Page 11 of Demon (Mystic Guardians #3)

Chapter Eleven

L onnie

The classroom was silent as his students worked on their assignments. Lonnie’s gaze often strayed to Callan, who was sitting in the too-small chair at the back of the classroom. Today, he wore a pair of navy slacks and a gray button-down that was several shades darker than his skin. He looked sexy in the nice clothes.

Lonnie had explained to his students that Callan was an auditor, but still their eyes aimed his direction often. Lonnie didn’t blame them. Even with the glamour, he was a large, intimidating man. Because Lonnie didn’t actually see the glamour, he couldn’t help but wonder what they saw, though. Just a man with bulging muscles and short black hair? He’d hate not being able to see the horns because they were just so beautiful. But what did his skin look like to them? He’d love to see what they saw, but then he liked Callan as he was so much, it didn’t matter.

And it wasn’t just his physical looks or the fact he was a demon that drew Lonnie in. His personality was fascinating. He obviously struggled with words, making him Lonnie’s complete opposite in that respect, but it was more than evident that there was a lot going on in Callan’s head. And he was just so sweet, with his gift and the pride he’d felt in giving it. He…fit into Lonnie’s world in a way he found refreshing. Liked the shows Lonnie liked, and he actually seemed to enjoy Lonnie’s moments of chatter. He paid attention to Lonnie in a way he’d never experienced. He’d never had that sort of focus on him. He liked it.

Needing to get his mind back on his job, he forced himself to stop staring at Callan. Since he’d printed out a few hard copies of student work, he went back to the papers on his desk, writing notes in the margins that he would later type into Word. His pen ran out of ink, and he opened the top drawer in his desk to grab another one, then froze.

There was another note there.

I’m not happy about the man in your house. Get rid of him.

His gaze flew to Callan, whose head snapped up instantly like he sensed the abrupt change in Lonnie’s mood. Lonnie waved to let him know he was okay. He didn’t touch the note, just calmly shut the drawer. But he couldn’t focus enough to read his students’ writing, so he just sat quietly until the period was over.

After the students filed out, Callan walked up to his desk. “What happened?”

Lonnie opened the drawer.

Callan scowled after reading the note. “We should call the police about the parking lot security cameras.”

“They do have locks on the doors when the classrooms aren’t open, but still, anyone could have come in here. Did you pick up that scent you smelled the other night during any of the classes today?”

Callan shook his head. “What other places do you frequent?”

“Not many. The grocery store, my dry cleaners. I order most things, and I doubt it’s the delivery guy since they’re always different.” He sighed and started to run his fingers through his hair but it was pulled back. With a headache flirting through his skull, he needed his hair down, so he quickly did that. He ran his fingers through the loose strands then looked up to find Callan watching him avidly.

“You have pretty hair,” the demon said softly. “I like it down.”

“It’s more professional to keep it up, but I was getting a headache, so it’s staying down for the last class.” He looked at the note again. “I just don’t understand what makes one person think they can be this intrusive in another person’s life. There has to be something really wrong with them. Just knowing I’m being watched like this is really starting to mess with my head. I brushed it off at first, but I can’t now. This is serious.”

“It is.”

Callan surprised him when he reached out and fingered some strands of Lonnie’s hair.

“It’s so soft,” Callan whispered.

It was his one feature Lonnie felt was actually pretty. Even Richard had loved his hair, always urging him to keep it long. Lonnie preferred it that way, so Richard’s opinion hadn’t factored into his reasons for keeping the length. Now, he stared up at Callan, who seemed almost mesmerized by it, and he was fiercely glad he had this one thing that made him stand out a little. With his thin, too-wide lips and his ridiculously small nose, he’d always felt his face wasn’t attractive, but the way Callan looked at him made him feel differently. He did feel attractive when Callan stared at him. Which thrilled him to no end because gaining the interest of someone so amazing made Lonnie’s heart swell. Callan had such a presence with his huge body and his craggy face. He was a magical being. More than human.

And he’d made his interest plain with his gift and the way he gazed at Lonnie. It filled Lonnie’s stomach with butterflies.

His breath caught when Callan moved his fingers to his lips, tracing the lower one with his thumb. They stared at each other, a sexual tension Lonnie had never felt in his life building between them. And when Callan’s usual frown lifted into a smile, Lonnie found he couldn’t breathe at all. That thumb kept gently tracing his lower lip, and the urge to suck it into his mouth was so strong, he opened his mouth.

“Professor Russell?”

He jumped back as one of his students hurried into the classroom, breaking the tense moment completely. At least he hadn’t been sucking on Callan’s thumb like he’d wanted to.

Heat filled his cheeks as he turned to face his student. She was standing rather awkwardly, her gaze darting back and forth between him and Callan as a smile tilted one corner of her mouth.

“Yes, Lana, what do you need?”

She launched into a discussion about her current story as Callan moved away from him and leaned against a wall. But Lonnie stayed highly aware of the demon, his body inwardly vibrating with excitement. There was something…powerful there. Something out of his realm of experience.

And he wanted more.