Page 17 of A Dusk Of Stars

I’m frowning as he leans in, dropping his voice a little, but not wiping the smirk off his face. “Let me give you a piece of advice. Just scoffing at the most desirable man in the room doesn’t automatically make him head over heels for you.”

The goddamn arrogance. I have to take another deep breath to calm down. I fail.

“You know what?” I say through gritted teeth. “I’ll play whatever role I need to play to getyouout ofmyfucking seat. So if this is not working for you, why don’t you do me a favor and tell me whatwould?”

This only makes his mouth crack into a self-satisfied grin. “Well, that’s more interesting, offering to fuck me straight off the bat.”

I have to fight not to roll my eyes at him.

He doesn’t let me respond. “Come on, Miss Archivist, there are impressionable children around. Besides, I’m not sure I’m that into you.”

I give him a flat glare. “If you think there’sanythingyou can do or say that can shock me—”

I break off because the next thing I know, his smirk grows wider as the whites of his eyes turn pitch black, the pupils seeming to catch on fire.

Fuck. These are not human eyes.

It comes as a shock, how hot in my skin they make me. Something stirs inside me, that presence, and the light in the room becomes brighter, the sounds louder and the smells stronger. There’s one in particular that makes me want to sniff like crazy. It’s so much information all at once that I have to avert my eyes despite not wanting to show him he’s managed to get to me.

I fix them ahead, frowning and breathing heavily.

There’s a moment of silence before I hear him say, “You’re wrong, you know? I’m sure there’s at leastonething I can do that will shock you.”

His voice is a little softer, and before I know it, I’m turning to see him getting out of my chair. “Here, all yours.”

***

I switch seats with him, but I make a point of not even looking at him. This is all getting me too worked up, so I fix my eyes ahead, praying for him to just leave me alone.

He doesn’t. Not five seconds go by before he’s leaning to say, “Maybe we could start over. I don’t really want to get off on the wrong foot with my new colleagues, now do I?”

Without turning to look at him, and in an ice-cold voice, I say, “I’m sure you’llfind a way around it. Enjoy the dinner.”

I feel his eyes linger on me and I want to punch him in the face.

For crying out loud, Anna, I tell myself, there’s something seriously wrong with you today. You weren’t this childish when you were a goddamn child.

It’s at that moment that the housekeeper finally finishes the proclamation and the Pied Piper rises from her chair, making the asshole stop staring at me. “Now, one last thing before we can start enjoying the food. I’d like to inform you of the changes in our faculty.”

I throw a glance in her direction, a smile creeping up on me. I may not get my chair, but at least I’ll get this moment.

“It is my honor to present to you your new Archivist—”

Before she can even say my name, I hear Bane get up. My eyes snap to him to see the devious smirk on his face as he throws a knowing glance at me.

“And your new professor,” he says, his voice booming and capturing the attention of everyone in the Hall.

It all makes me hold my breath in expectation of trouble. He did just interrupt Johanna de Groot herself.

“I hope you don’t mind, veneranda.” He turns to the Pied Piper, but she just sits down with a shrug. “I guess this is turning out to be… even more exciting for me than I thought it would be, watching this generation of young minds ready to be shaped.”

He throws another self-satisfied glance at me. Well, I guess this manipulative asshole really can do whatever he wants.

And everyone seems to be eating it up. There’s such violent clapping as I swallow an angry groan.

“Now now, I’m a humble man and you’re all giving me way too much attention right now.”

Yeah right.

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