Three days passed peacefully.

Kamilla showed off the latest jewelry the dragon had gifted her each day, and I silently shook my head. I couldn't share my friend's excitement. The role of a dragon's mistress was clearly not for me, and it was hard to understand her.

Then, on the third day, Kami announced that she and Sky had long-term plans, and this time she warned me to expect our neighbor for the night.

Closer to midnight, the black dragon appeared at my door again.

“A wild Portalsinger for the princess,” he declared smugly, surveying me with his gray eyes, a smirk plastered on his face as he entered the room.

“I have a name! It’s Aurora!” I growled at Maximilian and set the cage with the bird down on the table.

The dragon huffed and sprawled back on Kamilla's bed. The cot creaked pitifully under the weight of his muscular frame.

“And why exactly do you want a wild bird, Aurora?” he yawned, recalling my name.

“I’m going to teach it to talk,” I asserted confidently, shooting him a disdainful glare.

He radiated arrogance and disdain, but upon hearing my reason for wanting the bird, he turned on his side and raised an eyebrow skeptically, as if I had just uttered something ridiculous.

“Have you ever seen a talking messenger? They’re trained for ten years to open the right portal and deliver messages. And your imagination is quite the thing, girl,” Maximilian replied with a sly grin.

“My father and brother were probably told something similar. But thanks to my father's imagination, dragons no longer flaunt their bare behinds during spontaneous transformations. And thanks to Krastin, products don’t spoil during transport, even without a refrigeration artifact,” I hissed back, diving into my notes once more.

The dragon huffed again and, creaking the bed, leaned closer, curiously inspecting my calculations and spell sketches.

“Your family is respected in the capital. The younger Winder's innovations were valued at the palace. Are you aiming for that too? What about family, love?” he said quietly, leaning in closer.

His warm breath practically scorched the top of my head, causing me to tense up and shiver.

I had never been this close to dragons before, or to men in general. At seventeen, I hadn’t even had my first kiss. And here I was, not just with a guy in the room but a full-fledged dragon. Unlike me, the twenty-two-year-old black dragon had already entertained more than one girl in his bed.

Skylar and Maximilian were in their sixth year and would be heading off for an internship in the Southern Lands in just six months.

Apprentices typically entered at seventeen and studied at the academy for only two years, while dragons were sent off to study at sixteen and trained for around six years.

It was unclear who in the capital decided that learning domestic magic was easier than managing a second entity. But this kind of discrimination immediately revealed the priorities of those in power.

Pulling myself together, I fixed my gaze on Maximilian’s darkened eyes.

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“I’m only seventeen, and I have no plans to become anyone’s mistress or marry hastily. You can laugh, but I really want to get into the Department of Urban Development,” I said softly, and he smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth.

“So naïve and innocent,” the dragon growled quietly, his eyes shining strangely, making me practically leap from my chair.

“You’re scaring me. Don’t do that,” I whispered, retreating closer to the door.

“Sorry, Aurora. My dragon liked your scent,” he said in a low voice, slowly approaching.

Under his gaze, I felt like a snack at a banquet. Goosebumps raced down my body, and I instinctively rubbed my arms as if I were cold and needed warmth.

“Don’t even think about it. I will never become an Amatrix. So calm your earth spirit and go to sleep if you don’t want to end up outside,” I stated more confidently, lifting my chin high.

The mark of the Chosen could only be placed by mutual consent, and I knew enough protective spells to fend off an arrogant dragon.

A throaty chuckle echoed through the room from the young dragon.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, there are plenty of willing souls to warm my bed. My dragon will never touch an innocent girl trembling with fear and anger,” he said, tilting his head to the side and smiling in a mischievous way. “You just smell delightful when you’re excited, and even when you’re scared.”

I silently pointed to the cot, and with that same smug grin, Maximilian slipped under the covers, clasping his hands behind his head and closing his eyes.

After turning off the light, I wrapped myself in the blanket up to my nose, trying not to shiver. This night was tough; I flinched at every rustle from the guy, running protective spells through my mind. I finally managed to fall asleep just before dawn and nearly missed my classes.

After sharing my impressions of sleeping in the company of an upperclassman with Kami, I spent the following week in peace.

My friend realized that I wasn’t in the mood to cover for her escapades, and she returned to our room before curfew. However, she looked sad and quietly sobbed at night, missing her boyfriend. It was clear she enjoyed sleeping with Skye.

As the annual Winter Ball approached, Kami grew increasingly anxious, and the weather seemed to reflect her mood.

Rare snow falls turned into blizzards, and our room grew colder with each passing day. Neither the warming artifacts nor the household spells could combat the old, partially drafty windows that let the cold seep in relentlessly. The little warmth we managed to trap from the artifact struggled to escape through the cracks in the wood.

“Due to the snowstorm, classes are canceled for two days,” my friend chirped excitedly, waving a letter from the dean.

“Let’s just hope we don’t turn into icicles,” I said, chattering my teeth as I wrapped myself in the third blanket I had fought to take from the warden.

“Ava, dear, I’m begging you, this is such an opportunity. Skye is leaving for his internship in the Capital after the ball. And with this mark, it’s like I’m tied to the dragon, and I’m just wasting away from longing,” Kami pleaded, looking deep into my eyes.

“More dragon night,” I exhaled, averting my gaze.

After the last time, just the mention of the black dragon made me shudder.

“Just for one night, Ava, please,” she said, folding her hands in a pleading gesture.

I sighed heavily and nodded ever so slightly.

How could I refuse after her late-night sobbing and the look of despair etched on her face?

With a squeal, she darted off to change, chattering about how Skye had a talk with his friend and that he would behave himself.

“Let him bring some candy. The cafeteria is closed, and I desperately want something sweet,” I grumbled, pulling my notebook under the blanket.

Kami rushed off to her dragon, while I dove into my notes, trying not to shiver and grind my teeth from the cold.

As a native of the North, I shouldn’t have disliked the cold so much, but it certainly didn’t like me either. My delicate white skin would flush red in the frost, and my hands would itch horribly if I forgot to tuck them away or wear gloves.

The day passed quietly, but in the evening, the promised storm began.

The glass rattled, as if ready to shatter from the sharp, powerful gusts of wind. Rare snowflakes even managed to slip through the large gaps in the windows.

Pouring extra magic into the warming artifact, I placed it by my bed, draping one of the blankets over the window. We definitely didn’t need any more snowdrifts piling up on the table.