Page 58 of Heirs of Havoc

“And so are you.” His direct words make my cheeks warm. He smiles, turning to his bag to pull out his textbook.

Blame it on the hormones rushing through me from the flirty energy Lev gave this morning. Or what happened with Feliks last night, but I'm feeling confident. So confident, I whisper, “Takes one to know one.”

Dom’s words fade into the background as the new boy looks up at me, a soft chuckle leaving him. When I look towards the class, Dom’s eyes pierce into mine. Can he notice the spark between Hottie and me right now? Of course, he notices. Dom notices everything.

Straightening in my seat, I’m likely playing with fire when Hottie leans in again. The smell of sweet cologne comes with him, different from the spicy bitterness of Dom's men. “Can you tell me where we are?” he asks. “So sorry to bother you.”

“Not a bother at all.” Leaning closer, I flip his book to the page our professor left us at.

He thanks me, glancing at Dom before leaning in again. “I am Xavier. I transferred from UQAM in Montreal.” That explains the accent. He unscrews his bottle of water with one hand, but his attention doesn’t move from me. “This place is intimidating, but I see some friendly faces.” Does he mean me?

“I'm Mia.” Returning his smile, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t mesmerizing. “And don’t worry, you’ll fit right in with—woah!” Something cold splashes on my lap, his bottle of water tipping over on my kilt. He reaches for it, but it’s too late. Chilled water runs down my leg, goosebumps appearing on my skin.

“Oh no, this is quite the first impression.” He pulls off his uniform shirt in one swoop, no unbuttoning necessary. The entire class goes quiet again as he dabs at my leg and hell, he was hiding a lot of muscle under that shirt. He’s not as slender as he looks. “I am so sorry. I can be clumsy.” His warm hand on my thigh makes me jump, a jolt of electricity shooting through me. He dabs at the water with his shirt, his fingers pulling at the hem of my skirt.

My cheeks heat as I look around the class. The girls all eye me, their envious glares a contrast to the code of our environment.

“Virgins.” Dom’s firm word pulls me away from Xavier, his eyes zeroed in on us. “The idea of virginity is a common theme in cultures around the world. Mia. Are you a virgin?”

My brows knit, Xavier’s head whipping to Dom, then back to me. "I don’t have to answer that,” I respond.

“Fair.” Dom nods. “You don’t. But in many cultures, confessing sins is of utmost importance, so.” He crooks his finger. “Why don’t you get up and show us? And Xavier, is it? Don’t come back to my class without a shirt.”

“Oh, I am fine.” Xavier pulls away from me, leaning back in his seat. “Thank you for your concern.” Some girls titter at Xavier’s response, but Dom’s brows lower, his hand turning into a fist.

“That’s okay," I reply. "I’ll sit this one out.” Crossing my arms, I hope Dom gets the hint. I’m not playing his game. If he wants to be a jealous prick, he can process that on his own.

“Noted.” My shoulders relax when Dom accepts my refusal. “But that also means no participation points and you need them to pass, but I get it. You don't care."

Dick.

Dom looks to his left and I follow his gaze to a pretty blonde sitting on the other side. “Greta.” She sits up when Dom calls her name. My stomach knots. “Would you—”

“Fine.” Standing, I show Dom I won’t let him control my narrative. “I’ll take part.” Glancing at Xavier, he smiles as I approach the front of the class.

“As I was saying, confessions are common in cultures around the world.” Dom’s eyes drop to my kilt as I approach him. “Here at SAA, we value confessions as exposing ourselves to God in the chapel where we tell our sins to a priest. In other cultures, they express their sins to the community, so they can judge, together, whether this person is safe for the group.” When I get in front of him, his hands come to my shoulders, sending a sharp burn through my shirt to my skin. He turns me towards the class, pushing me forward. “Why don’t you confess, Mia?”

“You want me to confess I’m not a virgin?” His antics layers my voice with sass. “Fine. I’m not a virgin.” The class erupts in whispers, but I’m almost twenty. I know I’m not the only one. “If that makes me cast out from a community, then the community is very small-minded.”

“I’m a virgin!” Greta raises her hand, glancing at me with a wicked sneer. She repeats herself, flicking her long blonde ponytail. “I’m a virgin. Pure and untouched.” The way she has her shirt unbuttoned to show off her tits tells me otherwise.

“What do you think, class?” Dom asks, his voice landing against my neck and I hate the shivers it brings. I hate that he’s doing this. “Is that enough to deem her fit as part of the class community?”

“Mia can stay in my community.” My head whips to Xavier’s voice, his elbows on the desk.

The class seems in agreement, the girls nodding with him and the guys nodding along for the girls. Greta relaxes in her seat, shying away and with a glance over my shoulder, I smirk at Dom. “Great exercise.” With a smug smile on my face, I move back to my seat, but something stops me.

“We’re not done.” Dom’s hand grips my wrist. When I pull away, he lets me. This time. “What about your other sins, Mia?” Dom moves towards the desk before he opens a manila folder. “Should we go over them? What about wrongful convictions, class?” My muscles tense. “If Mia Marshall got someone wrongfully convicted, would that change your acceptance?”

The class mumbles, my fists tight by my side.

He’d say it if he wanted to, but like the little mouse he says I am, he rather torture me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I respond, my teeth gritting.

“Ah.” Dom chuckles. “Now we can add lying to your list.”

“Does it not depend on the situation?” Xavier asks, and I’m hoping he’ll save the day again. “You are smarter than that, aren’t you?” There’s a bit of fire in Xavier’s voice, and, well, that’s not what I meant by ‘saving the day.’

“What if the consensual loss of Mia’s virginity caused her to lie about the methods when her father found out? How? By accusing her partner of rape to keep her accepted in the community. The result? Her partner spent a year and a half in a correctional facility."

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