A dragon shifter novel Chapter 74

16:01 Mon, Jul 20

Learn To Control It.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I say, even though my stomach is tying itself in knots.

We walk together through the winding corridors until the hum of voices fades. The west wing of the academy always feels older, quieter. Every step echoes against the stone. By the time we reach the door to Hill’s classroom, the torches along the walls have flared to life. throwing long shadows across the hall. Evander opens the door for me, and I swear the air changes the moment we cross the threshold. The classroom is gone, or at least, it feels that way. The desks have vanished. In their place is a wide, cleared space marked with concentric circles of runes that glimmer like liquid gold underfoot. Hill stands at the centre of it, waiting, coat unbuttoned, sleeves rolled.

He looks more like a commander preparing for battle than a professor.

“Miss Rivers. Mr Drayke.” His eyes flick between us. “Punctual. Good.”

3

Evander’s hand brushes the small of my back before he steps away, taking his place near the wall. I can feel him there, steady, protective,

but I also feel the faint pull of our bond humming beneath my skin.

Hill’s gaze settles on me. “You’ve been practising grounding?”

I nod. “Like you said. Breathing, not pulling.”

“Good.” He gestures to the runes. “Then we’ll test the stability of your control today, with a conduit present.” His eyes shift toward

Evander, who straightens slightly.

I glance back at him. “He’s… the conduit?”

Hill gives a single nod. “If you can draw carefully from a willing source without losing control, you’ll be on your way to true restraint.

You’ll both learn from this. How much you can take, and how to restrain yourself.”

4

Evander smiles faintly, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “I don’t mind being her training dummy, Professor.”

Hill’s brow lifts. “Let’s hope you don’t regret that, Mr Drayke.”

I swallow and step into the circle. The runes flare brighter beneath me. Heat rises from the floor, curling up through my legs, and I force myself to remember what Hill taught me, breathe, don’t command. I can feel Evander’s magic in the air, warm and molten, and when I reach for it, it comes to me willingly, like sunlight sliding through my veins. A warmth of recognition slowly draws into me.

Hill’s voice cuts through the silence. “Good. Now shape it. Guide it back. Remember, you are not a thief, Miss Rivers. You are a channel.”

I exhale slowly, letting the magic flow through me instead of trying to cage it. Evander’s power hums, golden and strong, twining with my own. The bond between us pulses once, hard enough to make my knees buckle, but his hands are suddenly on my shoulders, grounding

“Easy,” he murmurs. “You’ve got this.”

Hill watches from the edge of the circle, expression unreadable but his eyes gleaming with something that might be approval, or the faintest trace of awe.

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16:01 Mon, Jul 20

Learn To Control It.

“Now,” he says, stepping closer, “I want to see how much you can channel before your body begins to reject it.”

I glance up at him, startled. “Reject it?”

“It’s important to know your limits, Miss Rivers. I need to know how far I can push you before you break.”

3.00

My stomach twists, but he must see the flicker of panic in my eyes because his tone softens. “Control is meaningless if you don’t know

your threshold.”

He turns to Evander. “If at any point you feel faint or your reserves begin to drain too quickly, speak. You are the anchor here.

Understood?”

Evander nods, shoulders tensing. “Understood.”

“And you,” Hill says, turning back to me, “are the current. I want you to feel the flow, not command it, not cage it. Know when it begins

to burn. Know the warning signs.”

I swallow hard, nodding once. “Okay.”

“Begin.”

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I miss Kael he should be there

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16:01 Mon, Jul 20

Thomhill Academy

A Dragon Sized Tantrum.

Evender extends his hand toward me, I hesitate for half a heartbeat, then place my palm against his. The moment our skin touches,

megic surges, hotter, heavier than before, pouring into me like fire meeting wind. My body hums with it, every nerve alive. At first, I

manage it. I focus on the rhythm Hill drilled into me. Draw, shape, release. But soon the power starts to build faster than I can chan

the gold turning to something brighter, whiter, wilder.

“Breathe,” Hill reminds me, circling the runes, “Find the balance,”

1 try. Gods, I try. But the energy climbs higher and higher, bursting against the cage of my ribs. My skin glows, my heartbeat poundin

like war drums. I can’t contain it anymore.

“Professor…” Evander’s voice cuts through, urgent, strained. “She’s…”

The next moment, the world explodes,

Light sears through my vision, a roar splitting the air. My body isn’t mine anymore; it’s shifting, expanding, bones creaking and reshap

under a rush of impossible heat. My skin burns gold, scales racing across my arms, my neck, my chest. My wings unfurl, broad and stro

and far too big for this room. I hear shouting – Hill, maybe Evander – as my tail sweeps across the runes, overturning chairs and

knocking over the professor himself. Tables splinter, parchment flies, and my roar fills the air, echoing off the walls like thunder trappe

in a cage. Through the chaos, I feel him, Evander. His dragon’s delight rushes through our bond like wildfire.

She’s magnificent. I hear in my mind. The words are his, but not. They rumble through his dragon’s mind, deep and awed, and I can feel

his pride flooding into me, warm and grounding,

I fold my wings awkwardly, trying not to break what’s left of the room. Hill’s sitting on the floor, staring up at me with wide eyes, hair

dishevelled, coat half torn. For once, the man looks completely human. Astonished, breathless, and maybe a little impressed.

“Well,” he says, dusting off his sleeve, voice dry but steady. “That answers that question.”

Evander laughs softly, stepping forward, his hand glowing faintly as he lays it against my scaled shoulder. “Hey, pretty girl.” He coos,

stroking my dragon.

Evander’s touch feels like sunlight. His fingers trace over the ridge of my scales, and my dragon purrs so loud it rattles the ruined desks.

The deep sound vibrates through the floor, through him, through me. She presses her massive head into his chest with a huff that sends

his hair flying, a soft plume of smoke curling from her nostrils.

“Yeah, I missed you too, baby,” Evander says, laughing as she nudges him harder, forcing him to stumble back a step. His laughter rolls

through me like music, and it makes my dragon’s tail thump against the floor in what can only be described as pure, unrestrained joy. I

feel everything she feels, his warmth, his scent, his bond. It’s grounding and dizzying all at once.

Then Hill’s voice cuts through the hum.

“Fascinating,” he murmurs.

16:01 Mon, Jul 20