Page 14 of Deadmen's Captive

“I know,” he grinned, and I grew warm at the thought. He knew who I was.

“It says on your ID,” he said, and my face flooded with heat. Of course it did. He didn’t have a clue who I was. Why on earth would he?

“Well, thanks for this,” I said, tucking my ID back into my purse, and turning away praying he couldn’t see how flustered I was.

“No problem,” he said. I figured he’d leave, but to my surprise, he started walking beside me.

“So you’re doing an art masters, right? I saw you coming out of the art department.”

“Yes, I just started a few weeks ago.”

“I thought I hadn’t seen you before. Are you enjoying it so far? Blackvellyn? And your course?”

“Yes, I’m loving it,” I smiled. “It’s so beautiful here, and the course instructors are so good, and the facilities are amazing.”

“I’m glad you like it. I’ve been here four years, and I guess the place gets a little boring after a while. We need fresh blood to wake the place up a bit.” He winked at me, which did something odd to my stomach.

“What are you studying?” I asked.

“Economics,” he answered. “Nowhere near as interesting as art though. What kind of art do you do?”

“Painting mostly. I love oils. But I don’t feel like I’ve found my place yet.”

“You don’t? Why not?”

I sighed. “I adore painting, it’s my safe place, my sanctuary. And my technique is good, but my main professor, Dr. Wilson, he says they lack soul and depth. He says he doesn’t see anything of me in them. But I don’t know how to do that.”

Tristan nodded. “It’s hard to let your walls down and let yourself be vulnerable at the best of times. Having your innermost thoughts and feelings be made permanent on a canvas, I imagine that would be very hard to do.”

I looked at him in surprise, not expecting this depth from the person who was known to be responsible for crazy pranks, and who’d slept with over a hundred women, or so the stories went.

“Yes, that’s it exactly. I’m not sure how to let my walls down. I don’t even know what's behind them.” Why the hell am I saying that to a complete stranger? I looked at him, the angles of his face highlighted by the streetlights that were starting to come on. He was not what I expected at all.

He shrugged. “A chink of light. Then a brick at a time, till you’re comfortable.”

“But how?” I asked, more to myself than him.

He looked at me with that lopsided smile that had my stomach fluttering again. “You need to find out who you are underneath everything people told you to be. Do something that pushes your boundaries, something you didn’t think you could do. Something a little crazy.”

I laughed. “I don’t do crazy, but I can understand why you’d recommend that.”

He grinned, then adopted a face of complete innocence that didn’t fool me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m perfectly well-behaved.”

I raised my eyebrows as I looked at him. “Really? So it wasn’t you that somehow got a herd of sheep into the main university building during the alumni event last term?”

He placed his hand on his heart, looking injured. “I’m shocked you think such things of me. And you weren’t even here last term.”

“I’ve heard the rumours.” I smiled up at him, his grin infectious as he looked down at me. I suddenly realised we’d stopped just outside my building.

“How did you know where I lived?” I asked.

“I didn’t, I’ve just been walking with you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn't realise. Where were you headed?”

“The gym,” he looked down at me, eyes twinkling with humour.

I frowned. “That's the complete opposite direction from here.”

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