Page 87 of Broken Obsession

What had he said wrong this time? What had he risked?

“Don’t use big words like that.” Eden ran a hand through his hair.

…Iteration?

“I just mean—” Ares didn’t get the chance to finish.

“What about before Vanity? How long has this been going on? You mentioned experiments?”

“I—” A group of students entered the room, their chatter immediately stopping the moment they spotted Ares and Eden. They bowed and were about to retreat, but Ares waved them forward and stood.

“It’s fine,” he reassured them. “I’m finished.”

This wasn’t the type of conversation to be had in such a public place, and since his art had been disturbed, he doubted he was going to be able to get back into it. Collecting his things, he was careful not to flip the stack of used sheets from the ground,not wanting Eden to see how many times he’d actually sketched Mother and Father before his arrival.

They went into the trash along with the still life.

Slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder, he reached for Eden’s hand but caught himself. He’d promised to give him a few days to adjust and make an impression on his students.

Which meant no public touching.

Why had he agreed to something so stupid?

With a low growl of frustration, Ares stormed out, leaving the Starling to either fly after him or not.

Eden caught up with him on the stairs. “Why’d you avoid the elevators?”

Perhaps he was taking a page out of Ryker’s playbook. Or maybe he didn’t want to risk being crammed into close quarters at the moment. The truth was never simple, set, or a singular thing.

Ares was good at pretending. At ignoring the frayed edges of reality and acting like everything was fine. During those times he couldn’t, the people around him usually assumed he was spacing out or daydreaming and didn’t press the issue or comment. Only those close to him, like the other Black Harts, understood what really went on in his mind.

And now there was Eden.

“Telling you this makes me feel crazy,” he muttered, taking the steps quickly, not even sure if the older man heard him from a few paces behind.

The fracturing didn’t happen all at once. It’d started small, harmless. Barely noticeable. He’d been in his early teens by then, around thirteen or fourteen. Even though he knew better now, Mother had excused his odd behavior as hormones.

When Zar started predicting things, they called it a gift.

Ares went from the perfect specimen to the problem child within a couple of years. Good for him. Bad for Zar.

“Hey.” Eden latched onto his arm the second they stepped out of the building, pulling him to a stop before he could take the path leading toward Castle Black. “Where’s the nearest coffee shop?”

He pointed across the way toward the library. At the bottom level, there was a separate café attached. “Velvet Brew.”

“Of course you rich kids have your own private chain coffee shop,” Eden snorted, and it was hard to tell if he was attempting to joke to lighten the mood or if that was his real thought on the matter. “Come on.” He tugged Ares until he was sure he would follow, then let go and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat.

“Aren’t you worried about being seen with me, Professor?” He motioned pointedly to the groups of students moving about the pathways, all glancing in their direction at some point or another. The snow had been plowed to clear the sidewalks, but heaps of it towered on the sides at least three feet tall, preventing anyone from approaching, though it was clear some wanted to. “Word of the new classical music teacher is getting around.”

The arts programs at Sacrum Cor were the most highly sought after. Many celebrities in both the music and fine arts scenes had graduated from this university. Anytime there was a new addition to the staff, it was a big deal, add to the fact that Eden already had a reputation as Ransom, and Ares had anticipated the attention his Starling would receive.

But not his personal reaction to it.

An unsettling feeling lingered in Ares’ gut, and soon he was sending warning glares at anyone who dared to look at Eden for too long.

As in, longer than a single second.

The three-minute walk seemed to take a lifetime, but the annoyance didn’t stop after they’d entered the Velvet Brew. There were merely new stares to greet them.