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I turn back to Landon, not giving the Prince heir a chance to respond, and focus back on the excited words leaving his lips. I have to get this situation under control before Denver sends my whole world crashing down around me.
Chapter Nine
Denver
“That’stheendofour class for today,” Professor Pierce says. The marker clatters on the edge of the whiteboard for the first time in hours. “We normally would reconvene after lunch, but use this time to get acquainted with the school.”
He looks out over the entire classroom until his gaze finally lands on Aria. My teeth grind as he continues staring at her, and I grip the edge of the desk to keep myself from doing something I’ll definitely regret. I’ve been watching him ever since class started. Because after what I saw in the cafeteria last night, he’s number one on my list of men to watch out for, well maybe number two after she and that wolf left together. Thankfully, I don’t think anyone else other than her friends had noticed the look she and the professor exchanged, otherwise she’d already have a huge problem on her hands. Something seemed off though, almost like there was something more than attraction at hand. But that would be impossible, right? I immediately dismiss that thought, knowing it will do me no good to linger on it.
She doesn’t seem to notice his attention though, much like she hasn’t for most of the lesson. Each time she looked away his gaze subtly slid to her, watching her just as I was.
I swear this woman is nothing but trouble. If I was smart I’d forget her, I’d move on and stop trying to insert myself into her life. I guess I’m an idiot though, because I’ve completely given up on trying to distance myself from her. That possibility flew out the window after that party. I thought one taste would be enough, but now I’m fucking addicted and there’s no way out.
“I’ll be here for a few hours after lunch so if you have any questions at all, I’ll be here,” Pierce says as he watches Aria the entire time. Excitement bubbles up from the women behind us while they pack up, but Aria is too focused on shoving her books into her bag that she doesn’t notice. Good, let’s hope it stays that way.
“Reditio,” she murmurs, and the bag returns to her room, gold light sparkling around it. I catch the muttered curse that slips from her lips and I turn back to my own bag, not wanting her to know that I witnessed that extra bit of magic.
“Reditio,” I murmur, sending my own bag back to my room as well.
“I’m starving,” Luke groans, but I ignore him, my focus entirely on Aria after the shit he pulled earlier. I caught that blaze of anger in her blue-green eyes, and the hint of pain that lingered there when she thought I’d betrayed her trust.
“I think I might stay back to ask some questions,” Harper says, turning to face Aria with a sheepish grin.
“You should let the poor guy eat first.” Aria chuckles, a smile spreading across her face until she glances up at Pierce’s desk. A line of ten witches have already formed in front of it, the women showing no sign that they’ll let him leave before they bombard him with questions. “I guess you should get in line then.”
“What are you going to do?” Harper asks, before the red-headed man on her other side moves to get in the line and her expression exudes pure venom.
“Let’s get out of here,” Luke whispers as he leans over towards me, clearly still terrified of the raven-haired witch.
I silently curse my third for calling attention to the fact that we haven’t left yet. Aria and I need to have another chat, especially after seeing the way Pierce was looking at her throughout the class like a lovesick puppy.
“Fine,” I grumble and stand from my chair.
“I’m going to go grab a bite to eat before my meeting with the headmistress,” Aria says just as I take a step towards the door, the guys shuffling to follow.
I frown at that but continue out the door. I need to talk to her before she goes into that meeting, otherwise I probably won’t have another chance to speak to her alone until at least tomorrow. I swallow thickly as I walk towards the main hall, my mind already imagining all the things we can get up to without our friends’ prying eyes.
“Why didn’t you back me up in there?” Luke grunts, elbowing Samuel as the two of them catch up.
“Because you’re an idiot,” Samuel huffs out on a breath of annoyance, rolling his deep-brown eyes at our friend. “I pick my battles carefully, and choosing to get into it with Hart and Harper really isn’t the smartest idea.”
“Live a little,” Luke groans, giving both of us an incredulous look. “Besides, Denver’s been distracted ever since her party two weeks ago. He needed a push to get his head back in the game.”
I stop abruptly, crossing my arms over my chest to glare at my third. Samuel and Luke both pull to a stop, confusion in his expression until he registers the anger written on my face. He looks between me and Luke and takes a few steps back, wisely not wanting to get involved. Smart.
“You’re walking on thin ice, Luke,” I warn, my hands dropping to my sides as I take a step forward. “If you want to keep your position, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”
“But—”
“I don’t want to hear another word,” I say evenly, a cold calm sweeping over me. He might be one of my best friends, but there’s so much more going on here than he can ever know. “Get out of my sight before I strip you of your position right now.”
“Okay. Okay,” Luke murmurs, raising his hand in a placating gesture. “We’ll talk later, man.”
With that he turns and continues back down the hall towards the cafeteria.
“You good?” Samuel asks. His lips pull down into a frown and he scans me with an indecisive look.
“I’m good.” I nod in thanks. Luke sometimes likes to press his boundaries, but I know he has my best interests at heart. But Samuel is always there, level-headed and ready to take care of the situation no matter what it is. With one final assessing look he turns to follow Luke, clearly understanding that I need to do something on my own.
