Page 25 of Every Shade of Shadow

"Ava Nightshade, sir." Her tone is cool and aloof, perhaps a touch irritated he doesn’t know her by name.

“Ah, Ava, yes.” His smile is polite but doesn't reach his eyes. "I'll leave you three to it. Ms. Fairchild, you will see me after class tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, sir,” I correct.

His voice makes me shiver, gooseflesh rising on my skin. By the time I meet his eyes again, he's already swept from the room, leaving me alone with the remnants of his touch burning between my legs.

The awkwardness lingers, thick and cloying. Lily smiles at me, clearly trying to ease the tension. "Don't worry about the Professor. He has that effect on everyone."

Ava arches a brow, gaze settling to my undoubtedly flushed cheeks. "Does he now?"

I fidget beneath their stares, heat filling my face. How mortifying, so obviously fresh from a good old-fashioned finger fucking. "I didn't—we weren't—it isn't what it looked like," I ramble, desperate to deflect.

"We don't judge here." Lily shrugs, wandering over to Professor’s desk. "Everyone has their secrets. Yours just happen to involve our most intimidating of faculty."

"He isn't—" I break off with a groan, raking my hands through my tangled hair. "Can we talk about something else?"

Ava speaks. "The upcoming Samhain celebrations, perhaps? I hear they hold a traditional witches' ball."

"Fuck yeah," Lily exclaims, continuing to snoop around the Professor’s desk. "Do you have a gown selected, Ana?"

A gown? I don’t even have underwear.

I shake my head. "Left my ball gown at home, sorry.”

This sarcasm goes completely unnoticed by Lily. "Then we shall take a trip to the village this weekend," she declares. "Every witch needs at least one spectacular ball gown. Consider it a welcome gift, to help you feel at home here at the Academy."

I try to wrap my head around her last sentence. I’m not used to people being, well, kind to me, and she wants to buy me a goddamn ball gown?

But this is a Society institution, which only makes me even more of an outsider.

I fiddle with the cuff of my sleeve. I can still feel the aftershocks of the orgasm, the subtle pulse of it between my legs. "I wouldn't want to impose."

"Nonsense." Lily waves a hand, dismissing my protests. “My family’s fucking loaded—meme stocks, hey?”

A smile pulls at my lips, lips that were only moments ago being claimed.

Being taken by a seasoned manipulator.

“Okay then,” I tell her.

“Okay,” Lily smiles back, “and now onward, to the fine dining.”

*

The following day is even more of a whirlwind. Lily and Ava prove invaluable, if only because I don’t have the slightest fucking fuck what I’m doing. They let me know more about classes and teachers alike. Every professor has their own quirks, which I must learn if I have any hope of surviving Lumina, apparently.

But with each class, each second, I know I’m drawing closer to my time with Darkwood.

I don’t know what this power he has over me is—if it’s magical, physical or something intangible and unknown. But it’s there. Palpable.

And it’s dangerous.

Very, very, very fucking dangerous.

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