Dragonrider Academy: Episode 5

by A. J. Flowers

  Lily’s solution to our wyvern problem made me feel uneasy, mostly because I didn’t like Solstice being in such a vulnerable form.

  She flitted around my head before landing on my shoulder, her golden finch glamour a purely visual magic that hid what Solstice really was to the naked eye, yet she felt just as heavy as she always did as she nuzzled up to my neck. Lily couldn’t make her entirely invisible, not when Solstice was a fledgling queen in her own right.

  Topaz, however, seemed to be having too much fun being invisible as Killian cursed, the lobe of his ear shortly after turning bright red. Irritation made Killian’s tattoos flush with blue magic in response, although Lily had assured me that she could convince mortals it was only a trick of the light.

  “I think he wants more coffee,” I offered with a chuckle.

  Killian only glared at me. “No more coffee. Ever. Again.” The wyverns were indeed unruly after the addicting drink, chirping at us nonstop for more. I had to agree, maybe coffee was not the best thing to give a mythological lizard.

  Lily clapped her hands as she marched down the street. “Enough dilly-dallying! We’re going to be late for homeroom if you two keep flirting.”

  “I’m not flirting,” Killian ground out.

  James slapped him on the back, making Killian buckle. A tear formed on my mate’s sleeve, an invisible Topaz likely stubbornly maintaining his perch. “You’ll get used to the human uniforms,” he promised, his gaze falling onto Lily with interest. Her skirt ran high as her gauzy blouse lifted to expose her midriff when she walked, perfect for fitting in with the cheerleader crowd.

  Killian likewise had a hungry gaze that ran over me. “I remember the last uniform,” he said, grinning as he confidently snaked a hand around my waist. “You showed up on the Academy’s beach naked, practically begging to be my mate.”

  I huffed out a breath. “I wasn’t naked. I was wearing a bathing suit.” I shot up a finger. “And there was definitely no begging.”

  Killian shrugged. “If you say so.” His hand slipped to the small of my back, making my brain turn into scrambled eggs. It was hard to stay mad at him when he knew exactly how to break down my defenses.

  Plus, Lily’s idea of making Killian fit in practically had me drooling. Lily had conjured them all new outfits. Killian in particular sported a Radiohead t-shirt—courtesy of one of my favorite bands—the sleeves short to show off his tattoos. She’d tucked his white hair behind his ears and after some fussing, decided he had to go punk. No amount of glamour would hide his Nephilim eyes, or his rider bond tattoo, and suppressing its typical glow when he got emotional was all she was able to do.

  His jeans ran tight around his hips and he pulled me in close, grinning as if he knew the effect he was having on me.

  A car sped by, making Killian flinch, but I gave him some credit for acclimating faster than expected to the modern technology. His ear turned red again and Killian flicked at the air with a hiss. “You are taking advantage of this invisibility to mess with me, you mischievous little lizard.”

  I chuckled as Solstice chirped at Topaz, which I imagined was her version of a chide to keep the wyvern in line. I reached up and rubbed her head in response.

  The school came into view as the tree line broke on the horizon. “Are you absolutely sure this is going to work?” I asked. We’d be in full view of the student body in the next ten minutes, and there would be no going back. We only had one shot to get at Max, and if word got out what was going on, I had no doubt his father would keep him out of harm’s way. He could afford private school if necessary, and from my knowledge the only reason Max went to Oakland High was because he liked the sports team.

  Killian stiffened when we stepped onto the asphalt parking lot and the students paused, their conversations dying as they turned to us.

  “I knew this wasn’t going to work,” I hissed as all eyes landed on us.

  “Uh, pretty sure it’s not us they’re staring at,” James said, glancing behind us in much the same way as the rest of the student body.

  I turned to find a striking female flanked by two males on either side—all of them just as ethereally beautiful as she was.

  She didn’t even attempt to hide her dragonesque features, jewel-toned scales glittering in patches over her skin as she walked. Her slitted pupils dilated, slicing through emerald eyes that snapped on me in an instant. She grinned, her smile framed by petite fangs as she came to a stop just out of reach. She ran one finger through her hair, snagging her horns as if to taunt me.

  “Well, hello there,” she said, an Irish accent capping off her otherworldly aura. She leaned to get a look around me, her smile widening. “Lily, is that you?”

  “Evie?” Lily asked, aghast as she shoved around me. Solstice squeaked in protest, clinging painfully to my shoulder as I regained my balance. “What the heck are you doing here?”

  By her friendly tone, I shouldn’t have been surprised when Lily threw her arms around the dragon shifter, making my eyebrows shoot up my forehead.

  The four guys behind her watched the friendly exchange, before taking us all in. They seemed particularly wary of James, the Knight of the Silver Order who knowingly rubbed his wrist—the place where his magical sword would come out if provoked.

  I glanced behind us, finding all of the students whispering and I knew the gossip was flying.

  Whelp. So much for blending in.

  Based on the fact that nobody ran screaming for their lives, it was apparent that Evie maintained some sort of glamour that hid her dragon traits.

  She seemed to enjoy the fact it didn’t work on me or any of my friends as she grinned at me across from the cafeteria table. Solstice flapped at the outside window, eager to get back to me, but I couldn’t rightly explain why I had a pet finch on my shoulder, so I’d agreed when Lily suggested that he wait outside.

  By the sound of his very loud chirping, he wasn’t too pleased about the predicament.

  “You’re here early enough for breakfast,” Evie praised as she took a muffin from her tray, but she didn’t bite into it. Instead she turned it around in her palm, seeming to admire it. “I do miss a good human breakfast.”

  “Oakland High breakfast, you mean,” the redheaded male named Yosef corrected her as he glanced around the open space. While everyone was interested in the newcomers, no one was brave enough to come within earshot.

  His twin, Jakob, waggled his eyebrows as he snatched up the muffin and took a bite. “You worry too much, Yosef. Evie’s glamour works on auditory senses now, too. Nobody is going to hear us. Even if they did, though, we have amnesty. Evelyn could light up this place and we’d walk out without even one knight on our tail.”

  James rubbed his wrist and gave Jakob the full force of his disapproving glare.

  Jakob swallowed his bite. “Okay, well, maybe one knight.”

  “No fires,” a muscular male declared as he crossed his arms. I wasn’t sure if that one was Liam or Marcus, the two brothers weren’t twins but they both looked like they could benchpress five times my weight. “We’re here to finish our assignment, then go back to Avalon.”

  I slammed down my orange juice. “You work for Avalon?” I shot back. The only reason I hadn’t taken care of these guys was because Lily seemed to trust the dragon, but maybe I shouldn’t trust any dragons. “Tell me one reason why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

  As if hearing my train of thought, Lily gave me a frown, her eyes filled with hurt. “Because Evie is my friend, Viv, and her Hovakim are her family. They can be trusted, too.” She reached out and placed a hand over mine, her touch pleasantly warm. “She’s a double agent. We can learn things about the Wild Dragons and gain an edge.”

  “Or the Wild Dragons can learn things about us,” I shot back, glancing at Evie. “Such as my relationship with Max Green.” I tilted my head. “If you’re really here to help, then tell us, why does your Queen want him?”

  Evie kept a level stare on me, unflinching in an eerily
reptilian way. “I promise you I’ll tell you what I know, but if you continue to utilize your goddess magic you’re going to blow our cover.”

  I glanced down, noting the sharp glow on my left shoulder bleeding through my shirt. I clamped a hand over it and frowned.

  The tension at the table was palpable. James glared at Evie, folding his tattooed arms over his chest. Killian didn’t look any happier as he studied the group across from us.

  Killian gave Lily a raised brow. “Are you going to explain how you two became friends?” He gestured across the table, “I know you’re a dragon, but the Academy accepted you because you had a Knight for a mate. This chick has four human Hovakim. Not exactly approved behavior according to the Dean.”

  “Why aren’t they approved?” I asked, honestly curious.

  Killian didn’t take his glare off of Evelyn. “They’re slaves who sold their souls to the dragons for longevity, health, and madness.”

  One of the dark-haired muscular males paused from his food to retort, “I’m quite sane, thank you.”

  The red-headed twins nodded their agreement and the other muscular one just glowered at all of us like he wanted to be anywhere else.

  Evelyn seemed at ease between her four mates, quite content despite the growing tension. She reached for an apple, jerking back when an invisible Topaz devoured it.

  She raised a brow and turned to Lily. “Your powers have evolved.”

  Lily smirked at Evie’s horns. “As have yours.”

  Killian scooped up Topaz, the wyvern’s location given away by leftover stem. He crooned at the wyvern and scratched his favorite spots. “Good boy.”

  Lily sighed. “Killian, Evie and her mates have been helping out with intel on Earth with the rogue dragon influence. As have Yosef and Jacob,” she pointed to the identical redheads, then gestured to the muscular males. ”Marcus and Liam likewise offer their protection. They’re on the inside with Avalon’s queen providing invaluable intel.” She straightened her back and stared defiantly at my mate. “How did you think I knew to come here? The only reason we received a ransom note was because Evie convinced the queen it was the best course of action. Otherwise she would have just killed Vivi’s mother and gone after Max herself.” She glanced at me as I swallowed. “Ever since the incident at Nimrock High, I knew it was just a matter of time before the dragons came for me. They wanted me, and I left, and the moment I returned to Earth they sensed it, but I’m not going to let Vivi face this alone for a second.”

  James glared at her. “You didn’t tell me you were keeping up with a dragon. Or the danger you’d be in if we came back.”

  Lily sighed again, turning to face her mate with the same defiance. “I’m a Dragon Queen, James. Deal with it. Not all dragons are bad, or you wouldn’t have let me live. And Evie made sure she was the one put on assignment for this job to ensure my safety, as well as Vivi’s, right Evie?”

  Evelyn nodded, looking between the four of us. “More or less. I had to ditch my partner, but for now I’m the only dragon you have to worry about.” She shrugged. “For a few days, anyway.”

  James narrowed his eyes. “Partner?”

  Evelyn released on long breath. “That’s right. I might have the Queen’s ear, but I’m not in charge. The Queen had me pair up with Zelda.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “She’s crazy. It’s little wonder she hasn’t found any mates. The only reason I was able to come alone was because I got her into trouble. She wasn’t supposed to try and kill Vivi. The Queen wants her alive, so she was pretty ticked off about all the massacre and fire and whatnot. She thinks only Vivi is strong enough to kidnap Max, which very well may be true, if my suspicions are correct.”

  “And do you care to enlighten us about your suspicions?” I asked.

  Evie rested her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “We’ll get to that, but first, you have to know what’s at stake here and that I’m not your enemy. Avalon’s Queen has more ambitions than just taking over Avalon. The Wild Dragons are planning an invasion of all the realms and attacking Dragonrider Academy was only the first phase. They are after all Dragon Queens.”

  Lily flinched. “That’s why Zelda went after me.”

  Evie nodded in grave confirmation. “Correct. I only found out recently her plan to overcome the balance by hoarding power.”

  James grunted. “Dragons do love their hoarding.”

  Ignoring him, Evie continued. “Avalon’s queen wants all realms to bow to her, and she believes that if she gathers all the Dragon Queens and makes them bow, she can do that by absorbing their collective power.” She glanced between Solstice at the window, the golden finch a creature she clearly hadn’t missed, then her gaze fell on Lily. “Two queens in one place is going to make her salivate, but there’s only one thing she wants more right now that’s keeping you safe.” She turned her gaze to Max who was across the cafeteria joking with his buddies. I followed her gaze and stiffened as flashes of that night rushed through my head.

  Killian turned in his seat, his gaze turning dark. “That’s him, right?”

  Before I could reply, he shot up from his seat, clearly having menacing intentions towards the group of humans. James followed him and put a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down. “Stay.”

  Killian growled. “I’m not one of your dragons you can boss around, Knight.”

  James didn’t flinch. “Now’s not the time, Killian. We’ll deal with Max and his buddies later, I promise you. They will get what they deserve in due time.”

  Killian and James glared at one another, seeming to have an unspoken conversation before Killian finally backed down, settling in his seat as his fists clenched.

  “We could just take him now,” Killian complained.

  “You couldn’t,” Evie retorted.

  “Why?” I asked. “What could Max do to possibly fend off a pissed off Nephilim Dragonrider?”

  Yosef met my eyes. “Max isn’t what he seems.”

  “And what is he?” I demanded.

  Jakob rubbed his chin. “We suspect it’s an inactive dragon gene that triggered the Queen’s search for powerful dragons, which would make him unpredictable and dangerous.” He glanced at James. “I’m surprised the Knights of the Silver Order aren’t involved in this.”

  James crossed his arms. “They probably are, if what you say is true.”

  Evie grinned, showing off teeth. “Ah, so there’s a little family drama now that you’ve mated the enemy? Keeping you out of the loop, are they?”

  James glowered in response. “They try, but they don’t hide their activity very well. If Max has the gene, then the Order is going to be all over this. My brother has the Silver Order keeping a pretty strict lockdown on Earth’s realm. Any dragon who harms a human or is suspected to be dangerous is hunted down and taken out.”

  Lily bopped his nose with her finger. “Or so they might try.”

  He smiled down at her, wrapping his arm around her waist. “Some dragons do prove to be rather resilient, I agree.”

  I raised an eyebrow. I’d heard about their history, but I hadn’t realized the dire terms of how James and Lily had met. “So… Lily was your target?” The unspoken question lingered underneath my words. If James had been sent after her… that meant that he should have tried to kill her.

  Lily ran a finger over his wrist, a faint blue glow smoldering like fire underneath her touch. “I was, and he succeeded at first.”

  James ran his thumb over her lower lip. “Good thing death doesn’t take with you.”

  Killian and I shared a look while Lily chuckled as if amused, leaning in to kiss him. James took full advantage of the moment, deepening the innocent display of affection into something more.

  And I thought my relationship was messed up.

  While Evie seemed enthralled by the display of affection between dragon and Knight, my gaze fell to Max again, as if drawn by his mystery and darkness. Thanks to Lily’s magic, he hadn’t yet noticed me. He joked with
his buddies just like I always remembered, drawing the attention of the room by his noise and popularity. Everyone loved him.

  But nobody really knew him, not like I did.

  And my guess was, even he didn’t know how special he was. Figuring out what exactly the Avalon Queen wanted with him might prove to be a challenge, but if it meant getting my mother back, I’d find a way to delve into his black soul and unravel all of his secrets.

  The morning bell rang, breaking me from my thoughts. We all stood and made our way to our first class.

  Solstice chirped at the window, reminding me that unlike the last time I’d been a student here, this time I wasn’t alone.

  “Huh?” Sally asked when I tried to get her attention for the third time. Everyone I had talked to today seemed to struggle to pay attention to me, which at first I thought had been because of Lily’s glamour, but now I was starting to suspect something more was at play.

  “Max Green?” she repeated, seeming to be able to focus better when the conversation wasn’t about me. Nobody seemed to know anything about my disappearance, or even be able to talk about me, or to me for that matter. Sally wouldn’t even look at me, being one of the cheerleaders, that wasn’t odd, but it seemed to prove useful in getting someone to communicate with me. “I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.” She leaned into her locker to pluck out an English book. A Vogue magazine stuck out from the pages. She peeked into the mirror and adjusted her ponytail, not making eye contact with me. “He’s got another party coming up, but it’s invite only.” The tone in her voice suggested she knew I wouldn’t be invited, someone so inconsequential that she couldn’t even look at me—even if she didn’t realize that was because some sort of compulsion magic was at play.

  Not that I exactly wanted an invitation. The last time I’d gotten one I’d nearly been violated and murdered. Not exactly what I’d call a great time.

  “Thanks,” I muttered, backing away when Sally waved excitedly at one of the jocks. They all looked the same to me, except for Max and his buddies that I’d made a point to avoid while I did recon.