The Last Dragon Shifter

Chapter Eight

"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" Martin asked, taking Naomi in cautiously.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll meet Malcolm at Legacy's front gates, get the tour, take the stupid test, and be back home in time for dinner," Naomi said, faking a calm demeanor. Inside, she shook with trepidation.

Naomi had promised herself she'd take everything in stride, but she had no idea what she would do when she saw Malcolm. Their next meeting would be awkward, especially since Naomi was sworn to protect him...sort of. The whole situation was a complex mess.

After a few more placating words with her father, Naomi left the house on her mission. She'd meet Malcolm at the illustrious institution situated near the city limits. Transportation to the school was readily available, but Legacy's landscape took up an inordinate amount of space. It hadn't been built in the hub of the city, but just outside it, to provide room for its massive stadium and gardens. While Naomi had never been to Legacy, plebeians of the city like herself already knew this information. The aristocracy made sure to enlighten everyone else about the things they were missing out on.

This bias was one of many of the reasons Naomi didn't want to attend the school. The place was bound to be full of elitist, bratty children. Ones who had everything handed to them by their rich parents. There was no way Naomi would fit in. She'd grown up in a different world, where everyone scraped to get by. She lived in the part of town where starvation, robbery, and homelessness were rampant. Not the peaceful halls of refined estates or majestic villas. While Legacy's students dressed in silk and the finest linens, Naomi sewed up holes in worn-out clothes she'd had for years.

Reflecting on her predicament, Naomi only saw the polished black car when it pulled up right in front of her. Most likely, because the state-of-the-art vehicle ran on the latest technology, powered by energy-efficient, Collis-crafted, alacrity gems. Either way, she jumped back at its sudden arrival, afraid it might run her over.

Her former captor, Captain Sam, flung open the driver's side door. "Get in," he demanded.

"I'm not going back to that dungeon," Naomi retorted, because damn it, this time she didn't care.

If the king was going back on his word, then she would use her powers to send this city to hell. Burn the place down and run off with her father. Maybe they'd find a new settlement in the Silvan woods somewhere.

"Listen, Nina," Sam started with an exasperated sigh.

"It's Naomi," she snapped. She'd had enough of this guard's rudeness. He'd treated her like dirt at the castle and now this. She turned to bolt off, but the prince's voice from inside the vehicle stopped her.

"Sam, stop being an ass." The prince appeared in the car's rear doorway and beckoned for Naomi to join him. "Naomi, please get in. We're here to take you to Legacy."

Face-to-face with Malcolm, Naomi grew tense for a different reason. She wouldn't be going back to jail, but she'd be trapped in an enclosed space with him. The boy who had tricked her—whose deception had caused her current troubles. Yet she had no alternative. She'd made this new commitment, and with the king breathing down her neck, she couldn't refuse.

Reluctantly she climbed inside the car, Malcolm moving over to make room for her. As he did, their arms touched, and Naomi flashed back to the accursed festival. Back when this same touch had sprung a flutter in her stomach. Now all she felt was frustration—the urge to break that arm for the damage he'd brought into her life.

Naomi distracted herself from this train of thought by taking note of the person sitting beside Sam. He turned around to give her a warm smile. He was an elf, with olive skin, smooth ebony hair, and glistening white teeth. Like his partner, he looked to be in his late twenties.