Page 34

THIRTY-THREE

LUCIUS

I walked into my office, and the moment my fingers brushed the doorknob, I hesitated. It was unlocked. My stomach tensed. I pushed the door open, and my eyes landed on Luna. She leaned casually against my desk, twirling a red rose between her fingers.

“Hey there, loverboy,” she greeted, bringing the flower to her nose with a smirk.

I slammed the door shut and strode toward her. “What do you want?”

“For starters, maybe stop leaving roses all over my classroom. They’re a pain to clean up.” She flicked the rose into the trash without a second glance.

“Was that necessary?” I dropped into my chair, watching her. “Jealous of my love life?”

“Not jealous, Lucius,” she said smoothly, crossing her arms. “Just... concerned.”

I exhaled, rubbing my temples. “Why are you really here, Luna? If you’re about to spin some sob story about Adeline, save it. I’m not falling for it this time.”

Her brows lifted slightly as she stepped closer, the overhead light catching in her blonde hair, making it shimmer. “Oh? You’re finally over her?”

My jaw tightened. I closed my eyes, inhaled slowly, then let it out in a sharp breath. “Ouch,” I muttered, pressing a hand to my chest. “That stings.”

She rolled her eyes. “Cass called me here. He wanted to talk.”

“Do you?” I tilted my head. “Because the last time we talked, you were heartbroken over him hurting your feelings. And now, I’m starting to think those weren’t even about Cass.” I stopped. “Hmmm, maybe they were about Adeline Ravenshaw.”

“Since when did you become such an asshole, Lucius Lockwood?” she snapped.

I scoffed. “I don’t know. Since when did you become such a liar, Luna Aracelis?”

“Really?” A sharp voice cut through the room before she could respond.

Cassius.

He entered with a bang, slamming the door shut behind him.

“That door’s gonna need repairs at this rate,” Luna muttered, throwing me a glare before turning to Cass. “Asshole,” she added, just for me.

Cass let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “So, ten years after you both realized you were in love with the same girl, and now you’re fighting over her ghost? Damn, karma is a bitch.”

“Not funny, Cass,” Luna snapped, straightening from the desk.

“If anyone should be pissed, it’s me,” he said, still laughing. “Adeline played us all.”

The crack of Luna’s palm against his cheek broke through the room.

His smirk vanished as he pressed a hand to his red skin. “Oh, bring it on,” he muttered.

“Enough!” My voice cut through the tension. “Both of you—just stop.”

Luna’s chest rose and fell with anger, but she took a step back. Cass dropped his hand from his face, his face shifting to a more serious mood.

I turned to him. “You wanted to talk. So talk.”

Cass reached into his pocket and pulled out a disk, holding it up between two fingers.

“I dug up the security tape from 2007,” he said. “Someone tampered with it, so I went deeper into the archives.” His voice lowered slightly. “I found the original.”

Luna and I exchanged glances before she asked, “And?”

Cass hesitated. “I hate to say it, but I think my cousin Stella is onto something.”

“Stella?” Luna frowned. “I thought Blue was the one poking around.”

“Freya and Ava, too,” I muttered, rubbing my temples.

“Yeah.” Cass let out a dry laugh. “Apparently, they have a whole murder mystery club.”

Luna shoved him lightly. “What did you find?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “My dad took me to Switzerland that year. I always thought it was to get me out of the way after I caught him with Adeline. But... he kept a file on her in his archives.” His voice was quiet. “For years, I thought he was involved. But now? Maybe he was being blackmailed into hiding the truth from the police.”

“And the tape?”

He inhaled deeply. “The night Adeline died, someone else was in her room.”

Luna and I spoke at the same time. “Who?”

Cass’s jaw tightened. “A man wore a hoodie. Couldn’t see his face. But Stella found something in my dad’s files before she realized I was looking.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully.

“Adeline found a summer job before she even got to Blackthorn.” His eyes darkened. “Babysitting a boy.”

Cass stepped closer to the table, grabbed my laptop, and flipped it open. The screen turned on as he inserted the disk. A grainy video played; a man stood in the garden cutting dahlias before turning toward the dorms.

“Hector,” Cass muttered. His eyes narrowed as he leaned in. “I mean... it has to be. I remember he had a son, around eight years old, back then. And I know for a fact my dad paid a hefty sum to send that kid abroad to study.”

Luna frowned. “Why would Hector kill Adeline? He was like a second father to you.”

Cass exhaled sharply, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “Stella opened that file too. But by the time I got to it, it was blank. I think she deleted it, probably found something she wasn’t supposed to.” He hesitated, then added, “Stella’s smart. She’s better with tech than I am. If she wiped that file, there must be a damn good reason.”

I drummed my fingers against the desk. “Maybe we should just bring the girls in and be transparent about everything. If they’re better at this than us, it’s worth a shot.”

Luna crossed her arms, mulling it over. Finally, she sighed. “Fine. Bringing all the stories together isn’t the worst idea.”

“You see?” Cass grinned, leaning back in his chair. “Just like old times.”

His smirk widened. “I have to admit, we lost a few brain cells when we stopped hanging out with you, Luna.”

She let out a laugh. “A few?”

I shook my head, chuckling. “I mean…”

Adeline Ravenshaw died in November 2007. Whether we admitted it or not, every single one of us lost something that day, too. But somehow, ten years later, she had brought us all together again.

We owed her the truth.

She deserved to rest.

And maybe, just maybe, we needed a fresh start, too.

Finding thousands of red roses on short notice was nearly impossible, especially for a place hidden behind the blue horizon. But tracking down one vanilla ice cream? Even harder.

Blackthorn’s kitchen could prepare anything from scratch, but ice cream wasn’t on the menu. Frustrated, I gave up and made my way back to class, slipping behind my desk with a sigh.

The room was empty. I had arrived earlier than usual. It was a rare moment that students were not already inside, but it gave me time to pull my thoughts together.

I needed a new plan. A way to make her smile every single day until she forgot about the day she got hurt by those bitches. I would make sure it never happened again.

She needed to be safe.

She needed to be free to fall in love with me.

She had seen the darkest parts of me, but now it was time to show her the light. Because she deserved that part of me, too.

I exhaled, rubbing my eyes. I should have switched my contacts for glasses; the strain was getting to me. The day hadn’t even started, and I was already counting down to the end of class.

A soft knock pulled me from my thoughts.

My Little Star.

“Hi, professor,” she greeted.

I glanced up. She stood at the door, her lips played into smile.

She wore her uniform, but without the blazer, just a white shirt, a tie, and a skirt mid-thigh size. Her ginger hair fell freely over her shoulders, except for two loose strands framing her face. And then there was that red lipstick. The same shade from the first class.

God, those lips.

I smiled as she slowly walked toward me. She leaned over the desk, fingers brushing the buttons of her shirt.

“Miss Sinclaire,” I murmured, clearing my throat.

“Professor,” she said, her eyes locked onto mine.

Her fingers moved, undoing the first button. Then another.

Then another.

The curve of red lace peeked through, hugging her skin like sin itself. And just above, in bold black ink, she had written two words: “FUCK ME.”

A grin tugged at the corner of my lips.

She held my gaze as she buttoned her shirt back up, adjusting her tie with a smirk.

“So, professor,” she said, tilting her head. “Library after class?” Her smile deepened. “And… don’t forget the mask.”

I bit down on my lower lip, eyes tracing her every move.

“Deal, Miss Sinclaire.”

Oh, Little Star, you have no idea what you’re asking for.

She turned, walking out slowly, her hands resting on the curve of her ass just as the other students began filtering into the room.

And just like that, class had never felt longer.