A dragon shifter novel Chapter 92

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12:52 pm pppp

Thornhill Academy

Never Far Hummingbird.

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While Evander and Kael still hover close enough to radiate possessive warmth, Rhazeil drifts away, his curiosity catching on everything like sunlight. He moves through my dorm room with that same quiet grace he carries everywhere, like the shadows make space for him. He hums low in his throat, a sound that almost vibrates through the air, as is long fingers trace over my cluttered desk. My notebooks, quills, and half drained coffee mug all look suddenly tiny beneath his hands. He pauses to pick up a photo frame Tessa gifted me, studying it with a faint, amused smile.

“So this is the mortal space my queen calls home,” he muses softly, his voice lilting with interest. “Small, warm, and it smells like parchment and starlight.”

1 flush a little. “It smells like ink and anxiety,” I mutter under my breath, which makes Evander snort.

Rhareil moves on, humming again, until he reaches the bedside table. He tilts his head, eyes catching on something small and silver glinting in the lamplight. His fingers close delicately around it, a thin metal bracelet with a single gemstone that flickers faintly between shades of blue and gold

“What’s this?” he asks, turning it between his fingers.

“Oh,” I say, scratching the back of my neck. “It’s, um… just something silly we had to make in class for our mates. It changes colour based on emotions, so wherever we are, or however far apart, we can always know what the other’s feeling.”

His expression softens instantly. The great Demon King of the Shadow Realm, destroyer of worlds and apparently now collector of sentimental trinkets,

smiles as if I’ve just handed him the crown jewels. Before I can even stop him, he clasps it onto his wrist. The thin, delicate band looks absurd against his dark skin and clawed hands, but he wears it like it’s sacred. His thumb strokes over the little gemstone, and for a moment it glows faintly red–warmth,

affection.

“Yes,” he murmurs, pleased. “This will do nicely.”

Kael blinks, clearly offended. “Hey,” he says, stepping forward, voice caught between outrage and disbelief. “We’re her mates too, you know.”

Rhazeil doesn’t even look up from the bracelet, just nods calmly. “Yes. But you will be able to be with her more often than I am able to.”

Kael opens his mouth, then closes it again. His brow furrows as if he’s searching for a loophole and can’t find one. Finally, he sighs and mutters, “Yeah

that’s… fair enough, I guess. Fine.”

The way he says fine makes it sound like he’s conceding a war, not a friendship bracelet. I can’t help it, I burst out laughing.

“You’re all ridiculous,” I say between giggles, clutching my side. “You’re literally arguing over a bracelet!”

Evander grins, Kael rolls his eyes, and Rhazeil just looks smug, turning his wrist slightly so the little gem catches the hight again.

“Not just a bracelet,” he says in that low, smooth voice. “A symbol of connection. A promise that I will always feel hea

Evander groant. “Oh gods, he’s poetic and dramatic

Kael chuckies under his breath, shaking his head “Welcome to our lives, Demon King”

Raziel inclines his head, unbothered. “Glailly,”

The laughter still logs in the aly when the alafoss behind het begin to imple, bist barely at fest, like the shot of best despen, stretch, and before way if he can process what’s happening, a half den artigues materialles from the dady gösel is Ipetent, low–and chap, fue hinand bristling through his skin. Couple’s sales are under the shirt, thi lahve þultu hest ripples of him in woong But the demans dow’s attack They do yane kan heads humed

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12:52 pm pppp.

Never Far Huminingbird.

smoke and iron

“My King,” one of them says, voice reverent, “My Queen.” He glances at me just long enough for me to register the word before lowering his gaze again. “Forgive our intrusion, but there are datters that require your attention in the Shadow Realm

Rhazeil’s expression softens, though a flicker of regret darkens his eyes. “Understood,” he says quietly. “Wait for me beyond the veil.”

The soldiers bow lower, shadows curling around their forms thetil they vanish as quickly as they came, leaving behind only a faint chill and two very startled

shifters.

Kael’s still tense, eyes wide. “Okay,” he mutters, half to himself. “That was… not normal.”

Evander exhales a slow, wary breath. “Yeah. Remind me never to underestimate your boyfriend.”

Rhazeil turns to me then, stepping closer until the space between us hums. “Forgive them,” he marmurs, voice dipping into something low and velvet- smooth. “They only serve their duty. I had hoped for more time.”

I shake my head, smiling softly. “It’s okay. I understand. The kingdom needs you too.”

His gaze lingers on me, and for a heartbeat, the shadows around him pulse like a heartbeat. Then, unexpectedly, he turns to Evander and Kael.

“I trust,” he begins, his tone suddenly formal, weighty, “that I can rely on you both to take care of our mate in my absence.”

The words land like a challenge, but neither of them flinches.

Evander steps forward first, his voice rough but steady, “You can trust us. I’ll keep her safe. No harm will ever come to her.”

Kael nods beside him, his expression earnest for once. “You have my word, Demon King. She’s ours to protect.”

Something in Rhazeil’s eyes softens–approval, maybe even gratitude. “Then I thank you,” he says, inclining his head. “May the shadows honour your

promises.”

He turns back to me, and all the commanding weight in his stance melts into warmth. His hand finds my cheek, thumb brushing gently across my skin. T will never be far, hummingbird,” he murmurs.

The nickname makes my heart twist in the best way. I reach for his wrist, tapping the bracelet now glowing faintly gold against his wrist. “Well,” I say with a grin, “at least you’ll always know how I’m feeling”

His mouth curves into that slow, dangerous smile, the one that makes the air vibrate. “Yes,” he breathes. “And that will be both any comist and my

tornient.”

Then, as the shadows begin to swirl around him once more, his thumbi lingers against my law, and he’s gone, leaving behind the faint sort starlight, and the echo of his laugh.

For a moment, the room is still again. Kael exhales, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know,” he outers, “I dok kek her when t Thembill so the cafeterle tood.”

1 laugh softly, glancing at the fading shimmer in the corner where Rhasell vantul

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Never Far Hummingbird.

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12:52 pm pppp.

Thornhill Academy

Providing What She Needs.

Kael

And just like that. I’m alone with Allison. Well, not really, Evander’s still here, but it’s not like he really counts.

“Are you hungry, pet?” he asks her, voice low and warm.

She hums in thought, head tilted. “Not really. Tea would be nice, though

He nods, kisses her forehead like it’s the most natural thing in the world, then shrugs off his jacket and Jays it over the back of the couch before heading to the kitchen. Just like that, he’s gone, and I’m left standing here with no idea what to do with my hands or tay thoughts. Allison moves with that quiet grace of hers, like she’s half–unaware of the chaos she stirs up just by existing. She plops herself down on the oversized green couch, flicks on the TV, and settles in like this is the most normal thing in the world.

Then she glances up at me, one brow arched, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. “It’s weird if you just stand there staring at me,” she says, patting the spot beside her.

I blink, caught off guard, because yeah, she’s right. I probably look like a lunatic frozen mid–glare, hands shoved in my pockets, trying too hard not to move

“Didn’t think you’d notice,” I mutter, because words are safer than what’s actually going through my head.

“Please,” she teases, eyes glinting. “You’ve been staring since the second he left the room.”

My hound stirs, pleased by the sound of it, and I give in, crossing the room before I can overthink it. I drop down beside her, close enough that the heat

from her thigh seeps into mine, but not so close that I’ll scare her off. Her scent wraps around me–wild magic, sweetness, and something saft underneath

that’s all her. The TV hums softly in the background, forgotten. She’s watching some random movie, but I couldn’t tell you a thing about it. Not when she’s

right there, tucked against the couch, her bare feet pulled up, hair messy from the day.

“Better,” she says softly, not looking away from the screen.

Something in the light shifted when I sat down beside her. At first, it’s easy to miss, just a faint dimming around the edges of her usual brightness, but when I look closer, I notice it. She’s paler than normal. Her lips a little duller, her pulse a little slower. The kind of off that only someone who’s been watching her too closely would catch.

“You okay?” I ask quietly, leaning forward, elbows on my knees.

She glances at me, giving that small, soft smile she uses when she doesn’t want anyone to worry. “I’m fine,” she says, “Just haven’t led

Fed.

Right

Ped–as in siphoned.

My chant goes tight she says it so casually, but if lands like a punch. My

eeds something, something tople for elem

back and he moves fast, like he’s been listening from the kitchen. The mug of two clinks safly ashe vans it al

hand it over. Instead, he drops to a kin front of braced her side af far thighs, veshing hạt kich

You need to lead

quier but ellen) with commonl

12:52 pm pppp.

Providing What She Needs

Allison nods once, small and tired. “I know.”

He nods too and then turns his head to me.

1 frown, pointing at myself, my brows jumping. “Me? You want me to… her to…

Evander’s expression barely shifts, but there’s meaning is his silence. Yex.

“You wanted that before,” he reminds me, voice low and sure. “And denied you.”

Yeah. remember.

I swallow hard. “Yeah.”

My pulse hammers as I turn back to her, reaching for her hands. They’re cold against mine, small but strong.

“Would you feed from me, Trouble?” I ask, the nickname slipping out before I can think twice.

Her head tilts, a spark of something like surprise or amusement lighting in her tired eyes. “Trouble?” she echoes, lips quirking at the corner.

The way she says it makes the air feel thick, makes my grin twitch up to match hers.

“Yeah, I murmur. “That’s what you are.”

Evander watches us from his place by her knees, steady and quiet, his eyes burning like he’s both guardian and witness.

Allison squeezes my fingers gently, her voice soft but laced with heat. “Then I guess you don’t mind a little trouble.”

“I love trouble,” I grin, and it earns me that little breath of laughter that always feels like sunlight after a storm.

She smiles back, and then her hands tighten around mine. The air shifts with a pressure of heat and a pulse that’s both hers and mine, and I know it’s starting. I can feel it through our bond. Her power slides against my skin like silk. My hound perks up inside me, a deep, eager rumble vibrating through my chest. Our mate. Feeding, Finally. He’s happy to be the one giving her what she needs. To have her small hands cupping his wrists, drawing the magic straight from me. It’s beautiful. The connection hums through me, low and slow, until every nerve sings. It’s not pain; it’s surrender. Like she’s sipping the waght straight from my veins, taking what she wants, and in return, leaving warmth behind. Every breath she takes fills the space between us with something that.

feels a lot like belonging.

Then the pull deepens. My body jolts, a growl slipping free as my hound presses harder against the surface, desperate to give more. She’s taking really taking–drawing from the core of me now. The world narrows down to her heartbeat and the faint tremor of her lips parted in focus. Her eyes flicker with threads of gold and blue light, pulsing in rhythm with my pulse, she gasps, and that’s when I realise just how hungry she’s been Hur touch becise leverd the siphon pull becomes stronger, faster, until the air around us thickens with heat and energy My power bends toward her willingly, too willingh My hound’s tail is metaphorically wagging like he’s offering her the whole damn soul if she wants it

“Pit. Slow down, Evander warns her.

“Trouble.” I bathe, voice cracking as her eyes flare brighter, brilliant and unearthly. “Oh hack”

Her bath genes. Post are through the comm, caffling the picture frames on 2 walls, y band’s juy Hipsi baris, but I rulis divine like every drop of magic she’s taken from me bax tittied her in southing else untarily

Her size is barely a whisjmer wh

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12:52 pm Pppp.

Providing What She Needs.

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12:52 pm P PPP.

Thornhill Academy

Trouble Can Stay.

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The air splits open. Allison’s gasp sing through the room like thunder, her whole body bowing forward as a choked groan follows it. Her fingers tighten on mine, and I swear I feel the floor–sway. Her skis glistens with sweat, her breath ragged, her pulse wild beneath my thumbs. The heat pouring off her isn’t normal, not human, not even magical; its molten, alive, crawling through the bond that’s still open between us.

“Allison,” Evander’s voice breaks somewhere behind the roa in my head. “You need to stop. Pull it back.”

She doesn’t, maybe she can’t. Her head jerks, hair sticking to her temples, and light blooms beneath her skin again, gold streaking through blue, crackling like lightning trapped in flesh.

“Evander–1 try to say, but my words drag, sluggish. My chest feels hollow, my muscles heavy. The room tilts sideways. “I think she’s-”

Draining me dry. Not maliciously, not even consciously. She’s starving, her power eating through mine like fire through paper. My magic hums in protest, sputtering, trying to hold its shape, but it just keeps flowing toward her.

Evander’s kneeling in front of her again, his hands on her shoulders, trying to steady her. “Ally, love, listen to me. You have to control it. You’re taking too much.

She shudders, eyes fluttering open, but they’re not her eyes anymore. They’re glowing, molten amber around the edges. Her magic surges once more, flooding the air with a pulse so thick I can taste it–metal, ozone, and heat.

“Trouble- I rasp, my voice breaking. I can barely keep my eyes open. “You gotta…slow down…”

But she doesn’t. My hound is torn–half elated, half terrified. The instinct to give, to feed our mate, is as old as the blood in me. He’s proud she’s taking

what she needs, but I can feel him pacing under my skin, whining now, uneasy. She’s not just feeding anymore. Something else is happening. I blink hard.

The world blurs. My hands slip from hers, too weak to hold on, and for a split second, everything goes quiet.

And then there’s light. Blinding, pure, and hot enough to sear the inside of my eyelids.

“Allison!” Evander shouts.

I force my eyes open, and my heart stops, because she’s changing. Her body arches off the couch, bones shifting under skin with a sound that’s hoth beautiful and horrifying. Magic explodes around her in a vortex, tearing the air apart. I try to move toward her, but my legs don’t obey. Evander’s trying to hold her steady, his eyes wide with something between fear and awe. And then the light implodes, sucking inward like breath, and what’s lift siping in my

lap isn’t a girl at all.

It’s a hound.

A fucking hellhound.

Black far rippling with a faint sheen of silver fire, eyes glowing the same molten gold I’d seen burning in hers. She’s higger than any matiyal hand, but smaller than mine, sleek, lethal, and heartbreakingly beautiful. And she’s sprawled across me, panting softly, bez hral vesting in my thigh, I MY bu My hand moves on instinct, trembling as I run it over her neck. Her fur is soft, warm, electric under my fingers. She let out low miliar wit hey head. When those golden eyes meet mine, Allison’s eyes, bright and intelligent and hers, my chest constricts

“Mate,” I whisper,

Read

The leaves with

my chest,

petunion.prolinium that ples though my hones, the blinks,

leting, ly bend goes absolutely still miside in, hij lets will sche

then, An

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Trouble Can Stoy

Esander’s–still–on the floor, frozen, staring like he’s seeing a miracle. His voice finally breaks through the silence, “She–she shifted.”

No kidding.

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I can barely nod. My throat’s too tight, my brain too stunned. “Yeah,” I manage, voice wrecked. “Right my fucking lap.”

Allison huffs out a soft breath, like she’s laughing at me I swear I can feel the bond humming, golden and sure, threading through my chest and straight

into hers.

The heat radiating off her is unbelievable comforting, familiar, like home. My head falls back against the couch, exhaustion crawling up my spine, but I don’t dare move her. She’s heavy, warm, and somehow the most peaceful I’ve ever seen her.

Evander stands, watching her carefully. “Kael,” he says quietly. “You need to rest. You’ve given her too much.”

I shake my head, half–smiling. “Worth it.”

Allison shifts slightly, curling closer against me. Her tail thumps once against the sofa. Her energy hums through me, strong and steady now, no longer

frantic.

Evander crouches again, reaching out to brush a strand of hair, or fur, away from her face. “She’s beautiful,” he admits.

I glance down, my heart hammering unevenly. “The most beautiful fucking thing I’ve ever seen.”

He gives a small, crooked smile. “And she’s yours.”

I shake my head slowly, eyes tracing every glowing line of her form. “Ours,” I correct.

He nods. “Ours,” he agrees softly.

I stroke my fingers through her fur, my hound finally content, his tail wagging lazily in the back of my mind. He’s never been quiet like this before, never

been at peace.

“Mate,” I whisper again, the word reverent this time.

Her ear twitches, and a soft growl rumbles in her chest, affectionate and sleepy.

Yeah. I think she agrees.

Evander moves quietly, picking up the untouched mug of tea and setting it aside. “We should let her rest,” he murmurs, glancing at me.

I nod, glancing at the bed across the room, then back to him. “Help me.”

He understands without question. Together, we move carefully. She’s heavier than she looks, all muscle and magic and warmth, and my drained body proteste instantly. My knees wobble, the world tipping for a second, but Evander’s there before I can falter. His hands est

sofid, kemping me upright.

“y” he matters, dimating his grip so he’s supporting buth of us. “Don’t drop the queen

Lage breathless laugh. “Not planning to

Weins, vocent steps toward

eff in in this awekward, thomas shaffle thell bala

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12:52 pm Pppp

Trouble Can Stay

ching soft-and–warm. When we finally reach the edge, I lower her down as gently as I can, one arm still curved protectively around her. The bed dips under her weight, the sheets catching the faint glow of her fur, silver threading through black like moonlight on water.

“My Ma always said no hounds in the bed,” I murmur, half–smiling as I smooth my hand down her side. “But you can stay, Trouble.”

Evander snorts softly. “You’re hopeless.”

“Yeah, I breathe, climbing in beside her. “Hopelessly smart,parently,”

He shakes his head, but I see the smile tug at his mouth before he circles to the other side and slips under the covers. I settle onto my back, her massive body curved along my side, her head finding my chest like it’s instinct. Her warmth seeps through me, heavy and soothing, pulling me toward sleep.

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12:52 pm Pppp.

Thornhill Academy

Put Out the-Fire.

Allison

At first, it’s a dream. A really, really good one, Warmth on every side, the steady rhythm of Kael’s heartbeat onder my ear, the slow rise and fall of Evander’s chest pressed against my back. I can feel both of them even through fur and muscle–my fur, my muscle–and that’s still such a ridiculous thing to think about that if I had human lips right now, I’d be laughing.

Instead, I just huff out a soft sound and let my tail flick once. The bed speaks.

Inside my head, there’s company.

Well, look at us, says a voice that’s definitely not mine. It’s deeper, smoother and bery smug. My hellhound, apparently. Two mates, one bed, and the wurm

spot in the middle, all ours.

I want to snort, but in my head it comes out as a rumble. You’re awfully proud of yourself

You’re not? She teases. They smell like safety. And maybe a little sin.

Before I can argue, another presence winds through the bond–brighter, sharper, the crackle of scales and smoke. Behave, the dragon warns, her tone lazy but

amused. She’s still getting used to us.

She’s fine, the hellhound replies, tail wagging audibly in my mind. She likes being between us. You can feel it too, can’t you?

The dragon’s only answer is a low, contented hum that warms my whole body from the inside out.

Somewhere off in the corner of my mind, the wraith is there too–quiet, hovering like a shadow that doesn’t need light or warmth. He never talks much. He just… listens. Watches. Probably collecting nightmares like little trophies.

I don’t feel like shifting back. Not yet. This form feels right, like it fits me in a way my human body never quite has. So I breathe in, rest my head back on Kael’s chest, and let his hand fall automatically into my fur. Evander’s arm curls around my waist from behind, his heat wrapping over me like a blanket Between the two of them, it’s easy to drift off again. For a while, it’s perfect.

Then, somewhere in the darkness, the warmth starts to change. It’s subtle at first, a ripple of heat through my spine, a pulse of magic that feels too thick, too heavy. I twitch, trying to shift, and a low growl slips from my throat before I can stop

The hellhound in my head stretches lazily. Oh. Oh, this is interesting.

What? I ask, my thoughts foggy, sluggish. Why is it so hot?

You’ll see, he says, unhelpfully smug

1 roll, panting Sweat slicks my skin–for7–and suddenly it’s too mich. The heat isn’t just outside: it’s in me. I blink awake properly, the vulise my fur feels suffocating, like wearing a blanket in the middle of a furnace.

Maybe the fur, I shink hiarily. Maybe hellhounds aren’t supposed in alexp pressed between a drag and another hound

The dragun to my end chuckles. Hu’re not wrong is min warm, little w

That, declalas R. 1 shift. The girl in rushi af suvez tighu, homes roughing in my le

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Put Out the Fire

And of course, very naked.

“Shit, I mumble, squirming as I roll over, trying to shove the blankets down. The movement jostles Kael awake first.

His hand shoots out, catching my arm “Trouble? His voice is rough with sleep. He blinks, squints, then his brows shoot up. “What–what’s wrong? You okay?”

Evander’s already stirring, sitting up beside us, his skin glowing faintly in the moonlight spilling through the window. The man has somehow managed to lose both his shirt and his pants, and my brain is absolutely not equipped to handle that right now.

“1-1 start, but my voice cracks. I’m sweating, my skin too hot, my magic fizzing like it’s caught between laughter and fire.

Evander leans in, worry flashing across his face as he presses the back of his hand to my forehead. “You’re burning up, pet. His eyes narrow. “What’s wrong? What is it? Tell us.”

I can’t answer, not when there’s so much skin in front of me. Kael’s shirtless too–tattoos and scars and pure heat–and between the two of them, it feels like sitting in the centre of the sun.

The hellhound in my head practically purrs. You’re surrounded by mates. That’s what’s wrong.

“Too hot,” I manage, tugging at the sheets, my heart hammering.

Kael sniffs the air once, twice, his eyes going wide, then dark. “Oh. Oh, shit.” He turns toward Evander, his voice dropping to a low growl. “I think she’s going into heat.”

Evander freezes, eyes cutting to me, something primal flickering behind all that calm.

And I just stare between them, half mortified, half… something else entirely, because the bond hunts in agreement, the dragon’s fire and the hound’s hunger twisting together in my blood like they’ve been waiting for this exact moment

The heat builds until I can barely think. My skin feels too tight, too alive, every nerve sparking under my flesh like I’ve swallowed lightning. I try to shift again, to do something, but it only makes the ache worse.

“It hurts,” I gasp, the words spilling out before I can stop them. “Gods, it–it hurts. I’m so hot, I can’t-

Karl is already halfway upright, his eyes glowing faintly in the low light, pupils blown wide. He reaches for me but stops short, his nostrils flaring as he inhales. The sound he makes is halfway between a growl and a groan. Evander stiffenis beside me. His own breath catches, and his eyes face molten gold The air thickens, heavy with scent and beat and the pounding of three heartbeats tangled together.

“What’s happening?” I manage, voice trembling. “Why does it feel like this? Please make it stop.”

Kant swallows bard, dragging a hand through his hair hke he’s fighting himself. “Trouble,” he murmuts, voice low, rough, dangerous. “There y

to help you

My heart stutters, “What do you mean?”

He‘, his th bot witat my cheek. “You’re in heat,” he says softly, almost reverently. And the only thing that’s going to coil price

Behind om

ander males sharjily, the sound halfway betwist a cater and a gravet. His Gats are in the sheets, kanckles white. “Are to put out that fires, per?”

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Put Out the Fire

The way he says it–steady but full of barely leashed hunger–makes the ache twist lower, deeper.

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1 look between them, both of them shirtless, scenting me like predators scenting prey. Kael’s eyes are pure amber now, the hellhound in him fully awake; Evander’s skin shimmers with the a glow of heat and restraint, his dragon barely leashed.

My throat goes dry, words tumbling out in a whisper. “Just… make it stop,”

The hound in my head hums with pleasure. The dragon purrs And I know, in the space of one trembling heartbeat, that nothing about this night will ever be the same again.

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