Page 57 of Class Studies

Saffron cocked his head to the side. “Did you take it?”

I shook my head, rubbing my socket. “I don’t know anything about him or his company. It feels strange he’s interested in me at all.”

“Everyone wants you.” Saffron slid to my side. “You’re worth noticing.”

I wrinkled my nose and turned to the Greek God, looking at my reflection in his eyes. We leaned toward each other.

Suddenly my door banged open. I yelped and jumped backward, hitting my couch and crashing onto the cushions.

Ashe stood, drenched in sweat, glaring at us.

“You need to get changed, A,” Ashe barked.

I took a deep breath. It shouldn’t be a big deal to kiss Saffron. I more than kissed him a lot. But something felt different this time. I glanced at his pink lips once more before grabbing the still plastic-covered gift Beryl left me and making my way to the top of my tower.

“You’re bringing her back the moment you’re fucking done,” Ashe growled.

“I plan to,” Saffron responded evenly. “And I’m taking your place on the couch tonight.”

“Fuck you are.”

I pulled the marbled white and pale-yellow dress out of the bag and eyed it. A piece of paper with instructions fluttered to the floor. I let out a thankful breath.

“Look, I can’t stay in my dorm,” Saffron ground out, the argument continuing below me. “I need my parents to believe Aphy, and I are an item.”

“Are your roommates making fun of you?” Ashe said in a baby voice. “Like they fucking harassed, A?”

I shed my clothing and followed the directions, wrapping the dress around my slight frame before tying it in place with a matching sash.

“Yes,” Saffron said blandly. “Only, where Mercedes is a petty bitch, I’m dealing with an Institute full of mostly Rimmed Mages who believe I’m using them for experimentation.”

“Are you?” Ashe asked.

The sound of smashing ceramics echoed off my stone walls. I closed my eyes, praying it wasn’t something I needed.

“No.” Saffron barely contained the rage in his voice. “My Golem’s only ready to test on animals, and that’s if I can get him to work. I’m not a monster or a mad scientist. Someone started these rumors. Someone who found out about my Golem recently.”

“Are you fucking accusing me of something?” Ashe asked, dangerously low.

The tension below reached my loft.

Ashe and Saffron didn’t need more coming between them. I stopped messing with the dress and flew down my stairs as loudly as possible. The two mages both looked up at me. The very air around them sighed in relief. When I got to the bottom, I turned a circle. The skirt, which stopped a few inches above my knees, swirled around me.

Both mages gave me an appreciative once over.

I came to a stop and smiled at Saffron. “Is this what you were hoping for?”

He beamed at me. “Yellow and white, my colors.”

Ashe snorted. “Your braids are a mess, and you’ve got a shit stain on your cheek.”

I flushed and skidded into the washroom.

It wasn’t quite as bad as Ashe said. The streak of herbs came off easily enough, and I unbraided my hair. Thankfully, their argument didn’t continue after my interruption.

“Aphy, we need to go,” Saffron’s voice carried through the door.

I didn’t have time to re-braid my hair. With wet fingers, I did a quick comb through before letting my long wavy locks fall around my shoulders. I half expected to hear Damon’s voice when I looked myself over in the mirror, but it never came. The person who looked back at me wasn’t the skinny girl desperate for someone to tell her what to do, but a woman. No, a mage with filled-out cheeks and a confident smile.

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