Page 14 of Obsession

I’d come early so I could enact my plan, but I’d had nothing but second thoughts on my walk from the female tower. I knew I should forget about my silly crush, especially since Zav was my instructor, but another part of me wanted to see if I even had a shot. I wanted to prove it to myself—and maybe to Kann who would no doubt ask me if his advice worked—that I was desirable enough for a hot Taori.

“If you could graduate at the top of your class, you can do this,” I told myself fiercely, squaring my shoulders and stepping inside the classroom.

The lights were low and the seats leading down toward the lectern were empty. I released a breath of relief, which instantly hitched in my chest when I spotted Zav standing behind the clear podium. His focus was locked onto a device, so he hadn’t noticed me enter.

I took the moment to take him in, from his silvery striped horns that curled back and around his ears to the inked skin that peeked from beneath the cuffs of his loose shirt. Even though he was a guest instructor, he didn’t wear the Drexian Academy uniform like the rest of the teachers, and that made it possible for me to convince myself that this wasn’t the same as hitting on a regular instructor. Besides, I’d known him before he took the post as a teacher, so shouldn’t I be grandfathered in?

I shook my head at my own absurdity as I started down the steps. My hands went clammy, and I rubbed them down the fronts of my pants as I got closer.

Before I reached the bottom, Zav glanced up. Was it my imagination or was his face flushed?

“Britta.” He looked surprised but not annoyed by my early presence. Then his gaze slid behind me and he must have noticed that no one else was entering. “You are the first one here. I only arrived myself.”

I swallowed hard and forced myself to speak. “I wanted to talk with you before class started.”

He cocked his head slightly. “Oh?”

Although the Taori were known for flowery speech that verged on the confusing, Zav was not one for wasting words.

Okay, Britta, I told myself. This is it. Time to turn on the charm or turn on the cluelessness.

I stepped closer, forcing myself to keep my gaze on his crystal blue eyes even though I was sure they could see right through me. “It’s about the holochamber simulation.”

His brows knitted together. “The one created by Lieutenant Kann?”

At the mention of Kann, my face warmed. “I wanted to ask how you’re incorporating all the historical NPCs in the simulation.”

“NPCs?”

“Sorry.” I forced myself to laugh. “Old video game slang, A non-player character.” When his expression didn’t change, I added. “The Drexians who appear in the simulation and are modeled after actual individuals from the academy’s history.”

He nodded, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I am still working on them. Kann would like them to be as accurate as possible.”

I knew this. I also knew some ways that might help. But instead of suggesting them like I normally would, all I could think about was Kann's voice from last night.Make eye contact. Draw his attention.

I bobbed my head, holding his gaze the way Kann had showed me as I gave him my most sultry smile. As my lipsquivered and I was sure my eye was going to start twitching, Zav’s face creased with concern.

"Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I said quickly, heat crawling up my neck. Desperate to recover the situation, I tossed my hair over my shoulder —and it whipped him across the face.

He flinched and I cringed, pulling back until my hair wouldn’t let me. It was tangled in one of his horns.

“Oh, no.” I tried to yank it free but I couldn’t see how it was tangled.

“Be still.” Zav’s voice was a velvet purr as he reached up and closed a hand over mine, stilling my frantic movements. I stopped moving—stopped breathing—as he patiently worked the strands free. His fingers brushed my neck, and our faces were only inches away, making my heart pound so loud I was sure he could hear it.

This was a disaster. I officially wanted to die of mortification as he finally freed my hair.

I jumped back, mumbling my thanks as I kept my gaze on the ground.

"Are you sure you are feeling well?" he asked. "You do not seem like yourself.”

My throat closed up. "Actually, I'm not feeling great. I should probably go."

I raced up the stairs two at a time before he could respond, my scalp still stinging and my pride in even worse shape. The Taori was right. That hadn’t been me at all. What had I been thinking, trying to toss my hair like a show pony?

I burst from the room and into the corridor where the first early-bird cadets were heading to class. At least no one had seen me make a fool of myself. No one but the Taori I’d been assigned to assist while he was at the academy.

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