Page 30 of Wings of Ashes (Wings of Ashes #1)

CHAPTER

“ W hat’s with the constant hair changes?” Nix’s least favorite classmate, Graeves, asked in a taunting tone as she strode up to the practice field with damp, muted raspberry-colored hair.

Nix felt a little strange after gulping the professionally-made reversal potion. However, so far, the only noticeable change was her hair turning more red than pink. She had showered the strawberry milk away and marveled at how her skin seemed to glow under the water.

Please, gods, let this potion have me waking up a new woman tomorrow , she wished. She did not want to look in the mirror and see someone who looked like Elle or the Oadess family.

If the reversal works…will Persius recognize me then?

Graeves ran his gaze over Nix’s combat uniform—a pair of shorts and a cotton T-shirt—and scratched over the crotch of his shorts as he added, “I don’t know if you know this, but men tend to prefer blondes. I’m already a lot less attracted to you now.”

“Thank gods I changed it then, huh?” Nix said to herself at a low volume. Of course, the shifters had good enough hearing to pick it up.

“Oh, please,” Graeves shot back. “You’d be lucky to suck my dick.”

Nix’s blood heated in her veins as she debated speaking back to him. His group of tall, strong alpha males around him, and the professor nowhere in sight, suggested Nix maybe should not raise her voice and call the asshole an asshole.

“I heard you orgasmed from nothing but eye contact in the Gargoyle’s class,” Graeves commented, and several of the guys around him chuckled.

Fuck him.

Instead of backing down, Nix looked right at him and deadpanned, “It was really good eye contact.”

The guys’ amused expressions turned to confusion. Had they thought she would sputter and blush and run away?

The self-centered alphas needed to be taught a lesson. This was a new Nix—much more vicious.

“Are you fucking Baelfire?” Graeves asked. “Because if so, you should really tell us. We need to know when you become damaged goods.”

“Funny how you guys will sleep with anything that moves but demand a virgin wife,” Nix remarked.

“Do you know who my father is, Ugly Fuckling?” Graeves snorted, smirking. “I have my pick of the flock. I have no need to settle for some nest slut who gives it up to any alpha who gives her attention.”

That pissed Nix off. It hit a sore spot for her because in her past life. Back then, she had thought she did have to give it up to earn a husband.

She had given “it” up after having been told that the alpha would take care of her and protect her after graduation. He lied.

Back then, she had believed everything she had been taught—that her role as a female prey shifter was to serve alphas. That it was an “honor” to be chosen by one. So great that turned out for me .

“The women sleeping with your desperate, entitled, prick ass are doing so for survival,” Nix told him gravely.

“As they should,” Graeves replied.

Her breath…left her.

Nix could hear her heartbeat in her eardrums. “What did you just say?” Her ever-present rage tingled under her skin; her pores prickled with it.

“Alphas are expected to be the leaders, the protectors, and providers. You all are the weaker sex.” He shrugged. “As such, you need to sweeten the deal. What do you bring to the table?”

An alpha had just vocalized what Nix had learned the hard way. They will only offer you protection if you give them something in return . There was no right and wrong—only trades for wants and needs.

Men like him are the reason you ended up na?ve, weak, and caged.

Nix cracked her knuckles and her stiff neck.

“Oh, shit, look at how angry she looks at you,” one of the males told Graeves.

“Does she actually think she can fight you?”

“Ugly Fuckling’s brain broke.”

“Not like she needed it anyway.”

The men chuckled, amused .

Fuck their amusement . Nix wanted to…hurt them.

Maybe the rage was a side effect of guzzling the reversal potion. Maybe the rage had always been there—watching and waiting for the time to take over her and color her vision red.

When Nix pointed out that women slept with them for survival, he had said, “ As they should .”

Nix may not have been taught any fight moves in combat class, but she had glanced over at her classmates while they had. She had watched with envy and tried to memorize any routines or moves she saw.

She breathed deeply as she shifted into a striking stance. Grounding herself with her weight, she raised her fists in front of her.

“Fuckling, you can’t actually be this stupid,” Graeves said. “I’m a fucking alpha . If you hit me, all you’ll do is make me laugh and break your delicate hand in the process.”

Maybe it was worth it.

“She can’t be serious,” another of the males said.

“Ugly Fuckling, your greatest weapon is your face.”

Nix exhaled slowly and retracted a fist, preparing to swing.

“Hey,” Professor Matten announced from where she held a clipboard and walked over to the group of students in the center of the practice field. “Something going on here I should know about?”

Nix dropped her fist. She chewed her inner cheek and contemplated getting kicked out of the class just for a second of wiping the smug smirk from Graeves’s face.

As if the professor also did not view Nix’s fighting stance as a threat, Professor Matten continued, “Today, we will be running drills. I want everyone to match with someone for the first few moves. Try to find someone of similar height for this first round.”

Nix grimaced at the fact that no one in the class was a similar height to her. There were also an odd number of students, leaving her without a partner.

Professor Matten nodded to her. “Oadess, you’ll be with Ryker again today.”

Nix stood up for herself. “I would like to join the rest of the class and learn some drills.”

Professor Matten’s gaze flicked from Nix’s head to her toes. She replied simply, “No.” And focused back on the class.

Ryker slowly walked over to where Nix stood; his pained expression made it obvious to everyone what a trek he found it. So, he hates me now. Awesome . Nix wondered if he had seen her attempt to fight Graeves, who would Ryker have cheered for?

This sexy dragon shifter had saved Nix’s life earlier when she impulsively stole hyssop to make her own reversal potion. He was the man who had pressed her into his hot, provocative chest and grunted to her in a protective rumble, “ You’re…okay .”

Now that Persius could not care less about her, did Nix still have to feel guilty over finding Bael, Ryker, and Professor Thierry attractive?

“One mile to start,” Ryker told her. His jaw ticked when he glanced down at her running shorts. Did he notice how they seemed shorter on her legs today?

“Running or jogging?” Nix asked, ready to run off some of her suppressed anger.

“Whatever you can handle.”

Nix scowled at that, taking it as an insult.

Ryker arched an eyebrow at her glare. Okay, maybe he did not mean it as an insult. Maybe he truly meant he would accept whatever she was able to give.

How come a vicious and violent dragon shifter was nicer than whatever the heck Graeves was?

More lies from the cygni clan? Growing up, the Oadess family told Nix that all dragons were heartless murderers.

For the first time, Nix managed to run the entire mile. Her side ached and throbbed, but she finished the run with a huge, prideful grin splitting her face.

Ryker’s lips just barely curled at the edges when he nodded at her job well done.

“Can I learn some of the fighting moves now?” Nix asked him, eying the rest of the class running through different drills on the grass.

“You wish to fight?”

“I wish to prepare for what’s coming,” Nix replied cryptically.

Blurring from supernatural speed, Ryker moved to stand an inch from her. His tall, brawny body cast her in shade as it blocked the sun. He tipped his chin down to make eye contact with her.

“Someone has…threatened you?” he spoke in his slow, jagged manner, like each word leaving his lips required effort. Why was that?

Nix shrugged. Technically, Astrid and the other mean girl had threatened her with an “or else,” but that did not scare Nix. The uncertain future did. “I need to become stronger and learn to fight. It’s the only reason I signed up for this class.”

Ryker’s gaze scanned her face, as if trying to read something written in her pores. “We start with muscle. Endurance.”

“I don’t have time to build muscle and endurance. Can’t I do that while I learn fancy tricks?” she asked impatiently.

“Without muscle, you will fail,” he grunted. “Without endurance, you will die.”

“The likelihood of me having more muscle or endurance than my attacker is extremely unlikely,” Nix admitted.

No matter how many days she went to the gym for weight training, any male alpha would naturally have more strength than she could ever build. That pisses me off too .

There was so much anger inside her today.

“Either you teach me how to fight a bigger, stronger person, or I march up to Graeves and practice on him.”

“Graeves?” Ryker repeated.

“He has an extremely kickable face.”

“Kickable?”

“He’s tall, but I can be flexible when it’s necessary,” Nix replied.

Ryker’s lips twitched again. Fighting off a smile? He tilted his head and gave her a once-over. A soft blush colored her cheeks when his gaze caught on her legs again.

“Are you worried I’ll kill Bael after you teach me some wicked combat moves?”

Ryker snorted.

“Or are you worried I’ll teach the other women in this school how to protect themselves until none of them need to cater to you alphas anymore for protection?”

Ryker’s half-smile was obliterated from his face.

That was the second time Nix implied she felt unsafe.

KILL , Ryker’s dragon purred in his mind. He wanted to know whom she felt threatened by. He wanted to know why she felt the need to become a strong fighter.

He wanted to rip apart anyone who made her feel unsafe—limb by bloody limb.

Other things he wanted to rip included Nix’s tiny combat uniform shorts. They were longer on her yesterday. Had she grown taller in so little time?

Her thighs also appeared more shapely today. Thicker. Deliciously round.

Ryker shook his head.

She mistook his head shake as a “no” to teaching her combat moves.

She pointed an accusatory finger at his chest and asked, “Is this because of what I said yesterday? I apologized for that. I’ve been…on edge lately. I know you are not some mindless, bloodthirsty monster. You saved me today. I’m, uh, I’m grateful to you.”

Grateful? Ryker’s heart pounded behind his ribcage.

“I misjudged you; you surprised me. I’m having to unlearn a lot of things in this life at the moment.” Nix huffed in frustration and kicked a pebble on the ground. “I’m sorry for how I’ve acted. Could we start over? Start fresh? Please?”

Ryker nodded.

“I’m Nix,” she said and reached out a hand for him to shake.

Hesitating, he shyly clasped her small hand in his meaty one, reminding himself to be as gentle as possible. He could break her wrist as easily as break a pencil. “Ryker.”

The moment her fingers touched his hand, his inner fire flared inside him, blazing hot.

He inhaled sharply, breathing in her tart strawberries and roasted marshmallow scent. Electricity burned his inner palm where he touched her skin, leaving a powerful sting and lingering warmth.

He quickly let go of her soft, fragile hand and stared at her again.

That sensation… It was like an adrenaline shot of power.

And it had come from her.

Ryker analyzed the new, light raspberry red color of her hair. Cygni were water shifters, known for water manipulation and siren-like enchantments.

The electric spark that jumped from Nix’s skin at the contact of Ryker’s hand on hers was not a water shifter capability.

If she was not a swan shifter, then what was she?