Ward of Wyvern: A dragon shifter fantasy (The Dragon Mage Book 1) Page 4

  Everyone at my previous school knew my reputation and mostly ignored me but for Kent and Angie and a few of the Glacier Pack wolvyn. Even still, I’d grown up with those people—this was all new, and without sounding like a wimp, it was intimidating.

  “Don’t worry if people avoid you. So what?” Mitch said when I paused too long.

  “I’m good,” I said. “See you later.”

  I pushed my way into the classroom. The front two rows were already filled with students and most of the third.

  “Excuse me, you must be Mr. Ward,” the woman I could only assume was Mrs. Tiddel said from behind her desk. She was taller than me and as thin as bones. Her nose was sharp, but her eyes were kind behind her round glasses.

  “Teagan,” I said inching closer to her desk.

  “Good to have you, Teagan. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you’re Class: Defective, right?” Mrs. Tiddel said with a toothy grin.

  My stomach lurched when a few snickers echoed from one side of the room.

  “That’s what they say,” I grumbled.

  The teacher nodded, oblivious. “Mmmkay, well, I don’t think there’s anyone I need to keep you from. You know, it’s not always good clashing, say, witches and vamps. Long, long rivalry there. Anyway, for the most part we’re loosey-goosey in this class and pick our own seats. Keeps things fresh, and helps me memorize names, not just assigned seats. Makes my mind work.”

  She was weird, but I grinned. Couldn’t help it, really. “So, just sit anywhere?”

  “Yep, the classroom is your oyster.”

  Glancing about, I thanked my good luck that most of the back row was open, and quickly rushed to one of the back corner seats. A few students had been in my other classes and eyed me with suspicion. Taking Mitch’s advice, I kept my eyes low and focused on a cartoon masterpiece on the top of the desk left by a former student.

  Then, a shift came in the air, almost like an electrical current running through me forcing me to lift my gaze back to the front of the room. A ball like tangled yarn built in the back of my throat, and my heart jumped out of place.

  Her golden hair still glittered, even without the moonlight. Now, the sunlight revealed the crimson and copper color instead of the silver.

  The girl from last night; I’d never forget her face. She walked right to me.

  In all my experience with the opposite sex, I’d never been so caught off guard—so at a loss for words. I stared like a fool. Something about the perfect roundness of her face, the way her lips rested in a cheerful smirk, the way her slender fingers gripped the strap of her black shoulder bag—no, perhaps it was her eyes that captivated me like a moth to a flame. Sea green, and I was swimming.

  She looked at me, those eyes sparkling and curious. I waited for her to stop and turn away, but she kept coming. It was only after she took a seat directly at my left I noticed the two guys flanking her.

  One, with hair that reminded me of flames, narrowed his eyes in my direction. He studied me as though he were trying to flip me inside out with his gaze. The second had smooth brown skin and hair down to his shoulders, glossy like a raven’s wing.

  The guys brushed me off, taking their places in the final two back row seats. Her presence forced my glance to peek out of the corner of my eye, wanting to catch one more look at the girl. I cleared my throat, face hot when she rested her chin in her palm and stared right back at me.

  “Hi.” Her voice shattered something inside the pit of my stomach. A flash of hot and cold, so raw and intense, I hugged my insides under the desk. She grinned. “You’re new.”

  “He’s a reform, Jade,” the fiery-haired guy said.

  “I wasn’t asking for your help, Raffi,” she said with a smile over her shoulder, then locked me in her gaze again. “There’s something sort of familiar about you. We haven’t met, have we?”

  I shook my head vigorously. My tongue bulged in my mouth so I couldn’t form the words. “I . . . uh, I saw you at the house, though. I think it was you, at least.”

  Her eyes widened, and the guy with long hair leaned forward, voice rough. “Jade, you went to the house? That was dumb.”

  “You saw me?” she asked, ignoring him.

  “Yeah,” I said, a little confused.

  “Look what you’ve done,” she said with a forced sigh. “You’ve gotten me in trouble with Dash and Raffi. They seem to think I can’t handle myself on my own.”

  Who was this girl? Magis? I couldn’t tell, but something about her spoke to something in me.

  Raffi scowled and turned his attention toward the front of the room where Mrs. Tiddel began the lesson, a book about the Holocaust and the effect magis societies had during the war effort. Secretly, I was a history buff, so I looked forward to reading the book, but again, that would be a truth I kept inside.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t hang around with guys who don’t let you think,” I whispered after a few minutes.

  The girl beamed and leaned closer. “What’s your name?”

  “Teagan. Teagan Ward.” I pulled out a notebook, clearing away the scratch in my throat.

  “I’m Jade,” she said, completely turned away from Mrs. Tiddel, but either the teacher had taken no notice of our conversation, or she didn’t care.

  “Why are you in summer school, Jade?”

  She grinned. “Boredom. Summers are dull here. Besides, if I hadn’t enrolled, then I wouldn’t have met anyone interesting like you.”

  I flushed. She had to be lying, no one would willingly enroll in summer school. But the town was like a Christmas card. I doubted they had much more than bowling for entertainment. Inside, I tried to keep it together, but everything from the fog in my head to the turning in my gut was a raving mess. I’d always been aloof with girls. No strings attached when it came to love making or fooling around. But this girl—a girl I’d said a handful of words to—was destroying me.

  Nymph. Maybe a Huldra. A seductress. That would explain it and no mistake I didn’t mind.

  “So, why were you at Wyvern Reform last night, Jade?”

  “Visiting with my old friend Mr. Sapphire. I’m afraid next time I’ll try harder to stay in the shadows.”

  “Oh, yeah? Are you a former student, or do you have other reasons?”

  Jade smiled, her white teeth gleaming like perfect pearls. “Oh, I see. You think there’s something inappropriate going on between us. Well, Teagan—perhaps there is. What do you plan to do about it?”

  “No judgment if you like older guys.” My fist clenched under my desk. There was a big problem and I didn’t know why.

  Raffi and Dash both snarled a bit, but kept their attention on the teacher. They were irritated, but didn’t flick their eyes at us once. Strange guys, I thought.

  “I appreciate that,” she said. “In turn, I’ll put your mind at ease—nothing inappropriate is happening. Sapphire is a close family friend. There was a little trouble I needed help with and he obliged.”

  Jade’s smooth way of speaking could have lulled me into a trance if I allowed it. She was confident and intelligent and unafraid by all pretenses. But there was something about the way Dash gripped his desk and Raffi’s face reddened like a cherry that brought me to wonder how she could keep such volatile company.

  “Glad to hear it.” I cursed myself—I could hardly think of anything interesting to say.

  “There is something so fascinatingly familiar about you, Teagan. I simply can’t put my finger on it.”

  “I don’t know. Must have one of those faces.”

  “You must,” Jade said. “Well, it’s good to know you, Teagan. I suppose we should pay attention now; it’s rude to talk while others are speaking.”

  Jade flashed one more smile. My brain fog lifted, and Mrs. Tiddel’s playful voice went on about the reading report we had to turn in within two weeks. Raffi’s red face was close to Jade, who looked ahead at Mrs. Tiddel while he rambled something hushed in her ear. He looked upset, so did Dash, but at least Dash didn’t eye me
like he was about to murder me.

  Drawing my attention away from Jade and her uptight friends, I tried to focus. Of course, by the end of class I’d only jotted a few notes and had shot a heap of glances at Jade. The bell rang and Jade stood, followed by Raffi and Dash.

  “Bye, Teagan. It was good to meet you. Welcome to the dullest summer school ever,” she whispered.

  “Better than dull days, I guess.”

  “Exactly.”

  Raffi stayed close to Jade, his arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders, and it caused my skin to prickle.

  “Hope Sapphire can help you reform and all, Defective,” Dash muttered as he passed.

  I kept quiet, fists balled.

  Once Jade was gone, I stacked my books back into my bag and rushed from the room. I didn’t know where the football field was, but I quickly shoved outside the closest door knowing I’d find it sooner or later.

  “Mrs. Tiddel is good,” Graham said, passing over a bag of chips before opening one of his own. “But she really likes in-depth writing, so she’ll know if you just copy and paste from Google, so watch that.”

  I leaned back on my elbows, watching from the bleachers as students poured across the field in groups. I caught sight of Jade with Raffi and Dash. Her laugh was a siren’s call. She tipped her head back, smiling at the sky. Even Raffi laughed and didn’t look like he planned to snap a neck.

  “Hey, Mitch, what’s her story?”

  “Oh, don’t even go there.” Mitch shoved an enormous bite of sandwich in his mouth. “That’s Jade Drake, as in the principal’s daughter.”

  “What, does that automatically make her untouchable? We’re in school, but adults.”

  “Yeah, tell that to them.” He nodded toward Raffi and Dash. “That’s Raffi Tarragon and Dash Bulwark. They never leave her alone. They’re like crazy tight childhood friends or something. But Raffi is into Jade, and you’d be insane to mess with him. He’s known for his temper.”

  “Sounds like a creep,” I said. “Magis?”

  Mitch shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I thought troll, or half giant for Raffi, once. But they’ve never shown any kind of magic as long as I’ve been here. And Ms. Drake doesn’t have powers, but somewhere in her family history is old sorcery, I guess. So, she’s empathetic to all us lost magis creatures. Raffi is nice enough if you stay away from Jade.”

  I forced my gaze away, but that didn’t mean I had to stop thinking about her. In fact, I embraced the odd sensation filling my chest every time a thought of Jade crossed my mind. Keeping feelings hidden was a talent, and this new sensation would be the latest thing I buried.

  Chapter 5

  Dinner clean-up wasn’t a warzone like at home, but after painful silence with Melinda, the succubus girl with the tongue ring, and Lance, another thirteen-year-old defective who’d done some intense vandalism on a dare, I was ready to disappear into my bedroom again.

  I towered over them, had more brain cells, and by the end was certain I was in a teenage soap opera the way they went on about nothing.

  “So, like, how old are you? Aren’t you sorta big for high school?” Melinda asked, fiddling with her tongue ring. She winked, and something tugged at my chest. An unnatural need. This girl wasn’t defective and I ought to warn Mitch, I thought.

  I took a step back. “I missed half my last year.”

  Lance snorted. “Yeah, ‘cause he kept getting arrested. That’s what Graham says.”

  “Is that what Graham says?” I asked with a bite to my tone. “I’m almost nineteen. Not the only one who is, either.”

  “Oh.” Melinda grinned again. “So, like, a man.”

  Her magic struck again and whatever dormant power was inside me fought back. A little nauseating, to be honest.

  “Melinda, knock it off.” Sapphire’s deep rumble broke the sick wave of colliding magic. Melinda clicked her tongue, then turned back to the sink, affronted. I blinked my stun at Sapphire. He frowned at the girl’s head, then pointed it at me. “Teagan. Come with me.”

  With a sigh, I finished drying the heavy stock pot and placed it back on the counter. I’d take Sapphire over the those two without a second thought. Back in his office, Sapphire leaned against his desk and gestured at the chair in front. I sat stiffly.

  “Just doing a nightly check-in.”

  I lifted one brow. “You meet with everyone every night? Why haven’t we done this before?”

  “I don’t meet with everyone, only those I feel like I need to meet with. The rest of the staff helps too. But I wanted to check-in with you. How was the first day?”

  My brow furrowed and I stared out the open window. After knowing for certain Jade had met with Sapphire in the dead of night, I’d placed a kind of wall between myself and the man. Jade said he was a family friend, but something about it seemed off.

  “It was fine. Basic summer school.”

  “No trouble with anyone? Or any of your classes?”

  “Nope. If there were it’s not like I’m a kid. I can take care of it.”

  “Would you tell me if there were any issues?”

  “Like I said—I’m not a kid.”

  Sapphire sighed, keeping his arms crossed over his thick chest. “I was wondering if you’d expound more on what you wrote in your reflection journal. What do you like about the forest?” He held up the composition notebook.

  My face heated. “I didn’t realize we’d be talking about that.”

  “Well, it helps me understand you better, Teagan. You wrote some really compelling things.”

  “I wrote ten words.”

  “Yet, still compelling. So, why did you write about the forest first?”

  “I don’t know,” I said, slouching in the chair. “I’ve always liked the outdoors.”

  “That’s good to know,” Sapphire said. His voice was deep, like a force of nature, but the man had a good balance of kindness and sternness. “I’ll make sure you have more outside labor and activities. That’s good. Now, what about the next part—why do you feel angry?”

  I tossed my head back and sighed. “I don’t know, sir. That’s why I wrote: I. Don’t. Know.”

  Despite my best efforts, Sapphire wasn’t intimidated. “Does being outside help with the anger?”

  “I guess.”

  Sapphire moved behind his desk and sat. He took a few moments to write something down on a yellow pad of paper and tapped the end of the pen, probably to irritate me. “Okay, that’s all good to know, Teagan. See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  “Sure, sir.”

  “I know you’re grown, by the way,” he went on. “But you need to finish high school. So keep up, yeah? You’ve been pretty easygoing. Honestly, based on your connections to the wolvyn, I expected a bit more resistance.”

  “Would you like me to cause more problems?”

  Sapphire chuckled. “No, I like the way you’re going. I think the real Teagan is showing through. That’s exactly what I want.”

  “With all due respect, you don’t know the real me, sir.” I didn’t mean to blurt it out.

  Sapphire wasn’t smiling anymore, but he nodded. “You’re right, I don’t. Here’s your journal. Oh, and I checked the wiring in your room. I don’t know what happened, but it seems like an electric surge fried the breaker to your room. It’s all fixed.”

  I stood and took back the notebook. “Can I go? I have homework.”

  “You may go, yes.” Sapphire smirked in that annoying way that riled my blood.

  Upstairs, I flopped back onto my bed, glancing once toward my backpack. The day had brought piles of homework, but instead of my math book, I reached for the reflection journal. It was strange how thoughts came to my mind, how the idea of writing them down, no matter how small, did come naturally.

  I dated the line so Sapphire would know I was speaking directly to him.

  No one knows the real me. That’s intentional.

  I tossed the notebook aside.

  Screw homework. P
unching my pillow into a lumpy mound, I buried my face and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  Morning came and again my clock refused to sound the alarm. In all my haste to rush out the door, I hadn’t had a moment to call out Sapphire for his faulty wiring.

  Rushing into first period, I slammed into a girl with short auburn hair, her nose sprinkled with freckles, and she wore a sultry smile that sort of forced me to grin back. This was the type of girl I was used to.

  “Sorry,” I said, bending down to help her pick up the spiraled notebook splayed along the floor.

  “No worries,” she said. “Hey, I haven’t met you yet. You’re new, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  Her eyes flicked over my shoulder when Mitch scurried behind me. Her brow lifted, but her smile filled with a new desire.

  “I’m Jenna,” she said. “Magis or human?”

  I offered a half grin and shrugged. “Neither. Defective.”

  Instead of disgust, her eyes brightened. “I’m human. Is that a turn off for someone who grew up in a magis district?”

  “Nope.” I took a step closer. From my peripheral, I noted that Mitch rolled his eyes.

  “Good because you seem like someone who knows how to liven up a stupid town.”

  “Yep, he’s like me, Jen. Wild and criminal.” Mitch clapped me on the shoulder, then gave a quick thumb’s up before hurrying to his class.

  Since I’d seen Jade Drake, I had thought of little else, but she wasn’t within reach. Perhaps a girl like this Jenna might be able to show me more of the ropes of Wyvern Willows. I’d done fine with human girls back home if I didn’t tell them I came from the magis district. And when I shadowed Kent, wolvyn females didn’t have a problem, so long as partying with me got them close to the future alpha.

  “Magis and criminal, huh?” Jenna winked. “You’re definitely not the sort of guy I should bring home to meet my parents, then.”

  I leaned in. “Does it scare you off?”

  Jenna dragged her fingers across my hand and slid the folder out of my grip, her smile wide and mischievous. “Not at all. I love a good challenge.”

  “But then, you’re in summer school, too. Maybe I ought to watch out for you.”