Dragon Scorned

7. River

Igroaned as my alarm clock went off, signaling another day of school.

I heard Natalia hustling around the kitchen. She was the brightest morning person, always up at the ass crack of dawn.

I was the complete opposite. I hated mornings. They were the bane of my existence.

I wasn”t even a functioning person until I had at least one cup of coffee.

“River, you better be up and moving, we need to leave in fifteen.” Natalia hollered from the other side of my door before swinging it open.

She narrowed her eyes on me, still curled up under my blankets. “If you don’t get that sexy ass of yours moving, you won”t have time to eat before we need to leave.”

“I could go without food,” I told her, flipping the blankets over my face.

“What about coffee?” She teased.

Those were the perfect words to get me motivated. I couldn”t live without my coffee.

I growled my annoyance before climbing out of bed. I glared at my bestie, who had a huge grin on her face.

“You”re a monster,” I gasped, bringing my hand up to my chest before sulking into my bathroom.

I made quick work of brushing my teeth and decided to braid my hair, leaving it hanging loosely over one shoulder.

I pulled on a pair of ripped jeans and a black tank top. Pulling my favorite jean jacket over my shoulders.

I made my way out to the kitchen just as Natalia put eggs and waffles onto two plates.

Making my way over to the coffee pot I poured a big mug, adding cream and sugar into it. If you drink your coffee black, you’re a monster. Who did that kind of stuff?

I drank half the cup before taking a seat across from Natalia.

“So, you ready for day two?” Natalia asked.

I scoffed, “Hell no, can we quit yet?”

Natalia laughed, shaking her head, “No way in hell. I think interacting with people on a daily basis is good for you. Maybe you’ll actually start to be nice and talk to people.”

I glared at her. There was no way. Being a people pleaser was her thing.

It made me wonder how we were friends. We were complete opposites of one another.

I guess when they say opposites attract, they weren”t lying. We were on completely opposite sides of the spectrum in every way possible.

I quickly finished my food before gathering up the dishes and stacking them in the dishwasher.

We had an agreement, Natalia cooked, and I cleaned up. I didn’t argue because I couldn”t cook to save my life, and my food would probably poison us. So, I was fine with leaving her to do all the cooking.

I grabbed my keys, and we headed out the door.

The ride to school was short and quiet.

I pulled the emergency brake before shutting off the engine, grabbing my bag and climbing out.

“Ready for another day in supernatural studies?” Natalia asked as we headed toward the classroom.

“No,” I said through clenched teeth. I looked around campus, watching as students darted all over the place, racing to get to class.

“Come on, it’ll be fun. I actually think this will be our most interesting class.”

“I guess you”re right, it would be nice to learn more about dragons if I’m being honest.” I told her.

Growing up my grandparents never really taught me about dragons, just how to contain the beast.

Once we entered the classroom, Tate shouted my name, pointing to a set of seats beside him.

I sighed and headed his way, if I didn’t sit by him he would just come and kick out whatever poor kid I sat beside to take their place. So, there was no point in even trying.

He was sitting toward the front, closer than we were yesterday.

“Good morning ladies. How are we today?” he asked as we sat down next to him.

“Good morning. I’m just peachy,” Natalia told him, smiling brightly.

I pursed my lips. It was definitely not a good morning and they were way too chirpy for it being this early.

“I’m guessing you”re not a morning person,” Tate said, dangling a cup of coffee in front of my face. “Good thing I came prepared this time.”

“Ooh, I fucking love you,” I whispered, taking the styrofoam cup from him and inhaling the rich coffee and vanilla scent.

Tate’s eyes widened as he looked at me in shock, and I coughed as I took a sip.

“I was talking to the coffee,” I told him once I stopped choking.

Natalia leaned over, whispering in my ear, “Sure you were.”

I ignored her comment and turned to focus on the professor as he entered the room.

I didn’t get a good look at him yesterday with Tate distracting me, but we were only a few rows back this time. So, I took the opportunity to look him over.

He had jet black hair that was in a messy style. I got to give it to the guy, it worked for him, and the five o”clock shadow on his square jawline only added to his gruff look.

He turned to face the room and his eyes connected with mine. They were the most beautiful shade of green. I swear I saw silver dancing in them, but it could just be my mind playing tricks on me.

“Well then, now that everyone is here. Let”s get started. Today we will be learning about wolf shifters, not to be mixed up with werewolves. Can anyone tell me the difference?” he asked, scanning the room.

A small, petite girl with mousy brown hair raised her hand. He took one last look around the room before gesturing toward her. “Yes, Miss…” He trailed off, waiting for her to tell him her name.

“Kate Hommer,” she said, her voice was high-pitched and shook nervously.

Professor Knox nodded, “Miss. Hommer, what is the difference?”

“Werewolves are cursed not born, they are only able to shift during a full moon, where wolf shifters were born and can shift anytime, they are not bound by the moon”s cycles.” Kate said, sounding a little more confident as she talked.

“That”s right, wolf shifters can shift at any time, but they are more powerful when they shift during a full moon. The wolf gets its energy from the moon, but only when it’s full. Every supernatural shifter has a specific object they pull energy from,” he told the class, turning on the projector behind him.

My interest peaked. I didn’t know each shifter had something like that. I cursed my grandparents again for never telling me any of this.

A picture of a panther popped onto the screen behind him.

“Many cat shifters pull energy from the stone commonly known as tiger eye.” He flipped through the pictures showing multiple cat shifters. “Cat shifters should always have a tiger eye close by, not only will it rejuvenate them but it will also help heal them faster.”

The picture changes again to a pack of wolves, “Wolf shifters have a bit of a disadvantage because their power-source is bound to the full moon, limiting them to get a good power-boost once a month. They can however use moonstone to hold them over until the next full moon, but it won”t be as effective.”

“Sucks to be a wolf shifter.” Tate snickered beside me, I shushed him, leaning forward in my seat to listen.

His hand started rubbing up and down my back, I shook him off, only for him to return a moment later. Giving up, I allowed him to keep touching me. He was persistent, I’ll give him that.

He had a triumphant smile on his face when I glared at him out of the corner of my eye.

Professor Knox continued his lecture, flipping to a picture of a werewolf, “Now, unlike wolf shifters, werewolves do not get any extra power boost from the moon. They were cursed by witches and bound to the moon’s cycle. When they are not in their wolf forms, they are simply human, some don’t even know they are werewolves. Once they shift back to their human forms, they often have no memory of the change, making them extremely dangerous. Any supernatural that does not know they are a supernatural can cause chaos if met with the right situation.”

The frame flipped to a completely destroyed apartment; a woman…or what looked like the remains of one…was in the middle of the floor, torn open with bite marks covering her entire body.

“Many of you have heard of James Jonston, he was a werewolf but didn’t know it. Once a month he would leave the apartment he shared with his wife, wander into the woods, and return the next morning with no memory of the night before.”

I took in a sharp breath and Professor Knox’s eyes landed on mine as he continued the story. “James’s wife got suspicious of his monthly adventures and stayed up one night to confront him. She blocked his exit, and he shifted in front of her before killing her. James was arrested and transferred to a Moonbeam prison.”

Murmurs started around the room at the mention of Moonbeam, everyone began discussing the corporation and what they do with supernaturals.

“Quiet down,” Knox said before everyone got out of hand, “We will discuss Moonbeam at a later date, I assure you.”

“What about dragons?” I whispered, not even sure if I was loud enough to hear, but his attention focused on me.

“Excellent question Miss…”

“Moonstone. River Moonstone, Sir.” My voice was shaky as I answered him.

Whispers broke out around the room once more, loud enough for me to pick up on a few.

“Her parents were murdered by hunters.”

“Killigan is offering a shit ton of money for her.”

“What is she even doing here?”

“Wasn’t she in hiding?”

“I heard she”s not really a dragon. No one has ever seen her shift.”

I squared my shoulders, not breaking eye contact with Professor Knox. Their whispered words didn’t bother me, I heard it my whole life.

The professor”s nostrils flared, and I was certain his eyes flashed silver before he roared into the room, “Enough.”

The sound ricocheted off the walls, silencing all the students. “There will be absolutely no bullying in my classroom, the next person to say anything about Miss. Moonstone will be escorted out of my class and will not be welcome back, earning them a zero for the semester.”

He looked around the room, scanning over all the students; no one dared to utter a word.

“Am I understood?” he asked, greeted once again with silence. “The correct response would be ‘yes, Professor Knox.’ Now again. Am. I. Understood?” he said the last part through clenched teeth.

The entire classroom replied in unison, “Yes, Professor Knox.”

“Great, now that we cleared that up,” he turned to look at me, the silver once again gone from his eyes, replaced with a vibrant green, “to answer your question, Miss Moonstone, dragons do in fact have a stone they can pull power from.”

The screen changed, and a beautiful black stone appeared. It was a video, and I watched mesmerized as the stone turned on the dial. The color was so black, with hints of blue and purple when the light hit it at different angles.

“This is obsidian. It is sourced from the depths of a volcano and is the main power source for all types of dragons.”

The video changed, and pictures of different dragons started passing across the screen. My eyes widened at all the different colors and types.

“Dragons are very territorial of their obsidian, so it is harder to get a hold of, and cost a pretty penny. Normally there is an obsidian stone passed down through the generations.”

My heart plummeted when he said that his eyes landed back on mine, an expression crossing his face that I couldn”t quite figure out.

The picture changed to a bear, and my eyes widened. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask about my dragon, I didn’t see a picture of a purple-blue dragon like my own.

I opened my mouth to ask the question but slammed it closed when Tate squeezed my thigh.

I sat back in my seat, tuning out the rest of the lecture.

“Did you not know about obsidian, minx?” Tate whispered in my ear.

I shook my head, turning to look at him, “My grandparents didn’t tell me anything about dragons.”

“How can you be a dragon and know nothing about them?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “You”re asking the wrong person. Isn’t that why we are here? Isn’t that why we’re all here, to learn more about the supernatural species.”

“Other supernatural species, minx, not your own,” he told me as he ran his hand through his sandy brown hair.

“Well fuck me for not being told anything about the beast that I am, my fucking bad,” I snapped. He was acting like it was my fault I didn’t know anything about dragons.

Well fuck that, I was not some helpless little girl, and I didn’t need his pity. I would learn about my own species, it”s why we came here. As much as I don’t like people, I figured I would be able to learn from the other dragons around me.

“Relax, I didn’t mean anything by it.” Tate held up his hands in surrender. “I’ll teach you if you want.”

“No thanks, I’ll figure it out on my own,” I seethed, narrowing my eyes at him.

Tate opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by Professor Knox. “That”s all we have time for today. We will continue this discussion tomorrow.”

I grabbed my bag, making my way toward the door before my name being called stopped me.

“Miss Moonstone, can I speak to you for a moment?” Professor Knox called out to me.

“I’ll meet you for lunch,” I told Natalia as she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

“Ooh, sexy professor wants to see you after class, kinky.” She winked at me.

“Natalia, stop it.” I smacked her shoulder as she raced out of the room, giggling.

I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corner of my mouth. I wasn”t opposed to the thought of getting down and dirty with the hot professor, in fact, it might be fun being his dirty little secret.

I pushed that thought out of my mind as I stopped in front of his desk.

He looked up from the planner, glancing over my shoulder. “That’ll be all, Mr. Stonewell. Miss Moonstone can meet you when we”re done here if she so chooses.”

I looked back at Tate, watching the gold swirl in his green eyes before it registered that Knox already knew his name. Have they met before? Was there something I didn’t know about our professor?

Tate huffed out a displeased sound before storming out of the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

“Did you need something from me?” I asked him, bringing his attention back to me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat as his green eyes bore into me, dissolving the world around us.

“Yes, I was wondering if you would be interested in doing one-on-one sessions once a week?” His smooth voice surrounded me, clouding my mind before it registered what he asked.

“Why would I need that?” I asked, putting a little more arrogance in my tone than I intended.

Points for the professor, he didn”t even flinch at my tone, just looked up at me from behind the desk, intertwining his fingers and placing them in front of him. “I just assumed you didn’t know much about your own kind and would benefit from a few one-on-one sessions, but if you”re not interested, then I resend my offer.”

“No, wait, I’m sorry. I am interested, and you’re right, I don’t know anything about dragons. My grandparents didn’t teach me anything other than how to contain her. Is there a dragon shifter teacher who would be working with me or…” I trailed off, not wanting to finish that statement and letting him know how badly I want it to be him to teach me.

His green eyes flashed silver, and mine widened in return. I knew I wasn’t imagining things.

“How? You don’t smell like a dragon.” I inhaled, smelling nothing other than whisky that must be all Knox.

“Witchcraft my dear, how do you think other students would feel if they knew a dragon was teaching them. The prey shifters would be too terrified to even listen to a word I said.”

My mind started turning, Natalia”s earlier words filling my head, ‘If he has a witch, he could mask his scent, so he just smells supernatural, but you wouldn”t be able to pinpoint what supernatural exactly.’

With Knox’s explanation, it made sense now why some supernaturals would mask their scent. Did that mean Nikolai was a dragon, too, and if he was, why wouldn’t he tell me that?

The professor cleared his throat, bringing my attention back to him. “Well, are you interested?”

“Yes, I’d really appreciate it. Thank you,” I told him, nodding my head.

His eyes lit up…was that surprise…did he not think I would agree?

He clapped his hands, “Excellent, we will start next week then. Let”s say Wednesday?” He looked at a paper on his desk before looking back up at me, “Yes, Wednesday, you have the least amount of classes and we can start after my last class for the day at one o’clock.”

I nodded my head, “That sounds perfect. Thank you again, Professor Knox.”

I grabbed my bag and headed toward the door. I had a prickly feeling at the back of my neck and I turned to see his eyes locked on me.

A flash of desire crossed his face before it quickly vanished, and I started thinking I imagined it.

I gave him a tight smile before heading to my next class.

Tate pushed off the wall as soon as I walked out of the building and quickly fell into step beside me.

I groaned, this is going to be a long ass day.