Merlin's Supernatural Academy: Complete series (Books 1-4) : A Young Adult Supernatural Academy Series

by K L Rymer

  She’s right. Brynmawr likes daffodils for crying out loud. He’s too soft and gentle. Well, to a degree... He still needs to hunt, and he likes to joke at times about how delicious the children look in town. But he would never dream of hurting any child.

  He’s on the Welsh flag for a reason. He’s a good dragon.

  “Well, it’s an idea,” Myrddin interjects now. “At least that way we know we’re safe. But we would have to keep Gwyneira and Matthew separate for the foreseeable future. All right, Bryn. We will do as you suggest. We will remove Matthew’s powers and release him.”

  “But... what about Gwyneira?” I peep.

  The wizard looks me square in the eye. “She will have to remain in the dungeon. It’s the only way. They’re far more dangerous together.”

  I almost feel bad for that dragon bitch. And not to forget Brynmawr too. I know he still loves her.

  Gwyneira will have to remain caged. It’s the only way forward now.

  I suck in a deep breath. “If that’s what we have to do. So be it.”

  Chapter 28.

  Brynmawr refuses to eat.

  Even when the townspeople dumped a cow right in front of him, he turned his nose up.

  Worst of all, he’s losing weight.

  I feel so bad for my dragon. There is nothing I can do to cheer him up. I even tried singing Frozen songs to him to see if that made him better, but he just told me to shut up. Not even Felicity could help, and she’s a natural.

  He’s depressed about Gwyneira. Some heartless bitch who doesn’t even deserve him, and it’s painful to watch.

  What else am I meant to do?

  At least Mattie is walking free, but it’s like all the life has been sucked out of him. Myrddin took his powers, and he has never looked so weak.

  He’s nothing without his powers after all. As demonstrated last year after he tried to kill me at the Halloween party.

  I’ve tried talking to him, but he would rather sit alone. Not that he ever gets a chance with Angelina watching him like a hawk twenty-four seven.

  Even though we let him out of prison, he still isn’t free.

  And it just breaks my heart to see the two men I love most down in the dumps. Mathew and Brynmawr should throw themselves a pity party, but they don’t see eye to eye.

  All we have to do is find somewhere quiet to sit and talk. That’s all. I bet then the four of us could finally understand each other.

  Matthew proclaims that he has changed his heart and decided to fight on our side and oppose his father. Although I want to believe him, it’s still hard.

  His father can always manipulate him again with his comatose mother. That’s how much power that cruel man has over his son, and it just boils my blood.

  I really do hope that bastard Matthew Senior gets what’s coming to him one day. You should love and nurture your children. Not threaten them.

  After the third day of Matthew’s release, I decided to go down to the dungeons alone and speak with the White Dragon, girl to girl. Woman to woman.

  Hopefully, she doesn’t tell me to piss off and call me a whore again.

  I’m still not over that.

  I extend my shield so the she-dragon doesn’t ‘accidentally’ blow my head off as I creep toward the bars of her cell, pausing a moment to take her in.

  She really is a sight to behold. Her scales are like broken shards of white glass as they reflect the orange of the flames, and now it almost looks as if she’s on fire.

  Gwyneira curls up like a cat, and I would almost go as far as to say she looks cute. Her eyes are closed but I know she’s awake. She’s only pretending to sleep. For one, there’s no smoke coming from her nostrils. I know from Brynmawr; when a dragon sleeps, they snore smoke. Simple.

  “I know you’re awake,” I say loud and clear.

  The dragon doesn’t move and I scoff. “What happened to that feisty dragon bitch who almost chopped my head off the other day?”

  Her face twitches, and I know I’m getting through to her.

  I wait a few moments longer and then finally, I snap. “Oh, for crying out loud, Gwyneira! Just talk!”

  She growls and opens her eyes, and now she freezes me once again with those icy blues. In the dark of the dungeon, they almost appear to be floating as she charges at the bars, snapping her teeth.

  Unfortunately, her chains only allow her to go so far, and she jerks back, falling onto her side. I laugh.

  She doesn’t take those frosty orbs off me as she bares her fangs. “What do you want?”

  I smirk. “I only want to talk.”

  She hisses. “I have nothing to say to you. Go away.”

  I hold my shield out. “No. I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying right here, and guess what? You’re going to answer a few questions for me.”

  Her eyes sharpen. “Fuck you...”

  I whistle. “Wow... you really are a potty mouth, aren’t you?”

  Gwyneira rises back to her feet, moving around to face me. “Fuck you and that red cunt.”

  I growl, whacking the bars with my shield. “Don’t you talk about my dragon like that!”

  She sniggers, and lord it’s the sexiest sound I have heard for a while. Her voice is like an old movie star, and immediately I think of Marilyn Monroe. Yet it’s still cold and sends shivers down my spine.

  No wonder Brynmawr is so smitten with her. I’m a little smitten, but she’s not the only pretty bitch I know. So if I can control myself around Angelina, then I’m sure as hell going to be able to control myself around her scaly, white ass.

  We both fall silent, and now the dragon cocks her head to one side. “I have no idea what he even sees in you. You’re not even that pretty... Angelina Ambrose I could understand, but you?”

  I grit my teeth. “I could say the same for you. Though I won’t deny that you’re a beautiful dragon, Gwyneira, but you’re a cold, heartless bitch. You never deserved someone as warm and gentle as my Brynmawr.”

  We glare into each other’s eyes, assessing the other. Finally, she dips her head and puffs out a thick tendril of smoke. “Fair enough. I agree with you there. I never deserved him...”

  I raise a brow. That was the last thing I expected to hear her say.

  She opens her orbs again, and they don’t look so cold anymore. In fact, it’s like looking at melted ice.

  “He... he mutters your name in his sleep...”

  My hardened face cracks, and now my chest pangs as her words set in.

  The dragon doesn’t take her gaze off me. “He does love you, Bryn human. But please understand... his father is a very powerful man. He knows exactly how to get to him. Matthew... he really is a good kid. He’s the first Humphrey in centuries to show me any kindness. He’s a true rarity in this world.”

  My eyes overflow with tears, and I fight them back. I always knew Mattie had a good heart deep down. Although he always put up a cruel front, acting like a typical school bully, which he was, I guess, but still. I finally feel as if I understand him.

  He doesn’t want to be a bad guy, but his father is controlling him like a puppet.

  We just need to cut Mattie’s strings. He will become Pinocchio one day, I don’t care what happens!

  I meet the dragon’s blue eyes again. They have completely thawed and now she is no longer a bitch. In fact, I think she could be someone I could see eye to eye with.

  She wouldn’t be the first enemy I had turned into a friend. I once hated Matthew and Angelina with all my heart, but now I consider one a very close friend and the other... I’m frigging in love with him.

  Tears drip down the she-dragon’s face, and I don’t look away from those melted pools of ice.

  “Please...” she cries. “Please save him... You’re the only one who can get through to him.”

  I put my red shield away at last and it fizzles out, and now I step up to the bars, gripping them with my hands. “I... I promise, Gwyneira. So long as you promise me something too...”

  Sh
e blinks. “And that is?”

  I release a shuddery breath. “Please tell Brynmawr you’re still in love with him.”

  Those blue eyes expand, but I go on. “There’s no point in denying it. It’s written all over you. You dragons are awfully expressive, it hurts to watch. He’s still crazy about you. He hasn’t eaten since you’ve been locked down here.”

  She visibly flinches then hangs her head. “That sounds like something he’d do... the idiot...”

  I wipe my cheeks. “Yeah, he is... So, when I tell Myrddin to let you free, that’s the first thing I want you to do. I want you to tell Brynmawr how you truly feel. You can’t pretend to be a cold, callous bitch all the time. I should know. I did it for nineteen years. Snark is my middle name.”

  A genuine smile creeps across her mouth, but since she’s a dragon, it looks like a snarl. “Matthew always said you were spunky...”

  I laugh. “Well, he’s not wrong.”

  Silence drifts between us again as we consider each other’s words. Finally, Gwyneira raises her head, and it disappears amongst the shadows of the ceiling. Only her glowing blue eyes remain.

  “All right. I will tell Brynmawr how I feel... so long as you keep up your promise.”

  I smirk. “Deal.”

  I think I just made a new friend.

  I have two dragons for friends now (one a boy and the other a girl).

  My inner six-year-old is dancing for joy.

  Chapter 29.

  We all gather at the Round Table as Mattie is finally ready to talk. He sits on Myrddin’s other side, avoiding everyone’s eyes in the room.

  It hurts that he won’t look at me, but I won’t give up. As I promised Gwyneira.

  Gwyneira is with Brynmawr right now. My grandparents were quite happy to take on the duty of feeding two dragons, but I’m just glad my dragon decided to eat again. Skinny doesn’t suit him.

  I just hope that she-dragon is telling Brynmawr that she’s still in love with him. She made a deal after all.

  “Well, go on. We’re listening,” Myrddin inquires.

  The handsome mage sighs. “I... I thought that I should finally tell you all what my father intends to do.”

  A tense silence passes through the council room. Angelina doesn’t take her probing eyes off Matthew. She sits on his left side, and between her and Myrddin, Mattie is trapped.

  Myrddin raises a brow. “And?”

  Those conflicted, gray eyes drift toward me for a moment, but then they quickly move away, and now he stares at his lap. “My father... he intends to build an army of dragons...”

  His words linger throughout the room. No one says a thing for some time as I try to register his words.

  The silence is broken next by the sound of Zahara’s cackle. “Army of dragons? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, Humphrey, but dragons are extinct. There’s only two left in the world...”

  Well, no, she’s wrong. There are the eastern dragons but in the west... yeah, they’re totally endangered.

  Matthew glares at her. “There are other dragons... well, dragon eggs...”

  It’s like all sound has been sucked out of the room. No one even dares to breathe now.

  Myrddin blinks in astonishment. “Of course... it... it makes sense. Dragon embryos can remain in a state of suspended animation for thousands of years. All they need is heat, and they will hatch. I can envision it now... As the dragons were dying out, they laid these eggs and buried them deep where no one could find them.”

  “Exactly, Professor. My father thinks there could be hundreds if not thousands of these eggs. All we have to do is find them first before he does. That was what he wanted me to do.”

  I watch him with tears burning in my eyes, but I refrain from crying. Just maybe I can save Mattie after all. He has confessed this vital information to us. Dragon eggs? This is a total game-changer. So I see no other reason why we shouldn’t trust him.

  Yet when I look around the table, all I see is mistrust, and I can’t believe my fellow Mendacious.

  They are still hell-bent on hating this guy. Truth be told, I don’t have the energy to hate him anymore. I just want my Mattie back.

  I address my old lover now, and he flinches when he hears my voice. I pretend not to notice. “Do you know where we can find them?”

  Mattie pauses a moment, then shakes his head.

  Angelina hisses. “Then what good is he to us? Let’s just hurry up and kill him.”

  “Yeah,” Zahara agrees.

  Matthew chuckles next, and my heart skips when I see a hint of his old self. His chiseled lips curve into a smirk as he looks at Zahara and Angelina.

  “When did the cheerleader and the goth become best friends?”

  The academy doesn’t have cheerleaders and thank god. But I can see where Mattie is going with the comparison.

  The vampire and the Unseelie offer him murderous daggers, and Mattie sniggers again.

  Myrddin rises to his feet and addresses the table. “Well, this is certainly new information to me. Dragon eggs? Even I never would have guessed.”

  Matthew glances up at the headmaster with hope in his gray eyes. “So, does that mean I can be trusted again?”

  Zahara scoffs and Angelina shakes her head. Everyone else is silent though I don’t miss the red in Damien’s eyes.

  Myrddin places a hand on Mattie’s shoulder. “It’s a start. But please understand, Mr Humphrey... it’s going to take a lot more than divulging secret information to completely gain our trust again.”

  Mattie hangs his head, and I just wish I could reach out across the table and take him in my arms, but I remained seated.

  We’re in the middle of a council meeting. So it’s best to stay professional and not let my emotions get the better of me.

  But it’s hard. Every time I look into that handsome face, I die a little inside.

  I just want him back.

  He’s so broken, and I want to put him back together again.

  “I understand, Professor.”

  Myrddin gazes down at him sadly, and it’s obvious that he wishes there was more he could do for his ex-pupil. But now he calls the meeting to a close and we all get up, going our separate ways.

  Only Mattie stays in the room. Angelina hovers over him like a bat, and that bitch isn’t even trying to give him a chance.

  As I linger in the doorway, watching him for a time, his gray eyes find my hazel.

  He doesn’t look away this time. He just keeps those raging storm clouds on me.

  It really does hurt to look at him, and now I turn away, disappearing out the chamber at last.

  At least he can look me in the eyes for more than ten seconds now.

  ...

  After the awkward talk at the Round Table, I found Mattie alone at the edge of my grandparent’s yard.

  Well, I would have, if Angelina didn’t insist on following him around like a beautiful shadow.

  I stop beside them. Mattie perches on a fallen log as Angelina breathes down his neck, making sure he’s not plotting anything.

  He’s reading the Wind in the Willows; I highly doubt Mattie has any diabolical, master plan hidden within its pages.

  “Angelina, do you mind leaving us for a moment?”

  The vampire bitch cuts me with her cold, blue eyes, peering down at Matthew unsure. He raises his brows questioningly.

  She meets my gaze again then storms off. “Fine. But if he tries anything, it’s on you.”

  She nudges past me, flicking her long, blonde hair in my face, and I roll my eyes. That’s when I catch Mattie’s smirk.

  I cross my arms. “What are you smiling about? It’s your blood she’s out for.”

  He closes the book. “So, I’m guessing you and Angelina are close now?”

  I pull a face. “I guess. What’s it to you?”

  We are his ex-girlfriends, but still... why the creepy smile?

  He chuckles handsomely, and my lady parts spasm.

  How I’ve missed
that sound...

  “How close are we talking now...?”

  I narrow my eyes, knowing what he’s getting at. He’s such a pervert. All we need is Damien, and the two of them can join forces.

  At least he’s acting like his old self, and it’s such a relief. Just maybe I can save him and uphold my end of the promise to that white she-dragon.

  That reminds me...

  “Have you seen our dragons?”

  Mattie peers up at the sky. I follow his gaze.

  Nope. Dragon free.

  He shrugs. “Who knows. They’re most likely off somewhere having hot dragon sex.”

  I grimace. “Ew, come on, Mattie. That’s just disgusting.”

  Those gray eyes flash up to mine now, and my knees buckle when I detect that dark, lustful glimmer.

  He wants me...

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about it, human...”

  I squeeze my eyes, trying to stop that throbbing inside my panties. Must resist his charming, sexy voice...

  Trust me... the last thing I’m thinking about now is dragon sex...

  He places the book down and rises to his feet, and now he towers over me once again, pinning me in place with those mesmerizing eyes.

  His gaze falls to my lips as my heart accelerates, and I think back to our last kiss.

  Hopefully, we can finish where we left off...

  Mattie takes my cheek in his hand, and this is it. We’re finally going to kiss again.

  It’s been far too long.

  He gives a devilishly handsome smile, and that dimple stretches above his lips. “Want to peer through our dragons’ eyes and see?”

  All my hopes shatter, and now the world becomes a dark, cruel place once again.

  Is he serious?

  “Excuse me?” I ask.

  He laughs and lets go of my cheek, and the warmth of his hand lingers on my skin. “I don’t mean I want to peer in on their sex, Bryn. We still have to allow our dragons some privacy. But we can see what they’re up to. We are their riders after all. It’s only natural we should be concerned about their whereabouts.”

  I’ve not actually tried peering through Brynmawr’s eyes before. We are soul-bonded after all, yet still... it just doesn’t feel right.