Page 53 of Wings of Ashes
Exhausted, Nix rubbed her eyes to try to stay awake. Even though she had not slept, she felt…better.
The reversal potion may have been made by a mediocre amateur, but she felt more aware of her surroundings. Like a bit of fog had lifted from her.
I need to ask Professor Bowen how many times I can take a reversal potion without hurting myself.
If remnants of the cygnus shifter appearance still clung to her, Nix wondered how much of the poison could still be in her system.
Her brain kept thinking one word again and again.
Years.Years. She had been taking it for years.
What did that mean for her future?
She knew better than anyone that the poison could suck every bit of strength from a powerful paranormal’s bones. Forget about building muscle—after ingesting doses of that poison, she was surprised she was able to jog one full lap at combat practice.
Nix knew two things. She would never take that potion from Elle again, and she would try everything to reverse it as quickly as possible.
Ryker’s heavy footsteps sounded from the classroom entrance, and Nix pretended to find her pencil’s eraser fascinating.
The dragon’s words from yesterday still bounced around her tired thoughts. “You judge my kind on a stereotype but fight others for doing the same to you.”
He was right, of course. Nix had judged him unfairly. After her talk with Professor Thierry, Nix rethought what she had been raised to believe.
The cygni always described dragons as vicious and villainous meathead murderers, and she had just…believed it. Without ever knowing one.
But he was the same species as her parents’ killer. That made her hatred of his species different… Right?
Nix frowned at her pencil.
He had not acted like the rage-filled, violent monsters that Elle’s parents warned Nix about. Ryker spoke slowly, carefully. On her first day, he had searched the woods for her for hours, when Bael left her to get lost.
Ryker was reserved. Guarded. And…thoughtful. Which was the exact opposite of what Nix was raised to believe about dragon shifters.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like the pink,” Bael said, still babbling to her. “Just seems not very swan shifter of you to dye your hair. Aren’t you ladies obsessed with your light-colored locks?”
Summoning her toughest, most intimidating voice, Nix asked, “Do I look like I care what my hair looks like?”
“Well,” Bael said. “Considering you dyed it…yes. You do.”
Another sigh.
“Look at those sleepy eyes, lids drooping at half-mast. You have no idea how much I want to sleep fuck you. Consensually, of course. You’d love coming in your sleep.”
“What a kind offer.”
Bael grinned at her sarcasm. Ever since he learned she was not bespelling him, he sure was amused by her.
“I could sing you a lullaby to help you go to sleep,” Bael offered. “In fact, there are a few things I could do to help you sleepall night long.”
“So, now that you know I’m not enchanting you, you’re all flirty?”
“Look me in the eyes, and I’ll show you flirty.”
Yeah, right. He would show her some taboo sex vision if she dared to look him in the eyes.
“We will be working on something a little different today,” Professor Bowen announced from the front of the classroom.
Good. A distraction.
