Page 17 of Progeny of the Cursed Egg (Dragonis Academy, Year 3)

Callan

Being one of the non-dragons in the nest is tough.

Even before I step off the dais, I can feel the tension rolling through the cavernous hall.

Torchlight flickers across the stone walls, throwing twisted shadows that seem to gape and stretch like hungry mouths.

The air is thick with the scent of heated scales and old incense—acrid and smoky, clinging to the back of my throat.

From what Klauth told us, when Mina got the hatchling to shift, she was acknowledged as the strongest dragoness in the den.

A hush settles over the crowd the moment she turns her back.

My heartbeat throbs in my ears as I watch everyone lean in, their whispers darting beneath the torchlight like darting serpents.

The amount of scales across her shoulders is unheard of in the current day—glinting under the smoky torchlight, a mesmerizing patch of iridescence.

More and more heads swivel in her direction.

The whispers spread, a low ripple of speculation and awe.

I glance at Klauth; the pride in his expression all but radiates off of him like heat from a forge .

“Mina is going to be pissed,” I whisper to Klauth, forcing the words out past the dryness in my mouth. My palms feel clammy, and I rub them against my thighs. “She doesn’t like being spoken about.”

“She is being recognized as the strongest dragoness in the room. How is this not a good thing?” Klauth tilts his head, confusion etched across his features. The ambient hum of the crowd crescendos behind us, and I catch the faint smell of spiced wine on someone’s breath nearby.

“They are looking at her as breeding stock,” I explain. My voice comes out more bitter than I intend. “Abraxis is a feared general, Mina a powerful dragoness in her own right.” The weight of these facts sits like a stone in my gut, and I notice how the color drains from Klauth’s face.

Abraxis returns, his formidable silhouette cutting through the torch lit haze.

There’s a tension in the set of his shoulders, and when he looks at the crowd, his eyes blaze with unadulterated rage.

I swear I can feel the heat of his fury radiating across the distance.

He hears the whispers too, and he roars at the gathering, the sound vibrating through my ribcage.

Some onlookers flinch, and a wave of murmurs follows.

“My mate is not breeding stock,” he bellows, voice echoing off the high-arched ceiling. I see the color drain from Mina’s face, but there’s a spark of defiance in her eyes as well.

Vox wisely ushers Mina off the stage and out of sight.

Her retreating form, with those shimmering scales glinting under the torchlight, burns into my vision.

I grab Klauth’s hand and drag him along, weaving through the press of bodies.

The rest of the nest follows close behind, leaving Abraxis to deal with the masses.

The crowd parts for us, some stepping back warily, as though afraid to brush against the tension clinging to us .

When we finally catch up, Mina paces in a dim corridor, her growls echoing off the stone walls. The sharp click of her talons sends a shiver down my spine. The smell of her agitation—a mix of adrenaline and something distinctly dragonic—hangs in the air.

“I will not be trapped in an egg chamber,” she yells, voice reverberating. Bits of dust sift from the ceiling, and the pitch of her fury raises gooseflesh on my arms.

She whips around to face us, eyes wild, and I see the truth there— she’s scared .

My heart clenches. Carefully, I step forward, both hands raised.

My pulse pounds so loudly I wonder if she can hear it.

“Mina, no one is going to put you in an egg chamber. We will not allow that to ever happen. Worst case, I’ll sit on my nest in the chamber on the eggs,” I joke, trying to chase the darkness from her eyes.

Mina stops pacing. A shaky laugh slips from her lips, and I feel the tension in the corridor ease just a fraction.

The sweet sound of her laughter—unexpected and raw—sparks relief in my chest. The soft rumbling purr of her dragon follows, an undercurrent that makes my nerves settle.

She moves fast, closing the distance and diving into my arms. I hold her tight, inhaling the warm, musky scent of her hair and the faint tang of dragon essence that clings to her.

“Will you build me a big nest?” she asks, pressing a playful kiss to the underside of my jaw. The dryness in my mouth from earlier disappears, replaced by a sudden rush of warmth. I catch Klauth raising an eyebrow, clearly surprised by Mina’s submissive gesture toward me.

“Whatever size you desire. What size are dragon eggs?” I try to keep my voice steady as I stare into Mina’s eyes. She just shrugs.

“Cora’s was this big.” She holds her hands apart, roughly the size of a grapefruit.

“That’s small. It’s because she did it as a human,” Klauth chimes in, stepping closer. He gently pulls Mina’s hands farther apart, demonstrating the correct size—closer to a watermelon. My stomach tightens as I see Mina’s eyes dart between her hands, her expression dropping.

Her gaze flicks up to me, silently begging for reassurance.

I place a calming hand on her shoulder. “Mina, your dragoness can easily pass an egg that size. Considering it’s your first clutch and you’re young, you may have slightly smaller eggs.

” I do my best to sound matter-of-fact, and when I glare at Klauth, he clamps his mouth shut.

“The one-eye glare thing is creepy,” Klauth mutters, turning away to pour Mina a glass of wine. The rich aroma of fermented grapes fills the air as he hands it to her. I press a light kiss to Mina’s temple, noting the tension in her posture melt as she sips the wine.

My attention snaps to the door when Abraxis strides in.

The look on his face is grim—he’s fuming, nostrils flared, his clawed fingers twitching at his sides.

I swallow hard and glance down at Mina. “Why don’t you go with Ziggy and take a nice hot bath?

When I get home, we can figure out what kind of nest you want. ”

“Sounds good.” She bounces up and kisses my lips, then moves between all the other mates with quick, soft touches of affection.

Leander grabs her arm, and together with Ziggy, they whisk away through the heavy oak door.

Once they’re gone, the stillness in the room seems to amplify the scent of tension and leftover adrenaline.

I round on Abraxis, crossing my arms over my chest. “What happened?”

He exhales roughly, the breath hissing through his teeth.

“I was made no less than twelve offers for betrothals when everyone saw what Mina did—and her scales.” He shakes his head, walking over to the minibar.

The distinct clink of glass on glass echoes as he pours himself a drink.

The sharp aroma of whiskey wafts through the space.

“Mina will be furious,” Klauth says, leaning against the bar with his bourbon in hand. His tone is flat, but his eyes gleam with seriousness. “You can tell her, since it’s your family’s den it happened in.”

I rub the back of my neck, still standing by the wall. “Wait until they figure out who you are, Klauth, and how many offers are made after that. This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Mina doesn’t wish to betroth her hatchlings. She will torch the world, and I will help her do it,” Klauth murmurs. The slow, dangerous conviction in his voice sends a slight chill through me.

“The betrothal system has been in place for hundreds of years,” Abraxis retorts, downing his drink. His eyes dart around the room as though expecting someone else to jump in.

Klauth’s lips curl into something that’s almost a snarl.

“It didn’t exist in my day. You asked for a bride’s hand after she was of age.

We didn’t betroth our hatchlings to older drakes.

” He arches a brow, daring Abraxis to challenge him.

The tension crackles in the air, and I shift my stance, uneasy.

“Do you think you can change it?” Abraxis steps closer. The flickering torchlight plays across his tensed arms, emphasizing his clenched fists.

“When Mina is ready, we will announce my resurrection, so to speak,” Klauth replies, slamming back the last of his bourbon. The force of it makes the glass clink loudly against his teeth. “The temple of Bahamut will verify who I am for those that need proof.”

Before I can comment, Ziggy reappears to take the rest of us away.

The rush of air that follows his arrival stirs the lingering smoke and whiskey fumes, making my eyes water.

I shove my unease down, gripping Klauth’s forearm as we ready ourselves to leave.

Mina is waiting, and I can almost feel her anxious energy from here.

One way or another, we’ll do whatever it takes to protect her—and any future hatchlings—from a system that threatens her freedom.

When we finally arrive back at our suite in Malivore, the entire house feels like it’s holding its breath.

My footsteps echo on the polished floors, and a subtle draft tugs at the hem of my jacket, sending a faint chill up my spine.

Despite the oppressive stillness, there’s a lingering hint of damp air—like someone just ran the shower and left the steam to seep into every corner.

Sure enough, the bathroom door stands wide open, and wet footprints trail across the tiles and down the hall, each print glistening under the dim light.

What really catches my attention, though, is the sheet of paper sitting on the cool marble of the kitchen island.

The stone’s smooth surface is cold against my fingertips as I pick up the sketch.

Mina has drawn a sandstone room with a gryphon nest tucked in one corner.

The nest looks rugged, lined with iridescent feathers that I can practically imagine rustling in a soft breeze.

In the center, four dragon eggs rest among tufts of down, each egg rendered with a delicate, almost reverent touch.

A subtle pang of longing grips my chest—this is far more than a simple drawing.

“I guess I know what kind of nest Mina wants,” I say, my voice echoing in the hush. I hold out the sketch, and Klauth takes it from me. The paper rustles with a slight crackle, the only sound in the otherwise silent space.

“Ah, it’s in the new egg chamber I dug for her,” Klauth explains in a wistful tone, his gaze drifting across the drawing. “That corner is the most even temperature. There will be an equal chance for male and female hatchlings.” The warmth in his voice contrasts with the chill of the room.

“What am I missing?” Abraxis asks, his eyes flicking between us. I can sense his unease in the tense line of his jaw. It seems our mate hasn’t been filled in on what she did.

“That’s Mina’s story to tell,” I murmur, the weight of impending conflict sending a prickle of electricity through my limbs.

“What’s my story to tell?” Mina’s voice cuts in, and I turn. She emerges from my bedroom wearing my sweats and a T-shirt that’s a little too large for her, the fabric brushing her thighs. Her hair is still slightly damp, and the faint scent of her shampoo—something floral and earthy—reaches me.

I step closer, wrapping one arm around her shoulders. Under my palm, I can feel the place where her implant once sat. The skin is still tender, and she stiffens for a split second when I press there. Her eyebrows shoot up, accusation clear in her eyes, and I can hear her sharp intake of breath.

“Oh,” she finally says, looking between Klauth and Ziggy. She backs up until she meets Ziggy’s chest, reaching for his arms so he can enfold her from behind. The room smells faintly of stone and damp cloth, but now there’s also the spike of tension—like charged air before a storm.

“I took out my implant,” she announces. Her voice is steady, though I hear the tiniest edge of apprehension. “I want my first clutch and to have control over my body instead of almost killing you and your father again.”

The words hit like a thunderclap. Balor sputters into his drink, coughing violently.

Leander, who’s just stepped into the kitchen, catches the mood immediately and pivots on his heel, slipping away before all hell breaks loose.

Vaughn shifts to his gargoyle form with a low growl, stone scraping against bone in a way that sets my teeth on edge.

Abraxis stands there, mouth working silently as if he’s tasting the air for the right response.

Klauth squares his shoulders, turning to face Abraxis fully.

“Anything less than ‘I support your decision’ will result in us stepping outside to discuss this like drakes do,” Klauth warns, his voice as cold as the marble beneath my hand.

Abraxis’s eyes widen. He nods, his posture stiff and uncertain. “Is this truly what you want?” he finally manages, sounding as though someone just drained every last ounce of certainty from him.

“I do,” Mina says, letting out a breath that seems to have been locked in her lungs.

“The chemicals aren’t good for me, and almost killing people just because it’s safer for me to sleep isn’t the best game plan.

” She snorts a laugh, pushing away from Ziggy’s chest. “If a great wyrm can’t contain me, the world is in deep shit. ”

A small shiver courses down my spine at her casual prophecy of chaos.

Then she crosses the kitchen, taking my hand in hers—her grip is warm, pulsing with life.

She leads me into my room without another word, leaving the others behind in the charged silence.

The faint echo of her footsteps mingles with my own, and I can’t help but wonder how the night will unfold.

I guess I know who she’s sleeping with tonight.