A dragon shifter novel Chapter 39

Babysitting

Allison

བ་

His stare is a blade pressed to my skin, cold and deliberate, waiting for me to slip. I hold my ground, every wall I have starked high and hard against him. The silence stretches, the tick of the clock on the wall louder than the beat of my pulse. He wants me to fold He wants me to break. That’s not happening. I cross my arms, chin high, every ounce of defiance stitched into my body language “Are we done you Because I’ve got actual classwork to pretend to care about.” Hill’s jaw flexes, something sharp flickering across his storm-grey eyes. He is in my head, I can feel it, but the walls hold. The siphoned magic hums steadily through me, locking every door he reaches for Mis ps press into a thin, irritated line before he exhales a long, slow sigh, the kind meant to scold more than any words. “You’re determined to learn the hard way, I see,” he murmurs, almost to himself. Then his voice turns cool and clinical. “You should know, Principal Scorched has just assigned Cage as your new tutor.”

“What?” A laugh cracks out of me, sharp and brittle. “You’re joking. That asshole? The same one who nearly killed me yesterday?” Hill doesn’t flinch. “Consider it… a test of character. His, and yours. He’s under strict orders. If he lays a finger on you in harm, he’s expelled. Permanently.” I scoff, heat bubbling under my skin. “Great. So I just get to play homework buddies with my attempted murderer. Sounds fucking brilliant.” He leans back against his desk, arms folded, studying me like I am a puzzle that doesn’t fit together. “Or,” he says softly, “it’s an opportunity to see just how much control you really have, Ms Rivers.” I bite down on the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste iron. He isn’t going to get answers out of me. Not today. Not ever. But this new twist? I can already feel Cage’s smug grin in my future, and it makes me want to set the whole classroom on fire.

The door clicks open, and I shoot out of Hill’s office like the walls themselves are about to close in on me. My eyes find Tessa instantly. The only sane thing in this hellhole that I am grateful for. I cut straight for her desk. “Ms Rivers,” Hills says, his voice calm. My stomach drops, and I freeze mid-step, back prickling. Slowly, I turn. Hill stands by the blackboard, hands clasped behind him, gaze heavy as ever. “Not there.” His chin angles toward the far row. Toward him. Cage sits sprawled in his chair like a king on a throne, bruised eye dark against his stupid grin. He lifts his fingers in a mock little wave, like he has been waiting for this. My insides curdle. “You’ve got to be

kidding me.”

“Sit.” Hill’s tone is final, like steel wrapped in silk. “He’s your tutor now. That means you’ll both need to learn to get along.” Tessa’s eves go wide, her mouth opening in protest, but I shake my head. The last thing I need is her in Hill’s line of fire, too. So I drag my feet, every step a quiet war, and drop into the empty chair beside Cage. The scrape of it on the floor making me want to siphon the whole school dry. “Aw, look at that,” Cage drawls under his breath, leaning just close enough to make my skin crawl. “The teacher wants us to be study buddies. Must’ve seen how much you like my company.” I clench my jaw, staring daggers into the desk in front of me. Don’t rise to it. Don’t give him the win… But gods, if Hill weren’t watching, I would suck the smug right out of him to wipe that grin off his face.

Hill doesn’t even bother explaining the assignment before sweeping back into his chair, already scribbling notes none of us can read. Typical. Beside me, Cage flips open his book with one hand and shoves mine closer with the other. “Page two-thirty,” he mutters. “Try to keep up.” I don’t move. My book stays shut, my arms crossed tight across my chest. He huffs, tapping the page with one long finger. “You know, ignoring me doesn’t make you smarter. This is literally the easiest part. Even a stray like you could manage it.” My gaze stays locked on the far wall. The tiny crack in the plaster is more interesting than his voice. He leans closer, voice dropping to a mock whisper. “Fine. Don’t open your book, but when Scorched tests you and you fail, it’s your ass, not mine.” Still, I give him nothing. My silence is deliberate, razor-sharp and meant to fuck with his ego. Cage snaps his fingers once in front of my face. “Hey. I said page two-thirty. Not complicated. Would you like me to read it to you? I can even use small words.” I slowly turn my head, give him one long, withering look, and then go right back to staring at the wall. For a moment, he is quiet. Then he laughs under his breath, sharp, incredulous. “You’re really gonna do this, huh? Pretend I don’t exist?” I clench my jaw, and his grin twitches with a mix of irritation and reluctant amusement. “Alright, Rivers. Let’s see how long you can keep it up.” I keep my book closed. Keep my eyes forward. Keep every ounce of patience I

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15:30 Sat, Jul 11

Babysitting

have left wrapped tight around me like armour, because if I crack even once, I know I will give him the satisfaction he does not deserve.

The minutes tick by, slowly, marked only by the scratch of quills and the occasional cough from across the room. Hill never looks up. though I can feel him tracking every move from behind that unreadable mask of his. Beside me, Cage shifts. The scrape of his chair legs grates louder than it needs to. He drums his fingers on the desk, then snaps his book closed, the sound loud enough to turn heads. “Unbelievable,” he mutters under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear. “I’m trying to do you a favour.” I tilt my chin, still staring at the wall, every nerve screaming at me not to give him what he wants. “Rivers,” he hisses, voice low, hot. “Do you think I like this? Sitting here, spoon-feeding you basics like you’re some clueless first-year? You think I asked for this gig?” My silence is a blade, and I am fucking wielding it. His laugh comes out jagged and frustrated. “Gods, you’re infuriating.” I hear his quill snap in half. Bits of wood clatter against the desk. A faint hum of power ripples off him. He is losing patience, and he hates that I am not. I keep my gaze forward, nails digging crescent moons into my palms under the desk. “Keep this up, stray, but when you fall flat on your face, don’t you dare look at me to pick you up.” I sit there, still and silent, savouring every ounce of his frustration.

Comments

Jessi Michelle

Maybe she can just study with Tessa after classes.

7 days ago

54

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