Azure Dragons (Supernatural Shifter Academy #2) - G. Bailey Page 0,22

towards the main building. I watch him long enough to make sure he goes inside before shifting back to human and hurrying to where Hunter is.

“Are you okay?” I ask him, holding out a hand and helping him to his feet.

He wipes the blood off his upper lip, looking away. “What do you think?” he asks.

“I’m sorry he hurt you,” I say, touching his shoulder. “If you need the nurse, we can-”

“What? No.” He shakes his head. “I mean, that’s not the problem.” He turns in the direction Lyle went. “I can’t believe he talked to you that way,” he says, his voice shaking a little, and I’m taken aback. I don’t think I’ve seen him quite like this before. He looks angry, frustrated, confused… but most of all, embarrassed.

“Thank you for intervening,” I tell him. “I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up.”

Hunter just snorts, shaking his head. “Right. Intervening. For all the good that did.” He kicks a loose stone, sending it rolling away in the grass, not meeting my eyes as he jams his hands in his pockets. “I’m useless. I can’t transform, not even to help the girl I-” But then he stops short, his mouth closing so hard I can hear his teeth click. Ducking his head, he takes a step away from me. “Fucking great.”

I feel a burst of colour in my cheeks, and think back to our conversation before we left for Boston as I watch this brooding, self-loathing vampire-shifter, this guy who’s spent his life in his sister’s shadow. I’ve spent so long thinking about my own difficulties that I’ve practically forgotten I’m not the only one who’s struggling. And my dad isn’t on the school board. A wave of emotion hits me then, and before I can stop them, the words come tumbling out. “Maybe I can teach you. How to transform, I mean.”

Hunter meets my eyes then, a glimmer of hope on his face, along with a healthy dose of skepticism. “You… want to teach me?”

I shrug. “I mean, no promises, but… Shade really helped me figure out what was holding me back before. I’m not a master, by any means, but maybe you just need the right perspective, you know? Someone who’s not a teacher or your sister.”

He looks at me for a long time, seemingly torn. Several emotions flit over his face, and I can see the conflict in his eyes - as well as a hint of what might even be desire. Then he finally clears his throat. “I mean… I can’t say I’m expecting much, but… I wouldn’t mind.” He gives me a rare smile. “What do I have to lose at this point?”

I grin back at him, nudging him playfully with my elbow, and a familiar spark passes between us. “That’s more like it,” I say. “How’s eight tonight, then? Professor Brix, Vampire Shifting 101. Don’t be late.”

Chapter 9

The American campus isn’t nearly as big or spread out as ours, which doesn’t exactly make it ideal for practicing magic, but I’ve always been told to make do with what I have, and tonight is no exception. I’m not about to let something as simple as not having enough space prevent me from helping Hunter, if I can.

The rest of the day’s classes were quiet and uneventful compared to what happened with Lyle, which is saying something, considering we’re at a new school on the other side of the world. The American teachers have a different sensibility about them than ours, along with a tendency to be less formal, but there’s no mistaking the power each of them holds. Silas mentioned to me that the East Coast has a higher density of shifters than other areas of the country, which explains why there are so many students here - and why the conference would be called in a place like Boston, right under the noses of hundreds of thousands of people. I guess that’s what they mean when they talk about hiding in plain sight.

The curfew isn’t until around nine-thirty or ten, which gives us plenty of time to wander - or, in my case, try to coach Hunter into his form. I can’t say I have high hopes, which is as much a reflection on my self-confidence as it is on his abilities; I’m not exactly the prime example of a capable shifter, but if there’s anything I can do to make it easier for him, then I’m willing to give it

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