Page 39 of The Fate of Eternity

“I love you.”

Fuck.

The words blurt from my mouth, relieving the tension consuming me, but the way she blinks up at me with her jaw slack instantly makes me regret them.

Before I can run for the hills, a hand claps down on my shoulder, followed by a knowing snicker in my ear.

“Don’t worry, man. When her brain short circuits like this, it takes a minute for her to restart.”

I turn to Cassian, who winks at the blonde in my arms. Adrianna’s gaze falls to her feet for a beat before she looks at him again. A soft smile ghosts across her lips before she turns the innocent look my way, too.

There’s clearly something here that I’m not entirely aware of, but whatever passes between them eases the shock of my words.

“I killed the last one. I win,” Brody announces, breaking the moment as everyone turns to look at him. Kryll and Beau are a few steps behind him as we gather together.

“Great work,” Beau offers in a clipped tone that is amusing at this point. For a professor, he’s the worst at giving compliments.

Ready to get the fuck out of here, especially now that my girl is with us, I release her from my hold to reach for her hand, but she slips from my grasp the second I do, marching toward Beau.

“I’m trying to figure out why you’re out here slaying vampires when you couldn’t assist the last time we saw a group of them.” The disappointment in her tone mingles with the irritation that stiffens her bones.

If Beau picks up on the energy she’s giving off, he ignores it as he shrugs. “Because that was official academy business.”

His answer does nothing to quell her bubbling emotions. “People were under attack,” she bites, hands balling into fists at her sides as he eliminates the remaining space between them.

“Well, Miss Reagan, when you’re the one in charge, you can put me to good use. But for now, let’s head back before someone realizes we’re gone.”

19

ADRIANNA

Sleep is calling me. It doesn’t even have to be my bed, just somewhere I can claim rest for myself. Today has been a whole ass day, and I’m having a lot of those at the moment. My level of exhaustion is starting to reach new heights and I can’t seem to ground myself among the chaos.

Between the duel, Cassian making me run all over the city, and a full tummy from Pearl, I’m exhausted. Add the vampire slaying, and I’m wiped out.

I stand with my hands wrapped around my waist as Brody mutters a chant under his breath, shifting the scenery around us to the familiar fountain that sits between the origin houses on academy grounds. A sense of warmth floods my chest at the sight of it, which is weird as hell.

This isn’t home, so why does a simple stone fixture resonate with me?

Fuck, maybe I’m justthattired.

Beau moves first, taking two giant steps before whirling around to face us. Not a single word has been said since he mentioned following my order when I’m in charge, and I’m stillstumped over it now. His lips part, and I’ve braced myself for his next words when a shrill voice rings from behind him.

“Well, this isn’t entirely what I meant by keeping an eye on them, Professor Tora.”

Fuck. Bozzelli.

My hands clench as my entire body goes on high alert despite my desire to pass out. As she steps from behind Beau, her expression is neutral, giving nothing away. I’m not surprised to see her illuminated in the night air with her fluorescent pink pantsuit in full view, her makeup just as bright.

Slowly, her gaze shifts between each of us, lingering on me for a moment before swiftly turning back to Beau.

“Dean Bozzelli, I was just on my way to see you.”

“You were?” She cocks a brow at him, lips twisting with words unsaid as he simply shrugs in response. When it’s clear she’s not going to get anything else from him, her sharp stare turns back to me. Her gaze rakes over me slowly, really fucking slowly, to the point my mouth opens to question her on it, but she finds that moment to speak.

“I’ve had contact with Mr. Kennerseniorall afternoon.” I stiffen, every muscle in my body tightening with tension as she continues to search deep into my eyes. Before I can fathom what to say in response, she continues. “He claims you’ve found your wolf.” I stare at her, not moving a fraction as her assessment proceeds. “He also claims that you were on his land.” Her tongue sweeps across her lips as her eyes narrow. “He insisted that we allow him on campus for a meeting to discuss such matters.”

Fuck.

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