Page 88 of Progeny of the Cursed Egg (Dragonis Academy, Year 3)
Epilogue – Mina
It’s been almost a week since Thauglor has been going back and forth to Blackhaven.
According to him, Kai is as easy to read as an open book.
The thought brings a bitter smile to my lips as I pace the length of my chamber, the smooth stone cool beneath my bare feet.
They know the region my father is hiding in.
Unfortunately, it’s on another continent.
The distance feels both relieving and frustrating—so far away, yet still not far enough.
My fingers trail along the rough stone wall, catching on tiny imperfections that match the jagged edges of my thoughts.
Cora’s second baby hatched yesterday, and it’s another son.
The memory of the tiny creature, scales gleaming like polished obsidian, makes my chest ache with longing.
It makes me want my own even more now. The scent of the hatchling still clings to my clothes—new life, smoke, and something uniquely dragonic that calls to the most primal part of me.
I need to resist that urge until at least winter break next school year.
My talons extend involuntarily at the thought, scraping against the stone with a sound that makes my teeth clench .
Abraxis is healed now and can fly again.
I watched him soar yesterday, his massive wings catching the afternoon light as he circled above our mountain home.
Granted, it’s not as fast as it used to be, but at least the skies weren’t robbed from him.
The relief I felt seeing him airborne again was so intense it brought tears to my eyes, the salt of them burning hot against my cheeks.
The warmth of my impending heat is starting to burn through me again.
It begins deep in my core, spreading outward like wildfire beneath my skin.
That ache that can’t be quenched—the kind that makes my scales ripple across my skin unbidden, that makes my blood feel too hot for my veins.
I know what that means. My heat is almost upon me, and I can’t let it happen.
Not with three drakes in the nest, and they still aren’t settled.
The tension between them is palpable, filling the air with the scent of dominance and challenge.
They need more time.
Ziggy returns from Blackhaven with the tonic I requested, appearing in my chamber with that distinctive shift in air pressure that makes my sensitive ears pop. The scent of the potions reaches me before he fully materializes—bitter herbs, roots, and something metallic that makes my nostrils burn.
“Are you sure, Mina?” he asks as he holds three vials out to me. The glass is cool against my overheated skin as I take them, the liquid inside a deep purple that catches the light from the crystal lamps.
“I’m going to start with two of them. If I need the third to put me under, then give it to me.
” My voice sounds strained even to my own ears, roughened by the heat building in my throat.
I hand the third one back to him, and we head towards the planning room where most of my other mates are all gathered.
The stone corridor feels endless, each step requiring more concentration than it should as the heat pulses through my body in waves .
Their raised voices echo down the hallway, and I shake my head, the movement sending a cascade of copper hair across my shoulders.
“This is exactly why I’ll sleep through this heat.
” We stop in front of the door, listening to the arguing.
Even through the thick wood, I can smell them—earth and stone from Balor, ancient smoke from Thauglor, mountain air from Abraxis, and that distinctive scent that is uniquely Klauth, like wild fires and pine.
When the bickering settles down, I push the door open to find Abraxis, Klauth, Thauglor, and Balor on opposite sides of the table.
Between them is the diorama of the Aurelian Isles, meticulously crafted with tiny trees and mountains.
The air in the room is thick with tension and the mingled scents of my mates—a heady combination that makes my dragoness stir restlessly beneath my skin.
“Sorry to interrupt.” I pause, feeling a wave of heat wash over me so intense it makes my vision blur at the edges.
My skin feels too tight, too hot, as if my very bones are trying to expand beyond their confines.
I have eight virile mates. Three powerful dominant drakes that my dragoness craves with an intensity that terrifies me.
Their scents intensify as my dragoness recognizes them, becoming almost unbearably enticing.
When my mates try to approach, I hold my hand up, stopping them in their tracks.
The effort it takes not to leap into their arms is monumental, every muscle in my body trembling with restraint.
“My heat is upon me,” I pant out, trying to keep my thoughts straight as another wave of burning need washes through me.
“I want to sleep through it.” A rumbling purr escapes my lips as I catch everyone’s scents better.
My senses heightening with each passing moment.
“Mina, no...” Klauth almost begs me, his crimson flecked amber eyes darkening with desire and concern.
His voice sends shivers down my spine, making the scales along my back rise in response.
“We handled it last time. Everything was okay.” He steps closer, and I step backward, my back pressing against the cool wood of the door.
The contrast between it and my overheated skin is startling.
“There are three dominant drakes in the nest now. You three need to work on your issues before someone accidentally gets hurt or hurts me.” I pant, trying not to breathe in through my nose.
Each inhale brings their scents deeper into my lungs, making my control slip further away.
My talons extend fully, digging into the palms of my hands, the pain a welcome anchor to reality.
“Ziggy discovered a hidden chamber off of the hot springs. It’s big enough to hold a great wyrm.
” I lower my head, trying not to sway on my feet.
This heat is so much worse than the last few.
It feels like molten metal flowing through my veins, each heartbeat sending a fresh wave of burning need throughout my body.
The room spins slightly, the faces of my mates blurring together.
“I plan to phase Mina and Thauglor into the chamber and then sedate her,” Ziggy says as he moves closer to support me as I sway on my feet.
His arm around my waist is both comforting and not enough—not what my dragoness craves.
I want him too. “At night, either Klauth or Abraxis will switch out with him. Since no one knows Thauglor has hatched, we can hide his existence for a while longer.”
“That’s a solid plan. Good thinking, Ziggy.
” Balor says as he looks at the way I’m hanging on Ziggy.
His black scales have risen along his jawline, a response to the pheromones I’m undoubtedly releasing into the air.
“If you need me to switch out, I don’t have classes to teach the last week of school. ”
“Having you in the chamber with us would be helpful,” Thauglor says and extends his hand to Balor. The gesture is one of truce, surprising in its sincerity. Through my haze, I feel a spark of hope—perhaps they can work together after all.
“Ziggy, I need to go. I can’t resist much longer.
” I breathe in deeply, my lungs filling with the intoxicating scents of my dominant mates.
The room tilts again, and I grip Ziggy’s arm tighter, my talons almost piercing the fabric of his shirt.
I look at all of my mates, memorizing their faces through the haze of my heat.
“I love you. See you soon.” My voice breaks on the last word, emotion, and need, making it difficult to speak.
I nod at Ziggy, and he phases us into the hidden chamber.
The world dissolves around me, replaced by the sensation of being everywhere and nowhere at once.
When reality solidifies again, I’m standing in a massive cavern, the walls glowing with embedded crystals that cast a soft blue light across the space.
The light pulses gently, almost like a heartbeat, illuminating the rough stone surfaces and casting long shadows across the floor.
The air is heavy with moisture from nearby hot springs, steam rising in delicate tendrils that dance in the dim light.
Droplets of condensation form on my overheated skin, offering momentary relief from the burning fever of my heat.
The cavern smells of mineral-rich water, ancient stone, and something earthy and primal that speaks to my dragonic nature.
Each breath I take fills my lungs with the moist, warm air, making it feel as though I’m breathing through cloth.
My sensitive hearing picks up the subtle dripping of water somewhere deep in the cavern.
The sound echoing off the stone walls in a soothing rhythm.
Ziggy helps me to a nest of furs and blankets that’s been prepared in the center of the chamber.
The furs are luxuriously soft against my fingertips, a stark contrast to the rough stone floor beneath them.
They carry the mingled scents of my mates—earth and smoke, pine, and sky—a comforting mixture that makes my dragonic side purr despite the pain.
My legs give out as I reach it, muscles trembling with exhaustion and need, and I collapse onto the soft surface.
Every nerve ending in my body screams for relief, my skin feeling too tight, too hot, as if I might burst into flames at any moment.
The scent of the sedative is sharp and medicinal as Ziggy uncorks the first vial, holding it to my lips. The glass is cool against my burning mouth, a small mercy during this torment. The liquid inside is a deep, rich purple that catches the crystal light, swirling hypnotically.