Page 202 of Volik

I grin up at him. Then have to push my tongue against my lower lip when it catches on my fang.

A gentle wave of heat bumps into me.

I do my best to ignore it.

“Would you please spend the next ten minutes slowly, or… not so slowly, wandering around the room?”

He dips his chin.

Winks at me.

Then blurs down the aisle, stopping at the back of the room.

More chairs squeak. But no one screams this time.

Feeling pretty proud of myself, I turn around and walk to the whiteboard.

What happened during your driver’s license exam?

Where was the first place you drove after getting your license?

I set the marker down and turn back to the class. “Pair off, starting by the windows.” I point. “One, two. One, two. Any straggler at the end, find another straggler. I will start a timer for five minutes. The person with the longer first name goes first. Ask your partner these questions and write down the story. Then we’ll start a new five, and you swap roles. And if you don’t have a driver’s license, tell your partner why. You have one minute to pair up.” I lift my voice as the students start to whisper to each other. “Good luck. And of course, stay focused.”

Volik walks slowly behind the back row as everyone shifts into their pairs.

When I tell the kids to start, Volik adds weight to his footsteps. And the room vibrates.

Chapter 85

Volik

“Okay, that’s it for today. Write your name on the top of your paper and leave it on my desk. I’ll give five extra credit points for all completed work.”

I pull the classroom door open, then stand beside it. This is Nix’s final class of the day, and these kids need to leave.

Ignoring the scents of everyone else, I take a long inhale of orchids.

Orchids, mixed with that faint scent of cherries. The scent of my mate’s arousal.

Because watching me storm around the room turned her on.

And I cannot leave my woman needy.

Pushing away the urge to jump to her right now and sink my teeth into her perfectly soft neck, I drag my tongue over my fang.

Students start to file past me. Most of them hug the far side of the doorway, but a few brave ones smile at me.

I ignore all of them while mentally urging them to hurry.

They do not hurry fast enough.

While I wait, my nose twitches at the scent of stale coffee.

Glancing around, I see that the small garbage can next to the door is filled with coffee-soaked paper towels.

If Nix spilled her coffee, I should make her more.

Finally, the last kid jogs down the aisle.