A dragon shifter novel Chapter 36

Done For

Cage

The smirk barely settles on my lips before he lunges. Evander’s fist slams into my gut, hard enough to rip the air straight out of me.

I double over with a grunt, vision flashing white, and then his hand is in my collar, yanking me upright. His eyes burn molten gold,

too bright and too dragon. “You think I need proof?” he snarls, voice so low it rattles my ribs. “I’ll carve it out of you myself.” Gasps

echo across the hall. A tray clatters to the floor. I react on instinct, magic snapping sharp and fast. Wind roars into my palms and

bursts outward like a cannon, blasting him back a few steps. “Back the fuck off, Drayke!” I spit, chest heaving and/throat raw. He

stumbles but doesn’t fall. His lips peel back in a smile with no humour in it, only heat and the promise of fire. Shit. Before I can

brace, he shifts. Not fully, just enough that smoke pours from his teeth and claws tear out of his fingers. His next punch feels like

being hit with a hammer wrapped in fire. My jaw snaps sideways, and I hit the floor hard, pain spreading across my face. The hal

erupts as students shout, some scramble back, while others climb onto benches to watch. He tears through every magic strike I

throw with a roar. One wing bursts free from his back in a flash of golden scales, ripping a bench clean in half. Heat rolls over me

sweat slicking my palms, but I push harder, dragging out every shred of magic I have left. Students scream as tables rattle and

dishes explode in sparks. My magic collides with his fire midair. Wind and flame crack together in a storm that shakes the hall. He

barrels through it, a blur of fury and fire. His hand clamps around my throat and slams me into the nearest pillar. My feet leave the

ground. My breath vanishes. Claws press into my skin, hot enough to sear. “You don’t get to breathe the same air as her,” he growls,

fire flickering between his teeth. “Not after what you did.” The world tunnels as spots of black creep in at the edges of my vision.

My magic flickers, sparks spitting uselessly against his grip, and for the first time in a long time, I’m afraid again. The fire in his

throat is the last thing I see before the world narrows to only smoke and pain. His claws dig in, hot enough to blister. My lungs claw

for air that won’t come. My nails scrape uselessly at his wrist. The hall has gone dead quiet, and every eye is on us. Then a voice

cuts through the air, sharp as a blade. “ENOUGH!” The command buckles the air itself, and Evander freezes. For one heartbeat, I

think he’ll ignore it and finish what he started, but then something older presses down on the hall. The principal’s aura weighs on

everyone. His power thrums through the walls like a living thing, so dominating that even the fire in Evander’s chest dims.

Evander’s dragon snarls, unwilling to back down, his grip trembles on my throat, claws digging just a fraction deeper. Then, like a

dog yanked to heel, the dragon submits. Golden fire gutters, scales retreat, and his hand drops me to the floor. I collapse, coughing

and dragging air into my shredded throat. Every breath burns like glass. My palms slap the stone, desperate and humiliating.

Principal Scorched stands in the doorway, power rolling off him in waves, his eyes blazing. He looks neither at the students nor at

the mess. Only us. “My office,” he says, voice like thunder. He points first at Evander, then at me. “Now.” There is no argument and

no escape. I wipe blood from my mouth and force the smirk back, even as my chest hitches. “Guess the dragon’s on a leash after

all,” I rasp, but it sounds more like defeat than victory. The principal’s gaze slices into me, and I decide it’s probably best to shut

the hell up.

The office door slams shut behind us, rattling the bookshelves lining the walls. The air reeks of smoke and old magic, thick enough

to choke on. Scorched sits behind his desk, power leaking off him in quiet, suffocating waves. His stare flicks between us like he’s

deciding whether to roast us alive or throw us out of the Academy entirely. “What,” he says, voice low, “has gotten into two of my

best students?” I drop into the chair opposite the desk, forcing my smirk back even as my ribs scream from where Evander slammed

me into stone. Best students. Right. My throat is bruised, my shirt torn, blood is crusted on my lip and worst of all, my ego hurts.

Before I can speak, Evander steps forward, posture straight with his golden boy composure wrapped around him like a fluffy

blanket. “He pushed her,” he says without hesitation. “Pushed Allison Rivers oft the first obstacle in the woods.” The words hang

heavy in the air. The bastard tattled. Scorched’s gaze turns on me, colder than I’ve ever seen it. “Is that true?” he asks, voice

deceptively calm. I swallow as my smirk wobbles, but I force it back in place. “She fell,” I rasp casually. “If she couldn’t handle a

simple balance beam, maybe she shouldn’t-”

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MIO

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15:08 Fri, Jul 10 000

Done For

“Cage.” My name cracks like a whip on his tongue. Evander stands stiff and righteous, fire still smouldering under his skin. The

golden boy is always perfect, always favoured, now he’s thrown me straight under the dragon’s jaw. Scorched leans back, folding his

hands like time means nothing to him. “There’s an easy way to settle this.” His eyes never leave me as he raises his voice toward the

door. “Call in Professor Hill.” My gut turns to ice. Fuck. The secretary’s heels click away, too eager. Every second stretches, choking

1. me. My leg bounces under the desk. Evander doesn’t blink. He stands there like he already knows the verdict. Scorched pins me with

a stare. “You know what Hill can do. You’d be wise to decide which story you plan to stick to before he walks through that door”

Evander’s lips curve, not into a smile, but something worse. Certainty. I clench my fists beneath the desk, nails biting into my

palms. The thought of Hill’s cold eyes rooting through my head makes bile crawl up my throat. I’m not afraid of a fight. Never have

been. But this? This would be exposure. The door creaks open, Professor Hill steps inside, and my stomach bottoms out.

Comments

R Visitor

That’s what he gets smug fool

7 days ago