secretdragonstory

[secretdragonstory]

Secret Dragon - Chapter 2: Speak

I opened the book and skimmed through a few chapters, happy to finally see some true information, with substance. Although I had many books of my own, I had never brought any of them to class; I had no intention of being asked about them or pressing the issue.

By virtue of my existence, it and I would be scrutinized. I had neither the patience nor the desire for another microscope to be placed above me.

But Sasha had no such reservations even after I told him about the curriculum, although he relented and said he would figure out a way around that nonsense. It seemed as if he was determined to go against the grain.

We spoke deeply, about different subjects, our project, and his books. The more he talked the more at ease he became. I unknowingly got closer and closer to him as the time passed. I had to literally pull myself back a few times. I wondered if he noticed. It was confusing how I kept leaning into the heat coming off his breath.

We were both startled at the sound of chairs scraping. We looked around as our peers gathered their things.

“It seems that for the first time this class is actually worth my time. Usually I am the first to leave,” Sasha said, surprised.

“I know,” I revealed.

“Hmmm,” he vocalized deeply. I had no idea if it was “oh really” or “interesting” or any other answer. It was just a deep throat vibration. I just knew he would do that a lot. I could feel it.

As I was packing my things, I realized I was a little feverish. I put a hand to my cheek. Was it hot? Or was it that he was speaking heat in my direction? I couldn’t tell. I never ran hot.

He watched me touching my face and chuckled to himself, putting away his books. I really wanted to be annoyed—at anyone else I would have been—but his lighthearted laughter surprised me; so joyous after so many weeks of being a specter in the classroom.

I looked him in his eyes, though, and shook my head challengingly at him, as if to say “what?” That only made him laugh out loud. It was both quiet and bassy all at the same time. The kind of laugh that was bottomless, scratchy. The kind of laugh you could tell would boom and shake you if given the space.

I never thought I’d hear that coming from him, let alone directed at me. I refrained from expressing an iota of emotion beyond a small smile. I had to stay cool.

Pam walked over to our table swiftly, no doubt looking to be rid of Jonah. She smiled at Sasha, grinned really.

“So. We finally meet! Pam Swiftwater,” she chirped. Her hand shot out as fast as she walked. Sasha halted his movement. He extended his hand more slowly, gently, engulfing her delicate hands in his large ones.

“Of course. I am Sasha Emberscale,” Sasha said, pulling his hand back to pat his chest.

Pam gave me a knowing glance of drama. “Oh I know who you are,” she said.

“Likewise; you are in my open physical hour,” he reminded her. “You are on the track team.”

“That’s right! It’s nice to finally, officially, meet you.”

Sasha raised his brow at her.

“My friend has spoken of you,” he said offhand.

“What friend?” Pam asked, taken aback.

“Seth Fairbreeze, dragon of the wind.”

“Oh?” Pam said, her interest piqued. I didn’t know whether she knew who that was. But it intrigued both of us nonetheless.

“I will introduce you, of course, now that we are properly acquainted.”

“I can’t wait.” I knew she couldn’t.

Pam glanced back at her table and groaned. “Let’s get out of here. If I have to talk to Jonah any longer, I swear Imma strangle him.”

Sasha laughed heartily. “Very well. Let us depart this place to avoid attempted murder,” he joked.

“Why don’t you stick with us? We’re in the same course after this,” I suggested, gathering my items. I didn’t even hesitate asking him that. I’d done enough hesitating.

Sasha’s laugh tapered off into a quiet chuckle. “Of course. I would desire nothing more.”

I couldn’t hide my elation this time. Pam snickered at me. Thankfully he didn’t notice. I assumed.

Sasha draped his jacket across his arm, opting not to put it back on. Admittedly I enjoyed the view. He gestured for us to exit the class before him.

Every once in a while he would look down at me as we walked through the halls. I noticed his eyes following me.

I would sneak a glance at him when he wasn’t looking. It was apparent just how large he was now that I was walking right next to him. He was one of the only people in school taller than me. His shoulders were broad, arms thick. I know I was staring at the way they flexed as he moved. Couldn’t help but to.

Everything in me wanted to take that arm of his for my own. The thought of it being mine just felt so natural. I had to check myself a few times walking beside him.

It would be mine in time. That I promised myself.

—

We entered our Dragontongue class where I took a seat on his right at a table. Pam sat at mine.

Class with Sasha was much more interesting than ever before. He spoke freely and pleasantly, a stark contrast to the silent dragon he had been before I sat at his table in Dragonology. It was like something that had weighed on him had vanished.

I wasn’t unaware that he was happier since we had talked. I was pleased that it was me that had pulled him out of whatever darkness was holding him.

Again a pang of irritation ran through me. Why had I not introduced myself before? Just hearing the depth of his voice and the eloquence of his speech had me feeling some type of way. I could have been hearing that in my ears for weeks, those words of his carried on desert sands.

As class droned on, I saw that Sasha was appraising the professor with a raised brow as if too polite to allow complete disdain across his face.

He began to tell us about different Dragontongue dialects quietly, I suppose to keep himself occupied or distracted. I had to lean all the way in to hear his voice. It reverberated in my ears.

“If you were to say that word in the southern regions of Lyfax, it would mean to place bricks or stones atop each other as if building something. If you said that in the northeastern region, it means much the same, but doubles as a slang word meaning to fu— I am sorry, to have relations with someone.”

Pam squealed and covered her mouth. I covered mine too. I had wanted to hear the word ‘fuck’ come out of his polite mouth.

“Are you serious?” I asked instead.

“Yes, I am,” he said, brow raised. “Take care in who you say it to and in what context.”

Sasha tapped another paragraph “This term here. If you were to say it in the Northernmost tip of the country, it is basically calling someone a piece of filth in the wrong context, while just a few regions down it simply means to clean something without any further colloquial use. Their origins most likely started off with the same meaning and deviated as the people left and settled elsewhere. Knowing different dialects of Dragontongue in Lyfax is important. Linguistics interests me, as you can probably surmise.”

“Do you speak a lot of languages?” Pam asked.

“I occasionally travel for my work and interact with different dignitaries. I must know many languages and dialects at least at a rudimentary level.”

“Oh wow…” I said, truly impressed. Now that I had listened to his voice, I couldn’t place his accent. Unless deep was one. It wasn’t as if I was familiar with Lyfaxians’ manner of speech or various accents anyway. “What do you speak?” I asked

“Hmmmm. Common Lyfaxian. Common Lizardtongue. Dragontongue, of course; several dialects: fire, moon and wind. Many people know these. Shelltongue. Salamandra…one other.”

“Goodness,” I said in awe. I stashed away that “one other.” I’d ask about it later. I couldn’t imagine why it would be a secret. Hypocritically.

“My speech is not perfect in Shelltongue or Salamandra yet. But I can hold a conversation. I would enjoy learning and speaking your dialect of Dragontongue, as you mentioned earlier,” he remarked to me. Of course, Pam regarded me in shock. She gave me a chiding look, rightfully so.

Sasha didn’t miss her reaction. “If it is trouble, do not worry about it,” he said, frowning.

“No, It’s okay,” I reassured him. “I don’t mind.”

He was still uncertain, looking at Pam’s concerned face. “If I am to converse with a new group of dragons, I would prefer to know their dialect,” he whispered. “But not if it is cause for alarm. For some reason.”

Pam sighed in relief upon hearing him refer to me as a dragon. “Oh okay.”

“It’s fine. Complicated. I’ll tell you later,” I said, waving it all away. Sasha nodded.

“So did you all decide on a topic for your assignment?” Pam asked.

“Of course. We spoke much of it. I look forward to working with Leila.” Sasha said. I liked the way he said my name, the way he swung the vowels upward to where they needed to go. As it should be. “It will be interesting,” he said.

Pam glanced over to me. “How so?”

I looked amused, I’m sure. “Let’s say our Dragonology topic is about to be spicy,” I hinted.

“Sasha you’re a horrible influence already,” she accused, raising her brows at him.

“Of course,” he confirmed, chuckling deeply. “One needs a little corruption in the right direction, every once in a while.”

“Corruption? Oh really?” I said, regarding him in what I intended to be mock surprise. But I was genuinely shocked that he said it. He hadn’t corrupted me yet. He could try, but only when I was through with him.

Sasha chuckled silently. Just a trembling of the shoulders. A soft billow of scalding heat wafting across my face. Mmm, maybe sooner then.

Pam’s eyes widened, but she was beyond amused. If she could manifest a snack to observe our rapidly forming dynamic, she would have in a heartbeat.

She sat back, twirling her pencil. I knew she was about to start something. The twitch in the corner of her mouth was working. She was about to instigate her heart out. I groaned quietly.

“You know, Leila speaks all the same languages you do. She’s fluent in Shelltongue even; one of her best friends is Turtlefolk. She works at a place where a lot of people from different places come through. She took it upon herself to learn their languages.”

I groaned more.

“Is that so?” Sasha inquired, angling his body toward me. He sounded impressed.

I just rubbed my brows. I did not advertise my language skills. He looked at me with interest. “That is admirable. Why do you not wish to speak of it?” he asked.

“I don’t like puffing myself up. Drawing attention. Not that you are doing that,” I clarified.

Sasha smiled. “I know what you meant,” he said, speaking Shelltongue. I grinned. “I have been somewhat successful at not drawing attention—past my appearance at least—for a few weeks now.”

“Except your grades of course,” I pointed out in Shelltongue as well. “Literally perfect grades except two, and that’s only because of inaccuracies.”

Sasha raised his brow. “Ah, right, you have been keeping tabs on my marks. Very well; I have been under the radar except for my marks.”

“See? Y’all can speak tongues to each other in every flavor,” Pam said casually.

My mouth dropped. To say my eyes widened would be an understand. I shielded the side of my face.

Sasha choked and laughed quietly, holding his chest.

Never had she been that brazen. And she had said some crazy ass things for as long as I’d know her.

She looked so proud of herself.

“Pam, you are trying to start something, are you not?” Sasha guessed—back in Lizardtongue—looking away in laughter.

“Of course not. I don’t know what you mean,” she said, smirking.

I rubbed my face. “What were we even talking about?”

Sasha spoke as quietly as he could. “Different languages. Dialects. Things of that nature. Tongues, apparently,” he said, leaning toward me.

Really Sasha? I thought. He was something else.

He leaned back again and looked ahead, his smile dimming. “Also, things your professor apparently will not teach,” he said, the scales of his brows beginning to furrow.

“Yeah. It’s frustrating,” I agreed, uncovering my face.

“This class is testing my endurance. To hear my language butchered and be told that the proper way is incorrect is vexing.”

Pam stared at the professor, then at Sasha. “I’m sorry. This class is far beneath how you—and we—speak.”Pam and the rest of the Swiftwater Clan spoke to my family in the True way, the way of Sun Dragons.

Sasha leaned back. “And yet I have no choice but to be here,” he remarked. “And, apparently, neither do you both.”

It was a painful requirement, but a mandatory one. I nodded.

Pam turned back to the front of class. “You must be bored here at this university,” she said.

Sasha rubbed his chin. “Hmmmm,” he rumbled deeply. The vibration of that inquisitive hum made my shoulders tingle. I had to close my eyes and put a hand to my chest to halt my heart’s pounding.

“I was, yes,” he said slowly, “but yesterday was my last day of boredom. Today, the season has changed.” He glanced at me as he said it.

My mouth twitched into a smile. I found his choice of words particularly appealing. Pam looked curiously at him, but said nothing.

Sasha angled his body back toward me. I don’t know if I imagined it, but it felt like his whole existence was radiating heat now. It sent rush through my body.

“Let us return to our ‘lesson’ and pretend to care,” he suggested.

“Sasha,” I laughed, nudging his arm. It was hot to the touch. I was not imagining it.

“What?” he said innocently.

I shook my head at him, incredulous. I had no idea he was so funny. Who would have thought that sullen dragon was full of humor. He relented.

“I will behave myself,” he lied through his fanged teeth, patting his chest.

“Doubtful,” I returned, amused. It was easy to talk to him. Like we were old friends. Sasha was right: Pam had started something.

—

Sasha continued pointing out more language dialect rules and vocabulary from Lyfax. Things we couldn’t have learned on our own.

There were so many regions to learn about. I listened intently as he described them, and asked questions about everything. It was as if he was taking me on a mental tour of those far away places…

Before that day we hadn’t said a word to each other. Hadn’t shaken hands or anything. Whenever we had met eyes, we would quickly look away. I didn’t understand why we had done that. Now here we were hunched over a text book with our heads damn near touching. The heat of his breath warmed my face. It was hotter than earlier that day. Much hotter.

And still I kept on gravitating closer. Because of how he had angled his body toward me, my left arm eventually pressed against his right.

My breathing stuttered, being in such close proximity to him. And I knew he felt it. He had to have felt it. Because I felt him tremble.

And there it was again! That strange rumble emanating from him, from his throat, I could now tell. Now that I was touching him, it was amplified, coursing through me. I tried to pinpoint its essence. It was very much like a growl, the crackling of a fire. And a hum; it reminded me of the way he responded to things without words. Hmmm.

All of it together was a magnetic song. I couldn’t help but listen. Let it lull me into a dream.

I wandered from the lesson for a moment to imagine what it would be like to just feel all of it pressed up against my chest. To embrace him and the heat he radiated.

I wanted to feel his fire whipping around me, not just the heat off him. To embrace a cascade of his flames. washing over me, engulfing me fully.

What would kissing Sasha be like? By the Goddess, the thought of drinking his fire until the persistent ice inside me melted was too tantalizing. If only I could just taste his breath inside my mouth… I wanted to look into his throat where I knew a flickering flame lie in wait. To explore it. Mmm.

It was like some deep ancestral memory was awakening. My breathing grew heavier. I swear to the goddess I heard his breath do the same. Except his breathing was punctuated by the rumbling crackle right under it. I knew he was in the same place I was.

I had to close my eyes and turn my head away from the heat coming off the words from his mouth. Because if I didn’t I would do something about it in that classroom—

“Leila?”

I emerged from my other world, his voice having shaken me from my daydream. I looked back to him.

“Class is over,” he rumbled into my ear quietly, the hotness washing over my neck and face. I rubbed those intense thoughts from my brows but they lingered everywhere else. I inhaled deeply and set about gathering my stuff. My hands shook.

Something hot brushed down my arm as he got up to gather his things. I looked down to see his claw drifting away from it. I thought it was an accident until he glanced at me. He smiled faintly though his brows were intense.

“Let us go,” he said gently, nodding toward the door.

“Okay,” I said, my eyebrow raising in interest. I slipped my bag over my shoulder. When he turned toward the door, I touched the trail of burning scales where he’d run his finger. When I say I could not breathe… I covered my mouth, then just rubbed my face with both hands. I didn’t know what to do. Mercy.

Looking around, my peers were also preparing to leave, so I composed myself the best I could and followed Sasha through the doorway.

[secretdragonstory]

Directory

Deepness

Speak (hmm still working on this title)

Ignite

Flight

Body

Perfection

Vision

Calling

Poetry

Knowing

Wake

Arrival

Art by Pointnine (Discord)

[secretdragonstory]

Secret Dragon - Chapter 1: Deepness

—

Suggested Listening:

[Yuna | Crush]

—

Sasha frowned. He always looked so frustrated during class, grumbling to himself. He was staring down at a piece of paper. Our latest test. Another bad grade, I supposed. He rolled his eyes and set it face down on the table, shaking his head. “What a fucking joke,” he whispered under his breath. He sat at a table alone behind us.

My friend, Pam Swiftwater, hazarded a look. She was a slender lizardfolk with sleek greenish skin. She had a long pretty face. She was always stylish. “He’s failed again. I feel bad for him. Maybe he needs a tutor. You could.”

“A tutor? Him?” I said incredulously. “With perfect grades otherwise? What could I do? He’s so serious all the time, worrying about this class.”

I glanced back at Sasha sneakily. I was larger than everyone in my class except him. I was “Komodo,” a moniker I did not care for one bit. Of course we were large. We were Sun dragons. We were just as much dragons as he was, but not afforded the recognition for lack of wings. I’d always been hyper aware of that. Every time I looked at him, the knowledge stung more. I was afraid of what words would come from his mouth if we ever did speak. Would he look down on me like some other dragons did?

Even so I wanted to speak with him.

There was just something about him that had intrigued me since he set claw in the University. I was embarrassed by how much I was attracted to this Sasha. It was so strange. Sometimes I would find myself drifting in his direction to talk to him, but I would chicken out and force myself the other way.

Honestly it was getting exhausting pretending I wasn’t attracted to him. But so far I had not worked up the courage to introduce myself.

Pam shook me from my reverie.

“Don’t be judgey Leila. You know this would be a good opportunity to bite the bullet. Just talk to him.”

“I’m not judging him!” I countered. “I’ll talk to him. Eventually.”

“Gods Leila. You’ve been saying that for weeks. Well, let’s be partners for this project and we can talk about Mr. Emberscale later,” Pam said.

“Bet,” I replied.

But our professor spoke up from her desk.

“Alright class. Go check the list to see who your partner will be for the next assignment. Then join tables.”

Of course. Me and Pam rolled out eyes and laughed. “Or not,” she said, hunching her shoulders.

I glanced at Sasha again. He just rubbed his furrowed scaly brow but didn’t bother to get up. I stared at him until I felt Pam pulling my arm.

I stood in a small line waiting to see the list posted to the board.

“Leila and Sasha! Damn, good luck.” Jonah. He was a greenish lizardfolk with big green eyes.

I felt my heart pounding. “Wait, what? What!” I asked.

“Sasha. He’s your partner. He’s the worst student in class. How a dragon can fail a class about his own race is beyond me. Even you can’t work your magic on that. See you at my table, though, Pam,” he said, rubbing hands together and smiling in her direction.

Pam folded her arms and watched Jonah walk back to his seat. “Of course, he would be my partner.” She turned to me, a smirk spreading over her face. “Look at fate. Now you don’t have a choice but to talk to him, girl.”

I inhaled strongly, wide-eyed.

“Just breathe,” Pam said, moving her hands down calmly.

“Okay. Okay, I’m cool,” I lied under my breath.

“You’re gonna be good okay? I hope he’s nice.”

We walked back to our seats and grabbed our things, me, very slowly. Pam gave me one more encouraging glance and went to Jonah’s table. I breathed deeply once more, then looked over at Sasha’s table.

He wore a beautiful crisp tunic of navy blue, an equally immaculate jacket over that. I saw a glimpse of his wings. They were always folded neatly behind him. He never moved them until he left campus. I would watch those red wings of his fly away from school and long to be that high up in the air. He was a fire dragon, come to Lizanthix to accompany his father, the new dragon ambassador from Lyfax. Even though I was used to seeing other dragons flying around Lizanthix, fire dragons were not common. Especially red ones.

I stopped daydreaming and walked directly in front of Sasha. “Hey partner,” I said trying to be extra pleasant instead of hesitant. I leaned my head down a bit to catch his attention.

“Hi,” he said quietly, glancing up at me. Upon seeing me, his eyes widened. He raised an eyebrow. I heard him inhale sharply in surprise. His posture opened up.

His voice! It was a deep bass, with a curious rumble underneath. And something else. He didn’t speak to anyone, and never spoke during class, so I was a bit taken aback by it. The something else was so deep and quiet that I looked outside to see if the weather had changed. But it hadn’t. I looked back at him.

For a moment neither of us spoke. As if we were stuck under a spell. He breathed deeply and broke the silence. “Leila Sunscale?”

“Yes that’s me,” I confirmed. “Sasha Emberscale?”

“Yes. Nice to finally make your acquaintance.”

I put my hand out. He grasped mine. His hand was hot. Very much so. I placed my other hand on his too. I couldn’t help it. I felt the smile spread across my face. I was so obvious. He noticed, smiling in kind. I held his hand a bit too long. I pulled away gently, playing it cool. But it didn’t escape me that he was just as hesitant.

He looked at me. “I am aware that your grades are at the top of this class. I apologize for you getting me as your partner,” he said, somewhat bitterly.

“What? No, don’t worry about all that,” I said, shaking that negativity away. “We’ll be fine. Let’s focus on the topic for our assignment.”

He breathed deeply again. “Of course. I have thought about it. Please,” he said, gesturing toward the seat next to him. I was surprised he actually had an idea. I smiled. I was even more surprised when he pulled my seat out for me.

“Thank you,” I said shyly, sitting down. Such a gentleman. He had come prepared with ideas. I thought, perhaps, it wouldn’t be so bad if he was looking forward to it.

I could barely contain the pounding of my heart, sitting that close to him. I could now see more aspects of his appearance. Sasha was a large dragon. All his aspects spoke to this. His teeth were thick and sharp. His jaw strong. Even though he wore long sleeves—always now that I thought of it— they did not conceal the size of his arms nor the broadness of his shoulders. I saw the beautiful scales of his hands, his wrists underneath his sleeves. His scales in general were red tinged slightly with black. His claws were thick. They were black and shiny, like obsidian, reflecting the light.

I had always thought Sasha seemed intense, but his demeanor sitting there, not thinking much about his failed assignment, was subdued. Peaceful, even. His brow was still furrowed though. I wanted to rub the frustration away.

Almost as if he knew my thoughts, his face relaxed. I smiled at the notion that he could.

Sasha flipped through the pages of his notebook. He leaned over and pushed it toward me. “These are some ideas I wrote down over the week. They are all somewhat of similar…” he said softly. Now that he was closer and speaking at a normal volume, I could hear that rumble underneath again, like a motorbike almost. The sound of flames flickering? Or something else, I wondered.

An intense heat wafted from his mouth almost across the page. I moved my hand in the heat, admittedly enjoying the warmth until he clamped his mouth shut. He pinched the his eyebrows between his claws.

“I apologize,” he said, irritated with himself.

Incredulous, I looked at his face. “Apologize? For what?” I asked, confused. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but shut it again. This time the heat wafting out from his mouth drifted over my face. By the Goddess.

Sasha searched my expression curiously, probably to determine if I was serious. His eyes were dark, the slit pupils ringed in red, some slight bits of green. Like an apple. I knew I was staring too long, so I looked down. He did, too.

“I—” he began.

“Don’t apologize again. It’s fine,”I said, looking back at him. “Really. I don’t mind at all.”

He leaned forward onto his forearms and looked at me, skeptical. “Hmm,” he said. He directed his attention back to his notebook, but he regarded me from the corner of his eye. “If you are certain.”

“Mm hm…I’m certain,” I confirmed, dazed.

“Thank you,” he said, a smile playing over his mouth. He looked back down.

I must have been staring hard because I heard my phone vibrate. Shaking my head from my spell, I saw that I’d gotten a text. It was from Pam. *OMG GRL Close your mouth! Ur basically drooling!*

“Fuck!” I whispered, putting my phone down. I wiped my lower lip.

Sasha glanced back up at me. “What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing!” I said a bit too quickly. I casually texted back while professors back was turned. *oh my gods. I’m at a loss. Godsdamn. Fuck Shit*

I had no idea what else to type but expletives. He just looked quizzically at me again, this time chuckling under his breath. His laugh was even deeper and slightly scratchier than the way he spoke.

*Damn he’s got you like that??* Pam texted.

*I could die. His voice is deep. Hes polite. he fine. Imma shoot my shot today, shit”

*Yes! finally! Proud of u😘*

I saw my professor turning toward us. I pushed my phone away.

“Right so. Ideas,” I said, trying to get back on track. “Which idea do you want to do the most? I’m game for any of them.”

He inclined his head toward the page and tapped it. “This one. *The True Life of Dragons*.”

“Cool. What’s the gist?” I asked, taking out my own notebook.

He lowered his voice. “We aren’t like what these books say. None of it is true. It is appalling and downright offensive some of the things we learn here. Dragontongue is much worse. As a native speaker, no one speaks that way. It is so robotic. It lacks any nuance at all.”

I sighed and leaned closer. “Yeah, it is nothing like my dialect…” I stopped, knowing I should not have said that. He raised his brow. I switched gears. “I know it’s all wrong. Sasha, you have near perfect grades in everything else; this grade isn’t your fault. This class has some alternative ideas about the truth.”

He sighed, heat gently rolling from his mouth, rubbing his brows. I felt my breath catch, feeling it on my hand again. Involuntarily, I moved my claws around in wonder. Every single time his breath touched me… It felt so nice. So warm. If he noticed he did not comment on it.

“I have noticed. I answer honestly, but get marked down because the truth does not line up with this horrible curriculum. I refuse to answer with lies. Of course no one here know of the truth. Do you?”

I halted my hand movements and looked down in guilt. “Of course. I know all the discrepancies. I put up with this version to get good grades. I’m studying abroad in Lyfax when I’m able to.”

He smiled. “Ah, I see. That is good; you will like it there. Lyfax is diverse country. I am from Keldir, a large city full of many types of people. You will undoubtedly find new experiences. Meet other dragons,” he said pointedly. I smiled, relieved. “Lizanthix is…interesting so far, although I have found that, sometimes, many can be standoffish to us fire dragons.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Sasha,” I said, frowning.

Sasha idly spun a pencil in his claws. “It is no fault of yours. Your people have been quite nice thus far. I have many questions about them. In the meantime, what do you think of this idea? Explaining aspects of Dragonology that are missing from this curriculum?”

I thought about it. How fitting it would be to document actual dragonfolk instead of the sanitized history we learned. It would certainly make a splash in the university, that was certain. Plus, he seemed curious about my people.

“Okay,” I agreed. It was a gamble but an intriguing one. “Okay. I’m all in. There’s nothing wrong with a little controversy every now and again. The professor will be all up in arms. ‘Do you want to teach this class if my syllabus is not to your liking?’ she’d probably say,” I mimicked, rolling my eyes.

Sasha leaned forward on his elbows, fingers laced, and laughed. “I wish she would. I am more than qualified to do so,” he said, highly amused.

I felt my chin go all the way back and my brow raise in admiration.

“Oh really?” I inquired, grinning at his audacity. I had no idea just the notion of an educated gentleman turned me on, but here we were.

He smiled. “Indeed, I am. It is a long story. I will tell you later,” he said, gesturing at me.

Later? He wanted to speak with me again? My whole heart soared at that.

“Okay,” I said, approvingly, shyly.

Sasha nodded. “Back to our assignment. Let us create much controversy. Perhaps you would teach me of your dragon clans as well?”

“Perhaps…” I said, slowly smiling.

“We may use my personal books then, for research. So controversial,” he said, moving his hands dramatically toward me. I laughed at him.

Sasha removed his jacket for once, to get comfortable I supposed. The slits for his wings were closed using a long strip of what seemed to be magnets or something similar. They came apart smoothly as he slipped each wing out, and smoothly rejoined. His tunic was short sleeved, revealing his large arms and sleek red scales. I place my hand against my chest. My breath caught once again. Pam turned around to whisper something to me, but she stopped, shocked. She spun back around.

Sasha reached down into his bag and placed proper books on Dragonology on the table. I pried my eyes away from his arms.

“Okay Leila. We had better get to it then,” he rumbled.

My eyes grew so wide. Something else had changed in his voice but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Whatever it was, it was like he was taking my breath away. I always heard people say that, but now I truly understood.

Sasha looked as if he was deciding whether to say something. He hesitated, looking at me.

“Yes?” I inquired.

“I have been looking forward to working with you for some time,” he admitted.

I just moved my mouth around trying to form words. “Really?” I mustered.

“Truly. I have put off speaking with you for some reason. But I am glad we are partners now,” he said, gesturing toward me. I noticed that he talked with his hands a lot.

I felt like I could have a godsdamn heart attack with him talking about wanting to speak with me. I leaned on my elbow to stare at him. “Okay,” I said, a smile breaking across my face. “Me too, honestly.”

He looked surprised for a moment, and then laughed faintly looking away from me. “Okay,” he whispered, nodding. I wasn’t sure if it was directed at me or himself.

Regardless, I felt my face heating up looking at that joy that was emerging from this frustrated dragon, little by little. Why had I waited to say hi? I couldn’t believe myself. I wanted to cover my whole face and scream, thinking about him being right there confessing his interest in me, but I kept my composure somehow, a rare feat for me.

Sasha looked back toward me and moved the book between us. I was just about to open it when my phone buzzed. *Ur in trouble*

I looked at Sasha who was beginning to take notes, then back down.

*Girl why he say he’s been wanting to work with ME!!!!? I’m just like... fuck yes. Hes mine. Cuff it*

*Get yours girl!!! Who else is gonna handle a fucking fire dragon of all people but you lol. Of all the dragons. he a challenge.*

*Im a challenge. Him and his perfect grades can figure me out. I’m trying to be his homework.*

*lolol girrrrrrl… hes in trouble.*

[Continue to Chapter 2]