32. Mina
Mina
My science class irritates the ever-loving hell out of me. Every word that leaves Kai’s mouth grates on my nerves, especially the way he talks about the eggs like they’re nothing more than objects. No reverence, no respect.
“How many cursed eggs do we have in this class?” he calls out, voice indifferent as if he’s reading off a shopping list. The last round of the choosing took place yesterday, and only three eggs picked hosts. Everyone else is left staring at each other and wondering what went wrong.
I rise from my seat slowly, exchanging a look with the guy who received the white egg. His gaze flickers to mine, the barest acknowledgment, before dropping back to his desk. The third person isn’t even in this class—she has a period after ours. Lucky her.
“What color did you receive?” The guy’s voice is flat, almost disinterested, and that alone sends a jolt of panic through me. Manticores are infamous for their ability to trade skins—literally and metaphorically. If I show weakness, if they think I’m unsure … I reach for my mates’ bonds and give them a sharp tug, grounding myself in their strength.
“White,” the man two rows down announces, holding his egg high for everyone to see. He smiles—a small, smug thing—and I can already tell it won’t hatch. The shell is dull, a muted chalky white, like an oversized chicken’s egg. Useless.
I know it, and he probably knows it too. But he parades it around like a prize anyway, as if daring someone to challenge him.
Before I can respond, I feel Abraxis enter the room. His presence brushes against my senses, a ripple of dark power and possessiveness. He slips through the teacher’s entrance like he owns the place, leaning against the wall with a lazy arrogance that would have most people second-guessing their sanity.
Kai’s eyes narrow at him. Abraxis points to the bite on his neck—my bite. Kai’s gaze whips to mine as I bare my neck, tilting it to show off the identical mark. His expression shifts, but I’m not afraid. I never am, not with Abraxis watching my back.
“Red,” I say calmly, and reach down into my carrier, lifting Klauth from his pouch. The classroom stills. His shell gleams in the fluorescent light, the crimson so deep it’s almost hypnotic, like freshly spilled blood. Silver swirls ripple along the surface, matching the exact shade of my horns.
“The red egg never chooses anyone,” another student mutters, voice trembling as he steps forward. Too bold for his own good.
“I wouldn’t if I were you.” My voice drops to a low warning growl, eyes narrowing as I feel my vision sharpen to my dragon’s. Heat flares across my skin, scales flashing along my forearms .
“Females should be seen and not heard,” the fool sneers, hand stretching toward Klauth.
The moment his fingers brush against the shell, his body locks up, color draining from his face. I watch, detached, as he crumples to the floor, dead before he even hits it.
I raise Klauth to my lips and brush a kiss over his shell. “I warned him.” My voice is soft, but carries through the silence that’s fallen over the room. “Klauth is mine.”
A shudder runs through the students as they look anywhere but at me. My dragoness thrums beneath my skin, her power simmering just below the surface. My scales race up my arms, canines lengthening as I hold my ground, daring anyone else to challenge me.
“Easy now,” Cora murmurs, her fingers ghosting along my lower back. “No one in their right mind is going to touch your egg again.” Her touch soothes the frayed edges of my temper. Slowly, I allow myself to sit back down, Klauth still cradled protectively in my arms. “My brother’s here, and he won’t let anything happen to either of you.”
I exhale a long, slow breath, and nod. She’s right. Abraxis wouldn’t let anyone lay a hand on me or my egg. He would tear this whole place apart first.
Movement catches my eye, and I glance up to see Callan sliding into the seat beside me. He smirks, eye dancing with amusement as he flicks the carrier’s flap open. “Put your baby away so you can focus on your studies,” he teases, voice low enough that only I can hear.
“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, carefully lowering Klauth back into his carrier. My fingers linger on the shell for a heartbeat longer before I finally button the flap closed. I glance back at Abraxis, who’s speaking quietly with Kai. Whatever passes between them is brief, and then Abraxis turns, gaze locking with mine.
A gentle caress down our bond makes my breath hitch. He’s gone a second later, leaving the room like a shadow melting into the darkness. My heart slows its frantic pace, and I take a steadying breath.
Whatever else happens today, I know one thing for certain. No one, not even the gods, will take Klauth from me.
Callan’s hand rests on my thigh, his fingers warm against the fabric of my pants as Kai delves into the history of the white egg. His voice is low, each word carrying the weight of a carefully guarded secret. “It’s one of the last purebred ice dragons left in existence,” Kai explains, his gaze shifting to the student who cradles the precious egg like it’s a golden ticket.
The guy beams, practically glowing with pride, and gives a little wave to the class like he’s just won the lottery. But I can see it, the slight cracks forming along the shell, the pale opalescence already dulling. I lean closer to Callan, lowering my voice to a whisper meant only for him.
“The way it looks … it’s not going to hatch.”
He nods subtly, his thumb brushing over my knee. “I agree. It’s probably gone dormant already. Its agenda must not line up with the student holding it.”
I glance down at my egg—its crimson surface is smooth and warm under my fingertips. The contrast between my egg and the white one is striking. I can practically feel the life within Klauth’s egg, its steady thrum a mirror to my pulse.
“Miss Bladesong?” Kai’s voice cuts through the silence, drawing every eye in the room. “Would you mind coming up here?”
Slowly, I rise, tilting my head as I meet his gaze. “I’d rather stay where I am. You saw what just happened.” My eyes flick toward the cleanup crew hauling the lifeless body of the student out of the classroom, the stench of burned hair still lingering in the air.
“It’s easier for the class to see your red egg safely if you’re up here,” Kai insists, his tone gentle but unyielding. The murmurs build, curiosity simmering just below the surface.
I glance at Callan, and before I can say anything, he’s already pushing to his feet, standing beside me. “I’ll escort her and make sure she feels safe.” He extends his hand toward me, offering me the steady comfort of his presence.
I slip my fingers into his, but as soon as our skin makes contact, the room collectively holds its breath. Callan doesn’t flinch, doesn’t immediately double over in pain or start coughing up vomit. I look up, meeting his wide-eyed gaze with my own surprise.
Oh no .
The whispers are like a tidal wave crashing over us, growing louder with each passing second. I growl low in my throat, a warning sound that silences some of the more obnoxious comments. “Yes, I have a second mate. You can all shut up now.”
My anger surges, heat radiating from my skin. Klauth’s egg glows brighter in response, the heat building until I’m sure I’ll sear the chair’s fabric beneath me. The red hue pulses, its light washing over the walls like bloodstains spreading in time with my pounding heartbeat.
Reluctantly, I move toward the front of the classroom, Callan’s hand still in mine. Each step feels like a declaration of war. I can practically taste the unease rolling off the other students as I pass. Some lean back, their faces paling as the heat radiates from me in waves. But I keep my chin high, letting them feel the weight of my power, of the bond that refuses to be broken or dismissed.
Klauth’s egg continues to pulse, its light reflecting off the polished surfaces of the classroom, casting strange shadows that dance and writhe like living things. The heat intensifies as I step up beside Kai, my eyes never leaving his face.
“Happy now?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intend. The tension in the room thickens, my words hanging in the air like a challenge. I can’t afford to show fear. Not here. Not with so many eyes watching.
Kai’s gaze flickers to the egg in my hands, his lips tightening. “Very. Thank you, Miss Bladesong.” He turns to address the class, but I can feel it—the subtle shift in his energy, the way his focus sharpens on me for just a fraction of a second longer than necessary.
My jaw clenches, and I force myself to breathe, to focus. I’m not the one they should be worried about right now. But by the way Klauth’s egg vibrates in my grip, its warmth bleeding into my palms, I can tell that’s about to change.
We spend the rest of class dissecting the ruthless history of Klauth—the wars he waged, the empires he razed, and the reason for his imprisonment. With his rare titanium bloodline intertwined with the power of his red dragon heritage, he’s nothing less than a living war machine. He has been locked away for a thousand years, his formidable strength feared by all. In that time, no one—not a single soul—has been deemed worthy by him.
Until me.
My fingers tighten around the smooth, crimson surface of the egg, its heat thrumming against my palms like a heartbeat. “Why do you think the red egg chose Willamina?” Kai asks, his voice slicing through the tension in the room.
Hands shoot up immediately, the air buzzing with anticipation. Of course, Ardent—one of Arista’s fire drakes—waves her hand almost violently, eager to be noticed. When Kai finally calls on her, she stands, her expression a mask of superiority and barely contained malice.
“I have several guesses,” she announces, her voice sickly sweet, yet sharp enough to cut. “The first: they’re both mixed-breed freaks that shouldn’t exist. The second is that they have a tendency to take things that don’t belong to them.”
Smug satisfaction oozes from her every word, and she sinks back into her seat with a self-satisfied smile. The silence that follows is heavy, filled with expectant stares, the kind that wants to see me falter. But I don’t. I laugh instead, a soft, dangerous sound that seems to echo against the classroom’s stone walls.
“Your nest mother tried touching Abraxis and puked her guts up.” My voice is a low purr, each word precise and cutting. “It was witnessed by the Malivore Conservatory and confirmed by our headmaster. ”
Ardent’s smile falters, and I let mine grow wider, sharper. I shift my gaze down to the egg nestled protectively in my arms and stroke the smooth shell, feeling the latent power coiling beneath it, ready to be unleashed. “I’d rather be a mixed-breed freak than an inbred pureblood any day,” I say quietly, but the words carry.
A murmur of shock ripples through the class, and I glance at Callan, who coughs uncomfortably, a silent warning for me to tread carefully. But I’m past the point of caution.
“And you,” I continue, fixing my gaze back on Ardent, letting my stare bore into her, “judging by that brown belt you’re wearing, you’re not even worth my time. How far did you get in the gauntlet? Three or four steps? None of the fire drakes made it more than ten percent through it.”
Her face burns red, the scales at her temples flaring in anger, but she keeps quiet. There’s nothing she can say to refute the truth. I caress the egg carrier one last time, feeling Klauth’s dormant energy pulse in response to my touch. It’s almost as if he’s laughing with me, a low, dangerous rumble of approval.
“We’re done here,” I say, turning my gaze to Kai. He blinks, hesitating for a moment, then nods. Without another word, Callan leads me through the teacher’s exit at the front of the classroom.
As the door closes behind us, I can still feel Ardent’s glare burning into my back. But I don’t care. Klauth chose me for a reason. And one day, everyone will understand exactly what that reason is. I have a feeling he may be what we need to fix some of the things broken in dragonic society. From what I had read, he was against the forced betrothal system and the having to keep the bloodlines pure. He knew what it was doing to the species as a whole. Let’s face it, the pure bloodlines are smaller and not as resilient as those of us of mixed origins. He was onto something over a thousand years ago. I can only hope I get him to find his human side when he hatches or we’re in deep shit.