Page 109 of Trapped By the Blood Ruby

“Laurent, my semester starts September first and you told me I’d be allowed to⁠—“

“I am not backtracking on my word, Lily.”

Wasn’t he, though?

“I do not see why you cannot complete the first few months remotely. Can you not work with your advisor in that capacity?”

“It’s not that simple. I… I have to TA. All grad students are expected to hold either a teaching assistant position or a graduate student research position. That’s how the university funds our education and pays our tuition.”

“I will fund your education.”

My mouth dropped open. “That’s—you can’t.”

“Please. It can’t possibly cost that much.”

But he already had his phone out, lifting it to his ear. He waited, watching me with an infuriatingly calm expression.

“Ashwin.” His voice shifted into something smooth and professional. “Yes, it’s been too long. How is Priya?”

I stared at him. Ashwin? Ashwin Deshmukh? He was on a first-name basis with the dean?

“Excellent to hear.” A pause. “I’m calling about one of your new doctoral students. Lily Shaw, mathematics department.” Another pause, longer this time. “No, nothing of concern. Quite the opposite. She needs to take her fall semester remotely… Yes, I’m aware that’s not standard practice.”

I blinked at him.

“I’ll cover her tuition personally, along with a formidable donation for whatever foundation you see fit... Yes, of course. I’m glad it made a difference… Certainly.”

They talked for several more minutes as I attempted to make sense of the conversation.

Then finally, “Excellent. I appreciate your flexibility, Ashwin. Give my best to Priya… Bye now.”

He slipped his phone into his pocket and met my eyes. “There. All settled. The dean will have the necessary paperwork emailed over. We’ll have it buttoned up before we leave. Any other concerns?”

I gaped at him, torn between gratitude and frustration.

“You… I can’t just pick up and leave for five months!”

“Lily. I need you there by my side.”

“No, you don’t.”

“I do. You are my amplifier. My strength. I need you there. I want you there. I…” He hesitated, eyes darting between mine. “Do this with me. Us. Together.”

Gritting my teeth, I said, “So that’s it then? You’re forcing me to go? When you said you wouldn’t force me to do anything ever again, I took you at your word.”

His head fell back against the sofa and he groaned like a petulant child—something I’d never heard from him before. “If you do not want go, I will not force you. I will send Marco to Italy and remain here. With you. I’m permitted to send a delegation on my behalf. It’s not unheard of, but it is frowned upon. As my second, Marco is permitted to take my place on the SC. I’d rather not do this, for obvious reasons. The main reason being I need to stop the person responsible for taking my family from me. So, please, tell me why you must remain here? Help me understand why your staying here is more important than saving my family?”

I opened and closed my mouth. Because when he phrased it like that, a few months of remote work to help save his family—a family I was slowly becoming a part of—was minimal. My refusal suddenly felt selfish.

“I’ve never…” I cleared my throat. “I’ve never traveled out of the state before. Let alone out of the country.” The thought intimidated me.

Laurent gave Cinna an affectionate pat before letting her squirm free. She began roaming the drawing room, looking for things to play with.

“You will like Italy, I think. Many famous mathematicians have come from there, you know.”

“I know.”

He stood and walked over to the piano bench where I sat. He took my chin in his fingers, tiling my face up. His thumb stroked my jaw. “You will come with me, then?”