Page 36 of Guardian of the Cursed Egg (Dragonis Academy #2)
Callan
Thank the Gods it’s Friday. The relentless grind of going back and forth between the school and the nest site has left me drained in every possible way.
The scent of sweat and steel lingers in the air, the sharp tang cutting through the faint musk of worn leather and scorched wood from the sparring arena.
The clash of swords has just ended, and Mina stands with Abraxis and Balor, calling for time.
Her voice rings clear, commanding even when she’s winded.
She strides over to me, her movements fluid but heavy with exhaustion, and reaches for the bottle of water at my side. A bead of sweat rolls down her temple, catching the dim light before vanishing into the collar of her leather jacket.
“You are a lifesaver, Callan...” Her voice drops into a deep, sultry purr that resonates through me, and my breath catches. That tone—it hits me like a lightning strike. Heat rushes south, and my shaft hardens instantly, unbidden .
“I aim to please.” I force a smile, gripping my water bottle tighter than necessary, the cool condensation biting into my palm.
Mina shrugs out of her leather jacket, revealing a damp tank top clinging to her torso.
Her shoulders glisten faintly, the light catching on the sheen of sweat.
As she pulls her hair up, exposing the nape of her neck.
I spot them—the scales. The ones running down her neck shimmer, their usual color deepening into a striking magenta.
The bottle slips from my fingers, hitting the ground with a dull thud that seems to echo louder than it should. My heart races, and a cold spike of dread pierces through the heat. I fumble for the handkerchief in my pocket, my fingers trembling as I give it a deliberate wave.
Abraxis’s head snaps up, his eyes locking on mine.
His entire frame stiffens, his hand immediately going for his phone.
The plan is in motion; we’ve practiced this, prepared for it.
He taps out a message with quick, precise movements.
His parents will know. The tonic will be brought to the nest site.
All hands on deck. Abraxis gives me a sharp nod—confirmation they’re on their way.
“Mina?” I reach out and touch her forearm. Her skin is hot beneath my fingertips, the scales beneath her tank top faintly raised.
She turns to me, and the air seems to thicken. Her eyes meet mine, but they’re no longer human. The pupils are sharp, reptilian slits, gleaming with an intensity that sends a shiver down my spine. She will hunt the weakest mate and breed him to exhaustion. Those words echo in my mind.
“Hmm... How about we go home and...” She leans in close, her breath hot against my skin, carrying a faint hint of spice and smoke.
Her lips brush my neck, and then I feel the faint scrape of her teeth as she nibbles, a gesture both teasing and terrifying.
My instincts scream danger, but I wave the handkerchief again, signaling for help .
“Mate?” Abraxis’s voice cuts through the haze, low and commanding, imbued with the power of a dominant drake. It vibrates through the air, making my gryphon instincts recoil in submission.
Mina’s head snaps toward him, her teeth bared in a feral snarl. The sharp glint of her canines catches the light before she freezes. Her shoulders rising and falling with ragged breaths. Abraxis flares his wings—a warning, a reminder of his strength.
“It’s time, isn’t it?” Mina’s voice trembles with suppressed power, her fingers twitching at her sides. Scales ripple along the length of her arms, catching the light with an iridescent sheen as her dragoness strains against the fragile tether of control.
“Time to go...” Abraxis growls, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through the chaos.
He grabs Mina’s hand, his fingers brushing her wrist, and starts running toward the nearest flight field.
The air is thick with the metallic tang of adrenaline, and the ground trembles faintly beneath our pounding feet.
Ziggy materializes beside us in a flash of light and shadow, his presence crackling with raw energy. “Everything is set!” he shouts, his voice cutting through the rushing wind as we sprint.
Without warning, Abraxis shifts mid-stride, the crunch of bone and sinew echoing unnervingly as his massive black dragon emerges.
He snatches Mina up in his taloned grip, her hair whipping wildly as he launches into the air with a powerful beat of his wings.
The gusts stir dust and debris, stinging my eyes.
Ziggy grabs my arm and Balor’s, his hand cold and solid like stone. In a dizzying instant, we phase to the nest site. The jarring shift leaves my stomach rolling as we land .
Leander stands ready, the egg carrier strapped securely to his chest. His scent—earthy, faintly sweet—grounds me. “Is it safe for you to have the eggs?” I ask, my voice sharp, though I try to mask my concern.
He glances at the carrier, then meets my gaze. “She won’t risk the eggs. Since I’m a prey species, we figured it’s safest with me. It’ll keep her instincts in check.”
I nod, the logic sound. “Good call.”
“Where are they?” Vox asks, his amber eyes scanning the horizon.
“Abraxis is carrying her in his talons,” Balor answers, his tone clipped.
The sky tears open with a series of feral roars, deep and reverberating.
We turn to see Abraxis and Mina locked in a violent aerial clash.
Their forms are black silhouettes against the twilight, scales glinting like molten metal in the dying light.
“Fuck!” Vox snarls, taking off at a sprint.
He dives off the cliff, shifting mid-leap into his sleek black dragon form, his wings unfurling with a thunderous crack.
He closes in on them, his talons gleaming like onyx as he grips Mina’s wings. She thrashes violently, her horns slashing through the air as she tries to impale him.
“Ziggy, can you get me on her?” Balor asks, his voice grim as we stand rooted in helpless horror.
“Yeah? Why?” Ziggy moves closer, his expression wary.
“I’m going to make her pass out so they can carry her here. Hopefully, she’ll shift back and it’ll be easier.” Balor’s words are steel-edged as Ziggy grabs his arm, and they vanish in an instant.
Cerce and I remain, the ground trembling beneath us as the battle grows nearer.
Suddenly, Balor’s basilisk materializes mid-air, its serpentine coils wrapping around Mina’s dragon’s neck.
Her roars turn guttural, weaker, as her talons scrape at the constricting scales.
Her movements slow, her thrashing reduced to sluggish jerks, and then she goes limp.
She doesn’t shift back immediately. When she does, Abraxis has her cradled against his scaled chest. The wind howls as they land, stirring the scent of charred earth and blood. Abraxis lowers Mina into my arms with surprising gentleness, her weight solid and unyielding.
I carry her into the pit off the main chamber, the air here damp and cool against my overheated skin.
Cerce follows, bringing a bitter-smelling tonic that burns my nose.
Together, we pour it into her mouth; the liquid glistening on her lips before she finally swallows.
We lay her down on the soft furs, and I carefully remove the eggs from Leander’s carrier, arranging them close to her.
The warmth of their shells thrums faintly against my palms.
“I’ll sit with her,” Cerce murmurs, her voice soothing as she settles beside Mina.
I nod, retreating to find the others. The metallic tang of blood hits me as I approach Abraxis, Vox, and Balor. Their skin bear scratches, some deeper than others, oozing crimson. Balor’s arm catches my attention—jagged talon marks streak across his flesh.
“How did she manage to hurt you?” I ask, disbelief coloring my tone.
“No clue,” Balor mutters, shaking his head. “She tore off a few scales, though.”
Abraxis’s eyes widen in shock, a flicker of unease crossing his usually composed face. “Is she sleeping?” Abraxis asks, rolling his shoulder with a grimace .
“Yeah. Your mom is with her. She’s all tucked in with both eggs on the furs, like last time.” My gaze drifts back to the chamber entrance, a shadowy void that seems to pulse with tension.
“I need to check on her,” Abraxis says, his voice low and rough. “I had to get aggressive to stop her. Mina’s talons … they’re sharper than I realized.” Without waiting for a reply, he strides toward the nest, disappearing into the tunnel’s darkness.
We follow Abraxis down into the nest. The air grows heavier with the scent of damp earth and aged stone as we descend.
The tunnel ahead is cloaked in near darkness, the faint glow of torches from the distant chamber barely illuminating the jagged edges of the walls.
Shadows stretch and twist as we move, the silence broken only by the muffled sounds of our boots on the uneven ground.
Abraxis kneels next to Mina, his movements are tender.
Carefully, his fingers sink into the cascade of her long green and silver hair.
The strands shimmer faintly in the dim light, like threads of spun glass.
“I hate that we have to do this to her,” he whispers, his voice barely audible, trembling with a vulnerability I’ve never heard before.
He eases himself behind her, his body curving protectively around hers as though he could shield her from what’s to come.
One of his wings unfurls, the leathery surface brushing against her as it settles over her like a second skin.
He presses a kiss to the back of her neck, the contact so gentle it’s as if he fears she might shatter.