Page 53 of Gothikana

With that, he got up and retrieved the paper that had been in his hand from the floor. He must have thrown it when he got to her. He placed the paper beside the lamp and pressed a soft kiss to her piercing.

‘I found that on the roof.’

Without another word, he took off his jacket and draped it over the chair, opening a cupboard by the bookshelves and taking out a small bag, swinging it over his shoulder.

‘I’m going to work out for a while,’ he told her, heading to the door. ‘Rest. Don’t try to leave. We’ll talk after I’m back.’

Corvina watched as he clicked a switch on the wall, leaving only the lamp on in the room. He pushed the heavy door open and went out, pulling it shut behind him, leaving Corvina all alone in his space, surrounded by his things and his scent.

Digging her head back into the pillow, a wave of tiredness washed over her. She turned to the table on the side before her eyes could close, taking the folded paper in her hand. Hesitating, wondering why it had been on the roof, she unfolded it, and read the two words written in block letters and blue ink.

DANSE MACABRE.

What the hell?

CHAPTER 15

Corvina

It was thehand around her waist that woke her up.

Corvina blinked her bleary eyes open on an unfamiliar pillow, disoriented. There were wooden beams on her ceiling. Why were there wooden beams on her ceiling? And a chandelier? Since when did they have a chandelier in the room? And why was the morning light coming from the left of the room instead of the right?

As her brain tried to process the new details, she became aware of the solid, warm weight against her side, a muscular arm around her stomach keeping her pinned to the bed. Corvina looked at the arm with ropes of muscles and a smattering of dark hair. It was a forearm she recognised, having fantasised about it often enough during class when he leaned on the table with his sleeves pushed up.

Heart thundering, she turned her neck to the side, seeing the arresting face of the man who had somehow buried himself under her skin. He was tensed, even in his sleep, dressed in black sweatpants and nothing more, his hair mussed in his slumber. Corvina traced his face with her eyes, those full lips and the powerful eyes hidden behind his lids, and looked out the window at the grey sky that marked the early morning.

She had slept in his bed the entire night.

She didn’t even remember when she fell into the exhausted slumber. But she hadn’t slept so well during her entire time at the castle. No idea when he came in and decided to sleep by her side, not understanding why he would sleep beside her, especially if he knew about her. Corvina felt a lump in her throat.

Human contact was such a precious thing. Only people who had been starved of touch knew the value of it, knew never to take it for granted, especially something so intimate as sleeping beside someone. As someone who had always slept alone, even when she’d lived with her mama, Corvina hadn’t realised how hungry she had been for the prolonged contact that made her feel like she belonged. She’d always wanted to belong, to be loved, to be cherished by someone despite every piece of baggage she came with. The sheer degree of that desire made something hollow inside her chest gnaw and ache. She wanted to stay right there, letting him hold her safe.

Hands trembling, eyes burning, she gazed at him, silently thanking him for giving her this, another beautiful first, another memory shewould keep safe in a corner of her heart that would remain untouched by her mind.

But she knew she couldn’t stay and bask in the moment, as much as she wanted to.

For one, she needed to get away from this man who had somehow learned more about her than she’d ever expected to reveal. She didn’t understand how a man who was teaching part-time and still studying could have accessed confidential records about her or her mother. Who the hell was he?

Second, she needed to get back and see what was happening at school in the aftermath of Troy’s death. Corvina closed her eyes, her nose twitching as the thought of never seeing Troy again tightened her throat. But Jade would be worse, and she needed to be there for her friend. She needed to get back.

With that thought in mind, carefully peeling his arm from around her, Corvina slid out from the bed, placing the pillow she’d been sleeping on under his arm. In sleep, his hand grabbed it and pulled it close, and Corvina hesitated, wanting nothing more than to get back there and have him hold her like that, and surround herself with his scent and warmth.

God, how she wanted him.

Which was exactly the reason she needed to leave. Lust was one thing, but emotional attachment would only end up breaking her, especially to a man who had told her clearly that he wouldn’t getattached. She was already in too deep if her panic last night was anything to go by.

Straightening her clothes and pulling her bag over her shoulder, Corvina crossed the room to the door while undoing her messy braid and pulling her hair back into a ponytail, then took a last look around the room, committing it to her memory.

Then, just as quietly, she escaped the room and the thankfully quiet building, running out into the cold, misty morning. She was surprised that she hadn’t seen a single teacher in the building, not when she’d snuck in and now as she was sneaking out. It could have been that they’d been busy at the castle after Troy’s tragedy.

Her hair whipping behind her, she climbed the foggy stairs up the mountain that led to the main castle grounds, emerging out on top of the path to run into none other than Kaylin Cross.

The older woman, clad in neon running attire, huffed in surprise at seeing her, before suddenly frowning. ‘What are you doing here, Miss Clemm?’

Corvina froze for a second, her mind going blank. ‘Um, hi, Kaylin.’

Kaylin frowned even harder. ‘Were you in the faculty wing?’

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