Chapter 8
Archer
What just happened?
I stood in the middle of the fencing salle, heart pounding, as I tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
Valen, my hook-up from Saturday night, the guy who’d fucked me against a brick wall in some back alley in Pigeon Forge several times, was my fencing coach.
And Professor Crowe, a vampire teacher I’d heard of in the history department, but had never taken a class with.
The same Professor Crowe who’d just stormed out of here like his ass was on fire after telling me to pretend nothing had ever happened between us.
I sank down onto one of the benches, still clutching my sabre, and tried to process this information.
The man I’d spent the weekend fantasizing about, the one whose hands I could still feel on my skin when I closed my eyes, was a professor at my school.
The one who was now supposed to be coaching me for the next year.
“Well,” came an amused voice from across the room, “that was quite the dramatic exit.”
I looked up to see Lila still perched on her bench, watching me with those unsettling purple eyes that seemed to see right through me. There was something predatory about her that made my skin crawl, but also something almost... mischievous.
“You’re his sister?” I asked, though even as I said it, something felt off about that.
They looked nothing alike, for one thing.
Valen was all sharp angles and amber eyes, while she had this ethereal, almost otherworldly beauty that seemed to shift in the light.
She looked like a vampire to me. But he was just… a person.
“Something like that,” she said with a cryptic smile.
“We’re... family. Have been for a very long time.
” She stood up and moved toward me with fluid grace that reminded me of Valen’s movements.
“I saw you, in Pigeon Forge,” she continued.
“I encouraged him to go after you. But I didn’t realize you were a student. ”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know he was a professor. He looks way too young for that,” I grumbled.
“Perks of immortality.” She hopped down from her seat. “Now, the real question is what are you going to do about all this?”
“Me?” I scoffed. “What can I do?”
“You could report him to the Dean and try to get him removed from the academy,” she offered. “But I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Believe me,” I replied. “I don’t want anyone to know what happened either. If my parents found out I slept with a vampire they’d—”
“Explode? Spontaneously combust?”
“Or worse.”
Lila’s brows knit together as she cocked her head to the side. “Are your parents part of the Purity Front then?”
For a moment I wanted to be offended. But then I remembered the new rule for this year after everything with Theodore Voss went down. No monsters. Not as friends, teachers, or companions. And preferably, witch-only classes. My father had been very clear about that.
“I’m not,” I said at last. “And neither is my sister. But my parents don’t hold brunches for groups on the bad side of the Elder Council if that’s what you’re asking. They’re not… that bad.”
“Hmm.” It was easy to tell she didn’t believe me. “Well, either way, don’t go getting my brother in trouble. You’re both consenting adults and neither of you knew. Best to just let it be.”
“I’ll take that secret to my grave, don’t worry.”
“Good,” she nodded approvingly. “Now I have to go after him, so maybe you should be a good team captain and put away the supplies and get out of here.”
Before I could reply, she was gone and I was left standing in the fencing salle by myself, alone with my racing thoughts.
I mechanically began collecting the equipment scattered around the salle, my hands moving on autopilot while my mind raced.
The familiar weight of the sabres felt strange now, like everything had shifted and I couldn’t quite find my footing again.
Valen was a vampire. That explained a lot, actually.
The otherworldly beauty, the way he moved with predatory grace, how his skin had felt cool against mine even in the heat of the moment.
The amber eyes that seemed to glow in dim lighting.
Christ, how had I missed it? Could I really have been so horny that I’d ignore all the warning signs?
But more importantly, he was Professor Crowe. The same Professor Crowe who had a reputation for being brilliant but intimidating, who taught courses on monster history because he’d lived through a lot of it. The professor whose students whispered about him in hushed, respectful tones.
And I’d had his cock in my ass less than three days ago. A couple of times.
I dropped a sabre with a loud clatter that echoed through the empty salle, the sound making me jump. My hands were shaking, I realized. Whether from shock, embarrassment, or the lingering adrenaline from our bout, I couldn’t tell.
The way he’d looked at me when our masks came off... there had been genuine panic in those amber eyes. Not just surprise or awkwardness, but real fear. Like seeing me again was the worst possible thing that could have happened to him.
That stung more than I wanted to admit.
I finished putting away the equipment and grabbed my gear bag, desperate to get out of here and back to my dorm where I could think clearly. Maybe take a very long, very cold shower and pretend this entire day had been some kind of stress-induced hallucination.
But as I headed for the door, I couldn’t stop replaying the bout in my mind.
The way Valen had moved, the skill and centuries of experience evident in every parry and thrust. He’d been holding back at first, I realized now.
Testing me. It was only when I started pushing him that he’d really engaged, and even then...
Had he let me win? The thought made my stomach clench with humiliation. Had he deliberately allowed me to unmask him, or had I actually earned it?
I paused at the door of the salle, looking back at the space where we’d just faced each other with swords instead of the desperate hunger we’d shared in that alley. Everything felt different now. Complicated in ways I didn’t know how to navigate.
The smart thing would be to quit the team.
Remove myself from the situation entirely and avoid any further awkwardness.
But the Quinn family didn’t raise quitters, and besides, I’d been looking forward to fencing again all summer.
Not to mention, my father would never let me quit now, not when I’d lightened my course load in exchange.
Plus, there was a part of me, a part I really didn’t want to examine too closely, that wasn’t ready to walk away from Valen entirely. Even if nothing could happen between us again, even if we had to pretend Saturday night never existed, I wasn’t sure I could just forget about him.
I shouldered my bag and headed out into the hallway, nearly colliding with Amelia who was apparently waiting for me outside the athletic complex.
“There you are!” she said brightly, falling into step beside me. “How did tryouts go? Did you make the team?”
“I made captain,” I said automatically, still feeling dazed.
“Captain? Archer, that’s amazing!” She grabbed my arm, her excitement genuine. “I knew you’d do well, but captain? On your first year trying out?”
I managed what I hoped was a convincing smile. “Yeah, it was... unexpected.”
“We have to celebrate,” she declared. “I’m gonna tell everyone. Drinks at that little place off campus tonight.”
“Amelia, no,” I started, but she was already heading me off.
“Don’t even try to get out of this,” she said with a big smile. “This is huge, and I’m not letting you hide in the library like usual. Besides, after the disaster at Mother and Father’s party, we both deserve some fun.”
Right. The party. That felt like it had happened weeks ago instead of just a couple days ago. Before I knew that my perfect stranger was actually my vampire professor who was now desperately trying to pretend we’d never met.
“Actually,” I said slowly, “I need to tell you something.”
Amelia looked my way at last, and something in my tone must have caught her attention because her expression grew serious. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Remember that guy from Saturday night? The one I left with?”
“The gorgeous mysterious stranger who rocked your world?” She grinned. “Hard to forget. Why?”
I glanced around the hallway, making sure we were alone. “He’s my fencing coach.”
Amelia stopped walking so abruptly I had to grab her arm to keep her from getting trampled by other students. “He’s your what now?”
“Professor Crowe. The guy I hooked up with in Pigeon Forge is Professor Crowe.”
“The vampire history professor?” Her voice pitched higher with each word. “The one who’s supposedly older than dirt and scary as hell?”
“That’s the one.”
“Oh shit.” She stared at me with wide blue eyes. “Oh shit, Archer. What are you going to do?”
“Nothing,” I said, the word tasting bitter. “He made it very clear that nothing happened between us and we’re going to keep it professional.”
“But—”
“No buts,” I cut her off, starting to walk again. “It’s over. It never happened. End of story.”
Amelia hurried to catch up, her expression troubled. “That’s not fair though. You didn’t know who he was, and he obviously didn’t know who you were either. It’s not like either of you did anything wrong.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I said, pushing through the doors that led outside. The fresh air felt good against my overheated skin, but it did nothing to calm the chaos in my head.
“It matters to me,” Amelia said quietly. “You were happy, Archer. Really happy. I haven’t seen you like that in... god, maybe ever. And now you’re just supposed to pretend it meant nothing?”
“It was a hookup. It literally meant nothing, Amelia.” I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Besides, what choice do I have? He’s a professor, I’m a student. There are rules about this kind of thing.”
“Since when do you care about rules?” she challenged. “You spent Saturday night breaking about a dozen family rules, and Sunday you told Constantine Pemberton I collect fart as a hobby.”
“I was trying to help you,” I replied. “And I got my ass chewed out for it too.”
“That’s exactly what I mean!” She threw her arms up in the air, scoffing in exasperation. “Mother and Father just want to parade us around, marry us off, and don’t give one good god damn about how we feel about it!” She reached out, grabbing me by the shirt. “Aren’t you fucking tired of it?!”
“Y-Yeah,” I stammered. “Of course I am. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She leaned in closer. “You could fuck a vampire,” she offered. “A vampire professor.”
I stared at my sister in shock, my mouth falling open. “Amelia...”
“What? I’m serious!” She crossed her arms, that determined look settling over her features that I recognized from childhood. The one that meant she’d already made up her mind and nothing I said would change it. “You like him, don’t you?”
“That’s not the point—”
“It’s exactly the point.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice even though we were alone on the quad. “Archer, when have you ever done anything just because you wanted to? When have you ever put yourself first?”
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again.
Because she was right, wasn’t she? Every decision I’d made, every path I’d taken, had been carefully calculated to meet family expectations.
Even fencing had started as something that looked good on applications before it became something I actually enjoyed.
“This is different,” I said weakly. “He’s a professor. There could be serious consequences—”
“For whom?” Amelia challenged. “You’re both adults. You’re not even in any of his classes. And he’s a vampire. All of them are filthy rich, so it’s not like he needs the job.”
I thought about the way Valen had moved during our bout, the centuries of experience evident in every gesture.
The casual way Lila had mentioned immortality, like it was just another fact about him.
Amelia was right. Normal rules probably didn’t apply to someone who’d been alive for hundreds of years.
But that didn’t make this any less complicated.
“Even if I wanted to,” I said, running a hand through my hair, “he made it pretty clear he wants nothing to do with me. You should have seen how fast he ran out of there.”
“Maybe he was just caught off guard,” Amelia suggested. “Or maybe he’s just as freaked out as you are and doesn’t know how to handle it.”
I snorted. “Right. A centuries-old vampire is scared of a college student.”
“A centuries-old vampire who’s probably never been in this situation before,” she countered. “Think about it, Archer. When’s the last time he probably had to deal with academy politics or student-teacher boundaries? He’s probably navigating uncharted territory just like you are.”
That... actually made some sense. If Valen was as old as Lila had implied, he would have lived through eras when such relationships weren’t just accepted but expected. The concept of professional boundaries between consenting adults was relatively modern.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, though my conviction was wavering. “Father made it very clear what would happen if I got involved with anyone he didn’t approve of. And a vampire professor definitely doesn’t fit his vision for my future.”
Amelia’s expression darkened. “Fuck what Father wants. Seriously, Archer. Fuck all of it.” She grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. “Do you want to end up like them? Married to someone you barely tolerate, going through the motions of a life someone else planned for you?”
The vehemence in her voice caught me off guard. “Amelia—”
“I’m not going to marry Constantine Pemberton,” she said fiercely. “I don’t care what they threaten me with. I’d rather be disowned than spend my life pretending to be someone I’m not.”
I stared at her, seeing something in her eyes I’d never noticed before. A desperation that matched my own, but sharper somehow. More resolved.
“Stop living your life by their rules, Archer,” she said, turning away from me. “Or one day you’re going to wake up and realize that you’ve turned out just like them.” She stopped for only a moment, glancing my way. “I’m not going to end up like that. And you shouldn’t either.”