3. Aeron
Aeron
People were staring at me from the moment I stepped on campus. Men, women, and everything in between. Witches, shifters, and fae alike had their eyes on me, taking in every inch of my tall dragon form.
Did I strut a little? Yes. Did I wear my pants a bit tighter than normal?
Also yes. Because who in their right mind would turn down attention?
I was at Widdershins to make a statement to the paranormal world and to help my grandfather.
But that didn’t mean I had to be a prude while I did it.
I fully planned to enjoy myself with anyone and everyone who let me.
But today was the first day of classes, and unfortunately, it couldn’t all be fun and games.
If I wanted my grandfather’s plan to work, I actually had to show up for my classes and do the work.
Although, thanks to literally three decades of private tutors and my dragon lineage, I had no doubt I’d be miles ahead of everyone else.
My first class of the day? Magical Theory.
I pushed through the heavy wooden front doors, my horns nearly brushing the top of the frame.
The hallway beyond was crowded with students shuffling between classes, and I caught the immediate shift in their energy when they spotted me.
Conversations died mid-sentence. Bodies pressed against the walls to give me space.
A few brave souls stepped forward, hoping to catch my eye.
I couldn’t help but smirk. This was exactly the kind of reaction my grandfather had been hoping for. We wanted them writing home to their parents, telling them all the news about the red dragon on campus.
The classroom for Magical Theory was on the third floor.
I climbed the stairs with deliberate slowness, my scaled tail swishing behind me in a way I knew looked impressive.
A group of freshmen pressed themselves into a corner to let me pass, their eyes wide with a mixture of fear and fascination.
One of them, a pretty witch with dark skin and intricate braids, actually gasped when our eyes met.
Yeah, I wouldn’t even have to try to find some groupies for the semester. It was going to be a piece of cake.
The classroom door was already open when I arrived, and Professor Blackwood was standing at the front, arranging papers on a large oak desk.
She was a middle-aged woman, probably in her late forties, with silver hair pulled back in a severe bun and a perpetual scowl.
She looked up as I entered, and I watched her eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline.
“Mr. Pyre, I presume?” she asked, her voice crisp and authoritative.
“That’s me,” I said, choosing a seat near the middle of the room. It was a strategic choice. I was close enough to the front to show I was serious about the class, but not so close as to seem desperate. Dead center of the T-zone.
“Welcome to Magical Theory,” she said, returning her attention to her papers. “I trust you’ve done the assigned reading?”
The assigned reading. Right. I vaguely remembered my grandfather mentioning something about pre-semester materials. I’d skimmed a few chapters on the flight here, mostly while I was distracted by thinking about all the ways I planned to enjoy my time on campus.
“Of course, Professor,” I said smoothly.
She gave me a look that suggested she didn’t entirely believe me, but she didn’t press the issue.
Instead, she returned to organizing her materials as more students filed into the room.
I noticed how their eyes kept drifting toward me, how they whispered to each other in hushed tones.
A few of them looked nervous, like they were genuinely afraid of a dragon sitting in their classroom.
Others looked intrigued, curious about what it would be like to actually interact with something so rare.
I leaned back in my chair, letting my tail coil beneath it, and waited for class to begin.
This was my domain now. Not just Widdershins Academy, but this entire paranormal world that my grandfather had tasked me with representing.
And I was going to make damn sure everyone knew that the Pyre family wasn’t afraid of anything and that they didn’t need to do the assigned reading in order to succeed.
The classroom continued to fill up over the next few minutes.
Students trickled in, most of them doing a double-take when they saw me sprawled across my chair like I owned the place.
A couple of them actually stumbled over their own feet, which was hilarious.
I filed that away for funny stories to tell at parties.
Professor Blackwood waited until the clock on the wall ticked over to ten o’clock before she stood up and addressed the class.
“Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Magical Theory. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Professor Blackwood, and I’ve been teaching at Widdershins for a very long time. ”
She paused, letting her gaze sweep across the room. When it landed on me, there was a flicker of something in her expression, though I couldn’t quite place it.
“I know this has been a difficult year for all of us,” she continued, her voice steady and measured.
“The attacks, the loss of life, the uncertainty about whether this school would even reopen. But we’re here now, and we’re going to move forward.
That means we’re going to focus on what matters.
And that is understanding the fundamental principles of how magic works in our world, whether it be for self-defense or creation. ”
She turned to write something on the blackboard behind her, her chalk moving in sharp, decisive strokes.
“This senior-level class is not going to be easy. I don’t care if you’re a dragon, a fae, a shifter, or a witch.
Everyone in this room is going to work equally hard, and everyone in this room is going to be held to the same standard. ”
I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my mouth. Was she talking about me? Because if she was, she was going to be disappointed. I was a dragon. Standards didn’t really apply to me in the same way they applied to everyone else. I had more magic in my pinky toe than she had in her entire body.
“Now then,” Professor Blackwood said, turning back to face the class. “Can anyone tell me the three fundamental pillars of magical theory?”
Hands shot up around the room. A few of the eager students in the front row practically vibrated with the need to answer.
I didn’t bother raising my hand. I’d skimmed that chapter, but I wasn’t entirely sure about the answer.
Besides, letting someone else answer first gave me the advantage of hearing the question posed a different way if I got called on later.
“Miss Harkins?” Professor Blackwood called on a witch with dark hair and glasses in the front row.
“Intent, energy, and will,” the girl answered confidently.
“Correct. And can you elaborate on what each of those means?”
The girl launched into an explanation that was thorough enough to make me actually pay attention. Okay, so maybe I needed to have skimmed a little harder. It was a long time since I’d looked at the basics and even longer since I’d thought about using them.
Professor Blackwood nodded along as the student spoke, occasionally interjecting with follow-up questions or points of clarification.
It became clear pretty quickly that she actually cared about whether people understood the material, not just whether they could regurgitate facts.
That was... different from my private tutors, most of whom had seemed more interested in getting through the curriculum than in actual comprehension.
It was all flash cards and practical exams with them without any real understanding.
By the time class ended an hour later, I had to admit that I was actually engaged.
Professor Blackwood had assigned us a reading for next class, chapters four through seven of our textbook, and I found myself genuinely curious about what came next.
Maybe I’d crack a book open. If I could find the time.
As students filed out of the classroom, I stood up and stretched, my tail unfurling slightly before I wrapped it back against my legs.
Several people gave me a wide berth as they passed, still clearly intimidated by my presence.
That was fine with me. Let them be a little scared. It only added to the mystique.
“Mr. Pyre,” Professor Blackwood called out as I was heading for the door. “A word?”
I turned back, curious. She was standing beside her desk, arms crossed over her chest, that same assessing expression on her face.
“Yes, professor?” I asked, walking back toward her.
“I want to be clear about something,” she said without preamble.
“I understand that you’re here for a reason.
That your grandfather wants to send a message.
I respect that. But in my classroom, you’re not the grandson of the Elder Council leader.
You’re a student. And that means you follow the same rules as everyone else. ”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m confused, professor. Did I break any rules?”
“Not yet,” she said, and there was something in her tone that suggested she expected me to go hog wild at any moment.
“But just so we’re on the same page, I grade based on merit.
Not on lineage, not on species, and certainly not by how many connections you have in high places.
You do the work, you understand the material, and you’ll get a good grade.
You don’t, and you’ll fail. Simple as that. ”
I felt a flash of irritation at her tone, but I kept my expression neutral. “Of course, professor. I wouldn’t expect anything else.”
“Good,” she said, turning back to her desk. “I’ll see you next class.”
“I have one question, professor.”
“Yes?”
“Have you given this speech to all of your other students?”
She stared at me for a long moment, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“I only ask because I believe they might benefit from it,” I said, keeping my tone carefully neutral. “I wouldn’t want anyone to think that you’re singling me out or giving me special treatment just because of who I am.”
“I don’t know what you’re implying—”
“Nothing. Of course,” I smiled. “Just that you should follow your own advice and treat all your students equally, regardless of their connections.”
Professor Blackwood opened her mouth, her brows furrowed, but before she could speak, a man stepped forward. “Professor? Can I ask you a question about the reading?”
She paused, shaking her head slightly. “Of course, Mr. Aster.” She glanced back at me. “We’re done here, Mr. Pyre. Please head to your next class.”
“Thanks, professor.”
I turned to leave the room, fully expecting the student that had interrupted us to move out of my way. However, I ended up running full into him, his books tumbling to the floor with a clatter.
“Hey,” he growled, burning me a dirty look before he crouched down to gather his books. “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”
I stared at him for a long moment, surprised he would be so bold as to speak to me that way. Nobody else was. They all cowered when I came anywhere near them.
He was a grumpy little witch with ginger hair and a small-ish frame. He wasn’t exactly muscular, but he was pretty fit. And he was handsome, for a human. The moment I looked at him, I knew I wanted him in my bed. I had a feeling he’d look great beneath me, submissive, and taking my fat dragon cock.
“You gonna get out of the way or just stand there?” he barked at me as he stood up.
“I’m going, Red,” I laughed, giving him a dismissive pat on the shoulder.
He pushed past me without another word, his shoulder brushing against my scaled arm as he hurried back toward Professor Blackwood’s desk.
I watched him go, genuinely intrigued. Most people fell all over themselves trying to get my attention.
This one couldn’t be bothered to even acknowledge my existence beyond telling me to get out of his way.
I found myself lingering in the doorway longer than necessary, catching snippets of his conversation with the professor. Something about clarifying the reading assignment. His voice was sharp, focused, none of the nervous stammering I’d grown accustomed to hearing from other students.
“Interesting,” I murmured to myself as I finally stepped out into the hallway.
The corridors were already thinning out, most students having made their way to their next classes.
I checked the schedule I’d been given, there was something about Elemental Magic at two o’clock.
I had several hours to kill before then, which meant I could explore the campus, maybe find a quiet spot to actually do that reading Professor Blackwood had assigned.
Or I could find somewhere with better scenery.
Maybe track down that ginger witch and see if I could get him to take all his clothes off for me.
The thought made me grin as I headed down the stairs. There was something about his attitude that appealed to me. Everyone else was so eager to please, so desperate for my attention. But him? He looked at me like I was just another student getting in his way.
That made me want to know more about him.
But until I found out, I had my pick of whoever I wanted.