A dragon shifter novel Chapter 70

16:01 Mon, Jul 20

Thornhill Academy

Little Siphon.

Cassian

She’s fidgeting. That’s the first tell. Her fingers tap against her thigh in uneven beats, too fast, ton sharp. Her pupils dilate, not from fa

exactly, but from calculation. She’s deciding what to say before I even finish speaking. And I’ve seen it before, students trying to hide truth, trying to mask their power, trying to keep something buried beneath the surface. But not like this. When I reach for her mind ex when 1 brush against that familiar door that all gifted minds have, the threshold between their thoughts and mine, she moves. Fast. It’s like hitting a mirror. My power reflects back at me, twisted and heavier. For a split second, I feel my own magic turn on itself. The air around us shudders, vibrating with shared energy. My breath leaves me in a low, dangerous growl as realization sets in. She’s not just blocking me. She’s using me. In two strides, I’m in front of her. The desk scrapes lightly against the floor as i move past it. She stiffond

caught mid-step as I close the distance between us, and when I speak, it’s barely above a whisper.

“You should really ask before you borrow someone else’s power… I lean in, close enough that i can see the way her pulse hammers at h

throat. “…little siphon.”

Her breath catches with a sharp, audible sound that cracks through the air. She stumbles back a step, shock flickering through those bright, frightened eyes. Oh yes, she knows that word. I step forward again, deliberate and unhurried. She backs into the wall with a soft

thud, and I stop only when the space between us disappears, when her breath trembles against my chest, when the hum of our

overlapping magic buzzes through the air like static.

Her gaze lifts to meet mine, defiant despite the fear. She doesn’t shrink away. Good. I lower my head slightly, bringing my mouth level

with her ear, letting my voice roll through the quiet like distant thunder.

“Do not fear me,” I murmur. “I’m not going to hurt you.” I tilt my head, just enough to catch her gaze again. “But you,” I continue softly.

“need someone to help keep you safe, little siphon.”

Her lips part like she’s going to say something, deny it maybe or fight it, but I can feel the way her magic trembles beneath her skin. Raw

Hungry. Untrained. And if I’m right, and the research last night says I am, then she’s standing at the edge of a storm she doesn’t even

know she’s summoning. The council would use her. The academy would dissect her. But me? I’ll teach her to control it before they ever

get the chance.

I can see every thought flicker across her face like a storm behind glass. Fear. Hope. Disbelief. That endless instinct to run. Her magic

hums against mine, wild and uncertain, like a pulse trying to find rhythm. She’s breathing too fast, and the air between us feels charged,

like something living in it, something watching.

Then, finally, her lips part. Her voice is soft, cracked at the edges. “You’re not going to… turn me in?”

The words hang between us, fragile and trembling, and I want to reach out. Just to brush that single stray strand of hair from her face.

Just to steady her chin so she’ll stop looking so damn breakable. But I don’t. I can’t. I keep my hands where they are, clenched at my

sides, because touching her right now would undo me.

“No,” I say quietly, the word carrying more weight than I expect. “I’m not going to turn you in.”

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1601 Mon Jul 20

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But none of that fits into words that won’t break her open further. So I breathe out slowly and tell her the only troth can don’t know why, I admit, voice low. “But I know what the council would do if they found out. And it wouldn’t be right.”

Her throat works as she swallows, gaze locked on mine. “So I’m going to help you,” I finish softly. Learn to control it. Hide it. W

It takes to keep you safe, little siphon.”

The words shouldn’t sound gentle, but they do. For the first time since she walked into my office, she doesn’t look like she’s about to belt. Her shoulders loosen, the smallest fraction. The exhaustion catches up to her, and beneath all the chaos, there’s something ste there And I realize then what a dangerous promise I’ve just made. Because protecting her from the council means standing against And teaching her means letting her in. And that, perhaps, is far more dangerous than anything she’s capable of.

I keep my voice low “Have you ever had anyone teach you?”

She hesitates, blinking slowly as if the question confuses her. Then she shakes her head. “No.”

Something cold settles in my chest. I study her, the tightness in her shoulders, the exhaustion that runs deeper than steepless nights

There’s a band of emptiness there that doesn’t come from ignorance or inexperience. It comes from being denied everything,

I swallow, on making an effort to create distance between us. “Have you ever had anyone in your life?” I ask, softer this time.

The Tips part, and for a heartbeat. I think she’s going to answer “Not not really

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219

16:01 Mon, Jul 20

Little Siphon.

“You’re not running anymore, Allison,” I murmur. “Not from me.”

Her head lifts slightly at that, eyes glimmering with uncertainty and I can’t blame her. I’ll just have to show her.

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That small conversation held everything

7 days ago

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