Page 21 of Progeny of the Cursed Egg (Dragonis Academy, Year 3)

“What do you know?” Abraxis’s tone is wary—he feels unworthy, and it spills out in each syllable. I catch the subtle clench of his jaw, the tension rolling off him.

“I know that what you’re feeling is how most of us felt every day when you were the center of Mina’s world.

” My voice is steady, but I can’t keep all the exasperation out.

“I, for one, will be present for our mate while I’m awake.

” I turn my back on him, the soft swish of his towel moving across the carpet the only sign he hasn’t already slammed the door.

It isn’t easy to walk away, but I refuse to miss out on time with Mina.

When I get back to the living room, the buttery scent of popcorn is even stronger, and the TV’s glow flickers across Mina’s face.

I grab Mina’s favorite juice from the fridge—apple, spiced with a hint of cinnamon—and some extra popcorn for Ziggy to feed her.

“Here, baby.” I offer her the drink, brushing my fingers lightly against hers. She beams at me, and I swear my chest tightens with a familiar warmth.

“Thanks, Vaughn.” Her smile is bright, and it melts away some of the tension swirling in the room.

“What are we watching?” Abraxis’s voice makes me turn my head. He’s hovering in the doorway now, shoulders still set, but I detect an attempt at calm.

Before anyone can move, Mina jumps up. The couch cushions squeak as she pushes off, launching herself at Abraxis. The impact knocks him on his rear, pinning him to the floor. I can almost feel the vibration in the floorboards at their collision.

Abraxis laughs—a deep, throaty sound—and strokes Mina’s sides as she sits on his chest. My heartbeat quickens because I see the moment her dragonic instincts flare: she goes for his throat.

Before she can complete the motion, Klauth’s presence rushes across the room.

He grips her tightly, muscles rippling under his shirt as he pulls her off Abraxis and rips her upward.

The shock of it makes the hair on the back of my neck prickle.

“I’m starting to see where the issue is.

” Klauth’s voice rumbles as he holds Mina suspended, looking down at Abraxis.

“You let your female dominate you. She pinned you, and you didn’t even fight back.

It’s why her dragoness almost tore you and your father apart last season.

” Klauth sets Mina down and offers Abraxis a hand up, but his gaze is stern.

“You need to get her dragoness to respect you; otherwise, the next fertile period she is going to rip more than scales off you.” Klauth turns away, going to sit on the couch.

The leather groans softly under his weight .

My thoughts flash to that violent memory. I know Balor and Abraxis still bear scars from the last cycle. The crisp smell of ozone floods my memory—and the tang of blood that seemed to cling to the air for days. If Balor hadn’t gotten Mina to pass out, Abraxis or his father might have died.

Mina’s eyes dart between Abraxis and Klauth, her posture rigid, before she crawls onto Leander’s lap, pressing her nose under his chin.

There’s a softness to her surrender when she’s with him.

An acceptance of his nature that’s vastly different from how she treats the rest of us.

Klauth shakes his head, watching her submit to the nightmare of the group—the prey animal, in theory, of all creatures. Yet she’s so gentle with Leander.

“Mina?” I call softly, trying to keep my voice soothing. Her gaze flicks to me, and I give her a small, understanding smile. “Can I ask you a question?”

She sits up a bit, wrapping her arm around Leander’s neck. “Of course.”

I move and sit on the floor in front of her, the fibers of the carpet rough beneath my palms. “Why do you submit to Leander and Callan? Balor and I, you press your cheek to ours. Ziggy, you alternate between pressing your nose under his jaw or his cheek. I’m just curious.

” I keep my hands up, nonthreatening, feeling the tension in the room gather like storm clouds.

Mina stands and starts pacing. The worn apartment floor creaks under her shifting weight.

“Leander and Callan need to know I’m not going to hurt them,” she says, her eyes lowering.

When she looks up, I see the slitted pupils—her dragon side is near the surface.

“They’re precious and soft-skinned like Ziggy, but Ziggy’s shift can use its poison barbs on me.

” She bites her bottom lip, looking momentarily haunted.

“We tested it in a controlled setting. Ziggy’s neurotoxin works on me.

Generalized paralysis for almost three hours. ”

“You poisoned Mina?” Abraxis roars, the timbre of his voice vibrating through the floor. Mina immediately moves between them, letting out a warning growl. I catch a bitter tang in the air—adrenaline.

“No, we harvested a little of the toxin and stuck a needle in it. Then inserted it in the tip of my pinky,” Mina explains, staring at that pinky as though it betrayed her. “It was numb for almost three hours. Ziggy and I wanted to test it in case the nest needed a way to stop me.”

“What about me and Balor? Why touch our cheeks?” I ask, trying to maintain composure for Klauth’s sake, but curiosity gnaws at me.

Mina looks away, a soft growl rumbling in her throat. “Balor’s shift proved its point. It can knock me out. Gargoyles are practically indestructible.”

“Do you perceive them as a threat or prey?” Klauth’s question cuts through the tension, his tone clinical.

“Potential threat,” she admits, eyes cast down.

“What about me? What am I?” Klauth presses, voice low but insistent.

“Eminent threat. Even though I know you would never hurt me on purpose,” Mina whispers, and I watch the subtle shift of bone plates under her skin, the sign of her dragon features threatening to emerge.

“What about me, Mina?” Abraxis asks, stepping closer and using the side of his index finger to tilt her chin up. His voice resonates with something like regret.

A deep rumble grows in her chest as she shuts her eyes. “I don’t want to answer.”

“You need to answer, even if it’s just to me, my treasure,” Klauth urges, stepping closer.

Abraxis stands rigidly beside him, the tension radiating from every line of his body.

Klauth’s eyes dart between them. “I see…” He sighs.

“This changes things. Abraxis, a word, please.” Klauth jerks his head toward the balcony, and the chilly night air rushes in when he opens the door.

As soon as they step out, Mina collapses into my arms. I feel the wetness of her tears soaking into my shirt, and I stroke her back, inhaling the subtle floral scent of her hair mixed with the salt of tears.

Outside, Klauth, and Abraxis stand on the balcony, their silhouettes framed by the moonlight.

Klauth leans casually on the rail, but the tension in Abraxis’s stance is clear—his wings flicker in the night breeze.

“What did you tell Klauth?” I ask softly as Balor edges closer.

“I don’t see Abraxis as a threat,” Mina murmurs, burying her face in my chest. “I’m bigger than him now, and I can overpower him easily.”

“Lee, you’re the feelings guy,” I say, glancing at Leander, whose empathy is palpable even in the dim light. “Mind taking Mina and helping her relax?”

I press a gentle kiss to Mina’s lips, feeling her warmth. “I love you, Mina.”

“I love you too, Vaughn,” she whispers. She follows Leander into his room, and I hear the door click softly behind them. Her laughter floats through the air not long after, the sound fragile yet comforting.

“I had a feeling that was the problem,” Balor murmurs, leaning against the back of the couch. I can still feel a subtle tension thrumming in the apartment, a storm brewing behind closed doors.

“But why does she still see us as a threat? I don’t get that part,” I admit, raking my fingers through my hair. The dryness in my throat intensifies, and I think about grabbing another drink .

“I think I can answer that,” Callan offers, stepping closer and glancing at the balcony. “You two don’t allow her to pin you—ever. Leander and I roll onto our backs immediately for her because we’re prey. It’s safer for us that way.”

“Oh, shit, that’s right,” I say. “She enjoys being enclosed in my wings, so I have to pin her to the bed.”

“Abraxis always has wings,” Balor points out, folding his arms. “I can’t see him letting her kneel on the leather of his wings.”

“His wings don’t attach like mine. She can get her leg between him and the leather,” I mutter, keeping an eye on Klauth and Abraxis through the glass doors.

It looks like their conversation isn’t going well; Abraxis suddenly spreads his wings and takes off into the night sky, his silhouette disappearing against the darkness.

Klauth steps back into the suite, the night air swirling in with him for a moment before he closes the balcony door. There’s a chill lingering in the air as he rakes a hand down his face. “Stubborn youngling.”

“What happened?” Callan asks, voice tense.

“Abraxis has been letting Mina be in control most of the time during sex. He didn’t think it was important to be the dominant.

” Klauth’s voice is low, resonating with frustration.

“We’re going to be in deep shit if he doesn’t change his ways.

Someone could get hurt.” His gaze drifts to Callan, then flicks toward Leander’s door, where we can still hear Mina’s soft laughter.

A faint smile touches his lips before he heads to Mina’s room to retire, the door clicking shut behind him.

“We’ll try to talk some sense into Abraxis. We have about a month before Mina’s next fertile cycle hits,” Balor says, shaking his head before he heads to his own room.

“It’s going to be a group effort. We have to correct him when he screws up,” Callan mutters, rubbing the back of his neck. The hush of the apartment feels heavier now, thick with unspoken concerns.

“Good luck with that,” I reply, crossing my arms and staring at the balcony doors, my reflection faint in the glass. “Abraxis doesn’t listen to anyone except Mina.”

We exchange uneasy looks, and the tension wraps around us like a suffocating blanket.

We all share the same sinking feeling—Mina is going to be a handful when her dragoness is fertile again, and none of us truly knows how to handle it yet.

The thought makes my stomach twist with a mixture of anticipation and dread, the air thick with the promise of storms to come.