Page 29 of Guardian of the Cursed Egg
“She was more shocked he’s a prey animal than anything else,” Vaughn says, his tone casual, but his presence steady. Mina shifts in my arms, lifting her head to look at him, her brows drawn in confusion.
“That was it? Just that he’s a nightmare?” she sniffles, the disbelief clear in her voice. Vaughn steps closer, offering her a tissue and a packet of wet wipes without hesitation.
“Yeah. She knows he’s a good male—he’s worked with Abraxis for years.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal, as if the storm in Mina’s chest is only a passing squall.
Amazingly, it works. I feel the tension in her body melt away, her breathing steadying as Vaughn’s casual assurance sinks in.
We step outside, the cool air prickling against my skin. Only Leander waits for us, standing like a sentinel. I scan the area, keeping Mina tucked tightly at my side. “Where is everyone?” My voice cuts through the quiet as I glance around. Even Cerce and Cora are gone, their usual chatter absent.
“Abraxis was called to the northern border,” Leander replies, and I immediately feel Mina tense. Her eyes flicker with a wildness I’ve come to recognize, an unspoken storm brewing within her.
Leander steps forward, positioning himself directly in front of her. His tone shifts, steady but honest. “Normally, I’d try to lie or sugarcoat it. But not this time. I won’t hide the truth from you, Mina. Abraxis is heading into a fight with wyverns. He needs to focus, and if he’s worried about you, it could cost him. He could get hurt.”
His eyes glow then, the fiery orbs of his Nightmare peering into Mina like twin flames. It’s unsettling—those burning eyes seem to stare everywhere and nowhere at once, their intensity filling the air between us.
Mina doesn’t flinch. Instead, she reaches up, her hand cupping Leander’s cheek in a gesture so soft it contrasts the steel in her voice. “If I sense he’s in danger or injured…” Her words come slow, deliberate. “There is no one on this campus, in this life, or the next, who will stop me from going to him.”
The calm in her voice sends a shiver down my spine. She’s not making a threat; she’s stating a fact, one backed by unshakable certainty. I swallow hard, trying to shake the prickling unease as her unwavering resolve sinks into me.
“We’ll all go with you,” I add quickly, meeting her gaze. My words feel like a promise, solid and unyielding. Her lips twitch into a faint smile, one that momentarily softens her hard edges.
“Let’s go home,” she says abruptly, turning to walk away, her steps already determined.
Leander shifts beside me, his expression easing into something playful. “Do you want to try riding my Nightmare?” he asks, his tone light but carrying a challenge. Mina stops mid-step, the question halting her momentum. “We’ve got just under three weeks. Plenty of time to get you used to it. Callan can even saddle me up for the processional,” he adds with a smirk. “Though I draw the line at reins and a bit.”
The corners of Mina’s mouth lift, and for the first time since the chaos with Cerce, she laughs—a low, genuine sound that cuts through the tension hanging over us. It’s fleeting, but I’ll take it. Anything to see her smile again.
There are old legends about Nightmares—how they can steal your soul or rip the breath from your lungs. Some say they’re harbingers of death, others whisper theyaredeath itself. As I watch Leander tilt his head, stepping away from us to shift, I’m reminded of every warning I’ve ever heard.
When his Nightmare form emerges, it’s breathtaking. Massive, the size of a draft horse, its pitch-black fur seems to absorb thesurrounding light. The long fur above his hooves glows, flames licking upward with an eerie, steady pulse. His mane, fiery but oddly not burning, flickers like a warning in the darkness.
“Whoa…” Mina’s voice pulls my attention as she slowly circles Leander, her eyes wide, awe written on her face. She moves like she’s afraid to miss a single detail, her gaze trailing over his flaming tail as it sways behind him. Leander’s head follows her, watching her every step. When she stops at his side, her expression shifts to amusement. His back is even with her shoulders, and she laughs. “I need a stepladder or a boost.”
Hearing her, Leander kneels, one front leg stretched forward while the other bends gracefully beneath him. It’s an offering, a silent acknowledgment of her importance. Mina realizes what he’s doing, her lips curling into a smile as she grips his fiery mane and hoists herself onto his back.
Vaughn and I exchange a glance before stepping closer, flanking her as Leander slowly rises, careful to keep her steady. “I can only assume,” I say, breaking the quiet, “that this is as important for his Nightmare as it was for my gryphon—or Vaughn’s gargoyle—to carry you.”
Leander’s Nightmare tosses its head, a motion so deliberate it feels like agreement. I pat his shoulder before stepping back, letting the change sweep over me. My gryphon form surges forward, and I stretch my wings, shaking off the shift’s residual tension before moving to Vaughn. I nudge him with one wing, and he gives me a look but climbs on without protest. It feels strange carrying another male—unnatural—but it’s better than slowing our pace to match his.
Mina threads her fingers into Leander’s mane, taking a deep breath that’s audible even over the quiet crackle of his flames. “Let’s startwith a walk,” she says, her voice steady, but I can see the excitement bubbling just beneath the surface.
Leander obeys, his first step deliberate, the ground briefly glowing beneath his hoof before dimming. I keep to his side, my blind spot turned toward him. It’s safer that way—I can avoid bumping into him or losing track of them. They move steadily, the heat from his hooves radiating toward me, but Mina’s laugh breaks the tension like sunlight through storm clouds.
“Let’s go!” she says suddenly, leaning forward, one hand gripping his mane while the other braces against his shoulder. Leander responds immediately, his steps shifting from a walk to a gallop in a heartbeat.
I launch after them, wings pumping as I race to keep up. Each of his steps sets the earth alight, flames trailing in his wake like a living wildfire. And there she is, astride him, her laughter spilling out into the night like music.
Mina looks … free. There’s no other word for it. Pure, unrestrained joy lights up her face as they tear across the ground, the fire of his hooves marking their path. For a moment, I forget the legends and the danger. All I see is her, wild and untouchable, and I wonder if anyone else realizes how much power she truly holds.
CHAPTER 17
Mina
It’s been almosta week since Abraxis left, and the pull to him is growing harder to ignore. The ache gnaws at me, relentless, a tether stretched taut. I’ve thrown myself into sparring with third and fourth years just to dull the craving, to keep my mind from drifting to my absent mate. My dragoness is restless, furious even, with our nest incomplete.
I down my fifth opponent with a swift strike, holding my blade at his throat. My breathing is even despite the exertion, my eyes locked on his as I growl, “Do you yield?”
His gaze shifts over my right shoulder, and instinct screams at me to move. I pivot, raising my blade just in time to block the strike aimed for my head. Sparks fly as steel meets steel.
