Chapter 7
Standing behind Nix, Ryker’s bulking body cast a shadow onto the table that had just been discussing how violent and meat-headed dragon shifters were.
The gossiping cygnus shifters waited, silent and wide-eyed. Scared. Were they waiting to witness some stereotypical dragon violence? Waiting for Ryker to lose control of his fire or threaten them?
Nix stood from the table and slapped the top of it. The wood shuddered, shaking the lunch trays there. “Savage? Out of all the words, you choose that one?”
The cygnus shifter sputtered, “Dragons live in the mountains. They don’t even have electricity—”
“Oh, why don’t you demean dragon shifters as an entire species some more,” Nix said plainly. “I dare you.”
The girl visibly swallowed.
“Not all dragon shifters are violent.” Nix raised her voice so everyone at the table, and maybe even other tables, could hear her.
“If we lived in a world where stereotypes were true, I could say every cygnus shifter is a self-righteous bitch, but Sarasa exists, so I guess that wouldn’t be factual. ”
Sarasa grinned and tipped an invisible hat to Nix, showing her appreciation.
“Elle, did you hear what she just said to us?” one of the girls shrieked. “She is a minute away from burning us to a crisp.”
“Would you shut up and listen? Look with your own two eyes. Have you ever actually seen a dragon shifter being rough and violent with you?” Nix questioned them. “Huh?”
“We know the stories—”
“Fuck your curated stories,” Nix shot back. Bael proudly whistled through a sly smile. “Being born into a specific shifter species doesn’t make someone more or less prone to violence. The man standing behind me is kind and thoughtful and patient and protective—and he is my mate.”
She told them, “You can call me whatever you want, but do not—ever—insinuate that he is a villain or worth less than you or somehow ‘harming’ you with his existence.”
Ryker’s exhale shot out over the back of Nix’s hair as she stood at the table and scolded the cygnus shifters. The heat of his presence seeped into her back, fueling her.
“If you ever make him feel bad for the wings and abilities he was born with, I will show you exactly how savage and ferocious dragon shifters can be,” Nix threatened them.
“See?” one squealed. “She is going to hurt us, Elle! Do something.”
“Out of everyone in this school, guess who is more likely to hurt you?” Nix asked the women. “Because it’s not me.”
“Nix, sit down,” Elle demanded softly. Her tone had an unfamiliar edge. Did Nix’s adoptive sister think Nix would bow to her commands like in her past life?
“No. Answer my question,” Nix told them. “Who is more likely to hurt you at this school? Who should you fear?”
The awkward silence suggested the girls wished Nix would leave the table without another word. Oh well.
“Why do we put all of our self-worth on finding a husband by graduation? Why does it feel like life or death?” Nix asked, wanting to shake some sense into them. “Before graduation, we tie ourselves to alphas for protection from other alphas. We ‘sell’ our futures to our natural predators.”
“I’m getting threatened with expulsion because I embarrassed an alpha.” Nix snorted at how not-funny the situation was. “Expulsion—for embarrassing an alpha.”
She stressed each word. “Because the male alphas’ biggest fear is us laughing at them, at us not seeing them as big and strong, and terrifying. But what’s the female prey shifters’ biggest fear, huh?”
Sarasa’s jaw flexed. The others glared at Nix and pressed their lips together.
“They fear us not taking them seriously, and we fear them killing or owning us—that’s why we try to secure a ‘husband’ as a protector.” Nix jabbed her fist against the table again. “I am an alpha predator shifter now. I am a dragon, and I will protect you.”
She added, “You don’t want to take classes on alpha-pleasing? Enroll in combat class with me, and I will protect you. You don’t want to marry an alpha out of obligation? Don’t, and I will protect you.”
“Oh, please.” Most of the women scoffed, but Sarasa blinked and swallowed, staring at Nix. Considering her words.
Elle feigned a weak laugh and waved off Nix’s words. “You make it sound like we are forced to marry an alpha—”
“Aren’t you? Ask yourselves,” Nix said. “If you had the same strength and abilities as the predator shifters, would you take the classes you’re in now? Would you marry some mediocre, ego-ridden asshole for the promise of a ‘safe’ life?”
Bael chuckled, taking no offense. He knew he was not a mediocre, ego-ridden asshole.
“How would you protect us?” Sarasa asked.
“Sarasa!” Elle scolded, gasping in horror. “You can’t actually be considering—”
“She broke Elle’s wrist this morning,” another cygnus said. “A barbaric dragon shifter wouldn’t know how to protect anything but treasure. If you have a heartbeat, the dragon sees fresh meat,” she recited an old rhyme that the cygni clan taught in childhood.
“Dragon shifters are not all violent!” Nix crashed her fist onto the table, frustrated, and the wooden top splintered under her hand. Damn, she was…strong?
“Oh my gods! She broke the table! She’s going to kill us,” one shrieked.
Nix rolled her eyes but chided herself for playing right into the violent stereotype. She did not mean to splinter the wooden tabletop. She wanted to prove the preachings of her adoptive father, Kellan Oadess, wrong.
“I didn’t mean to do that,” Nix admitted. “I’ve, uh, only been stronger like this since this morning.”
“She can’t control herself!” one yelled. “My parents didn’t even want me attending the academy with any dragon shifter students. I can’t share a lunch table with one! I’m too young and pretty to die.”
Bael loudly played with his switchblade.
“She even brought a demon to our table! From actual Hell.”
“I am not going to hurt anyone—just like I never did over the many years of relentless, petty bullying,” Nix remarked. “I want to protect you all. More than that, I don’t want you to rely on anyone’s protection. Don’t you want to learn how to protect yourselves?”
“I heard that alphas don’t prefer muscular females—”
“Gods, I want to shake you right now,” Nix muttered under her breath.
“Elle! Another threat! Make her leave,” the girl begged.
“Nix,” Elle said sternly.
“Think about it. If you didn’t have to worry about protection, what would you do? Because deep down, we don’t want protection. We want safety. We don’t need to offer ourselves up as some kind of prize; we don’t need to earn protectors.” Nix told them, “We need to burn the attackers.”
Bael whistled again and started a slow, dramatic clap.
Sarasa was the only female at the table who did not wear a horrified expression. She watched Nix with a curious expression.
Nix stepped back from the lunch table. Bael swiftly joined her, standing behind her, beside Ryker’s looming, hot presence. “Think about it,” Nix said.
“Would the academy really let us take combat class?” Sarasa wondered aloud.
Elle scowled at her friend, and Sarasa blushed, looking down at the table. The Oadess family had a lot of power in the academy, but they had ultimate power in the cygnus community.
Nix answered Sarasa, but addressed the entire table as she replied, “Even if the academy didn’t, my mate—you can refer to him by his name and not his shifter species—is the Teaching Assistant for the combat class.
He would be happy to help someone learn to protect themselves from actual violent threats. ”
Nix reached her arm out and dropped an invisible microphone, signaling she was done with her speech.
As Nix strutted out of the cafeteria, she felt different.
It was a new dawn. A new day.
She felt…strong.
If alphas felt this strong their entire lives, how did they not let it go to their heads?
Nix would be the first alpha to offer prey shifters protection without any cost or trade.
She would—
Bael scooped Nix into his arms and flung her over his shoulder, so he could carry her and palm her ass while doing so. “I need to fuck you again,” he growled. “Now.”
“Now,” Ryker grunted.
“We just had sex in the air mere hours ago—”
Bael walked her right into the infirmary, meant for sick and injured students. The sterile room was possibly the least sexy of the entire academy; yet, Bael and Ryker’s lust for her turned it into a damn red-velveted, candle-lit honeymoon suite.
The academy nurse gasped as the three of them entered. “Is she okay?” The nurses’ gaze caught on how Nix was being carried.
Bael carried her toward the private, adjoining room with four cots and stated over his shoulder to the nurse, “Our mate isn’t feeling well. We’ll be taking care of her in here.”