Page 98 of Vicious Knight

“I appreciate that.” He gives me a curt nod. “What’s going to happen when I’m gone? You and Caspian haven’t said anything about a replacement to fill my spot.”

“Because we’re not getting one.”

Lucian looks thoroughly surprised at my answer. “Really?”

“We still have you for a few months, and once you’re gone we’ll have to manage. You won’t be gone forever.”

“A year is a long time, though.”

“Yeah, but this unit is for life. It’s about trust. Trust is more important than ever now.”

“It always was.” He looks me over and I can see he’s got questions. “What’s going on with you, Thorne? First you save a freshman from certain expulsion, then act like a madman in her English class.”

I smile briefly. “I’m good.”

Everyone heard about how I threatened Aiden, and because Raventhorn is Raventhorn the whispers about Ivy and me began trickling across campus starting the night of the pool party.

Admittedly I did act like a psycho the other day but Aiden deserved it. People don’t know the real him. Under that cool mask he’s a sick motherfucker, so I end up looking like I’m the one in the wrong when we clash.

“And is the girl good, too?”

“She is.” And I still have the taste of her in my mouth. In fact, it feels more like she’s sunken under my skin and is now flowing through the fibers of my mind. “What about your girl? Don’t tell me you won’t miss Eilish when you’re gone.”

Normally he makes some comment to shoot me down and throw me off the topic of Eilish, but he doesn’t look like he’s going to do that today.

“It’s going to be the first time I will be away from her for so long. At first I didn’t want to go, but my stepfather insisted.”

“We’ve all had to do a lot of things we didn’t want to do.”

“We have. Please take care of my girl for me while I’m away.” I’ve never heard him sound so sentimental. And he finally—after all these long years—called Eilish his girl.

“Of course I will.”

“Thanks, bro. Girls like her only come around once in a millennium. When you see them you know you’ll never meet anyone quite like them again.”

His words sink in and I nod, thinking of my own girl.

Ivy is a once-in-a-lifetime girl, too.

That’s why I’m so fucking obsessed with her.

Tick. Tock.

It feels like there’s an annoying clock in my head reminding me that time is my enemy.

I’m in my computer science class. I would have skipped it but I had to show my face today. Professor Kane is used to my absences, but he’s also used to me pulling it together the night before exams and scoring higher than everyone.

I showed up today because we’re doing practical work and I created the algorithm the class will be using for their project. If shit happens I need to be here to fix it.

Not being here makes me look bad.

Aiden is here, too, so I know if I were absent and the professor needed me that fucker wouldn’t hesitate to taint my name.

I have two minutes left until the class ends. It feels like the longest fucking two minutes ever.

I’m only agitated with time because Ivy is at my apartment waiting for me.

I can’t wait to have her again. She’s all I’ve been thinking about all day. Since talking with Lucian earlier I’ve been salivating for her body like she’s my last meal.

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