Chapter 3
“R elax,” Curi said under his breath. “Or do you want everyone to think I’m kidnapping you?”
I leaned into Curi, allowing our arms to touch, trying to ignore how large his hand was around mine. Levi and I had never held hands like this. Never had the chance to go out in public like this. We’d been together, but we’d never dated. Heck… I’d never dated.
Curi was the first male I’d held hands with.
“Why are you hyperventilating?” Curi asked, his voice a low growl of concern. “Is he here? Where?”
“No. I’m…I’m fine.”
Goyles appeared on the path ahead of us, all headed to the main building for class. Several glances were thrown our way, but we were quickly dismissed. These cadets didn’t know Curi’s and my history.
“Relax,” Shar said from behind us. “Unclench your ass.”
“Sharniza!” Palia admonished.
Ginia snickered.
We approached the main building, where several goyles were gathered on the porch.
I recognized Dayn’s stocky form first. The gargoyle had been Curi’s minion for a little while but had turned on him after Curi refused to fight the elite, Selas.
Bax, another one of Curi’s ex-minions, stood with him.
They fixed their stunned gazes on us as we strolled closer.
“What the actual fuck?” Dayn said. “You’re banging the halfblood now?” He sneered at me. “If you spread your legs for him, you can spread them for us—”
Curi punched him in the mouth.
Blood sprayed, and Bax bellowed in shock.
Dayn wiped his lips and bared his bloody teeth. “What the fuck, Curi?”
“Don’t talk about her. Don’t think about her. She’s mine!” His voice was a boom of authority that shook my insides.
Damn, he was good. But then, he was a Mason, one of the five elite bloodlines.
Dayn looked like he was about to throw down, but Saffe, one of the smaller goyles from our dorm, stepped forward. “Dammit, Dayn, haven’t you heard? It’s all over campus. She’s a Basque.”
Dayn stilled. “What?”
Curi smirked. “My Basque. Bitch.” Then he took my hand and steered me around the group and into the building. Silence followed us, breaking only once we were inside.
* * *
“That was fucking awesome!” Ginia said as we made our way up the steps.
“Ginia!” Palia whisper-hissed.
Ginia ignored her. “The way you popped him in the mouth—fluid, fast. I need you to teach me how to move like that.”
Curi slid a glance her way. “I’m not a fucking instructor.”
Palia sucked in a sharp breath. All the cursing was probably giving her heart palpitations.
“How much longer do I need to hold your hand?” he asked me.
“Just till we get into class. If Levi is in there, then he needs to see us together.”
“ Harumph .”
We followed Palia up a flight of steps to the top of the building where the domed ceiling was situated.
“We’re in the same room as Arcana,” Palia said.
There was already a small line filing into the room, past all the plants that lined the corridor. No sign of Levi. Maybe he wasn’t in this class.
Part of me was relieved but the other part was disappointed, because the quicker we got this over with, the better.
I stepped into the room close behind Curi, my hand trapped in his, and froze at the sound of a familiar rumbling voice.
Levi stood at the front of the class speaking to Yarrow. He was dressed, not in lastonflex, but in a shirt, sleeves rolled up to expose his forearms and top button undone revealing the intricate whorls of his tattoo.
My breath stalled.
“Cam?” Shar said behind me.
But I couldn’t speak because Levi was looking right at me. His eyes warmed, then flicked to Curi and down to where our hands were joined. And there it was, the pain followed by the flash of anger.
“Everyone have a seat,” Yarrow instructed. “I’d like to introduce you to our new instructor, Master Halle.”
Halle? Serath was here? But no. Yarrow was looking at Levi.
Levi was the new instructor.
Levi was a Halle.