Page 34 of Guardian of the Cursed Egg (Dragonis Academy #2)

Vaughn

Sitting in the cafeteria with my clan feels strange without Mina.

The usual chatter and clinking of utensils around us feels muted, like a dull hum in the back of my mind.

Without her sharp presence, the room seems dimmer, less alive.

The faint aroma of syrup and burnt toast wafts through the air, but it doesn’t stir my appetite.

I push a chunk of waffle around on my plate, watching the syrup leave lazy trails.

With everything that’s been happening—and how many enemies are lurking—it’s probably safer she isn’t here.

I glance toward the doors out of instinct.

The hair on the back of my neck pricks like it always does when I think about her being alone.

The naga have been keeping their distance, but only because the dragons from Shadowcarve are here to keep them in check.

Their sharp gazes feel like a constant shadow in the corners of the academy.

“What’s it like being in a dragon’s nest?” Lyla asks, her voice soft as she huddles closer to her mate. Her question cuts through the tension in my mind, and I turn toward her .

“It’s not much different from how the clans are run, really,” I reply, setting my fork down and rubbing my palm over the back of my neck.

The faint metallic tang of blood—probably from a naga fight earlier in the hall—lingers in the air, distracting me for a moment.

“Abraxis, the male dragon in the nest, is the clear leader. Mina moves between her mates equally, so we’re never without her.

We even have a schedule for quality time outside of the bedroom.

” I pull out my phone and show them the family app that Callan found and set up for us.

The glow of the screen feels oddly bright against the cafeteria’s flickering fluorescent lights.

“Since I’m in several classes with Mina and see her the most, I don’t have as much after-school time with her as the others.

” My voice steadies as I speak, finding comfort in the routine we’ve carved out.

“To me, it’s a fair trade. I still get my full night with her when it’s my turn and free daytime with her outside of school. ”

“I never would have expected you to be okay with sharing your mate,” Marri says, his tone skeptical as he spears a piece of waffle on his fork. The dull scrape of metal on ceramic sets my teeth on edge.

“It was tough in the beginning,” I admit, laughing softly.

The sound feels thin, almost out of place in the tension-charged air.

I push the waffle chunk around on my plate again, this time savoring the sticky drag of syrup against the porcelain.

“It took some getting used to, but we’ve found a rhythm that works for us, and we’re sticking to it.

” Smiling, I pop the piece into my mouth.

The sweetness coats my tongue, but it’s distant, like I’m tasting it through a veil.

My senses prickle before Ziggy manifests beside me.

The air around him vibrating with an unnatural hum that makes my teeth ache.

Most of the table jumps, a clatter of silverware against plates, and chairs screeching against the floor as people shift in alarm.

Ziggy’s cold fingers clamp around my arm, his voice sharp and urgent. “We need to go.”

Before I can respond, the world blurs, and the cafeteria disappears.

The transition leaves a queasy lurch in my stomach, and when my vision clears, we’re in Callan’s office.

The room smells of parchment, ink, and something darker—magic, raw and acrid, lingering in the corners like smoke.

My eyes land on Mina, perched on Abraxis’s lap, her shoulders hunched as if the weight of the world rests on them.

“What happened?” I ask, my voice sharper than I intend as I move closer to her and Abraxis. My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out the steady tick of the clock on Callan’s desk.

“Mina had another vision of the attack at the end of the year.” Callan’s tone is measured, but the grim lines on his face betray him.

As soon as he mentions it, Mina buries her face against Abraxis’s neck, her small frame trembling.

Abraxis’s arms tighten around her, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light.

“So what happens?” My gaze darts to the others, trying to piece together the shards of information. The tension in the room is palpable, pressing against my skin like static.

“While her father attacks her, Abraxis is already away fighting on the front lines. I apparently am wounded, and your amulet is stolen from you. You’re stuck as a statue,” Callan says, his voice heavy.

His eyes drift to Leander, who nods solemnly, his jaw clenched. “I get knocked out and shackled in a cell in the basement of Shadowcarve.”

I blink several times, trying to make sense of it all. The edges of the room seem to blur, my grip on reality slipping for a moment. “Who orchestrated the whole thing?” I ask, my voice hoarse. My gaze flicks between Abraxis and Callan, searching for answers in their unreadable expressions.

“My dad,” Mina murmurs, her voice barely audible. She sighs, her breath hitching slightly before she continues. “It’s him and Arista and her entire nest.”

Her words hit like a sledgehammer, knocking the air from my lungs. I stagger back, the doorframe biting into my shoulders as I lean against it for support. The room feels colder now, the shadows darker, as the weight of her revelation settles over us like a suffocating shroud.

“Do we know exactly when at the end of the year? We have three months left.” I force my voice to stay level, but the tension coils in my gut like a serpent, twisting tighter with every second of uncertainty. The lack of information gnaws at me, a constant ache.

“It’s warming up is all I know. So that can be early spring,” Mina says reluctantly, her voice soft, almost fragile. The faint catch in her tone scrapes against my nerves, and I fight the urge to demand more. She doesn’t have the answers any more than I do.

Sighing, I drop into one of the nearby chairs, the worn leather creaking beneath my weight.

The room smells faintly of ash and lingering candle smoke, mingling with the earthy tang of the dirt floor beneath us.

My fingers trail over the armrest, the rough, aged texture grounding me just enough to keep my frustration in check.

“With all the skirmishes and mini border disputes, we can’t tell which is the one that happens when the major attack here happens,” I say, the words bitter on my tongue. The air in the room feels heavy, thick with the weight of unspoken fears.

“That’s the main issue with everything at the moment.

If we had something else that would give us a better idea of when, we could prepare for it better.

” Abraxis’s deep voice carries a steadying force as he wraps his wings around Mina, cocooning her in dark leather and warmth.

The soft rustle of his wings fills the room as she leans into him, her muffled breathing barely audible.

“Hopefully, we’ll have some semblance of a warning,” Leander says, his tone edged with doubt. His sharp gaze shifts to Callan. “Do we know if Thauglor hatched as well as Klauth? Or is it just Klauth on a rampage?”

“Just Klauth...” Mina’s muffled voice filters through Abraxis’s embrace, faint but certain. I watch as the shadows from the flickering lantern light dance across Abraxis’s wings, casting fragmented shapes over the stone walls.

“So only one hatches to save you? Does that mean Thauglor isn’t a mate?

Or it’s just too soon for him?” I ask, my eyes narrowing as I shift my focus between Callan and Abraxis.

The room feels colder as the silence stretches.

The tension growing thick enough to taste—metallic and bitter, like blood on the tongue.

“I think time is a significant factor,” Balor interjects before anyone else can respond, his voice a rumble that vibrates through the space.

“Klauth has been active with Mina for almost two years now. Thauglor has only been active a few months.” His words linger in the air, heavy and weighted, as though they might collapse under the burden of their implications.

“One ancient on a rampage is better than dealing with two,” I say offhandedly, my voice cutting through the heavy silence like the edge of a blade. The room feels too warm, the air thick with tension and the faint, metallic tang of dragon energy humming just beneath the surface .

“I’d rather be dealing with none,” Abraxis replies, his voice a low rumble, like distant thunder before a storm.

He leans down, his dark wings rustling softly, and presses a kiss to the crown of Mina’s head.

The gesture is tender, but the sharp, protective gleam in his eyes as he looks up at the rest of us sends a clear message.

“By rights, the eldest dragon is the head of the nest.” His gaze lingers on each of us before returning to Mina, who remains nestled against him.

“Only the dragoness can change that, if it’s what she wants. ”

Mina pokes her head out from between Abraxis’s wings, her golden eyes glinting like molten metal in the dim light.

“I’m not changing a damn thing,” she grumbles, her voice rough and smoky, edged with irritation.

“Klauth is going to have to learn to play nice. Abraxis was here first.” With that, she burrows back into the cocoon of his wings, her movement stirring a faint whiff of warm scales and ash.

“Well, there you have it. The dragoness has spoken,” Ziggy chimes in, cracking open a bottle of water with a sharp hiss that echoes in the stillness.

A slender hand snakes out from Abraxis’s wings, the middle finger pointed squarely in Ziggy’s direction.

The sight of Mina’s delicate yet defiant gesture breaks the tension.

Ziggy sputters, choking on a mouthful of water, the sound a sharp contrast to the deep chuckles rolling from Abraxis’s chest. Slowly, Mina’s hand retreats into the shadowy folds of Abraxis’s wings, as if the moment of levity never happened.

“My yearly is coming early … I feel it getting closer,” Mina’s muffled voice emerges from the darkness. The faint vibration of her words sends an icy spike down my spine.

I glance at each of my nest mates, my jaw tightening. “Do you have enough of the den dug out for her?” My voice carries an edge I don’t bother to soften.

“Mom and Dad are there with a contingent of my people, working to expand it,” Abraxis says, his gaze dropping to Mina.

His expression softens, but his voice remains resolute.

“They’re making it big enough to fit a dragon or two comfortably.

Without an actual building for protection, either Balor or I will have to remain shifted to shield her from the elements while she sleeps. ”

The air thickens, the weight of unspoken fears settling over us. The room grows quieter, the only sound the faint crackle of the fire in the hearth, its warm light flickering over tense faces.

It’s too soon. My chest tightens at the thought.

Dragonesses thrive when they’re older—mid-twenties, at least. Any younger, and the risks multiply.

Egg-binding, dud eggs, the agony of delivering a slug with no chance of life—it’s a cruel gamble.

Abraxis explained it once during a late-night discussion.

His voice strained with the knowledge of what Mina might face.

Leander’s presence pulls my thoughts in another direction. His species isn’t born from eggs. No one in the nest knows how things might unfold when it’s his turn. A mystery layered atop an already precarious situation.

“For now, we do whatever we have to, to keep Mina safe,” Abraxis says, his voice cutting through the suffocating silence.

His dragon’s eyes flash, the slitted pupils eclipsing the human ones, a vivid reminder of the power simmering just beneath his calm exterior.

“Trust no one. Not the headmaster. Not the elders. I think our problems run deeper than we’ve realized.

” There’s a growl to his voice, and I know he’s deadly serious.

Never mess with a drakes mate, they are ruthless and have zero conscience when seeking revenge or protecting what’s theirs.