The second to last chapter. After the last chapter is posted I will be going through fixing the chapters, so if you see anything please let me know. I want to do better before starting the next story. I'll reveal the name of the next story at the end of the last chapter. Thank you for those who stuck with me through my crappy spelling and poor grammar.

-Ninja Burrito

Chapter 17

3 Months later

"Do I really have to wear this?" Cyan asked, adjusting her clothes for the hundredth time.

The colosseum was sweltering with summer heat and the dozens of people milling around didn't help. Everyone was jittery with anxiety and nervous waiting for the exams to start.

Tinny slapped her hands away and pulled the collar of the black shirt back into place. "Yes, looking like an upstanding citizen is important, believe it or not."

"Stop fussing over her. She's got a white eye, is alabaster and the size of a toddler. No amount of clothing is going to keep people from noticing her." Tasha murmured, folding her arms.

Cyan gave her an appreciated smile, glad Tinny had brought along her wife to keep her in line.

Many people stopped to stare at them, well her, before moving as far away as possible. She tried her best to ignore them and focus on the task at hand.

"Where's Fregolion?" She asked, suddenly looking around the colosseum. He was already at the compound when she rolled out of bed that morning feeling irritable and ready to hit someone. This bann he had on nothing other than cuddling was making her insane. How could he expect her to keep her hands to herself when he recently insisted on sleeping shirtless and in shorts due to the weather?

He was doing it on purpose. Had to. Getting her all hot and amped up with his body before kissing her goodnight. Then actually sleeping. Sleeping!

Asshole.

Cyan also wore the shortest shirts and tightest shirts she could find while walking around the room just to make him feel just as uncomfortable as she was. His jewel colored eyes would follow her around, watching her with the look that turned her bones to jelly and set her blood on fire.

She also had the sneaking suspicion he purposely made the room hotter so she would remove more clothing like they were playing some kind of game of who would break first. And yet still wouldn't touch her like he was afraid that he'd shatter her. Honestly given how worked up she was if he did touch her she might shatter, in a fun way.

"He's up in the captain's box. They'll watch the exams from up there then choose who they want to invite into their squads." Tinny glanced around the courtyard, noticed a girl staring at them and glared at her till she shuffled away.

"Ooh. Are they going to watch us? Maybe I should pop the top button on this blouse and show some skin. Make him as crazy as he's been making me."

Tasha's dark brows knitted together with concern. "What's going on with you guys? For the past few months the tension has been insane and it's making me uncomfortable."

Cyan blew out a frustrated breath and adjusted her new witches hat Dorothy sent that morning for good luck. It was exactly the same as her old one but it didn't feel the same.

"He's withholding any type of physical intimacy. I'm so worked up I feel like I'll catch fire."

Tinny's face twisted. "Ew, I didn't want that image."

Tasha giggled. "For a man he's cute. But I don't see why he's keeping his distance from you or whatever."

"I don't know. Maybe he doesn't want to distract me from-"

"All contestants, please get to the arena to begin this year's exams!" Someone shouted, their voice echoing off the stones.

Both Tinny and Tasha turned to her.

"You've got this." Tinny stated simply. "You may be older than most contestants but you look like a child so they'll go easy on which gives you the advantage."

"You've also been training with Merealiona. That already makes you the most dangerous person out there." Tasha added.

"Just dont use any Nightmare magic. Shadow magic only, no offense only defense. You're impressing the captains who already don't want you around because of your mom, the other contests are moot."

Cyan threw her hands up. "You guys are freaking me out. Stop."

"Okay okay," Tinny murmured. "Someone will see your potential and ask you to be a part of their squad."

Right, she would be moving out of the palace today, moving into squad headquarters. The days of getting the shit beat out of her by Mel were finally over but that also meant the days of lazing around in Fuegoleon's bed and eating his rich people's food would also be ending.

Taking a deep breath Cyan waved goodbye and followed the horde of people into the colosseum. The first thing she noticed was the captains sitting high on a balcony overlooking the exam center, some familiar and others she had never heard of before. Some conversed quietly with one another while others stared blankly at the railing like they wanted to be anywhere but there.

Yami, to her surprise, grinned when she walked to the center. She smiled back. She didn't expect a lot of squads to raise their hands for her at the end of the day but she hoped her familiarity with Yami and the Bulls meant she'd have a home.

Scanning the balcony she saw her aunt was as she always was, passed out. Maybe some nepotism would be thrown her way and Dorothy would dote on her if no one else wanted her. Then again it was hard to tell how aware she was when in her dream realm and might not.

Her eyes fell on a giant smile set in the familiar face of Leopold beaming down at her. Sitting at his elbow was Fregolion who seemed to be looking everywhere but her. She nodded at the younger man and glared at Fuegoleon until his eyes met hers. Her insides squeezed at the intensity she found there, like he was staring right through her clothes to what he knew was underneath. She winked at him and pulled the brim of her new hat down to hide the flush rushing through her body.

Damn him. After months of going to sleep with him, waking up with him and even once working up the nerve to hop in the shower with him, just his stare turned her to puddy. He wasn't overly flirty, didn't touch her often and despite a few intense possessive conversations was a complete gentleman.

And then he looked at her like that.

The exams were pretty straight forward and followed a similar pattern every year. First it was about flying and maintaining a constant flow of control and magic which wasn't hard except Cyan was deathly afraid of heights. She popped a whole foot off the ground and waited for the examiners to call time. A lot of the younger examanies zipped around the courtyard showing off their moves hoping it would somehow leave an impression. She wasn't trying to impress anyone like everyone else, just show the captains she was in control.

Thankfully the next test was holding a mana skin while examiners walked around throwing wind, water and fire at the examinees. Training with Mel made it a breeze. Cyan was unrumpled, un-singed and dry at the end.

It took hours to get through all the people who signed up to take the exam and the sun was beginning to set by the time Cyan stepped up to face off against her opponent for the final test. The man she faced was in his twenties like her, probably not his first attempt at the exams. He seemed cocky as he gazed across the combat ring, his eyes sliding up and down her body. For that alone she felt like going all out and putting him in his place but Tinny's warning stayed in her head. She just needed to incapacitate him and show the captains she wasn't a threat but had something to bring to a squad.

"Participant 72, ready?" The examiner asked.

He nodded and crouched down, eager to begin.

"Participant 61, ready?"

Cyan nodded but didn't move, instead she slouched and did her best to look bored.

"Begin!" He shouted and bolted out of the arena.

Before participant 72 could activate his grimoire or anything Cyan lifted a hand and snapped her fingers. She dropped him into a shadow dive using the shadows pooled below his feet, then threw him out of one across the arena. He was now outside the fighting ring which was an immediate loss on his part.

She felt her mana drop considerably. It took less power to pull someone through a dive if she touched them, doing it remotely was exhausting. She kept her pose relaxed, no one needed to know it wasn't something she could do on command whenever she felt like it.

The examiner stuttered several times before throwing his arm in the air and declaring her the winner with a record breaking ten second win. None of the participants cheered for her or congratulated her like they had the others when she took up her place along the wall.

Leopold on the other hand went berserk, yelling something she couldn't understand while throwing his hands in the air and smacking Fuegoleon on the back. Cyan smiled to herself and stared down at her feet while the other contestants glared and whispered that she had cheated.

One of the examiners walked to the middle of the ring when the last test ended. "Thank you to all the participants of this year's exam. Unfortunately not everyone will be accepted into a squad. For those who don't make it onto a squad you'll be able to apply again next year."

He met everyone's stare before looking up to the captains and continued. "Number one, Lace Harding, please step forward."

It was grueling waiting to trudge through every damn person and wait for captains to raise their hands and people to make choices. She was about to sit on the ground to ease the ache in her legs when her number was called.

"Participant 61, Cyan Conway, come forward."

Nerves flooded every part of her body and it took all her will power to walk to the center of the ring and wait to be told if she was worthy. She did her best to ignore the looks and judgment she could feel radiating off the crowd. Luckily Tinny made her wear pants to hide the markings slowly growing up to her leg as time went on so no one could see her knees shaking.

She sucked in a deep breath, set her mouth and glared up at the waiting captains. No one had moved, no hands in the air. Not a single damn one.

"Oh." She murmured to herself, feeling every hope and dream instantly disappear. She looked up at Yami and gave him a look that suggested if he didn't raise his meaty hand she would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Only he wasn't looking at her, instead he was holding a blond women's arm down in the chair next to him while he watched Fuegoleon. Cyan didn't know the woman's name but she was captain of the Blue Roses and usually only took women. She looked between Yami and Fuegoleon as confused as Cyan was.

Cyan turned to Dorothy who was surprisingly awake, hand twitching at her shoulder half raised while she too stared at Fuegoleon. Finally she looked at the man in question who ignored everyone else and stared at his hands folded in his lap. Leopold was still in his position at the captain's side bouncing on the balls of his feet like he might explode.

"What the fuck is going on?" She asked the examiner who also seemed to have noticed the indecision of the captains.

He shrugged. "Beats me." He cleared his throat and shouted up at the overlook. "Are there any hands for participant 61, Cyan Conway?"

The Blue Rose captain tried to pull her hand from Yami's grasp but he kept it locked to the armrest of her seat shaking his head. Leopold was squirming even more, rapidly poking his brother in the shoulder. Why was he poking Fuegoleon? She wasn't allowed on the Crimson Lion Kings squad.

Just when Cyan was about to break down from the tension Fuegoleon finally looked up from his hands and turned his face to the end of the captain's viewing area to where a young blond boy stood watching.

She hadn't noticed mini Julius up there, watching the exams from the doorway. Julius watched him, his young face betraying nothing behind a cool mask. She held her breath and clenched her hands waiting.

Slowly, his amethyst eyes still locked on the boys, Fuegoleon raised his hand.

"Cyan Conway, one hand. Crimson Lion Kings!"

"I was going to piss myself!" Tinny shouted, her voice carrying across the entire tavern. Apparently after Magic Knight Exams, captains went to a private club to celebrate while newcomers and existing squad members filled every establishment that served boose to relax. Tinny had dragged Cyan and Tasha to a tavern called High Roads near the Lion King compound as soon as the exam came to a close. High Roads was apparently the preferred hang out for Lion King members and it showed in the decor. Red and gold flags with roaring Lions covered the walls and almost every person currently visiting the establishment wore Lion King jackets.

Several people stopped by their table to congratulate Cyan and a few even saluted which she chalked up to sarcasm. She wasn't a new face around the compound and no one seemed surprised she would be added to their ranks. It was nice that no one in the Lion Kings seemed to care who she was or who her mother was, they just cared she was the 'pocket witch that punched Mereoleona that one time.' She assumed Leopold started it as retaliation for her calling him 'pocket size Fuegoleon'.

Pocket Witch. She had hoped for a better nickname than that but it was better than anything she got from the citizens of Clearwater.

Tasha tossed back a shot and grabbed her wife's hand. "You could hear a pin drop in there. But you held up well, I would have freaked out."

Cyan accepted a shot Tinny pushed across the table. It smelled like paint thinner but she couldn't puss out in a room full of her new squad mates. She smiled at the thought and drank it. "Ugh! God that's awful." Tasha laughed at her face. "What was that about anyway? It was like a weird power struggle."

Tinny and Tasha exchanged looks. Cyan frowned and sat back in her chair tapping a nail on the table waiting.

"Uh, well Yami maybe threatened several other captains that if they raised their hands he'd break their arms." Tinny answered slowly.

"Why?" Did Yami not want her to join a squad?

"Why does that guy do anything? I think it's because he likes you and that was his way of having your back." Tasha replied lightly. "His squad is full of misfits looking for a home, he probably didn't want someone that wanted to be somewhere else. Plus if no one would raise their hand other than Fuegoleon then Julius couldn't say shit."

Cyan nodded. "He did say I had to get on a team."

"That and his 'not fraternizing with a subordinate' thing Julius said was shit to begin with." Tinny added. "You're not technically a subordinate."

Cyan choked down a shot as another person saluted her when passing by. "I'm not?"

Tinny smiled. "That medal the Wizard King gave you that you threw in a drawer and forgot about? It's not just an honorary medal for PR, that medal presented to any magic knight by the Wizard King himself would automatically boost them in the squad ranking. Because the Lion Kings are so big Fuegoleon has a vice captain and a lieutenant. Your metal makes you a lieutenant of the Lion Kings, therefore not a subordinate."

Cyan processed the intricacies of squad politics, her booze steeped brain a little on the slow side. "Is that why these nerds keep saluting me?"

"Yep." They both agreed.

Huh. She was not only a Magic Knight now, she was a decorated and ranked Magic Knight. Maybe that had always been Juluis plan in some weird roundabout way. Honestly trying to understand his motives were exhausting and every time she came close to figuring something out she'd get a headache.

"Lieutenant Conway, the Pocket Witch. I like it." she murmured to herself. "Not loving the nickname but it'll do."

Tasha slid her another shot. "One of these days you should ask what Fuegoleon's nickname was back in his grunt days."

She couldn't do another shot. Her stomach was done and unless someone was moving the walls, which given the clientele was possible, then she was very drunk.

"Okay." She groaned using the table to get to her unsteady feet. "I have to get out of here."

Tasha took a sip from Tinny's beer. "What? Where are you going?"

"Duh. She's going to find the Master." Tinny added with an eyebrow wiggle. "How do you plan on finding him?"

"Bracelet. Doesn't require a whole lot of concentration to get there. Just a lot of mana. Thank you for the evening ladies, I needed to say that now because tomorrow I will certainly be cursing your names." She bowed to the couple with a flourish and almost lost her footing.

"Just get home safe please." Tinny stated.

Home. Now that she was part of a squad she'd be required to live at the compound right? Good thing she planned on finding the boss, he could help with the sleeping arrangement thing. Honestly she didn't plan on spending a lot of time in her quarters, with her moving out or the palace then he would move back into his rooms at the compound since he wouldn't need to keep an eye on her anymore. If anyone expected her to sleep in her own room then they would be sorely disappointed. Fuegoleon was not about to escape her.

Touching her gromiore she flung her mind out and felt around for the bracelets. Of course with Tinny sitting across from her that one came easily. Booze brain did not help and it took a few seconds to feel the other one. It felt pretty close, maybe a few blocks away.

Opening her eyes she smiled as the pair stepped into the shadow cast by a chair and dove to the nearest shadow where the bracket and Fuegoleon were.

She stepped out of the dive in a dark alley across from a smoking lounge that had no signs or name which meant it was up-scale and over priced. Standing outside the door in the warm lamp light was Fuegoleon, a man with silver hair, Yami and hanging off Yami's arm the captain of the Blue Roses. Poor Vanessa.

Yami died mid laugh when he saw her. "Hey Kiddo! What brings you to this part of town?"

She narrowed her eyes and did her best to appear sober and in full possession of her limbs. "I'm actually looking for my boss."

"Boss? Is that what were calling him now?'' Yami asked, his dark eyes shining as he turned to the man in question. "I guess Sleeping Beauty has gotten old."

"I warned you not to call me that." Fuegoleon hissed.

"Whadda ya gonna do rich kid? One on one you know I'd wipe the floor with you." Yami shot back.

The silver haired man rolled his eyes and stepped between the two. "Time to call it quits. Besides that one looks like she's about to fall over." He added pointing at Cyan.

Cyan managed to reach their side of the street and smiled. "Really? I thought I was doing pretty well."

He shook his head. "You almost ate it like three times."

She shrugged. "But I didn't." Turning to Fuegoleon she raised her brows and folded her arms. "I need to sleep. I am drunk and I don't know where I live now. Take me home."

The Blue Rose captain chuckled and leaned heavily on Yami's arm, probably just as drunk as Cyan. "Demanding little shit aint she."

The larger man shook his head. "You have no idea."

Cyan blew out a breath. "Now." she added, ignoring the group and grabbing her captain's hand.

…Her captain. Kinky.

Fuegoleon nodded his head to the group, an amused gleam in his eye. "I will see you all tomorrow at the meeting."

"Watch this." Yami whispered loudly to the group. "It's the craziest thing you'll ever see."

Ignoring them, they walked out of the street lamps light to the shadow of the building. "I don't actually know where we're going."

"Go to the compound, my office. I'll show you your new room there, I had one of the maids move your stuff earlier." He pitched his voice low to avoid the creepy eavesdroppers watching them.

Glancing over her shoulder Cyan waved goodbye and dropped them in the shadows.

Before completely slipping through the shadow she heard a feminine gasp. "Holy fuck-".