Hunted

Chapter 13 - Dragon Shifter

I became obsessed with the private gym over the next few weeks. It was really stressful, concealing my identity as a dragon. And I'd nearly forgotten about my actual assignment, why I was actually here.

I'd transformed into my dragon a couple times, though I was much more careful now. No one else had come into the room while I was in my dragon form because I bolted the door, and I skipped a class every few days so I could transform in my room without worrying about someone coming in.

I had gained a lot of the Hunter's trusts, but I hadn't gotten any closer to finding this evil plot to eradicate Paranormals. It was kind of nice, actually. Like I was a normal student, with normal friends.

But I wasn't. I was Paranormal assassin. I needed to remember that.

I'd also gotten a lot closer to Jace. We trained every day in the private gym, and in training class as well. I hadn't learned much, being an assassin, but I could count Jace as a friend. As long as he didn't know what I was, at least.

I walked into morning training in the regular gym, and almost the entire class was huddled around something. I couldn't quite tell what it was, though.

As I got closer, I saw black scales. A long tail. My stomach churned, and I pushed to the front of the small crowd of students, and tried to keep he horrified look off my face. Because in front of me was a dragon.

I could tell it was male, from his size, scale pattern, claw length, and horns on his head. He was gorgeous, with a sculpted face, and spiraling black horns. But he had faded, unseeing green eyes, that were open and stared straight ahead unsettlingly. His scales had lost their shine.

I realized Mr. Slater was talking. "... a freshly-killed Luna dragon, male, as you can see from his horns and large size. Now, you may touch it, and we will be using the simulators and imitate fighting this dragon tomorrow! Its hide will be taken tomorrow as well, to be hung in the trophy room. I asked the Department to not skin it until tomorrow so you could see it..."

I felt sick. And suddenly, my dragon pushed on the walls of her cage. She needed to be let out, and would force her way out soon. I needed to get out of here.

Taking deep, quick breaths, I ran from the gym and the carcass of a fellow dragon. I shoved open the door of the bathroom, darted into a stall, and transformed.

For the first time in seven years, the transformation hurt. My human skin was viciously ripped off as my dragon one replaced it. I let out a scream of pain. But I shut up when I heard a voice say, "Rayna? Are you alright?" Jace.

"I'm coming in, ok?" Shit. I was so, so dead. I heard the door open. "What happened? Which stall are you in?"

I didn't dare make a sound, for fear of it sounding inhuman. "Rayna? Please answer me. What's wrong?" When I didn't answer, I heard him climb into a stall two doors down from me. Oh, god. He was going to see me. I held my breath, and brought fire to my lips, ready to blast flames in his face.
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Jace's POV

I stood on the toilet in the girls bathroom, and looked over the edge of the stall. It seemed like no one was in here, though I'd seen her run in here. But she hadn't answered me at all.

Did she not like me? Maybe we weren't even friends. I mean, we hardly hung out outside of training. I wanted to change that today, though. At lunch I was going to ask her out. I was already nervous enough without this happening. I didn't even know what was happening, actually. Was it so hard to answer me?

I got off the toilet and went to the other stall, and looked over both edges. But no one was there. I sighed, and went to the second to last stall. Maybe she wasn't in here at all?

I stepped onto the toilet, and looked over the edge of the stall, to the next stall over. My eyes widened to huge saucers at what I saw: a small golden dragon, standing in the bathroom stall next to me. It locked eyes with me, and opened its mouth, about to blow flames.

And then it closed its mouth. We stood there for a bit, just watching each other. I searched her purple eyes, so similar to another pair I knew, but I couldn't figure out who they belonged to.

It was the same dragon from Rayna's room. It didn't look like how we'd been taught they'd look. No, she looked up at me with fearful eyes, soul and intelligence behind them. Despite her eyes looking distinctly inhuman with the slitted pupils and all, I could tell that she wouldn't kill me, and that she was afraid of me, just as I was afraid of her.

It was dangerous, but I wanted to touch her, and see her face-to-face. So I rounded the stall and knocked lightly on the bathroom door the dragon was in. To my surprise, it wasn't even locked, so I pushed on it lightly until it swung open.

Being fairly tall myself, I towered over the short dragon. I looked down at its face. Suddenly, the dragon's skin rippled. The eyes flickered, pupils flitting from round to slitted. I started to back away in shock, and then a second later, Rayna stood in front of me. Where the dragon had been.

"You... you're..."

"A dragon shifter."