Her body responded to his presence even in sleep....seeking his warmth.

Kaelen buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her....lavender and something uniquely hers, something that made his dragon rumble with absolute satisfaction deep in his chest.

He held her like that for a long time, not moving, not thinking, just... being. Being with her. Being the reason she felt safe enough to sleep this deeply. Being the one who had made her so thoroughly exhausted that she could rest completely in his arms.

His hand drifted down her back, tracing the curve of her spine through the thin fabric of her borrowed shift. Every vertebra, every rib, every inch of her was something he wanted to memorize, to know, to claim as his own.

She shifted in her sleep, turning slightly to face him, her eyes still closed, her breathing still deep and even. Her hand found his chest, spreading across his heart, and he felt something in his own chest tighten in response.

This. This right here. This was what he wanted. This moment, stretched into eternity.

But he knew it couldn’t be. Knew that the world was waiting. Knew that dangers were circling. Knew that he couldn’t keep her locked in this moment forever, no matter how desperately he wanted to.

So instead, he bent his head and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

She didn’t wake.

He kissed her temple, then the sharp line of her cheekbone, then the corner of her mouth.

Still, she slept.

But her body responded to him. Her hand tightened on his chest. Her breathing changed slightly. She was drifting toward consciousness.

He kissed her neck, soft and reverent, his lips lingering on the pulse point where he could feel her heartbeat. He kissed her jaw, her cheek, the delicate bridge of her nose.

Her eyes fluttered slightly, and he saw the moment consciousness began to seep back in.

"Good morning," he murmured against her skin.

She made a small sound...something between a groan and a whimper, and pressed her face to his chest, refusing to open her eyes.

Kaelen smiled.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, already knowing the answer. She had to be sore. She had to be exhausted. She had to be aching in places she didn’t even know she could ache.

Morgana responded by making another small sound of protest and burying herself deeper against him.

He laughed softly, the sound rumbling in his chest.

"I suppose that answers my question," he said. "Would you like me to send for your maid? She could help you wash...."

Morgana’s arm tightened around him immediately. She shook her head against his chest, and when she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse....absolutely wrecked from screaming his name, and barely above a whisper.

"No," she said firmly. "Don’t."

Kaelen felt something shift in his chest at that simple word.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"Then come," he said softly. "Let me help you wash, and then you can rest more."

Morgana made a sound that was somewhere between a whimper and a protest, but she didn’t argue when he began to shift, preparing to move her.

He carefully sat up, keeping one arm around her, and lifted her as if she weighed nothing at all. Her eyes finally fluttered open as he stood, and she blinked at him in confusion, her dark eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, her voice rough and uncertain.

"To help you wash," Kaelen replied, already moving toward the washroom.

And then understanding hit her, and her entire face flushed a deep, brilliant red.

She immediately pressed her face to his chest, hiding from him, and Kaelen felt amusement bloom in his chest. After everything that had happened last night, after she had screamed his name, after she had come undone in his arms multiple times, she was embarrassed about needing to wash.

***

The washroom was warm and filled with steam. The servants had already been there, as Kaelen had requested before the meeting with his brothers. Hot water had been drawn and placed in buckets, towels were laid out.

He set her down carefully on a cushioned stool, making sure she was steady before he released her. She immediately wrapped her arms around herself, still blushing furiously, her eyes fixed anywhere but on him.

Kaelen moved to the large basin that served as their bath and began adjusting the temperature of the water. He mixed the hot water from the buckets with cooler water, testing it with his hand, making sure it was perfect before turning back to her.

"It’s ready," he said softly.

She didn’t move.

He approached her slowly and carefully, as if she were something fragile that might break if he moved too quickly. He reached down and began to lift the borrowed shift over her head.

She didn’t resist, but she also didn’t look at him, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the stone floor.