Free Web NovelChapter 19: A Greedy Dragon
"Sometimes the truth wasn’t hidden. It was simply standing next to a lie that made more sense."
— Rebel Beast
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Wait a minute.
Did she do that?
For one impossible second, Aria genuinely thought she had commanded the furious-looking beast to a halt. Had she somehow graduated from being harassed by birds and squirrels to giving land mammals instructions now?
But that thought only lasted until the bull snorted, a cloud of hot breath exploding from its nostrils.
Oh shit.
Aria saw the exact moment the animal made up its mind to end her.
She saw it in its eyes.
The creature moved and Aria’s eyes widened. Call it survival instinct, but she reared back only to stumble into someone. She quickly turned around and Aria had never been so relieved to see another person in her entire life.
It was him. Maverick Nightshade.
Their eyes connected. His impossibly striking slitted eyes held her bright blue ones hostage. Then the world went quiet and it might as well have been only the two of them standing there at that moment.
Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.
Her heart pounded violently inside her chest.
She had to be dreaming. Except she wasn’t. Maverick Nightshade was someone she had only ever seen on television screens and posters, not standing right in front of her with barely any space between them.
Aria could suddenly understand the appeal, why girls lost their minds over him. Because up close, she wasn’t entirely sure she could survive him either. She was about to melt into an emotionally compromised puddle.
How could someone look so perfect? And that hair? She was almost tempted to reach out and run her fingers through it. Purple hair was rare enough, but naturally purple hair? That was practically unheard of. Would it feel any different from everyone else’s?
Not that she had much experience touching men’s hair. When you were the local freak, boys generally avoided you like the plague.
Aria had told herself she hadn’t come to this place to fall in love, yet here she was dangling precariously at the edge.
But those stupid thoughts vanished the instant Aria remembered one thing: Maverick Nightshade was supposed to be a professor in this academy. In one word, her soon-to-be teacher. freёwebnovel.com
Fuck!
The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water and she stumbled backward, only for Maverick to catch her.
"Watch out!" Maverick grabbed her by the waist and Aria immediately stiffened. Wasn’t the guy supposed to hate physical contact or something? Sure, he wore gloves, but he was being weirdly touchy with her.
Maverick seemed to have come to the same conclusion because he released her just as quickly. Truth be told though, he didn’t feel uncomfortable around the girl. Which was something he would investigate once this madness was over.
Aria carefully looked around this time and the next sight stole the breath from her lungs.
The bull was frozen solid. Frost coated every inch of its body while ice crawled across its hide like crystal veins.
Except its final position remained poised as if it still intended to strike her with its horn. Hence the ice encasing the horn had formed a long jagged icicle that Aria would have walked straight into had Maverick not grabbed her.
She nearly killed herself. Aria gulped.
Slowly, she turned to Maverick.
"You saved my life. Thank you," Aria breathed.
He barely reacted. His jaw was locked so tightly she thought his teeth might crack. For a moment, Aria wondered if she had somehow offended him.
But Maverick’s icy gaze remained fixed on the bull. Then he slowly clenched his fist and the frozen animal exploded. Ice and flesh shattered apart in a violent spray.
"Ahh!" Aria screamed and threw her hands over her face. She expected chunks of frozen bull to rain down on her. They never did.
Instead, when Aria lowered her arms, she discovered a wall of ice standing between her and the debris, shielding her. By the time she blinked, it was gone.
She stared at Maverick Nightshade with wide eyes, feeling relieved and annoyed at the same time. He didn’t have to explode the bull. That was just mean.
"You’re welcome," Maverick replied arrogantly before walking away.
"Show-off!" Aria muttered as she watched him leave.
Nice ass though.
Her traitorous mind supplied and Aria groaned internally. What the hell was wrong with her?
Thankfully, the herd attack was over.
Unfortunately, the aftermath was just beginning.
Meanwhile, on the balcony.....
Rhydian wore a deep frown as he tried to process what he had just witnessed.
"Did you just see that?" Rhydian asked breathlessly.
"See what?" Tamara asked, nowhere near as stunned as he was.
Rhydian looked at her. "Is it just me or did Aria just command that bull?"
"Aria?" Tamara frowned. He was already calling the girl by her first name before they had even met. That alone was alarming.
"Did you see her stop the bull or not?" Rhydian demanded, impatience creeping into his voice.
"It wasn’t her," Tamara said.
"What?"
"It was obviously Maverick’s doing. He was standing right there. How would you expect a mere human to stop a charging bull with a single word? How is that even possible?"
Rhydian’s face became a storm of conflicting emotions as he considered her words.
"You’re right," he murmured. "How could a human possibly do that?"
The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.
He looked back toward the courtyard.
"Besides, it happened in a split second. I must have seen it wrong." That had to be the answer. Because nothing else made sense.
Rhydian didn’t notice Tamara watching him until he turned and their eyes connected.
"What?" he asked, sensing she had something to say.
"Rhydian," Tamara turned to him, reaching out to straighten the tie that had become crooked during the commotion. "I understand the appeal of a new toy. We dragons are greedy after all."
Tamara wasn’t kidding. Dragons were notorious hoarders of wealth, treasures, and anything they deemed valuable. Which was why the dragon shifters at Bestiaris maintained secret lairs overflowing with riches collected over decades.
She continued, "But it’s better we stick to our kind this time."
The meaning was clear to Rhydian. She had noticed his interest in Aria.
But Rhydian caught the hand fixing his tie and stopped it. For a moment, they stared at each other, Tamara waiting anxiously for his response.
"Don’t overstep your boundaries," he told her, then walked away from the balcony.
Rhydian tugged at his tie, loosened it, and tossed it aside. For someone known for impeccable neatness and impossible standards, the act was strangely careless.
Rhydian was annoyed, and he didn’t even know why.
His dragon was simply restless. Perhaps it was because Aria didn’t die. Or whatever he thought he had seen. Or— The interest he had caught in Maverick’s eyes.
That thought irritated him the most.
Aria Aspen was interesting.
And dragons had never been particularly good at sharing things they found interesting.
Rhydian didn’t stop walking, if anything his pace quickened.
Students instinctively stepped aside as the dragon prince moved through the academy halls. Some lowered their heads while others hurried out of his path entirely. None of them were foolish enough to block him when he wore that expression.
Something was irritating him, and everyone could sense it.
His long strides carried him toward the upper levels of the academy. The higher he climbed, the stronger the restless feeling beneath his skin became.
His dragon wanted out. Now.
By the time he stepped onto the rooftop landing platform, his patience had completely evaporated.
The platform stretched across a vast section of the academy roof, built specifically for dragon shifters. Reinforced stone covered the ground, designed to withstand their weight.
Rhydian stepped into the center and stopped. His jaw clenched and fists tightened.
"Fuck."
The transformation hit him instantly. His bones cracked and shifted beneath his skin. Muscles expanded while crimson scales spread across his body. His frame grew larger and larger until the Rhydian’s human form disappeared entirely.
In his place stood a massive crimson dragon.
The beast’s scales gleamed beneath the afternoon sun like polished rubies. Golden horns curved backward from its head while enormous wings folded tightly against its sides. Every inch of the creature radiated power.
The dragon lifted its head and released a roar that echoed across Bestiaris Academy.
Windows rattled while birds fled from nearby trees. Every beast within hearing distance understood the message immediately. The dragon prince was in a terrible mood.
Rhydian spread his wings, the movement alone generating a powerful gust that sent loose leaves and papers spiraling across the rooftop. Then he jumped.
A single powerful flap launched him into the air. Within seconds he climbed above the towers, above the walls, and above Bestiaris itself.
Below, he could see the human students and the aftermath of the herd attack. Dragons had always remained an awe-inspiring sight and not even the disaster was able to stop people from pointing and gawking at him.
Annoyingly, his gaze drifted toward the humans below, searching for a girl he had no business thinking about.
