Julia prided herself on keeping her cool no matter what the situation at work. Her ability to handle whatever task was thrown at her was how she had managed to rise through the ranks from an entry-level customer service agent to secure one of the highly coveted Advocate Support Specialist jobs. It was almost unheard of for a wizard to get a support specialist job, let alone a wizard with no college education. But Julia had done it, and she was damn proud of what she’d done.
But nothing had prepared her for today’s challenge: showing a famous dragon shifter around the Advocacy Bureau—a famous dragon shifter who had made no secret of his interest in her. She had to admit that she felt a bit flattered by the attention. What woman in her right mind wouldn’t be? And Jasper was undeniably handsome—tall and muscular, with chestnut hair and eyes that were an even deeper shade of green than her own. It didn’t matter what he looked like or how famous he was, though. Julia wasn’t interested in a man. She’d been burned too many times, and she wasn’t interested in suffering another heartache. Every relationship she’d had over the last few years had done nothing except break her heart and distract her from her career. And her career meant everything to her. She’d worked too hard to get where she was to throw it all away because she was too distracted by a man to do good work.
But damn. It was hard to not be distracted by Jasper. She was relieved when the clock struck five and she was officially free from him for the day. Apparently, he did not share her feelings of relief. As soon as she told him that that was a wrap for the day and bid him goodbye, he seemed to think that was his clue to turn on the charm again.
“I can’t wait until tomorrow to spend more time with such a lovely ASS,” he said, emphasizing the word ass. He was never going to let that abbreviation die, was he?
Julia smiled briefly at him. “Very funny. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I—”
“No, really,” he interrupted. “I can’t wait. What about dinner tonight?”
Despite her resolve not to react to any of his teasing or romantic advances, Julia couldn’t hold back an exasperated sigh. “I told you I’m not interested.”
“Not even after spending a whole day with me and seeing how much fun I am?” Jasper struck a dramatic pose and fluttered his eyelashes at her.
Julia managed to resist the urge to roll her eyes. She had to admit that he was pretty funny, but that wasn’t enough to sway her. She was determined to remain firm in her decision not to date anyone. “I’m not interested,” she repeated. “And besides, I already have plans tonight.”
Jasper raised a questioning eyebrow at her, and gave her an overly-dramatic wounded look. “Don’t tell me you’re claiming not to date to get rid of me, and then going on a date.”
Julia crossed her arms. “If you must know, I’m taking some advanced magical defense classes as part of my long-term career development plan. So no, I’m not going on a date.”
Jasper suddenly looked even more interested. “Advanced magical defense classes? That sounds really cool. Can I come watch?”
“No! It’s not a spectator sport.”
“Oh, come on. It’ll be educational for me. Don’t you want me to learn as much as possible about wizardry? The High Council says that the more I understand about magic and how magic works, the better I’ll be at my job as peacekeeper.”
“Well then the High Council can educate you on magical defense. Not me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really need to get going.”
“Aw, come on.” He gave her puppy dog eyes, but that wasn’t going to sway her. She shook her head.
“Nope. Not happening. See you tomorrow.”
She walked off without looking back, heading for the women’s locker room of the onsite gym. She would change into athletic clothes and then meet her trainer in one of the fitness studios for her lessons. The Advocacy Bureau offered free magical training to all its employees, but Julia was one of the few who took advantage of it. She never understood how so many people passed up the opportunity to learn for free. The classes were good, and the instructors were masters. Julia had already learned more than she thought possible, and she was well on her way to becoming a junior Advocate Defender. Being a support specialist was an honor, but Julia wasn’t satisfied yet. She wanted to continue advancing through the ranks of the Advocacy Bureau, and the highest position one could obtain without getting a college degree was that of Advocate Defender. The Advocate Defenders went out with the Advocates on missions to investigate reports of unauthorized use of magic. The job was exciting and dangerous—exactly what Julia wanted. The idea of being responsible for the protection of an Advocate thrilled her. She only needed to master a few more magical defense skills and she’d be ready to take the magical defense test that wizards needed to pass before they could apply for the Advocate Defender positions.
Julia slipped out of her business suit and into her form-fitting black leggings and tank top. She kept her feet bare, which was what her instructor preferred. He said he wanted her to feel a connection with the earth beneath her to keep her grounded. Julia thought that all sounded a little hokey, but she like her instructor so she just went with it. Besides, after wearing dress shoes all day, it felt good to let her feet breathe. She wriggled her toes a few times to stretch them out, and then headed for the fitness studio where she would meet her instructor.
But she stopped in her tracks when she opened the door and entered the studio. In the middle of the room, talking and laughing with her instructor, stood Jasper. Julia folded her arms across her chest and cleared her throat loudly. Jasper looked up at her and smiled innocently, as though she hadn’t told him just ten minutes earlier that she didn’t want him coming to her magical lessons.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Jasper’s smile widened. “I spoke with the High Council just a few minutes ago. Just to update them on my day, you know? I mentioned that I’d like to learn more about advanced magical defense tactics, and that the support specialist I was working with took classes in the evening. They thought coming to watch you would be a fantastic way for me to learn.”
Julia glared at Jasper. Her instructor, who seemed completely clueless about the thick tension in the air, clapped his hands excitedly.
“I think this is just marvelous,” the instructor said. “Come on, Julia, are you ready to begin? Let’s show off to Jasper here everything you’ve learned.”
Jasper shrugged at Julia, and even though she wasn’t a violent person by nature, she’d never been so tempted to slap someone across the face. She restrained herself, though. Jasper had her cornered, and he knew it. If the High Council thought he should be here, then there was no way for Julia to argue. She couldn’t exactly call up the Council members and tell them that, actually, Jasper had a crush on her and so she didn’t want him to watch her magical defense classes. They’d think she was acting like a ridiculous schoolgirl.
So Julia gave Jasper a curt nod, and headed for the center of the room. “You’ll want to sit against the far wall, well out of my way,” she called out over her shoulder. Jasper looked amused by this, but he went to sit by the wall as she’d instructed.
“It’s no laughing matter,” she whispered through gritted teeth. If she had to put up with Jasper watching her, then she was going to give him a show that he wouldn’t soon forget. Before her instructor could even tell her what to do, Julia had raised her magic ring high into the air.
“Magicae invado!” she yelled out. Sparks flew through the air from her ring, and her surprised instructor took a step back himself. Julia didn’t slow down. She yelled out another spell, and a shimmering magic shield surrounded her. She launched laser beams, smoke attacks, fire attacks, water attacks, and even force field attacks. She ducked, rolled, and somersaulted her way across the room as she attacked the imaginary enemy on the other side of the fitness studio. She never looked back at Jasper, even though she could sense his eyes on her. She felt like she was trying to prove something to him, although she wasn’t sure what. Perhaps she wanted him to see that she wasn’t someone worth messing with.
That thought was rather foolish, though, wasn’t it? Julia was quickly becoming an expert at magical defense, but even the strongest masters had difficulties in fighting against dragons. Dragon hide repelled magic attacks, and Jasper was widely known as the fiercest dragon warrior around. He had singlehandedly saved his entire clan from dark magic during the recent Great Dark War.
Still, Julia wanted him to see that she was more than just a pretty face. She wanted him to know that she wasn’t the type of girl who was easy to mess with. So she put on a show like nothing she’d ever done before. When she finally stopped and turned to face both her instructor and Jasper, she felt gratified to see looks of astonishment on both of their faces. She had impressed them both, and neither one of them was the kind of person who was easily amazed.
Julia bit back a smile as her instructor started a slow clap. She wanted to keep a serious look on her face, to show Jasper that this was no laughing matter. Still, she couldn’t keep from feeling a rush of pride when Jasper started clapping too. Julia was sweaty and panting, but her heart felt full. She’d managed to impress Jasper Moffatt, the Jasper Moffatt.
Take that, Dragon.