Page 78 of Volik

I flex the power swirling in my chest.

Because anyone who sets foot in my home without my permission… They will lose their life.

Chapter 40

Nix

Sweater clean of coffee. Thermos and mug washed and put in a drawer. Empty cupcake box discarded. Dropped cupcake cleaned up by some wonderful university employee. I sit behind my desk and open my laptop.

I only need five minutes to refresh myself for today’s class plan. And since I still have two and a half hours… I open my internet browser and type vampire mate.

Inarrow my eyes at the screen.

The tapping noise gets louder.

Blinking, I turn my head toward the door.

A familiar face is on the other side of the glass, eyes wide, smile wider.

I close my laptop and wave for Jenny to come in.

She opens the door and rushes in. “Girl!”

“Good morning.” I grin, even as heat creeps up my neck.

As she gets closer, she wiggles her brows. “Damn, Nix.”

My brows furrow, then I put it together and let out an embarrassed laugh. “Oh, yeah. Whoops.” I forgot I was sitting here in my skintight, strappy plain black tank top. “Sorry. I spilled some coffee on myself when I got here. My sweater is still drying.”

“Don’t apologize on my account. I like the look.”

The look is not a school look. Not for a teacher.

I can’t forget to grab my sweater off the windowsill before the kids come in.

“So…” I clasp my hands on my lap. “How’s it going?”

Jenny snorts as she leans a hip against my desk. “No way are you going to pretend like nothing happened yesterday.”

I press my hands to my cheeks. “How bad is it?”

“Bad?” She shakes her head. “Nothing’s bad. I mean, the dean sent out that email, but that wasn’t bad.”

I sit forward and reopen my laptop. “What email? I checked this morning to see if I was fired. But there wasn’t anything.”

“He just sent it like ten minutes ago.” She comes around to my side of the desk as I open the email. “And before you freak out, you’re definitely not fired.”

I hum, already assuming that much. Then I read the email.

It’s short. To the point.

To all who work for Stalden University,

I would like to reassure everyone that there are no threats to this school or its occupants. The incident that was recorded yesterday regarding Volik was neither violence nor aggression. It was simply our very own staff member’s biological reaction to finding his mate.

This is a very important time for him and Ms. Novak. They will be making a statement when they are ready. But in the meantime, I must insist that, if asked, you do not speak to the media. This is not our story to share. And the confidentiality agreement we have all signed regarding Volik extends to Ms. Novak. We cannot stop students from spreading rumors, but we will not exacerbate them.

Dean of SU