Page 67 of Lessons with the Mothman

At least he hadn't asked a question. I could safely tuck my phone away and leave his demand on read. Just make it through my quiet work hours in the library.

A dinner was harmless. I liked Hannah and Rafe. And perhaps Elias meant this to be an opportunity to network with more people for the study?

He meant it to be a date. Don't be obtuse.

I shuffled my papers in front of me—a collection of studies on different species' biochemistry that Elias had found me—and gave myself a moment to imagine what it would be like to date Elias.

We already knew the sex was great. So there was that. Elias was smart, inquisitive, observant. Our conversations never stalled awkwardly into mutual ambivalence. But our interactions had been limited to a fairly specific area thus far. A spectacularly satisfying area, one that I was pursuing academically and personally, but still. A limited field.

It wouldn't stay that way, though. We'd discussed our backgrounds, and he'd shared his home with me, which was arguably some kind of secret artistic passion project, or an obsession.

Dating Elias would be?—

My brain refused to paint in the rest of the picture, although there was a kind of cool glow in my chest at the thought, comfortable and a little bittersweet.

I'm your lover now.

I smiled and ducked my head, forcing my eyes to focus on the page in front of me, brushing away the whispers of memories from the past few nights every time they rose up.

The findings in the studies were wonderful. For the most part, various monster species had similar markers, although there were a number of species that didn't have prolactin at all, or significantly smaller quantities, like orcs. Species that mated had serotonin overwhelming the dopamine when copulating with their mate. I wondered about fae, but Elias said that it would be pulling teeth to get fae to submit to a study. He offered himself—with a wicked grin—for study, so long as I was his partner in the effort.

If I'd had the resources, I would've taken him up on the offer.

Purely for science, of course.

I made my way through the papers, taking as many notes as I could, not sure whether it added relevance yet but liking to order and organize the clutter of my thoughts.

Every so often, I'd be interrupted to track down a book or check a student out of the library, and my mind would wander back to Elias.

The flowers. The push for more time together. The possessive language in bed. Scheduling dates a month out.

Elias was a fantastic assistant to my study, mainly because he kept himself out of the work itself. It wouldn'treallybe a conflict to date him, aside from potential ramifications if we broke up. But that was a weak excuse to avoid something that would be…nice.

A throat cleared, and I looked up from my notes, freezing at the sight of Lyle's sly smile and a mass of glorious golden fur turned brassy under the fluorescent lights.

"Look who I found," Lyle said.

"E-Elias. What are you doing here?" I was stiff in the tall chair behind the desk, staring over the moth fae's shoulder into the room as if?—

What? Who would care that he was here?

And Elias certainly seemed unbothered, wandering easily over to the gap that opened to my side of the desk, sliding behind it. I jumped off the chair and held my hands up in front of me to ward him off, but he just stopped against me, his warmth bleeding through the shirt he wore into my palms.

"I said I missed you," he murmured, not so quietly that Lyle couldn't hear.

My face was hot as Elias ducked to kiss the corner of my mouth. "I'm working," I said, my heart beating too fast in my chest.

"I know, I'll go. I just brought you some food and a mocktail," he said, smiling down at me, although his eyes narrowed as he searched my face. His head tipped. "I didn't know you were friends with an incubus."

"Lyle, this is?—"

"We introduced ourselves," Lyle said, smiling, although now he was watching me too closely as well, aware of my spiking nerves.

"I've overstepped," Elias said, so lightly this time, I was sure I was the only one who could hear.

"You surprised me," I said, and my brow tightened. Hehadoverstepped. Why couldn't I say so? I opened my mouth to admit as much, but he cut me off with another quick kiss.

"Just food and a drink. See? I'm on my way out now."

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