I shuddered as the thought went through my mind.
“I need Professor Radu.”
“That leech?” Tristan made me jump to the moon when he banged his textbook down on the desk and dropped down next to me. “What do you need him for?”
“I— I—”
“How many times do you think your Tristan has shoved her screams back down her throat with his tongue?”
My face hardened. “Don’t worry about it,” I clipped. “It’s my business.”
Tristan’s smile twitched—surprise popping his brow. “Oh... yeah, sure. Of course it is. I’m not trying to pry, but”—he looked around, leaning in close—“you know you have to be careful, right? If he suspects—”
I scraped my chair across the rough stone pushing it back. “I said it’s none of your business. If you don’t mean to pry, stop doing it.” Sliding over my pencil and notebook, I plopped in the next seat over, leaving a very pointed space between me and Tristan.
And it made me feel like sun-baked crap.
My stomach twisted in knots, burning my throat with bile. I stuck my face in my notebook rather than see the expression on Tristan’s.
“Well done, human.” Sabrina stuck her head out of my collar. She had no problem looking at the expression on Tristan’s face. “Finally, you begin to see sense.”
“I—”
“Oooh, what’s this?”
Oh no.
“Trouble in paradise?” Ronin loped over to us, grinning away. All traces of the embarrassed demon mourning the violation of his anus was gone. “Why are you and your mutt sitting apart? You didn’t get into a fight, did you?”
I clenched my jaw tight, nostrils flaring.Just like a little devil to see a weakness and pounce.
“Ahh,” Ronin mourned, putting on a pout. “And here I was all amused over my pet finding a pet of his own, and now you’ve gone and broken up.” He tsked. “Pity.”
Pushing down my irritation, I forced a smile on my lips. “Tristan and I aren’t in a fight, why would we be? I only moved to make space for you.” I patted the seat. “It’s all warm and it’s all yours, Mr. Belphe.”
If anything, he smirked wider. “How suspiciously obedient of you, but I do remember telling you I sit in the back.”
“Oh, gosh, of course, sir.” I quickly gathered my things and popped up, secretly glad to get away from Tristan and the stare boring a hole in the side of my head.
“Charlie, wait—” Tristan called.
But I didn’t bother to look back.
Ronin followed me up the stairs, and even though I couldn’t see him, I knew he was grinning away.
Unease popped goose bumps on my neck and arms. Slowly, I turned and peeked at him over my shoulder... and locked right on to those ruby eyes.
In that second, I knew that Ronin hadn’t avoided me for the last day and a half because he was embarrassed. He did it because he needed just that much time to plan his revenge. And now—
—he was ready.
I swallowed through needles, vividly recalling the gory scene of blood and guts that Ronin caused in that mess hall that day with only a snap of his fingers. “E-everything’s okay between us? Right? Mr. Belphe?”
“Of course, it is, Charlie.” My name on his lips loosened my bowels. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
My lips parted—to say what I didn’t know. But I did know I had to do something to dispel that look in his eyes. “Mr.—”
“Whoa, whoa. Where do you think you’re going?” Over Ronin’s shoulder, Professor Somnus peeled himself up off the desk. His elbow knocked into the liquor bottle and it smashed on the floor. “What a waste,” he muttered.
