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Yeah, that was it. I was annoyed that they kept distracting us from our work… it had nothing to do with the weird feelings Amadeus seemed to stir inside me.
“I can get it.” Alicia stood in the shallows, her face stricken as she looked toward the two guys having an alpha showdown.
“Oh, now you want to help?” I snapped.
Her eyes cut to me, and her lip curled in disgust.
I didn’t care because I was finished with her, too.
She should’ve accepted Deus’s firstno,but his comfort was apparently less important than her desire to have an opportunity to feel him up.
The water hit my toes, and I gasped.
I stopped in the shallows, fighting the overwhelming desire to release my tentacles and bask in the glorious saltwater.
The water washed coolly over my toes. Even with just my feet submerged, I could feel everything—the fish, a handful of crabs, and the single squid shifter that had taken refuge at the lake’s deepest point. A sleek barracuda and a juvenile sea serpent played among strands of seagrass on the lake’s far side.
I touched my cuff, reassuring myself it was still there.
With it on my wrist, I’d only reveal myself if I wanted to. And I didn’t want to, right?
Right.
That would be really stupid with Ezric, the slayer, watching me from the lake’s edge.
Iwaded into the cool water, heedless of my jeans or my black button-up shirt. Every step into the salty liquid was a blissful type of torture.
My shifter side begged for me to release us so we could dive to the bottom and stay there until presentation time tomorrow. Actually, forget the presentation—I wanted to stay there forever.
Nonsense. What was I thinking? I’d already let myself become distracted by my body’s reactions to Amadeus. Now, I was letting my need for water distract me from my assignment.
That presentation was my whole reason for being on land… at least until my next project. This was my ticket to impressing Professor Mackenzie, which would hopefully get me straight into the advanced marine classes next semester.
Heck, this presentation might even give me a leg up on my crusade to be allowed to study independently.
Ducking under the water, I repeated my plan.
Get the book.
Get an A tomorrow.
Go to Headmistress Losia’s pond and marinate for the rest of the weekend.
Thankfully, the book was an easy find, having become stuck in the silt about eight feet down. Basic enchantments protected it from accidents like coffee spills, so it was less waterlogged than a normal book would be.
Still, Deus and I would be practicing incantations tonight to clean it up if he didn’t want to face a hefty library fine later. I grabbed the book, took one last regretful look at the bottom of the lake, and kicked up toward the surface.
I swam in easy strokes back to the edge of the lake. As I emerged from the lake, the cold air whipped at my wet shirt, and the sting of it was almost enough to drive me back beneath the water.
But I wasn’t sure I’d be able to contain my tentacles if I took a second swim. Plus, I needed to run back to my dorm room and change.
“Sorry,” Alicia said softly as I walked past her.
I appreciated the apology, but I was still too annoyed at how they’d pushed against Deus’s boundaries to reply.
My jeans dragged on my hips, forcing me to haul them up with one hand while clutching the book in my other. Shoving my wet feet back into my shoes, I stalked over to Deus.
His aura softened as I approached, and the warmth that surrounded him momentarily banished the brisk fall air. “Let me get your bag.”
