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It was slightly easier, since I no longer had to look at Ezric’s smirking face. Somehow, the entire experience of other people was much more pleasant without him. I wasn’t the only one. Jenny had whispered her thanks that Ezric wasn’t around anymore as well.
“I’m so glad he listened to you. He wouldn’t listen to any of us.” She tilted her chin in Deus’ direction. “He’s too busy trying to be angelic, and he struggles to see anything but the good in others.”
I didn’t answer. Just the mention of Ezric made me tense up and reach for my cuff.
That guy knew both too little and too much about me, and the fact that he’d stayed quiet about my secret had me nervous he was planning something.
According to Jenny, Ezric had sported a black eye and busted lip after leaving Deus’ apartment. She was convinced that Deus had been the cause of Ezric’s mangled face, but I couldn’t imagine my too-nice-for-his-own-good Labrador of a boyfriend raising a fist to anyone… no matter how much they deserved it.
I thought of the tooth in Ezric’s hand, still flaked with the blood of my brethren. Suddenly, my food tasted like mud. Trying to shove the thought of him out of my mind, I glanced around the table at the smiling faces.
Bianca must have figured out that something was bothering me, because she shot me a quizzical look. I gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile in return. She and I had spent time together atSpellcaster’ssipping on Sassy Seniors, while she quizzed me about various transformation signs until I’d felt ready for finals.
I thankfully survived the alchemy exam, aced basic incantations, and I’d already turned in my final academic writing paper.
I had no real reason to be nervous, but I couldn’t help but pick at my food. Moirus had invited us to dine in the lycanthrope hall that evening—Tatiana was a werewolf, apparently—and listening to them bicker over their study notes made it difficult for me to get my anxiety under control. I doubted I’d be able to eat while my stomach was so jittery.
“You don’t have to be here,” Deus murmured, sitting next to me and sliding over until our thighs were flush against each other.
“Yes, I do. I heard it would make my boyfriend happy,” I quipped, fighting the urge to shift and wrap my tentacles around him.
I’d gone from being a loner in the sea to becoming the world’s most clingy girlfriend… literally.
Deus grinned. “I think ‘boyfriend’ is the sexiest word ever to come out of your mouth.” He pressed his lips to mine.
Something flat and wet smacked our faces. Numina had thrown a piece of lettuce. “It should be illegal to be so smoochy while we are in the midst of panic study time,” she grouched.
Deus squeezed my knee, and I laughed. Somehow, I felt well enough to eat a bit after all.
* * *
“Is thereanything youwouldconsider attending with me?” Deus asked with an exaggerated smile on his face.
We stood in his kitchenette, finally making time for a study session with just the two of us.
“It’s just that when everyone’s busy partying Friday night, the library’s perfectly quiet,” I whined, moving to his side and going up on tip-toe to plant a kiss on his cheek. “And Saturday morning after a party is even better.”
I loved studying, and even if my future had shifted to include the possibility of having a mate, I wasn’t willing to let go of my dreams.
“People are accusing me of making you up when I tell them I have a girlfriend. You better be careful… one day some siren might set her sights on me,” Deus teased, his eyes glinting with amusement.
One tentacle slipped out of its enchantment and down the back of his jeans. I nipped his neck and whispered, “Yeah, and you’ll turn her down.”
Our banter turned into a short tussle of remove-the-pants, and somehow our assignments were forgotten.
When we’d gotten control of ourselves and were dressing for dinner, Deus asked, “How about tonight? We are going to play a movie on a projector on the main lawn, kind of like a drive-in, but without the cars. Everyone at Slaymore is going to be there.”
“You do realize this is the last week to study before finals week, right?” I asked while triple-checking my cuff.
I’d noticed it half off one night when I was sneaking back to my dorm room, and had thanked Poseidon that Ezric hadn’t ambushed me with another spell. Now I’d become a bit paranoid about checking and double-checking it.
Deus put on a sea-green shirt that made his eyes appear as blue as the Caribbean Ocean. “A lot of students leave right after their last final, so it’s the last time everyone will be together before January. Jenny will be there. And Bianca.”
I’d grown fond of Jenny and Bianca. “Good. They’ll keep any ravaging sirens off you.”
I expected him to laugh his easy going laugh that made my stomach flutter, but his shoulders sagged instead.
My eyes shot to his face. Deus was serious about this.
