Her Dragon Professor

by Jasmine Wylder

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  Her Dragon Professor

  A Paranormal Romance

  By Jasmine Wylder

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Bonus Content (Limited Time Only)

  Paranormal Romance Collection

  Paranormal Shifter Romance: Alpha’s Desire

  About Jasmine Wylder

  Chapter One

  Mia

  Murder.

  The word was on the tip of everybody's tongues. Since the start of the fall semester, there had been a student who was reported to have died from an overdose every other day. Just that morning, the police announced that they weren't, as previously reported, tragic accidents. Somebody was deliberately killing students on the college campus, and the police didn't have any idea who they might be. Nor did they care–or at least that was what Mia's best friend, Celia, was saying.

  "It's because we're not one of those rich places on the other side of the city," the brunette whined, her face pulled into a scowl. "Because we're a community college, we're given rookies and wash-ups to handle these murders."

  "How do you know that?" Mia asked her.

  Celia, as per usual, wasn't interested in arguing her case. "It's because they don't care what happens to us down here. As far as they're concerned, we're all junkies. I saw the police walking around just yesterday, they weren't even asking people questions."

  Mia pulled her worn cardigan tighter around her figure. It was one she'd had since she was sixteen. It had stretched at the seams as her body had grown bigger, but was the comforting friend she needed at this time. It was barely a month into the semester, and there had been five deaths. Murders. They were all concentrated on campus, so it was clear that someone here had something to do with it. Never in the residences, though. They had been found in odd places. A janitor's closet. On the roof of the lecture hall. In the reflection pool. Places that Mia, until recently, had frequented during her breaks.

  Had it been a mistake to come to school?

  With a heavy sigh, Mia shook her head. She had been longing for this opportunity ever since she dropped out of high school, when her mother had been hurt in an accident. The murder victims were known partiers, so that the overdoses didn't really raise that many brows. She wasn't like that, she rarely got out, so she didn't have to worry. Did she?

  In any case, dropping out now would mean that she would lose all the money she'd paid for tuition. There was no way she was going to waste everything she had worked so hard to save and the scholarships that she had applied to fanatically for the past six months. She would focus on her studies and that was all there was to it.

  "Are you even listening to me?" Celia demanded. "I told you, that last boy that died, I think he cooked his own meth. The campus just might be better off without him."

  "You shouldn't say things like that. You don't even know that he used drugs."

  Celia snorted and rolled her eyes. "I saw him shooting up just last week before class. Right in the middle of the hall, sticking a needle in his stomach. If he didn't want to be spoken ill of, then maybe he shouldn’t have been such a lousy person."

  Mia pulled her cardigan tighter, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Are you sure he was 'shooting up' and not taking insulin or some other sort of medication? You didn't know him. He was still someone's child, and his parents must be devastated."

  "But—"

  "Celia. Come on, don't be so judgmental. He's dead, that's sad."

  Her friend narrowed her eyes a moment, then a look of regret passed over her face. She hunched in on herself, wrapping her arms around her middle. Mia repressed a sigh of relief as she recognized the signs. Celia might be self-absorbed and quick to judge others, but as soon as she was reminded on those failings, she could be very compassionate. At least this was going to stop the discussion about murder. Going back to school after ten years was stressful enough without this added drama.

  "You're right," Celia declared. "I know his girlfriend. They were a really cute couple. I'll send her flowers."

  "Make out the card from both of us, will you? I'll pay you my half tomorrow."

  "Gotcha."

  Celia strode off, her high ponytail swinging with her steps. Several of the guys that she passed turned to check her out, but that was only to be expected. Celia was a curvy gal, but her curves were in the places guys liked. Mia, on the other hand, had curves everywhere. Thighs, hips, waist, breast, stomach, everything was rounded. Some places good, others… not so much. That wasn't to say that her weight wasn't proportionally distributed, she was just a little big overall.

  Mia shook her head as she continued on by herself. Celia often encouraged her to just go to the gym, but she didn’t understand just how poor Mia's family was. Even with her savings and scholarships, Mia had to work full-time as well as going to school, leaving her with only a few precious hours to do her studying and homework, which she usually ended up having to do on the bus anyway. She literally didn't have the time or money to spend on the gym.

  But all the work would be worth it in the end. There were plenty of people worse off than she was, especially since Aaron, her brother, was old enough to get a part-time job himself now. His contributions would ease the burden off of her just a little.

  Her phone rang just outside of the science sector, and Mia dug it out of her pocket. "Hi, Mom."

  "Mia, we just got a call from Mr. Bleuet at the bank. You need to call him about something with your tuition." Her mother's voice was tired, as it always was. "How are you, dear? I didn't see you this morning."

  "I got called into work for a few hours before school," she replied. "I made oatmeal, it's in the crock pot on the stove. There should be enough for you and Aaron."

  There was a moment's silence, then her mother sighed. "There was enough for Aaron, at least. I'll just have some leftovers."

  Mia shook her head, frustration bubbling in her gut. Her brother didn't always understand just how hard it was for their mother to move around the kitchen, and Mia was tired of hearing that she was just eating cold leftovers all the time. "No, Aaron can make you breakfast if he ate all the oatmeal. I specifically told him to leave some for you."

  "Honey, he's gone to school. I'll talk to him when he gets home."

  "Okay. We need to get a new microwave." She glanced at her phone t
o check the time. "I have to get to class, Mom. I love you. See you tonight."

  She ran to the large lecture theater where her class was taking place. Even as she found her normal spot and sat down, her stomach churned with warring emotions. Frustration with her brother, worry about her mother, and guilt at how quickly both were being forgotten as Professor Tennet came into the room, carrying books piled high over his head.

  Geology was the only class she was taking just for her. Her office administration certificate demanded that she take one science elective, and she eagerly signed up for this one. Rocks and the processes of the earth fascinated her. It was the icing on the cake that she ended up with a professor that could keep her attention if he was describing the growth of grass.

  Lee Tennet looked like he should be a student, rather than a professor. He was considerably younger than expected, just older than her. He was also extremely handsome. Despite wearing oversized, hooded sweaters, it was impossible not to see that he was hiding muscles. He was tall and broad, with a crooked grin that haunted Mia's dreams. In other words, a totally delicious hunk.

  "nuqneH!" he called as he set the books on the front table. He adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses and beamed at them. "For those of you who don't know Klingon, good morning."

  Mia was the only one to giggle. She couldn't help it. Star Trek was her lifeline late at night when she was too wired to sleep. It was entertaining enough that it drew her mind away from her problems, but not so exciting that it left her wanting to watch more. Just one episode and she was out of it for the night. Not that Star Trek was the only reference Lee made. Every class opened with some tidbit from a comic.

  The young professor surveyed the faces before him and his expression fell slightly. Mia glanced as well, finding dull, distracted expressions on the few people who were there. After a moment, Lee shook his head and moved out from behind the lecture podium.

  "Given the recent events on campus, I can see that nobody is in the mood for studying. So, we're going to go for a walk instead."

  A walk. Ugh. Mia's stomach cramped in anxiety. She had strong legs and could go at her own pace for hours, but when walking with a group she was always left behind and ended up pushing herself too hard and hurting herself trying to keep up. Well, if all they were going to do was walk then maybe she'd just go to the library and study instead.

  "Our campus is built on a series of amethyst caves," Lee continued, his eyes lighting up again. "We can see some of them right here in the science sector. You can leave your things here, I'll lock the doors before we leave."

  Mia hesitated. A few of the others were gathering their things together, clearly intent on skipping. It's what she ought to do as well…

  But she wouldn't have studied during this time, anyway. Getting some exercise and listening to Professor Tennet would only help ease the stress in her life. She left her things where they were, hurrying up the stairs as Lee walked past her with large strides. She wanted to be at the front of the group, so she could learn everything about the amethyst caves beneath the campus.

  Chapter Two

  Lee

  "It's very unusual to see this much amethyst all grouped together, let alone in a tunnel system," Lee said, pointing into the shallow cave that was off-limits to the campus population. After talking about the geology of the campus bedrock for an hour, only one student was left. He grinned at her, loving the ways her eyes lit up as she viewed what he was telling her about.

  Mia… something, her last name escaped him at the moment, leaned towards the cave, her whole face bright with a smile. "So, you were serious when you said the campus is built on a massive maze of tunnels all made from amethyst?"

  "Yes. Amazing, isn't it?"

  "Yeah. And beautiful."

  Lee nodded his agreement. "It's why I wanted to come teach at this college. I've never heard of anything like this anywhere else. It's all blocked off, though."

  "Why?"

  "Over the summer a bunch of students decided to go spelunking in them, and they were never seen again. Searched for a month, never found their bodies or any indication they were there. There was this caved-in section, but the school decided to seal up the entrances and nobody has been in since." He shrugged. "Except for special teams that have permission. I wanted to bring the class in them, but the Dean said no."

  He wanted to add that he knew a secret entrance through an elevator shaft, but bit his tongue. If he did that, she would ask how he knew that. It would be a bit of trouble explaining that he'd climbed down one day with wings and a tail. Humans didn't believe in dragons anymore, and the dragons liked it that way.

  "This is so fascinating," Mia sighed, a dreamy smile on her face.

  Lee grinned, feeling the familiar satisfaction as his hoard increased. All dragons hoarded things, but he was a bit unusual. He loved knowledge. Couldn't get enough of it. The next best thing was giving that knowledge to others. He was lucky in that his hoard could be shared, and by doing so it only increased his own knowledge. Seeing Mia absorb what he was teaching her made everything tingle inside of him.

  It was made all the more powerful by what a drop-dead gorgeous woman she was. From the first time Lee's eyes found her in his group of students, he wanted to tell her about all the famous affairs in history until they came together with an affair of their own that rivaled Antony and Cleopatra. Curves in all the right places, breasts that couldn’t be hidden by the oversized shirts she wore, thick thighs made for crushing a man's hips between them. Everything about her was perfection, and he wished he could feast on her all night.

  But of course, it was completely inappropriate to have such fantasies about a student.

  He nearly groaned aloud and turned back to the amethyst cave. "I should get back to my office before next class."

  Mia gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth. "What times is it? Drat, I'm late for class!"

  She shot out a thanks, then bolted. Lee stood in surprise, stunned by her quick departure. For a moment, he thought about going after her but shook his head. They were close to the same age, since his love of knowledge had him graduating university with a Master's degree by age twenty-three, but it was still against the rules for him to ask her out. Maybe next semester when she wasn't his student anymore he could get special permission.

  His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

  "Hey, Lee Boy," his best friend, Alex, greeted. "How's it going in the land of humans?"

  Alex, like the rest of the clan, disapproved of his decision to leave clan territory and live among humans. Lee couldn't help but shake his head, though he was still pleased about the call. He talked to his parents once a week, but other than that he didn't have much contact with the clan anymore.

  "New semester is starting, so it's a bit hectic," Lee said. "More so than normal, actually."

  "I bet," Alex grunted. "There's reports of increased magical activity across the globe. You're right in the center of a hot spot."

  Lee frowned. He had been scenting more magic than normal, especially after every reported death that had happened. The reports that they were accidental overdoses never sat right with him. Now that it was known they were murders, he had to wonder if magic was involved somehow.

  "What sort of hot spot? Is it dark or light?"

  "I don't know. I shouldn’t even be telling you this much. Boy, you've got to leave. I know you get off on humans, but it's a dangerous place out there for dragons. Come back to the clan and just use the internet. We've got city-wide free Wi-Fi now."

  Lee repressed a sigh. "I can't leave. I'm in the middle of a new study."

  "Not more rocks," Alex groaned. "Don't tell me it's a girl, either. Ugh. I think I threw up a little in my mouth."

  "Human women can be very attractive." He thought of Mia. "But it's not a woman. It's a study… not that you care."

  Alex made a humming noise, and Lee could just imagine the narrowed eyes and pursed lips that would accompany it. "I really don't understand you. You could
have gotten such a good spot on the clan council advising the king. With your brains and expanse of knowledge, you could be the most respected person in the clan. But you threw it all away on humans."

  "You know that my hoard is knowledge."

  "You could be learning things and teaching them right here. Admit it," Alex's voice lowered, "you are out there for humans. What is so great about them that you would turn your back on your own kind?"

  "I don't expect you to understand."

  "Well, I don't."

  Lee was silent for a moment. He leaned against the plexiglass that separated him from the amethyst bedrock. How could he explain this in a way that his friend would understand? He had tried to satisfy himself with the internet, with teaching the other dragons. It just wasn't the same, though. They were all too focused on their own hoards and lives to care about the rotational axis of the sun, or how fast a hummingbird's wings beat, or how many issues of Batman there were.

  "Out here, I can go to the people who did an interesting study and talk to them directly about it," he said slowly. "I can hold a book in my hands and read it, then share it with my students and see their eyes light up when they understand what I am saying. Yeah, I could research on the internet, but it's like buying candy. You don't know what it tastes like from a picture."

  "Candy will rot your teeth."

  "You're not even trying to understand."

  Alex grunted. "Your parents are worried about you."

  Not worried enough to come see him, like he had asked them to. It wasn't as if they would be discovered as dragons riding on the subway. Unless they shifted forms, they were completely indistinguishable from humans. But his parents, like most of the other dragons, never left clan territory. They were too afraid of doing something different.

  Lee sighed. "Tell them I'll come for a visit soon. There's a long weekend coming up, I'll come down then."

  "Okay. Look after yourself, boy."