A dragon shifter novel Chapter 31

Thornhill Academy

Public Service

Allison

Kael is the first to move. He stretches out of his chair with a lazy grin, always ready to do the wrong thing, and holds out his hand “C’mon, stray. Let’s get you out of this healer prison before they decide to stick leeches on you or something.” I want to tell him i don’t need the damn help and that I can walk on my own just fine. However, when I try to push myself up, my legs give a warning tremor that says otherwise. Pride be damned. I slip my hand into his, glaring at him like it’s his fault my body isn’t cooperating Th smug bastard doesn’t even say a word about it. He just closes his fingers around mine and pulls me to my feet. The room tilts, sharp and sudden, and before I can snap at my knees to behave, Kael’s arm is already sliding under my shoulder, ready to support me. “Easy,” he murmurs, half–smile tugging at his mouth. “No fainting on me, Rivers. I’ll never let you live it down” I open my mouth to snap something back, but then Evander is there. One second, he’s across the bed. The next, he’s at my side with shifter speed that stirs the air. His arm slots under my other shoulder, solid as stone, his jaw tight like this is some sort of punishment. Between the two of them, I feel bracketed. A little caged, even. There’s heat on both sides, hands steadying me like I’m fragile glass when all I want is to bare my teeth and prove I’m not. Still, I don’t shake them off. Not yet. My body is screaming that I am sore, every step a reminder of cold water and claws tearing down my back. So I let them hold me up, just long enough to make it out the infirmary doors. Then I’ll figure out how to break free.

The night air feels damp against my skin, the cobblestones still warm from the day. Kael, of course, can’t help himself. “So…” he drawls, the grin in his voice as sharp as his teeth, “couldn’t make it across the log, hey?” I roll my eyes so hard it hurts. “I would have, if that motherfucker hadn’t kicked it out from under me and sent me careening into the river rapids below.” Evander stiffens beside me, heat radiating off him like an open furnace. Kael’s grin slips, his jaw ticking and a muscle working in his cheek. “So he did push you off?” Evander’s voice is low, tight, shaking with a control I can practically hear fraying. The air around us thickens, getting hotter by the second. “Yeah,” I snap, lip curling. “The fucking asshole was trying to kill me, I swear-” I don’t get to finish, because the next moment is a blur. Kael yanks me sideways so hard the world tilts. My shoulder slams into the grass, and then his frame is on top of mine, shielding, heavy and hot. An ungodly roar rips the night open. The air turns molten as blue fire streaks above us, painting the darkness in blinding flame. Evander’s dragon tears into the sky, scales flashing like living steel, wings shredding the air. “What the fuck,” I pant, my chest crushed under Kael’s weight. “Shifter temper,” Kael winces, his voice muffled against the roar. The heat sears close, singeing the edge of his shirt. He rolls off me quickly, cursing under his breath, and I catch the raw, blistered skin across his back as he gets to his feet. “Shit, are you okay?” I scramble to sit, my voice sharper than I mean it to be “I’ll be fine.” He says it like it’s a joke, flashing me a quick wink as he reaches down to haul me upright again. “I heal much faster than you.” The sky above burns with dragon fire, and the air in my lungs vibrates with Evander’s fury.

Kael doesn’t give Evander’s dragon a chance to circle back. He hooks an arm around my waist, half–steering, half–dragging me across the courtyard and into the dorm building before the sky can light up again. My legs protest every step; they’re sore and heavy, but I grit my teeth and match his pace. We slip inside, the echo of our steps filling the long hall. Kael slows near the first row of doors and stops, his hand tightening just a fraction at my hip. He jerks his chin toward one of them, thumb pointing over his shoulder. “That one’s mine,” he says casually, though his eyes flick over me in a way that isn’t casual at all. “You should crash there. Sleep it off. I’ll even be a gentleman and sleep on the floor.” I bark out a short, incredulous laugh that makes my ribs ache. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious,” he insists, and for once his grin isn’t razor–edged. “I bet it’s cold as hell up there in your little attic. You’ll thank me in the morning.” I shake my head and peel myself off him, stubbornly taking a step forward on my own. The ache in my muscles screams in protest, but my pride is louder. “Thanks, but I’ll survive.” He lifts his hands, palms out, but the smirk returns. “Suit yourself, stray.” I hobble further down the hall, every step a reminder of how thoroughly wrecked my body is, until I reach the familiar door tucked into the far end, the one that leads up. My attic staircase looms, steep and endless. One look at it and a groan

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15:07 Fri, Jul 10ǹ·

Public Service

rips out of me before I can stop it. “Yep. This is going to hurt like a bitch.”

Kael snorts behind me. “No kidding. His footsteps pad closer, his warmth at my back. “Let me help you.”

“I’ve got it,” I mutter, slapping a hand against the banister and hauling myself up the first step. My thigh burns like fire. The second step makes my knee buckle. By the third, I’m swaying so badly I have to clutch the rail with both hands. “Yeah, this is painful to watch,” Kael says dryly. I shoot him a glare over my shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.” Too late. He ducks under my arm and scoops me clean off the step. My stomach lurches as his arm slides beneath my knees and the other braces my back holding me like I weigh nothing. “Kael!” I hiss, clawing at his shoulder. “Put me down right now.”

“Not a chance.” He smirks, the corners of his mouth sharp with amusement as he starts climbing. “If I let you crawl your stubborn ass up these stairs, you’ll be dead before morning, and I’m not explaining that to the healers.” I cross my arms over my chest, refusing to look at him. My body betrays me anyway, sagging into his heat because every muscle screams for relief. “You’re enjoying this way too much,” I mutter. His grin widens, teeth flashing. “Of course I am. Carrying strays back to their nests is practically a public service.” By the time we reach the top landing, his chest is shaking with silent laughter.

Comments

R Visitor

Im really invested now, I cant wait to see what happens next

7 days ago

65