by K L Rymer
And Jack went back to spend his Christmas in Greece.
Now it’s just me. Oh, and Gelert...
The old boy had been waiting for me, and I thank god he no longer needs to be fed. The idea of leaving him alone all Christmas haunts me. But like a good boy, he wags his tail and barks when I stumble into the room.
I drop my bag, holding my arms out. “Gelert! Did you miss me?”
He climbs down from the bed and plods over with his long legs, and now he licks my face. At least he no longer has dog breath.
I ruffle his fur then stand once again, heading to the hearth to light a fire. Seriously, I can see my breath.
Gelert lies down on the rug and watches as I make a start on the hearth, and soon I have a full-blown fire roaring in the pit.
I try to sleep in the armchair, but sleep eludes me.
It’s December the 29th. So two days until New Year. The second semester is only a week away.
We have most of January off for our exams, but I will be studying for two schools. I had gotten most of my work out of the way before Christmas so I could enjoy myself, but there is still a lot to do.
Next semester will be when the real magic begins. And then in May, we will have our second set of exams, where we will be tested on our ability to channel our magic.
The school’s gymnasium will be empty. I could always go down and train for a while.
I jump up, startling poor Gelert, then grab my gym bag. (I’ll change when I’m down there.)
“Back in a while, Gelert.”
I hurry down the spiral staircase and find my way to the gymnasium. My footsteps echo through the large, spacious room when I enter, and I breathe a sigh.
Normally, I stay far away from the gym. Mostly because Mendacious aren’t welcome, so I’m only ever met with hostility.
Plus, the guys at the school are total pervs. They despise me but also want to have sex with me—how tortuous for them. They will just have to perv on Angelina and all the other simple bitches at this school instead.
That’s another reason why I don’t come down here often. The girls treat it like a competition. Who has got the flattest stomach? The tightest ass? Or the best “makeup-free” selfie face.
I don’t consider myself a hottie, but I do have a nice booty. I used to run a lot when I lived in Texas (and do lunges, too).
But to see all those silent punching bags and empty treadmills, I can rejoice and really be in my element.
It’s good to get the blood pumping to help with the magic (something Myrddin taught me), so I head straight to a punching bag. I change into my gym clothes, put on my gloves, then release a roundhouse kick.
It feels so good...
The bag goes flying, yet I don’t stop. I kick and kick some more. Then I punch, punch, punch, knowing whose face that I’m picturing.
I see his sly grin, the smug glint of his gray eyes when he thinks he’s better than me.
We still don’t talk very much, even though we’ve started our private lessons with Myrddin. And when we do, it’s only ever hostile. We’re still threatening to kick each other’s asses. Beat the other in a duel.
One day, I will put an end to that self-satisfied mug of his.
Before long I’ve vented all of my frustration on the poor punching bag, so I stop, wiping the sweat from my brow.
My chest heaves as my breaths echo through the room, and I take a long swig of water.
I catch sight of myself in the mirror then.
Hot damn.
All this working out has paid off. It’s only been several weeks, but I have the beginnings of a six-pack right now, just below my sports bra.
Not bad for a human...
Something moves in the corner of the room, and I scream, lashing my water bottle at the creature. I sound so shrill and pathetic. Who knew I could actually scream like a woman?
“Ow!”
My bottle hit something, and I grab the first weapon that I can find—a 2.5kg dumbbell. I’m sure it can still do some damage to the head.
I hold it up in my arms, shaking. “Don’t come any closer, I... I have a weapon!”
A grating breath comes from the shadows, and then the figure creeps forward.
The blood rushes to my head. It’s Matthew Humphrey. And he has no shirt on. So I lift the dumbbell even higher and avert my gaze.
I preferred it when he was the creature...
He chuckles and circles around me, and I stumble on a discarded boxing glove. “You stay away.”
Matthew stops, and his eyes are glued to the 2.5kg dumbbell in my hands. “Or what? You will give me a nasty bump?”
“Oh, I can do much more than that. I don’t need this.” I toss the dumbbell aside, and it bounces when it hits the foam floor.
He cocks his brows. “I can see. I didn’t know you could punch like that, human. I’m ... impressed.”
My heart thumps inside my ribcage. “You’ve... been spying on me?”
The mage shrugs, “Maybe. Let me guess... it was my face you were picturing when you were kicking the shit out of that bag?”
My cheeks flare up and he sniggers once more.
Now I break into a cold sweat. “Were... were you watching me... undress?”
The laugh dies in his throat, and now he turns the color of beetroot. The sweat gathers on his upper lip. “I... erm...”
The blood runs hot through my veins, and now all I can see is red. I grind my teeth, balling my fists. “You... you’re a dead man!”
I grab the closest object—a 7.5kg dumbbell—and swing it toward Matthew Humphrey IV. “You fucking pervert!”
His arm shoots up like lightning, and now he closes his hand around my wrist. I stare up into his demented gray eyes, trying to yank my arm out of his vice-like grip, but it won’t budge.
All the fire and gusto leaves my body at once, and I quiver under his intense gaze. “L-let go...”
His face is impassive but those eyes... They glow with that strange white heat again, and I whimper, pulling away as hard as I can.
It looks as if I don’t get to have the superhuman strength, but Matthew... he’s as strong as a demi-god.
There is absolutely nothing stopping him from crushing my wrist. My bones feel like paper compared to his fingers, and I sniffle, grazing his solid chest as I try to push him away, yet he still doesn’t budge. He’s like a brick wall.
Maybe I should kick him in the balls instead? I glance down quickly, widening my eyes in horror.
He’s... fully erect.
The sick fuck. He’s enjoying this... Yet I can’t deny the throbbing sensation inside my own special area, and I shut my eyes, taking deep breaths.
“Drop the dumbbell,” he whispers, and I can smell his minty breath.
Slowly, I uncurl my tense fingers, and the dumbbell drops onto the ground between us, bouncing before it rolls to a stop.
Now I have no weapon. Not that I could use it anyway with his hand closed around my wrist.
Carefully, I peer up from beneath my eyelashes, emitting a soft whimpering sound.
Ugh, I’m such a victim, a typical woman, but I know when I’m outmatched. He’s much taller than I am. I reach his shoulder, quivering like a little princess beneath his impressive form.
Those muscles... I knew he was hiding something beneath that red blazer. And here I was impressed with my two-pack.
Matthew’s hardened face softens the more he gazes into my eyes, and finally, he loosens his tight grip on my hand.
Next, he traces his finger down the length of my red dragon too, and I shiver beneath the light touch. It has only just started healing, but it’s still tender. “Impressive... This new, human?”
I keep my hazel eyes on his stark gray then release a sigh, wafting the blonde hair away that sticks to my face. “What’s it to you?”
Matthew’s mouth stretches into a crooked smile, and my panties drip. Fuck. That dimple above his lip is just too sexy. (The Ancient Greeks had it right.) It cha
nges shape the more he smirks, and I gawk like an idiot.
His whole mouth... no, his whole body... I just want to feel it against my lips.
He shows me his other arm, and I tear my gaze away from his handsome face at last. A dragon tattoo. Just like mine. Except his dragon is white.
“You’re not the only one with a dragon tattoo you know, Bryn.”
The white glow has returned to his eyes and I gulp, trying not to give myself away. I’m not sure how much he knows about the prophecy. As far as I’m aware, Myrddin hasn’t discussed it with him yet.
Hence why he has taken him under his wing. The headmaster hopes to turn Matthew good.
The chuckle returns and he finally lets me go. I touch my wrist, detecting the imprint of his strong fingers. I glare at him. “You’re a creep, Humphrey. Stay away from me.”
Matthew stops laughing and thank god. It’s one of the sexiest sounds that I’ve heard in a while. “Or what? You will wake the Red Dragon and defeat me?”
My eyes enlarge, but I keep my cool (though he can most likely see my heart pounding beneath my skintight sports bra).
He... he knows...
“Seriously... you should see the look on your face. Do you think I’m an idiot, Bryn? I’ve known about the prophecy for a long time. Even before you were born.”
I pull a face in disgust. What a way to remind me that he is much, much older—old enough to be my great, great, great grandfather. “You’re sick!”
I storm off to collect my bag. Forget training. It looks like I will just have to stay in my room with Gelert until January. Spending New Year with Matthew is the last thing I want to do.
What is he doing here anyway? Doesn’t he have a family to spend this oh so jolly season with?
Finally, I sling my bag over my shoulder and stomp out of the gymnasium.
On my way through the door, he shouts. “May the best dragon win...”
Chapter 19.
New Year came and went, and one by one the rest of Mendacious returned.
The first was Jack. But, of course, he didn’t talk much and just gazed out of the window. Then came Zahara and thank god. I was starting to die of loneliness.
In the end, I had decided to spend my New Year with Shankfoot at his cottage. It beat being alone in the dorm anytime, and I had gotten so drunk. He had six other friends over too, and for a moment I felt like Snow White in a real-life fairy tale.
Then Felicity arrived who squeezed me until I could no longer breathe, followed by Nora and Thomas.
And finally, Damien.
He took the longest to return and when he materialized in his dark corner, Felicity beamed. The demon didn’t return her greeting though as he took himself up to his room, and the expression on the pixie’s face was enough to break my own heart.
I warned Damien... I bet he had a lot to think about during Christmas in hell, but ignoring her was not the best way to go about things.
I had to hand it to Felicity. She held it together (though I knew she was crying on the inside).
She is not the only one getting ignored lately. Matthew has been a douche as always.
Now that all of his friends have returned, he has gone back to pretending that I’m irrelevant, amping up his fake romance with Angelina.
I always knew there was something off about those two, but it turns out that they’re only dating for appearances. The hottest guy and the prettiest girl at the academy an item? What else is new?
Am I jealous? Far from it. But there was a moment where I thought Matthew had stopped regarding me as a lesser being (calling me Bryn instead of human). Well, until he’d threatened me that is.
“May the best dragon win...”
What does that even mean?
Also, I can’t stop thinking about the way he looked at me. There is no denying he thinks that I’m hot. He watched me undress and kick the shit out of a punching bag, getting a hard-on in the process, but still. I’m more than a piece of meat he can masturbate to.
Yet every time I see him in the hallway or at the dining hall with his gang of jerks, I die a little inside.
Why does he have to be so beautiful? Now that I know what he looks like beneath the red blazer, it makes things a hell of a lot worse.
Then there are our training sessions. We haven’t had one since our awkward encounter in the gym over Christmas/New Year, but fuck am I dreading them now.
All I will be envisioning is his six-pack.
I bet he’s going to lord it over me at Myrddin’s next session. He knows he got to me at the gym. I was bleeding obvious.
The first day of class has begun, but I’m up earlier than everyone else, rushing to the headmaster’s office to start my training. It’s too early and cold. I can feel the chill in my soul, and I just want to snuggle up under my bedsheets.
No. I have to do this. I need to beat Matthew and defeat him. May the best dragon win indeed, Humphrey...
He is aware of the prophecy after all, and he’s determined to beat me. And he’s just playing it up to Myrddin, trying to get on his good side. But I will not let that smug bastard betray our beloved headmaster.
Myrddin’s been nothing but good to us, sharing his infinite bounds of wisdom.
I arrive at the headmaster’s office and push my way inside. Myrddin has given us both a key so that we can come and go as we please, but I think he was foolish to trust Matthew.
Who knew what Matthew could do with that key—a key belonging to the most powerful wizard in the entire world.
I get shivers just thinking about it.
The moment I step into the room with my hot coffee, I just want to run back out again. Matthew is already here, beating me as usual. We have made it a competition on who can get to the headmaster’s office first, and he always wins.
Being a simple human, I need those extra five minutes in bed. He, on the other hand, probably gets up at four am to do press-ups.
How I’d like to watch him doing press-ups. Now that I’d get out of bed for.
I wobble my head to stir the thoughts away and sit on the chair beside him. Once again, we ignore each other.
He could have at least put the fire on. It’s freezing.
I turn to that smug asshole on my right. Matthew is way too cool and relaxed for my liking. Far from the tense, rigid mage on the night of Halloween when Myrddin called us into his office.
He stares at something outside the window, and I follow his gaze. I suck in a breath.
Holy snow...
The land is completely covered. You can barely see the sun and the asteroid in the overcast white sky now.
Absolutely breath-taking.
Everything is blanketed in a thick powder from the trees, the mountains, and even the river which has frozen solid.
So white... As white as the dragon Matthew will one day ride.
I had been so distracted by the view; I hadn’t noticed him watching me.
“What?” I say.
He offers a small smile. “Your eyes look huge when they see snow for the first time.”
I scoff. “This isn’t my first time seeing snow.”
That sexy mouth stretches. “Really? Do tell...”
I don’t want to admit that the most snow that I’ve seen lately is from Disney’s Frozen, but he doesn’t have to know that.
Just as I’m about to give him a smart retort, he replies, “Movies and TV shows don’t count.”
Dammit.
I release a sigh and my breath plumes like a cloud. “Fine... I’ve never seen snow. Well, not on this scale. Texas does get the occasional snowfall, but nothing like this.”
I don’t have to tell him about the time I was nine, and I had gotten so excited when we did receive snow. It was enough to build one snowman in the least (he had a baby carrot for a nose).
Out there, I could build myself a whole army of snowmen.
Myrddin arrives with a pop, and I jump up in my seat. Matthew snorts.
Look, it’s still goi
ng to take some getting used to. Men just don’t appear out of thin air in my world.
Myrddin promised that he would teach me to teleport this semester. It is shit how far behind I am. I haven’t grown up in this world after all. These kids have had lifetimes to hone their skills and magic.
It just adds more pressure to my anxiety. How am I supposed to beat the handsome mage beside me if he’s so much more experienced than I am?
“Good morning, Miss Williams, Mr Humphrey!”
I cringe. God, he’s far too chipper of a morning; I bet he just jumps straight out of bed the moment his alarm goes off, raring to go. Me... I need ten cups of coffee and a hard look at myself in the mirror first.
“Good morning, Professor Emrys,” Matthew says, grinning.
Wow, super ass kisser.
“Yeah... what Humphrey said,” I reply, massaging my brain.
Myrddin delivers a pleasant chuckle and comes around beside us. “Come on now, chop chop. We’ve got a lot to cover.”
I groan and rise to my feet. Matthew was up on Myrddin’s first chop.
The headmaster sandwiches himself between us now as he places an arm around each of our shoulders. We don’t actually train in the headmaster’s office. For one, it’s too small. Also, there are all his precious knickknacks to take into consideration, like his bogus Excalibur, or the model train set.
We go to a very special place—a pocket world between the supernatural and the human realm.
It’s a different kind of tug to the one the teleportation pin provides. This one seems to suck your soul straight from its roots, leaving your body behind like a shell.
Maybe we are having an out of body experience.
Soon we arrive in the pocket world, and I collapse to the floor, heaving.
Matthew and Myrddin stand above me, allowing me a moment to compose myself. After some time, the headmaster takes out a pocket watch and a pointed expression forms over his bearded face.
I roll my eyes and rise. Before I have a chance to collapse again, Matthew shoots out a hand to stop my fall, and I give him a poisonous look. He arches a brow, and another smirk spreads across his chiseled face.
Just who does he think he is? I’m not some damsel.