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16

Despite being able to indulge in a full night’s sleep and being energized by Miles’s delicious breakfast, I was still tired the next morning. Still, school could not wait, and I had no choice but to drag myself to my classes.

Maybe I was just mentally exhausted? My thoughts constantly returned to my parents, Finn, and the unforgivable offenses done against me. Glorious visions of revenge were already taking root in my mind.

Mostly featuring my ex-best friend.

However, I had to fight the urge to wallow in pity. I could not allow my attention to dwell on such things. I had to focus—to be alert—for this was a vulnerable time. It was Monday morning, and Monday classes meant one thing:

Biology, and lab, with Bryce Dubois.

He was my archnemesis, and the bane of my existence—now ranking close to a certain blond-haired devil with silver eyes. Bryce had allowed the sovereignty bequeathed upon him by our true professor to get to his head, and I had no doubts that if I displayed anything less than ultimate perfection, he’d take great pleasure in ruining my academic career.

I could not allow my reputation to suffer, no matter my personal struggles.

But as classes droned on, and I squinted my eyes while trying my hardest to focus, I couldn’t help but find that Bryce’s lecture was particularly boring today. Despite my positive intentions, Bryce’s lackluster demonstration of proper microscope technique failed to capture my attention.

In fact, the conversation from the giggling group of girls in front of me was far more interesting. They weren’t even trying to be subtle—even I could understand them. And being forced to sit through detailed observations regarding Bryce’s supposed attractiveness was a new level of torture.

Why was it that nobody else could see just how incredibly annoying Bryce was?

At least I wasn’t alone in this rivalry—I’d feel silly if that were the case.

Bryce was just as guilty.

It was born the instant our eyes met, and he snubbed his nose at me. I might have given up in the midst of his first challenge, but, in the end, I would prevail. But since then—even though I avoided him at all costs—he’d done nothing but antagonize me. He watched me when he thought I wasn’t looking and singled me out in lectures with random, obscure questions meant to humiliate me.

Heck, he’d even assigned me extra homework.

Even Finn had thought the last one was a bit much.

But it didn’t matter. No matter what else might happen, I refused to lose to the likes of him. He might be the favorite for now, but change was inevitable.

I would dethrone him .

And I would never ask him for help.

Bryce’s stout voice continued to drone from the front of the room, and my classmates didn’t stop giggling at his clumsy antics. It was hard to stay on guard, and my exhaustion began to reach a critical point. Not even pure loathing could sustain me.

It was during my weakest moment when he struck.

“Miss Brosnan?”

I jerked awake as his voice sounded loud in my ear, and his overwhelming presence appeared beside my seat. My elbow slipped from the counter, and I fell from the stool and onto the laminate floor.

I lay, crumbled in a vulnerable heap, as laughter broke out across the room.

My hands grew cold as my skin crawled. Right now would be the perfect time for the floor to swallow me up and make me disappear.

Bryce was standing beside my empty chair, and his flawless, square features drew closer as he leaned toward me. “Are you okay?”

My heart hammered as I stared up at him.

Could he be showing genuine concern? I never could have guessed. But then my attention was called to the minuscule twitch at the corner of his mouth, and I knew.

He was a faker. I’d insulted him.

Good.

“Am I that boring?” Bryce held his hand, the perfect picture of a gentleman. It was an impressive act, though he lacked sincerity. Sure enough, the room began to sound with jealous twittering.

I stared between his hand and his face. What was he plotting now? Obviously, I couldn’t accept his help; I’d be targeted by his fans. I’d learned the hard way what an intense experience that could be, and Bryce just wasn’t worth the trouble. But people would think I was a brat if I rebuffed him, and that also might set them off. I was trapped.

He was good. Too good.

I should bite him. Since I was in a lose-lose situation, I might as well go for the jugular and bring him down with me.

“Or do you need me to take you to the medical center?” He launched his final attack before I could decide.

“No!” I stared at him as my anxiety spiked and my battle strategy was lost. That was the last thing I wanted.

No medical center. No hospital.

“Miss Brosnan?” His expression had changed, and his forehead wrinkled in concern. He clearly had not expected my reaction. “What are—”

I’d made a huge mistake.

“I-I’m all right.” I brushed away his hand and stumbled to my feet. I couldn’t even look at him. “S-sorry.”

Suddenly, winning was no longer important.

My skin was crawling, and my vision was going hazy. I wanted to run away, and I wasn’t sure I could hold out until class ended.

Bryce stepped closer, his arm brushing against mine, and it somehow became even worse. He was saying something, but I couldn’t make it out, so this time, when I looked at him, it was out of necessity. “Go wait for me in Professor Hamway’s office.”

My ears buzzed as my stomach dropped.

But, why?

At the same time, though, I wasn’t sure what was worse: the scrutiny-filled stares of my peers, or being alone with Bryce Dubois.

“Please,” he said, not asking. He was giving me a direct order.

I was barely able to hold back my swelling panic as I gathered my bags and fled.

I pulled at my hair and cowered in one of Professor Hamway’s uncomfortable, faux-leather chairs. I’d messed up, and now, in the aftermath, there was nothing left for me to do except wallow.

What irony that Bryce and my first private conversation would take place because of my weakness—sleeping in class. It was a shameful thing and an ultimate insult to educators worldwide.

What would he do? I had no idea of the standard procedure for this sort of offense. Getting into trouble at school had been Finn’s job. How did professors punish college students? If the situation were reversed, and Bryce were my student, I would expel him.

Hopefully, he was more forgiving than me.

My unknown future worried me, however. It was high time to research.

However, I wouldn’t look on the internet. Even though my fingers itched to search ‘sneaky professor punishes a bad girl’ to gain an accurate picture of my fate, I suspected it might not be a good idea.

I’d only recently come to terms with the knowledge that I’d been living in a sheltered world. I was hesitant to explore the world out from behind the safe filter I’d been hiding behind.

What if there was a reason? What was so horrible about the internet that made everyone think it was better to hide the truth?

My stomach twisted at the thought of bothering Damen over such a trivial matter. He was an important person. But… I was scared.

He’d said I could text him anytime. Did he mean it?

Me

I have a question.

I wasn’t expecting a quick reply—if he even bothered to send one at all—but my phone vibrated only seconds later.

Damen

Hi, baby girl. ? What’s your question?

My face flushed—I’d officially received my first emoji. Did this mean I could use one too?

Not yet. This situation was dire.

Me

How do professors punish bad students? It’s kind of scary and I’m all alone.

As my question was sent, a weight lifted from my shoulders, and I fell back into my seat, relieved. Knowing that someone out there would be honest with me and would steer me right was a different sort of feeling. Now, I could just—

Damen

Where the fuck are you?

I frowned at my phone. What a rude response. Sure, I didn’t know him very well yet, but I hadn’t thought he seemed like a person who cursed. What was his problem?

The Ghostbusters theme then blared from my vibrating phone, ruining my train of thought. Damen was calling. But why?

We’d just established that I was already in trouble. This could make it worse.

But if he was going out of his way to call me, I couldn’t ignore him.

“Hey,” I answered, trying to sound pleasant through my nervous tension. Bryce could arrive at any moment. “I can’t really talk, I don’t want him to spank me—”

“Bianca.” Damen sounded out of breath. “Where are you?”

What a strange question; I was at school. Besides, he should know. He was adept at nosing through people’s private information. “Where I’m supposed to be,” I responded. “Where are you?”

“Bianca!”

I didn’t know what he wanted from me. “I’m in Professor Hamway’s office. I—”

“Wait for me.” He sounded so serious, and, following that, breathed a line of indiscernible words under his breath. But I couldn’t tell what he said. Then he was speaking to me again. “I’m sending my shikigami ahead, just don’t panic when you see it. I’ll be there in a minute.”

And then he hung up without offering any usable advice.

I stared at my phone. That’d been a complete waste of time.

I had no time to lament my unprepared dilemma because, at that moment, Bryce strolled into the room. He touched the cuff of his sleeve, and without even looking in my direction, he claimed Professor Hamway’s seat.

The audacity.

His usual demeanor was missing as he crossed his arms on the top of the desk and looked at me. It was strange to see him without his trademark insufferable expression, and if I was forced to guess at his thoughts, he might be worried. And maybe even a bit nervous.

But that was impossible.

“Miss Brosnan.” His voice sounded different. He raised his eyebrow as he carefully watched me. I was sure that in some people’s eyes, he might be considered attractive. But, in my opinion, he totally wasn’t. In fact, everything about him was the exact opposite, and I could never see things otherwise .

Even so, I couldn’t hide from the sudden caress of his voice. What was wrong with me? His voice was so smooth I could practically sense it gliding over my skin.

He was up to something, but I had no idea what. I was certain it had to do with fairy magic.

It was a disgusting feeling.

I clenched my teeth, biting back my urge to hiss in his face, as I fought back a shiver of horror. When I’d daydreamed of our confrontation, I made him cry with my harsh words. But now this moment was here, I couldn’t make a sound.

Why was I so much cooler in my imagination?

I wish I knew what to expect. I should have just looked for my own answers. Now I had no idea what was going on, and it was all Damen’s fault.

As far as I knew, Bryce would start smacking my wrists with a ruler or something.

I eyed the thick ruler lying across the desk. Why would a biology professor even need a ruler? Surely it was for punishment. It was very sturdy looking, and Bryce looked like a strong dude. Any wrist smacking was sure to be painful.

My life sucked.

Bryce leaned forward, hiding the object from my view. This didn’t settle my nerves, though, because now an even worse thing was in my sight—his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I blinked, then shook my head, snapping myself out of my musings. The spell broke.

“You’re not yourself today,” he tapped his finger on the desk. “You’re not glaring at me as much as usual. It’s been lonely.”

“I’ve glared at you plenty!” I pointed at him as my resolve snapped. It was not my job to entertain him. “What do you want? You’ve finally gotten me alone, so now what are you plotting to do to me?”

Bryce lifted a well-shaped eyebrow as he eyed my pointed finger. But then, as his gaze followed the line of my wrist, toward my semi-bare shoulder, where my loose top had shifted in my dramatic movements, his humor vanished.

He sat forward and grabbed my wrist, and that movement was all it took for my bravado to vanish.

“Hey—” I protested.

“You’re right,” he interrupted. His voice was clear, but I could hardly hear him through the pounding in my ears. “I have been wanting to get you alone.”

“Wh-what?” I hadn’t planned on him confronting me in return.

Where was Damen?

“How did you get hurt?” Bryce asked. And even though he was holding me quite gently, I wasn’t strong enough to pull my arm away.

He didn’t seem to notice.

“Why haven’t you come to me?”

I didn’t want to go to him for anything.

Please stop touching me.

“L-let go!” Why was my voice shaking?

Bryce scowled before he released my wrist. “What happened?” he asked. “Let me help you.”

My skin went cold.

Maybe at some point in my life, I would have welcomed this attention. I would have latched on to any lifeline. I’d hoped for anyone to notice.

But now things were fine. Everything was under control.

And now… now I had Damen, Julian, Titus, and Miles with me .

“I don’t need your help,” I told him.

Bryce’s smooth demeanor slipped. The taste of the air soured as the hair on the back of my neck raised.

“Trust me,” he said, and the words echoed through my head. “Just tell me what happened.”

“It’s none of your business,” I protested, my voice shaky.

I almost couldn’t breathe under his heavy stare. On some level, I wanted to comply, just to make this feeling go away.

But I also really, really didn’t want to talk to him either.

“Please leave me alone,” I managed to speak around my thick tongue.

His brows furrowed, and he rested his weight on his desk. The urge to respond—to tell him everything—grew stronger, but my thoughts protested, reminding me that I had to resist. I loathed his attention—the way my skin crawled as he watched me.

I had to fight his siren call. I could never forget that he was my enemy.

His expression was one of complete astonishment. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, he was suddenly thrown back into the overly-filled bookcases.

A pale—almost translucent—bird swooped through the air and landed on the edge of the desk. I could not determine the avifauna’s species, which was disappointing. I prided myself on being aware of the local wildlife and all potential threats in one given area. However, this creature was somewhat regal-like… at least for such a tiny-brained creature.

I really didn’t like birds.

Was it a phoenix, though?

No, that couldn’t be right. Phoenixes were brightly colored, beautiful, and perpetually on fire. Or perhaps that was only when they were dying .

I had much to learn about this supernatural world.

It looked at me, craning its neck to watch me with its beady eyes, and a chill shot down my spine as I realized, this was not a bird, after all.

“Why are you here?” Bryce grunted as he pulled himself to his feet and held the broken bookshelf for support. He glared at the creature with such contempt I thought it might keel over, and I clenched my fists in front of me as a stone dropped in my stomach.

I’d forgotten—with the whole fae thing—that Bryce could see spirits too.

What was this feeling threatening to drown me? Disappointment?

I’d been hoping that Damen had lied.

Maybe I was dreaming. I could even be in a coma. Bryce could have whacked me over the head with the ruler, and I was just imagining this whole situation.

How did someone escape such fantasies? I should pinch Bryce to wake myself up.

I slid across my seat, moving toward the unsuspecting man. However, there was really no reason to hide. He wasn’t paying the faintest bit of attention to me. Instead, he was still staring down at the spirit, his nose wrinkled in derision.

Did he ever not look snotty?

Soon that would change. It’d been a short-sighted mistake for him to forget about me. Such callousness showed a serious lack of character. In another two seconds, I’d wipe that look right off his face.

Just as I reached out my hand, the office door flew open, and I fell back into my seat.

Damen rushed into the room.

“Bianca!” He spotted me instantly. I bit my bottom lip, hoping that he hadn’t just witnessed my actions. But my focus then shifted to Damen’s messy appearance. His assured features were frazzled in worry, and his hair was windblown and tangled.

“Are you okay?” he asked, closing the distance between us. A brightness sparkled under the bright dome light, and my attention was briefly captured by the golden necklace that peeked from his unbuttoned neckline.

Seeing him made me feel weightless and calm. Everything had been so dark before, but now that Damen was here, it was so much brighter.

It would be okay. Damen could totally beat Bryce in a fight.

“What did he do?” Damen asked, reaching for me. My head was spinning, so maybe I was imagining it, but there was something different about the way he looked at me today.

He pressed his thumb over the puffy skin under my left eye, and his jaw was tight as he studied my face. “Maybe we should have kept you home.” He was speaking more to himself than to me, but I was able to read his lips easily enough.

Was he talking about his house? It wasn’t my home…

Yet my pulse still raced.

The moment was shattered as Damen’s touch was pulled away. Bryce had determined it was necessary to remind us of his presence.

“What are you doing here, Abernathy?” Bryce reached across the desk, his tight fist holding onto the onmyoji’s wrist. “You’ve no right to meddle in fae business.”

“I don’t care if she’s fae.” Damen gritted his teeth and leveled a fiery snarl at Bryce. “I’m not going to let you hurt her.”

Bryce’s expression dropped and he released Damen’s arm.

“Hurt her?” he asked, bracing his shoulders. “What in the world are you talking about?” His voice hinted at genuine confusion and offense. His eyes shone in annoyance as he added, “You should know I would never harm a woman.”

Damen had certainly struck a nerve.

“Besides, I’m not the one who hurt her,” Bryce continued, looking toward my face. My mouth went dry, and I swallowed, raising my hands to cover my cheek.

What was this foreboding in the atmosphere?

But his attention did not linger. A weight lifted as he returned his fury toward Damen. “But now it makes sense if you’re involved. Obviously, this is your fault somehow.”

Damen’s piercing glare dulled as his form loosened, and he did not respond.

It was jarring. Damen had arrived with such aggression, yet somehow Bryce’s statement had rendered him speechless. In fact, Damen looked positively heartbroken.

Something began to swell in my chest. How dare Bryce hurt him.

My chest pulsed and an electric current moved down my arms. I was wagging my pointer finger in Bryce’s face before I could process my own actions.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” I chastised him. “Damen would never hurt me!” Bryce opened his mouth, but I cut off his response, “Besides, it was a ghost that attacked me.”

“A ghost?” Bryce eyed my finger. “But I’d gotten them all. Where was it?”

How absurd. Ghosts weren’t things to be collected.

Besides, they were also infinite. How would you even measure the success of such an endeavor? Ghosts could also be very tricky and good at hiding.

I had a response ready on the tip of my tongue but hesitated as the details of my witty retort blurred, and my stomach dropped .

I was yelling at Bryce—very aggressively, too. What was I going to say again?

“You don’t need to worry about it. We don’t need your help,” Damen answered. He moved behind me, and it was impossible to ignore the way his larger frame towered over mine. I might have been afraid in any other situation, but Damen and I were of one mind—one being—against a common foe.

Damen crossed his arms over my chest and pulled me to him. “Bianca is a better medium than you.” I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “You would be a hindrance.”

“Impossible.” Bryce frowned.

“Oh yes,” Damen purred in my ear.

I grit my teeth and fought the urge to bat his hands away. What was he doing? Damen was giving away my advantage.

I did not want Bryce to suspect me. I needed to be weak. I wanted to attack him when he least expected… and when I was braver.

“Anything is possible,” Damen continued. “There’s a whole world out there. Surely there is bound to be someone better than you.”

“Stop being stupid.” Bryce narrowed his eyes. “You know that’s not true.” There was a silent battle raging between the two of them, something not being spoken in their petty argument. Being stuck here, directly in the middle between two unyielding forces, had become even less fun than before.

What was I missing?

I touched Damen’s arm, not expecting him to notice. But, to my surprise, he did. His fingers entangled with mine as he stood down from his challenge.

And, even though I knew I shouldn’t care, I was happy.

Until he opened his mouth.

“What do you need, baby girl?” he asked, and my blood turned to ice in my veins.

Not the embarrassing nickname. Not here, in front of Bryce .

What was he thinking?

Bryce, too, was frowning as he looked between us, clearly unimpressed by the other man’s improprieties. “Aren’t you teaching this semester?”

“See!” My voice squeaked. I wasn’t wrong; even the dense one had picked up on it! I broke free from Damen’s arms and pushed at his chest. “See!” I repeated.

I was right!

“What am I supposed to ‘see’?” Damen remained oblivious, yet obediently dropped his arms back to his side as he watched me, brow raised. “It’s fine. You’re not my student.”

I wanted to scream. Damen was ruining the spirit of the rule by embracing all these loopholes! He knew exactly what he was doing!

But then I saw it—a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth.

He was screwing with me.

“In any case,” he addressed Bryce once more. “If you’re finished playing around, then I’m taking Bianca.”

“No.” Bryce stood and braced his hands on the table. “I’m not finished talking to her!”

I shivered. That commanding edge was back in his voice again. I wanted to avoid it.

Damen stood close enough to feel my reaction. His grin vanished, and I glanced up, catching his questioning gaze.

But I couldn’t explain.

I really wasn’t ready to deal with Bryce right now.

His expression turned smoothly calm, and he placed himself between the two of us before I could even blink. The weight against my chest lifted, and I was finally able to relax. I curled my fingers in his shirt and touched my forehead to his back .

How could he feel so safe?

“I really don’t care,” he told Bryce. “We’re done for today.”

His calm tone sent a rush of warmth down to my toes. He’d come to rescue me.

“If you have a problem with how I handle things, you’re free to discuss it with me when I have availability,” Damen said. “But leave her alone. Bianca and I have our own plans to attend to.”

We did? I thought we weren’t supposed to reconvene until later this afternoon.

Were they good plans?

Whatever they were, it didn’t matter. As Damen’s focus returned fully to me, my worries faded. I found myself unable to speak, but could only watch him, as he attentively ran his hands down my arms.

In fact, now that he’d said his piece, it was like Bryce was no longer worthy of further thought. Damen completely missed the other man’s glorious pouting, and instead straightened my coat over my shoulders before he began to close the buttons.

“It’s time to go.” Damen grabbed my hand once he was finished with his ministrations.

I followed him, unresistant, as he added, “Say goodbye to Bryce.”

The haze shifted. Did I have to?

But I wanted to make him happy. Darn it.

“Bye,” I said, complicit. Curse my indulgent nature. It wasn’t a farewell with feelings of good tidings, at least. I didn’t want to impress Damen that badly. I was just thankful for the chance to escape.

Besides, maybe the next time Bryce and I met, I’d be his equal.

I glanced back only once, glimpsing Bryce’s disapproving glare at Damen’s back, before I was led away.