The Dragon Mage Collection Page 6

  “This strength is normal, you’re getting older. It was bound to happen.” Sapphire was shaking his head and crossed his arms.

  Jade hugged her middle and I froze when she pointed toward the house. “No, this is different—it feels different. Only one thing has changed, and you refuse to help me research—what if this connection means something greater?”

  “There is no connection,” Sapphire grumbled. “Enough time has passed, you’re feeling more at ease with your body. That’s all.”

  I tasted bile in my throat. Sapphire hadn’t sounded inappropriate, but something about the way he was talking was like a dirty word on his tongue. I wanted to rush Jade away, I wanted to get Sapphire away from her. They shouldn’t be talking like this, yet I couldn’t find the will to stop listening.

  Jade was still pointing her finger at the house. “Say what you will, but something is happening here.”

  There must’ve been an invisible fist crushing my windpipe because I could hardly draw air when Sapphire turned, glancing at my window. Why? Jade hadn’t said anything about me.

  I dropped my head out of sight, hoping Sapphire hadn’t seen me watching. My heart was thumping in my chest. Even if Sapphire was a friend of Jade’s family, it was beyond strange that a grown man kept having secret, tense meetings with a senior in high school. A swell of protective instincts enrobed my sensibilities. Swallowing the knot in my throat, I glanced out the window once more. They were gone. Jade had disappeared back into the darkness and Sapphire had slithered out of view.

  Crawling back into bed, I stayed awake well into the night until I finally settled that in the morning I would ask Mr. Sapphire exactly what he was doing with Jade Drake.

  Chapter 7

  In truth, I didn’t say anything to Sapphire, at least not the next day, or the next. Every time I tried, the words fumbled over my tongue and I just walked away. I was a coward, and berated myself at least a hundred times. I wanted to speak with Jade, but each day in Mrs. Tiddel’s English class, whatever it was about the girl, I suddenly didn’t care about her late night escapades at the reform house. Until it happened again. My stomach clenched as the next Wednesday night brought Jade’s glowing blonde hair to the edge of the forest. She was pointing at something, but whether she held a piece of paper, or it was something on her own body, I couldn’t see because of Sapphire’s hulking form. That was it. No more. Something had Jade troubled enough she would continually risk being seen on the property, and Sapphire was clearly not willing to end the behavior. That instinct, the electric pull to keep Jade Drake blissful and happy, took over. If no one else seemed to care, I would be the one to get to the bottom of the uncomfortable interaction.

  The house was silent when my alarm went off an hour before the other preset alarms. I slipped on a pair of gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt, stalking around the house in underwear would certainly have demerits attached. The wooden stairs creaked, but eventually I found a quieter path and slunk toward Sapphire’s office. What would I say? I had little trust for Sapphire after seeing his secret night activity, but my greatest risk was the man sending me home. He could with one word, and Aunt Liz would personally see me behind bars. Yet, the closer I came to the office I knew it had to be done. For Jade’s sake. I was sweating as I anticipated the confrontation. But if Jade—a girl I didn’t know—was in some sort of trouble with the older man, I couldn’t resist the drive to put a stop to it.

  Sapphire’s office was empty, but the front door was unlocked. I would get in trouble for leaving without permission and before the bus arrived. I knew I would, but still I opened the door and stepped outside in the gray light of the rising dawn. The front yard was empty, no sign of Sapphire, or any life at all. I sauntered toward the trees, their beautiful life calming my racing breaths the closer I came. Just beyond the heavy shrubs and spruces, I heard gasps and pants. The tips of my fingers tingled in anticipation of finding whomever was hiding out in the trees. Tucking down behind a blue spruce, I caught sight of Sapphire. He was pulling his strong body up and down using a thick branch on an ancient aspen. His arms bulged and seemed as though the muscles might burst through his skin if he pressed them much further. For a split second, I reconsidered the bold confrontation, but it was too late. Sapphire dropped from the branch and turned around. His gaze landed on me, crouched in plain sight.

  “What are you doing out here, Teagan?” Sapphire asked, wiping his brow with a towel hung over a branch.

  “I—” Be a man, I commanded myself— “I…look, I’ve seen you outside with a girl from school a few times now. I just think…you know, that’s a little dangerous and, you know, sort of wrong in a lot of ways.”

  Sapphire was walking closer, his eyes narrowed so I could hardly see the whites of his eyes. “You saw me with who?”

  Taking a step back, I forced myself to stand tall when Sapphire towered over me. “A girl from school, Jade Drake.”

  Sapphire chuckled. “No, I think you’re mistaken, Teagan. I know the Drakes, but I don’t make a habit of meeting their teenage daughter at night.”

  I glared at Sapphire, my courage bleeding through somehow. “No, sir. I know what I saw.”

  “Teagan, do I seem like I’m that kind of man?”

  “No, but does anyone really seem like that sort of man?”

  Sapphire chuckled. “Valid point.” He wiped his brow again, staring at the sunrise through the trees. “You’re positive it was Jade?”

  I scoffed, eyeing Sapphire like he was a lunatic. I leaned against a tree, my fists curling into balls when I finally answered through my teeth. “I saw what I saw. Are you trying to convince me otherwise?”

  Sapphire didn’t look disappointed, rather curious in a strange way. “No, I suppose I’m not. Look, the Drakes are old friends. Jade came asking for help with some trouble with her mother. I told her exactly what I’m telling you now—she needed to come during the day, to stop sneaking out, and that was the end of it. There’s nothing inappropriate going on, Teagan. I assure you.”

  “Then why did you just try to lie?”

  “I shouldn’t have. I have nothing to hide. You can even speak to Ms. Drake if you want. I give my word—I view Jade as a niece or something. You met Jade at school?”

  “Yeah, we have English together. I don’t know her that well,” I muttered, feeling a little foolish for insinuating things. The longer Sapphire spoke, the more I believed his every word. And the trees weren’t helping. Their soothing songs to my soul were slowly washing away the rabid need to defend Jade Drake.

  “Yet, you found the guts to stand up for her because you thought she was in trouble. That’s an honorable characteristic, Teagan.”

  “I’m known to have a few,” I grunted. “I’m going to ask Jade her side, sir. I don’t like it, and I can’t shake the feeling like I’m missing something in all this.”

  “Do what you must, Teagan. I’m sorry I lied, I should have been open or how can I expect you to be open while you’re here?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I whispered, backing away when the prickle of tension found the back of my neck again. “I’m going to go get ready for school.”

  “Probably best. Nothing is going on, Teagan. I promise.”

  “Yeah,” I didn’t know how to respond. The words spewing from Sapphire seemed to have the power of peace. Every time he opened his mouth, I felt better—like I was the foolish one for thinking anything else. I shuddered. There was something off about this place, something that wasn’t settling right. I didn’t want to leave—no, quite the opposite. There was an unnatural desire to get to the bottom of the bubbling secrets of the seemingly perfect place.

  “Hi again,” Jade said sweetly when she sauntered to the back of Mrs. Tiddel’s English class. There they were, both Raffi and Dash, scowling at me like I was an infection that, coming too close to their precious Jade, would taint her beauty forever.

  “Hi,” I muttered. Jade arranged her books, then once again positioned her head on her hand and
just stared at me. Her sparkling green eyes were unblinking, studying everything—it should have made me uncomfortable, but I admitted I enjoyed feeling her gaze. She wasn’t shy about her stare either, and it sent a flush rippling along my neck. “What?” I chuckled and faced her after a long pause.

  Raffi and Dash were both turned toward us, their lips pressed tight, yet they said nothing. Everything about the two guys screamed they hated every aspect of Jade talking to me, but they never said a thing.

  “Nothing,” Jade said softly. “I just find myself prone to look at you. Is that too forward to say?”

  “Uh, no,” I responded, checking to make sure Mrs. Tiddel wasn’t looking. But to the teacher, Jade and me weren’t there. She went on with her lecture, her voice hardly a whisper when Jade was near. “Actually,” I lowered my voice just in case, “I wanted to ask you about last night.”

  Jade furrowed her brow, for the first time since I’d seen her perfect face, she wasn’t bright and smiling. “What about last night?”

  “You were talking to Sapphire again,” I said briskly. I needed to tread carefully. Pushing her away or embarrassing Jade was the last thing I wanted. “I just, I guess I want to make sure you’re good.”

  “What do you mean I was talking with Mr. Sapphire?”

  I rolled my eyes and scoffed. I didn’t have a volatile temper, but at times frustration bubbled too close to the surface. “He already fessed up, Jade. But he tried to convince me it was all in my head too.”

  “But, wait, you saw us?” Jade whispered, the space between her brows pulling together. It only brightened her eyes.

  I couldn’t help but smile. Mrs. Tiddel seemed completely unaware I was alive this morning, so I turned squarely toward Jade and smirked. “What is it with you and Sapphire thinking I’m completely oblivious or something? You were maybe fifteen feet from my window, yeah I saw you.”

  Jade seemed legitimately confused when she traced the heading on her writing assignment. “I don’t understand,” she whispered. It was soft enough that I wondered if she intended for me to hear.

  “Were you trying to be sneaky? Because if you are, I might suggest staying in the trees, not right out in the open on the lawn,” I said, trying to make light of the somber shift in the mood. Messing up any conversation with Jade really wasn’t acceptable.

  “Sure, thank you for the tip,” Jade smiled. Was she sad? After a pause to take a new breath and straighten her shoulders, Jade smiled sweetly again. “Your concern for me is sweet, Teagan. I promise Konrad Sapphire isn’t seducing me or anything. He’s like an uncle to me. He was just helping me sort through something. I promise.”

  “His name is Konrad?” I couldn’t help but smile.

  Jade grinned slyly. “Don’t tease him too much.” Raffi and Dash must have kept their silence too long, because in a single breath they both shot their heads to the side as though their invisible gags were removed. Raffi, in all his frustration, was the one to hiss his remarks first.

  “Enough,” Raffi said.

  “Will you calm down?” Jade whispered without a hint of agitation, while I had other thoughts on what to say to Raffi. “We’ve finished our conversation.”

  I took that as my cue to listen to the lesson, but throughout the remainder of the class I felt Raffi’s eyes pouring into me, scorching a hole in the side of my face, only to be left there when Jade said nothing else—not even a farewell when the class was over.

  Mitch was held up with one of his teachers and Graham was nowhere to be found when I leaned against the school waiting for the white bus after school. The sun was warm and soothed the agitation mounting in my soul. Since the strange conversation with Jade I’d been unable to think of anything else.

  “Hey, Reform,” a snide growl stirred me from my solitude. An audible groan escaped my throat when Raffi and Dash stomped toward me. Jade wasn’t around, and it only made the encounter more unpleasant.

  “Teagan,” I corrected with a deliberate chip in my tone.

  “I don’t really care,” Raffi snapped. “I want you to stay away from Jade.”

  “How did I know you were going to say that?” I snapped, meeting the impressively fiery gaze of Raffi. Dash and Raffi would’ve been—no, should’ve been—threatening, but I found the gumption to stand strong in front of them. I wasn’t blind to recognize that when it came to Jade, something about her caused me to feel powerful. “Did she tell you that? Or is your insecurity in your hold on her saying this?”

  Raffi stuffed his hot face directly next to my nose so I easily absorbed the fiery gleam in his eyes. “Stay away from her. I won’t ask next time.”

  “Are you serious, dude? Are you really threatening me?”

  “No,” Raffi snapped. “I promise you I won’t ask next time.”

  Raffi punched the wall—full on punched the brick school wall—before both he and Dash filtered back to the students leaving for the day. Stunned was an understatement. I was certain Raffi’s fist did more damage to the bricks than his skin. I dropped my gaze when they found Jade and moved toward a silver BMW. I didn’t want her to see me as I glimpsed once more when she scooted into the passenger seat. I slumped against the wall feeling foolish for being so drawn—borderline obsessive—over a girl I’d only met. Jade was in every way out of my league. More than ever, I wanted nothing more than to finish this sentence and leave Wyvern Willows as quickly as humanly possible. I wanted to go back to Aunt Liz, hang out with simple girls like Angie; I wanted to be anywhere away from the spell Jade had unknowingly cast over my entire soul.

  Chapter 8

  Sleep escaped me that night. After the house fell into silence, and there was no sign of Sapphire and Jade near the trees, I dared open my window. The roof slanted slightly, but it was flat enough that perching on the wooden shingles took little effort. The breeze spoke of the coming autumn as it rustled about my face. The smell of sap and pine breathed a calm into my body I’d missed while cooped up during the day. If I listened hard enough, just like when I was an imaginative child, I could almost translate the song of the night birds and crickets. Though the air was on the chilly side, I embraced the ripple of cold along my bare arms. Guns N’ Roses wasn’t a band I knew or enjoyed, but they had comfortable T-shirts. The enormous skull with a top hat in the center was worn from being washed so many times and allowed the breeze to break through the fabric enough to invigorate my insides.

  “Hi, Teagan.”

  There wasn’t ever a time where I’d wondered what it would feel like to have my heart stop beating, but whether I wanted to or not, I experienced how the air knocked out of my lungs when it happened. Glancing down from my roost, I swallowed against the sudden dryness in the back of my throat as Jade floated across the lawn.

  “What are you doing here?” I hissed back, scanning the yard for Sapphire. He had to be close.

  Jade shrugged. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Sapphire will see you, and I’ll get in trouble.”

  Jade scoffed from the grass. “I think you’re already breaking a rule by being on the roof after lights out. What’s the harm in breaking a few more?”

  I couldn’t help it. She relaxed the constant haze I’d carried most of my life. The smile spread over my lips and I lowered my voice. “No girls allowed. Sapphire says so.”

  Jade tugged on the vine covered trellis leaning against the house. “Well, Teagan, I don’t know what you had planned, but I just want to get to know you a little better and see if we can be more honest with each other.”

  I glanced over my shoulder checking against the prickle on my spine that no one was inside my room listening. Honest about what, I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t deny Jade staying with me was worth finding out. Facing Jade again I waved my hand for her to come. “Okay, but just be careful—this house is ancient.”

  Jade laughed softly. “I can handle myself, Teagan, but I find your ever increasing concern for my wellbeing charming,” Jade said as she began her climb up the trellis. She mov
ed gracefully, hardly making a sound, and soon she was there, accepting my hand as I pulled her over the edge of the roof. “See, no need for rescuing.”

  I laughed, but truly relaxed after Jade was seated safely at my side. “So, what brought you back tonight? Need to talk to Sapphire again?” I asked a little snidely.

  Jade smiled, her eyes glowing beneath the blue moonlight. The way her hair gleamed I almost believed it had some sort of magic spell that kept me captivated. “I know what you’re thinking, but I’ll give Konrad a break tonight. I came to see you.”

  “Really?” I scoffed. “And what if I hadn’t decided to step out on the roof? Then what would you have done? I don’t think Sapphire would let you come in through the front door.”

  “Oh, I would have broken in through your window,” she said simply, then laughed, but I wasn’t so sure she was joking. The idea only added to my dry throat. Jade drew in a long breath, and tilted her head. “You’re intriguing, Teagan Ward.”

  “Okay, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing,” I muttered.

  “Me neither. I’ve never met anyone like you—someone who sort of challenges me in a way.”

  “We haven’t really talked much,” I insisted. “You must meet a lot of dull people if our conversations have intrigued or challenged you.”

  “Not dull people. Just no one that fascinates me quite like you.” I didn’t know how to respond, and filed through our limited interactions searching for one moment I might have done something particularly amazing. I came up empty. “How are you enjoying Wyvern Reform, Teagan? I see you’ve made some friends. Jenna and her posse enjoy the reform house,” Jade muttered with an underlying meaning I wanted to explore.

  My face shaded in warmth when I released a nervous chuckle. “The reform house isn’t so bad. Sapphire has a few weird rules. Shouldn’t I make friends?” I inched closer, my eyes locking with Jade’s as I studied her reaction. “Maybe Jenna is the only one who isn’t afraid of us.”