Page 3 of Dragon Heir

Palm trees sway over me, and if I lean just so, I can see a stretch of sandcrete past the city’s buildings. It’s a famous wall. A century ago, supernaturals worked together to build the greatest leavy the world had ever seen, keeping the ocean at bay. Rumor has it even dragons came out to help. We drove by the sea wall that encircles the city, watching as water spilled over the top in a thin, sheer stream and cascaded down the hundred-foot fortification.

That was before the dragons were hunted and persecuted, before they took control of most of the world’s wealth in order to control the population from their remote, fortified castles in hidden locations throughout the world.

I go to stand, knowing that I have plenty inside left to do, when a glimmer of gold catches my eye, and I look up into the darkening sky. A large golden body flies across the expanse of blue, purple, and red, too big to be a bird and too small to be any kind of aircraft. I gasp in shock and disbelief. Dragons don’t just fly around in plain sight anymore. A dragon sighting makes the news every now and then, but they’re the one supernatural being that is cut off from the world. They were deemed dangerous to humans and other supernaturals because of their ridiculous amount of power.

I gape up in awe as the form passes not too far off from my little hut. I can’t deny that it’s a dragon even when I try. Its leathery golden wings pump up and down, and it’s moving way too fast to be anything else.

My breath held, tears again flow down my face at the majestic sight. I’ve worked for this my whole life, and now I’m finally here, accepted into the scholar school, working in one of the storied dragon libraries. I’ve always been driven toward this. Maybe it’s because both of my parents gave up this chance for me. Maybe it’s because dragons control all of the treasures of the world—not just gold, but knowledge. They own the history of humanity, all supernaturals, and the world. They only let ten humans a year come here to study, organize, and handle those artifacts.

“Not very aware of your surroundings, are you?”

The voice comes from right in front of me, and I jump and clutch my chest as I look down from the sky to see a man standing on the walkway up to my little house, right in front of me.

“Don’t come up on a person like that!” I cry. “Seriously not cool.”

“Apologies.” The guy raises his hands, but it doesn’t slow my stampeding heartbeat. He has hair even redder than mine, if that’s possible. He’s tall and thin, probably around my age, and is staring at me with piercing gray eyes. When he smiles at me, I could swear that his teeth are a little too sharp.

“You’re going to be living around supernaturals,” my father had warned. “Be alert, protect yourself, but don’t assume that everyone that could be a threat is one. It’s a delicate balance.”

The DLSA is far from living in our little village, where the only supernatural is my school’s fae history teacher and his family. Maybe this guy is just being friendly, but my skin prickles with gooseflesh even in this heat.

“Can I help you?”

A smile twists his lips. “Not yet.”

“Well, then,” I say as I walk backward up the stairs of my porch. I wave and grab my front door. “Farewell.”

It’s a clear dismissal, but he doesn’t move away. “You’re one of the incoming scholars. And your parents said your name was–what was it?–Ness?”

“No.”

“Ah, Ness would be short for… Vynessa?” He must see some sort of confirmation in my expression because he smiles wider. “See you around, Vynessa.”

“Yeah.” I back inside my house. “See you.”

I close the door, a cold chill racing over my flushed skin. One thing this little hut has going for it—door locks. I lock and fortify every window with the additional bar jammers the landlord provided. Only when the home is fully secure do I catch my breath. One glance out my window tells me the redhead is gone.

Damn it. He’s probably another student, and I just had a totally disproportionate panic reaction to him introducing himself.

I really am a small-minded village girl from. I curl up in a ball on the sofa, anxious for Pax to arrive so we can have a good-natured laugh about how I freaked out. He always puts my mind at ease.

Chapter Two

My eyes flutter open when I hear the front door slam. I waited up half the night for Pax’s arrival, but I must have fallen asleep sometime after midnight. The sound of baggage being maneuvered through the front door is followed by quick footsteps, and the next second, I’m squinting up at a tall figure.

For a second, confusion holds me frozen. There’s a strange man in my house—a tall, muscular, gorgeous guy who looks too old to be a student. I can’t decide whether to drool over his body of his face. Guy looks like he just stepped out of a traveling model show.

The fuck? I know I locked that door. I make to stand, but my feet get tangled in the blanket I threw over myself, and I’m suddenly sprawled facedown floorboards.

Just as quickly, I’m back on my feet, the guy having hauled me up with lightning-quick reflexes. I’m not even sure I hit the floor before I went from horizontal to vertical.

“Who the hell are you?” I demand, a little snappish from the wounded dignity.

“I’m your roommate,” the guy says, his voice low and growly. “Calm down before you hurt yourself, Vynessa.”

Calm down? The dude tells me to calm down when there’s a complete stranger standing in my house. Despite myself, though, a wave of calm runs through my limbs and chest. This guy isn’t attacking me, and he knows my name. Maybe it’s these two things that have my heartbeat slowing as I stare into this his breathtakingly, heartstoppingly gorgeous face.

“Roommate?” I squeak.