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“You,” he said, in a deep tone that seemed to reverberate through me. “You’ll do.”
I blinked in confusion.What the hell was he talking about?A breeze rushed past and my papers started to blow away. “Darn it,” I muttered as I fell to my knees and started to collect everything I could before I became even more screwed than I already was.
I was on my hands and knees, reaching for all of the papers before they got too far away, and realized the booted feet were still right in front of me. The strange man wasn’t bending to help me. He was just staring, like a creeper.
That silver gaze was boring into me, and I swore he stared right through me.What the hell was he looking for?Under different circumstances, I would have been more polite, but this just wasn’t my day. “If you’re not going to help, you can leave,” I snapped.
“I’m a king. I don’t help.”
Someone snickered, and I realized there was another man. With shockingly red hair and beard, he was just as tall as the dark one, wearing similar clothes and also sporting pointed ears. Was there some sort ofLord of the Ringsfan event nearby I didn’t know about? It wouldn’t surprise me. The college was always hosting fun-sounding events I never went to because I was too busy working.
Working toward something that didn’t fucking matter, because apparently the project I’d been busting my ass on for the past three years was now stolen. Thinking of the betrayal filled me with fresh anger, and I took in a gulp of air to stop myself from crying.
“Sorry to bother you, Your Kingliness,” I muttered as I finished collecting my things. The pastel-pink cardigan had fallen into the leaves, and I tried brushing it off, but while clutching my papers tight to my chest, I just didn’t have enough mobility to make any real headway with it.
What was I even doing out here? I’d wanted to confront Grant but thanks to my near panic attack, I’d run outside instead. Maybe I should just go home and have a giant glass of wine. Or two. Or three.
No. I knew myself too well. If I went home, I’d chicken out and convince myself that Grant had some reason to do what he did or that fighting would be pointless. I needed to confront him while I was still fired up and had some nerve.
If I was better at standing up for myself, he never would’ve done this to me in the first place. I was the perfect patsy. Smarter than he could ever hope to be but much too timid to actually defend myself.
If anyone else came to me with a problem like this, I’d recommend they calm down and strategize. Come up with a plan of attack.
But I wasn’t anyone else. I was a field mouse who would run into hiding if given the chance. I needed to use this anger to my advantage and let Grant know he couldn’t get away with this.
I started to stand and realized that the two oversized cosplayers still hovered over me. They were weird, but I couldn’t really judge considering I was the one wandering around with my head in a totally different world.
An angry and vengeful world.
“Tell me your name,” said the dark one.
No. Hedemanded.
“It’s none of your business,” I shot back. He blinked in surprise at my answer, and even I had to admit that my backbone surprised me. But, of course, I immediately backtracked. “I’m sorry. It’s been a rough day. Please excuse me.” I turned before he could say anything else and mentally cursed myself. He was being rude. There was no reason for me to apologize.
This was exactly why Grant and everyone else at the Kennyon University Physics Department would walk all over me. Why students would come to me when they wanted extensions. Why I was always put in charge of the more grueling student reports.
I spent so much time trying not to be a bitch, and what had it gotten me? A crappy career and a new position as a department doormat. Well, not anymore. That was all changing today, starting with me opening up a can of whoop-ass on Grant.
People didn’t say “open a can of whoop-ass” anymore, did they? Well, I’d ease into my new, more powerful life.
It was just about sunset. Where would Grant be on a Tuesday evening? His office hours were over, but he and a few of the other department heads would go to Mr. G’s bar for drinks.
I always thought it was odd for a bunch of professors to go drinking on a weekday, not that they invited me. Apparently, my vagina made me much less enjoyable to drink with. Not that I would waste my time on a weeknight at a bar. I was too busy doing work that Grant was just going to steal and take credit for...
The bar was just a few lecture halls away. I reached the main road that divided the campus from the local restaurants when I realized I wasn’t alone. Behind me were the two wannabe Legolases.
I pressed the button at the crosswalk to hurry the walk signal and subtly glanced over my shoulder.
The redheaded one scanned the surroundings as though the street was the most fascinating sight he’d ever seen.
However, the dark one’s eyes were laser-focused on me. He wasn’t even being subtle about it.
I twisted my head back toward the street and shifted my weight. I was in a public place. There was no reason to freak out about one guy being a creeper.
Even if he was a giant. And beautiful. And emanated danger.
Emanated danger?I was a lifelong nerd.What the hell did I know about danger?
The walk signal started to glow white, and I quickened my steps to make it across the street as fast as possible. Because I didn’t want to hold up traffic. Not because I was running. It would be foolish to run from someone while in the safety of a crowd. Right?
