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“We need to get back into the school without getting close to anyone,” I murmur, gesturing for her to continue walking. I nearly wrap my arm around her waist and tuck her into my side but I stop myself short. If anyone, especially Denver sees that, we’d be in for a world worth of trouble.
“Why?” she breathes. She takes a few steps forward but pauses as I catch up to her so we can walk side-by-side.
My lips quirk, knowing I can’t keep this a secret any longer. Things are getting dangerous, and she needs to know the whole truth, especially since she has no idea how easy it would be for her to get caught.
“You need to have a shower,” I say simply, hoping she fills in the dots herself and spare me having to admit how I know.
“Excuse me?” she snaps, her eyes narrowing into a glare, but to my relief she doesn’t miss a step.
“I can smell the monster on you, which means any shifter will pick it up if you’re not careful,” I whisper as quietly as I can, glancing around anxiously to ensure we’re still alone. “You need to go back to your room now and shower while everyone is still in class.”
Her eyes widen as she stares up at me, but she doesn’t argue, clearly seeing the severity in my own expression. We pass by the gazebo in silence and make our way up the cobblestone path to the small door at the back of the school.
“Go to your room, shower, and then we’ll meet in my office to discuss what the hell happened out there,” I murmur before we get to the door, not wanting to risk discussing any of this inside.
She nods, the only sign she gives that she’s heard me as she remains silent. I can see the questions clouding her mind, but both of us know it isn’t safe to discuss them now as I grasp the brass handle and push the door open. I look down the corridor first, checking no one is in there before I pull the door wider for her to walk through.
I stay a few steps ahead of her, making sure there’s no one coming, and hoping that my scent will be enough to mask the monster smell still clinging to her skin if someone does. I motion for her to stop as we near the end of the hall, and check both ways, my nostrils flaring as I attempt to scent the few people that casually stroll through the main entrance.
Pausing for a moment, I watch as a few shifters enter the cafeteria, giving them enough time to get past the doorway before I motion her forward. I will my frantic heartbeat to calm and my steps to remain unhurried as we make our way through the castle’s grand entrance. The stone stairs to the students’ rooms seem to mock me with their distance. It feels like an eternity passes before we reach the bottom of them, and I glance up, ensuring there are no other students on them before Aria climbs them.
I don’t dare stop though, conscious to not draw any unwanted attention to us. Striding to the classroom, I only glance over my shoulder once to make sure she’s safe. Our gazes collide as she looks back at me, a million questions brimming in her blue-green eyes before she steps onto the landing and hurries to her room.
Thankfully, no one seems to be walking the hall to the classrooms as I turn down it and focus back on where I’m walking. Anxious energy thrums through me, sparking like electricity as I figure out how the hell this conversation is going to go. There’s so much I need to tell her, so much I still need to understand. I know I owe her answers, yet I need to know what she was doing with that monster. How could she be so reckless?
Guilt churns in my stomach as I open the classroom door and close it behind me, not wanting anyone to see the pain in my face. It would be better if no one could hear us either, so I glance to the wall of windows on the far side of the classroom and suck in a breath of relief when I remember I’d closed them last night.
I stride to my desk and take a seat in my office chair, the familiarity helping to give me some sense of calm. I’m still trying to figure out what I’m going to do, about my past, my heritage, and how the elders treat my kind. But ever since Aria came crashing into my life it’s been on fast-forward, like the goddess has already decided my fate and is pushing me down that path whether I like it or not.
Hiding has been my answer so far. Completing my years as a hunter and learning all I can about them and the monsters we search in hopes to keep everyone safe was all I could come up with so far. Now it seems that I have no choice, and this bubble I created for myself is about to be popped.
I’ve kept this information private for too long though, and I know she’s unaware of what the bond truly means. I thought I could see if things just worked out as they were meant to but it’s becoming clear our connection is not the only one she holds. I should’ve known that would be the case. She isn’t just a witch, she’s a future Coven Leader and as such she was always meant to have more than one partner. It makes sense that she has more than one bond. I just selfishly didn’t want to let myself admit that. The moment our eyes locked I knew that was it, and I’d do anything to keep her. She’s everything I could’ve hoped for in a mate, and even without a bond, I know that I would be inexplicably drawn to her.
Just as I pull out a sketchbook and my pencil, about to let my frustrations loose in the form of art, a light knock sounds at the door. I nearly leap out from behind my desk, panic striking me when the door swings open and Aria strolls through it. She seems aloof as she walks into the classroom but the moment that door closes behind her, that disguise fades away.
“What is going on?” she demands. She stalks over to me, her scowl deepening and a crease forms between her brows. “How could you smell me?”
“I think that’s the least of our problems right now,” I scoff in disbelief, baffled by the fact that she’s trying to sidestep the root of the issue right now.
“No, it isn’t,” she snaps, glowering at me as she stands over me. “You worked out my deepest secret, Landon, while I obviously know none of yours. How am I supposed to trust you, when you don’t even trust me?”
My lips fall open at her words as realization crashes over me like a bucket of ice. I let go of the last shred of hope that I’ve clung to, knowing in this moment that I’ll have to tell her everything.
“Confuto,” I murmur, trapping our conversation between these four walls.
Her hands curl at her sides, clearly holding back her frustration as I stand and push the chair back out of the way.
“I need to check to make sure there isn’t any scent that remains,” I say evenly, holding back the wave of conflicting emotions that crest when I look back into her eyes. Pain, betrayal, and confusion shine back at me, and my chest tightens. I’m at least partly to blame for that.
I gesture to the desk and take a step back, needing to check her thoroughly and put my mind at ease before I spill my soul to her. Secrets that I’ve safeguarded like a dragon protecting its hoard of treasure before now. Before her.
Aria slips past me, her chest lightly brushing against mine as she passes. Heat blooms in my cheeks at the innocent touch, wishing not for the first time that things were different, that I could just take her in my arms and plant my lips on hers, but I can’t. She slides onto the oak surface, barely needing to hop up with her height—another thing that drives me crazy about this woman. Just the sight of her on my desk, her knees so close now, at the perfect height for me to part and slip between—
I push those thoughts away to focus on the reason she’s here in the first place. I cautiously step to her left, not needing the temptation of standing in front of her anymore. An expression of disappointment crosses over her face, but it’s gone so quickly I’m sure I must’ve imagined it.
“I’m going to need to get close,” I say, the tension between us thickening as that bond hums warmly in my chest.
“That’s fine,” she breathes, holding still as I lean in close, leaving only a few inches between us.
