A dragon shifter novel Chapter 33

Never Mine

Kael-

I lean in, resting my chin on my fist, watching her squirm like a cornered cat. “So, what is it then? Have you been counting how

many push–ups Cage does in the mornings? Or maybe checking who snores the loudest? Let me guess…” My grin stretches slowly,

wickedly. “You’ve been watching me.” Her face does this thing, half scoff, half choke, before she rolls her eyes yet again. “You? Don’t

flatter yourself, hell hound.”

“Oh, come on,” I drawl, letting my voice drip with mock injury. “I’d be the obvious choice. I’m handsome, dangerous, and

conveniently right below your secret spy nest.”

“Try obnoxious, loud, and way too full of yourself,” she shoots back, crossing her arms. I laugh, sharp and delighted, because fuck I

like it when she snaps. “Mhm. You protest a little too much, Rivers. Almost like I’m right on the mark.” I lean back in the chair,

stretching my legs out, a smirk still plastered across my face. “Don’t worry, though. If you ever get tired of peeking through vents,

you could… ask for a show.” The pillow she launches at my head is worth it. “I wouldn’t even know which one is yours,” she huffs,

chin tilted, trying for casual and failing miserably. “Not that I’ve been looking, because I certainly have not.” The words are strong

enough, but the faint pink creeping up her neck gives her away.

I catch it, and gods, it nearly undoes me. That blush is… adorable. Like watching a stray bear its teeth one second and curl its ears

the next. The little fight in her, the spark she carries even after being dragged half–dead out of the woods, lights something

dangerous in my chest. I want more of it… More of her, and that’s the problem. I lean back, forcing my grin to stay in place like

armour, when really my insides twist. Evander is my best friend. The guy I’ve fought beside before we even knew what claws were

for. He thinks she’s his mate. No. His dragon thinks so, and nd if there’s one thing you don’t fuck with, it’s a shifter animal’s claim.

I’ve liked her from the first day she arrived. She’s scrappy, mouthy, all sharp edges and stubbornness. It was instant, inconvenient,

and impossible to shake… But now? Now I can’t take another step in that direction without betraying Evander and betraying us. So

I sit back deeper in the chair, arms folded across my chest, like I can hold the feeling down by force. I smirk to cover it, because

that’s what I do best. Let her think I’m teasing, playing, hell, let her even think I’m obnoxious. Better that than allowing the truth

show, because if Evander’s dragon is right… Then she can never be mine.

I push up from the chair, stretching the stiffness out of my shoulders. “I should probably go track down Evander,” I say, half-

grumble, half–truth. “Or his dragon, before he sets half the bloody campus on fire!” My grin tilts sharply again, because sharp is

easier than anything real. I flick my eyes back to her. “You’re not going to die on me while I’m gone, right, Rivers?” She rolls her

eyes and huffs like I’ve asked if she needs a babysitter. “I’m fine.” The words croak out of her, scratchy but stubborn, and for some

reason, it lands heavier in my chest than it should. I turn, already bracing myself to leave before I say something I’ll regret, when

her voice follows, quieter this time. “Thank you.” I stop mid–step. The fight is gone from her tone, and all that is left is soft, like she

slipped and lets me hear something she didn’t mean to. Damn it, I can’t help myself. The smirk fades, and for the barest second, the

walls I’ve been stacking between us all night crack wide open. I look back at her and, instead of teasing, I give her a genuine smile.

It’s small and honest. The kind I never hand out. Not even to people who beg for it. This is the smile I give only to my Mumma. “You’re welcome,” I say, voice lower than I mean, before forcing myself toward the door because if I stay a second longer, I’m not

sure I can keep those walls standing at all.

The door clicks shut behind me, and I suck in a lungful of cooler air, like I can burn her scent out of my head. It doesn’t work. It

clings to me. Smoke and riverwater and something that’s just her. Evander. Right. That’s the task. I stretch my senses as I cross the

courtyard, following the faint scorch marks on the flagstones like breadcrumbs. It isn’t hard when a dragon’s temper snaps. The

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Never Mine

evidence sticks around. Trees along the field’s edge still smoulder, their branches curled black, and the grass carries a lingering heat

that makes the soles of my boots prickle. “Ev,” I mutter under my breath, more to the shadows than anyone. The growl that answers

isn’t human. It’s a low, guttural rumble that rolls from deeper in the woods, vibrating through the ground until my teeth buzz. My

pulse kicks up, but I keep walking. The trick with Evander when he’s like this, when his dragon is steering, is never to flinch. “Ev” I

call louder, like I’m announcing myself at a friend’s front door. “It’s me. Don’t torch my ass.” The trees shiver as something massive

shifts in the dark. For a heartbeat, I see nothing but smoke. Then a pair of molten–gold eyes snap open high above me, and the air

thickens with the weight of his fury. I stop at the tree line, palms up, unarmed and unafraid. Or at least, pretending damn well to

1. be. “She’s safe,” I say, voice low but firm.

The dragon’s growl deepens, chest–rattling and heat prickles along my skin. “I get it,” I go on, softer now, like I’m soothing a

spooked hound. “You don’t want anyone near her. You don’t trust anyone but yourself. But you’re scaring the shit out of the school,

and you’re going to burn this whole place down if you don’t get control.” His massive shape shifts closer. Scales catch the

moonlight, wings half–furled in agitation. The dragon is there, but Evander is buried deep. I take a slow breath. “She’s not dead, By.

She’s alive because of you. Because you found her.” That gets a flicker of human back in him; his eyes narrow with less rage/and

more focus. I let a crooked grin tug at my mouth. “Now get your scaly ass back in line before I tell her you’re throwing a temper

tantrum out here.” The snarl that answers is sharp, but it breaks into something I recognise. Frustration. The sound of a man

clawing his way back from the edge. Then the shift starts. Bones crack, scales melt back into skin and seconds later, Evander

staggers into view. “Kael,” he rasps, dragging a hand down his face. “I—”

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“I know,” I cut in, my grin softer now, no longer feeling playful. Come on. Let’s get you back before you really scare someone.”

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M Mickey

He’s a good friend