Page 271 of A University of Betrayal

“Make an exception, please. This one time.”

He sounded more demanding, which I didn’t like.

I sighed.

Arguing with Julian was exhausting. Whatever it was that made me want to give him this chance, it was someplace in my heart that only existed for him.

“Hurry up,” I said firmly, turning away from him and toward the other girls, who paused for a second. “Come on, you’ve got five minutes.”

I rolled my eyes, and they went back to their files.

Then I looked at Miles and tensed up.

He was staring at me so intensely that my body didn’t seem to know how to react. His eyes gleamed with the flames of the candles that lit the room. His aura seemed warmer here, not as cool as in the sand-colored corridors, which he always dominated with his presence.

A mixture of anticipation and shame overcame me.

If he knew what his car looked like right now... And then the realization: He would see it later... As soon as he would enter the parking lot...

I realized that I was staring at him just as blatantly as he did. But how could I help it? The staring was now part of telling him how much I despised him. It was just that the thought felt strange. He looked at me as if he was searching for something and every second made it harder to tear myself away from his gaze. Was that his gift? What if I wasn’t looking at him willingly?

“It seems like I need to have new security measures put in place, because lately I keep bumping into students who think they can make themselves at home in my office.”

Me and Miles both winced and turned to the door, where my uncle was staring expectantly at Larissa, Julie and Bayla. Then he spotted Julian and Miles.

“And every time, the constellation surprises me anew.” He looked amused, not at all angry, and of course surprised... Then he spotted me.

“Emely.”

He didn’t look at me with the slightest reproach, as I would have expected. After all, I allowed these people to stay in this room, including two Ruisangors. Father would have grounded me, or worse.

Alarik tore his gaze away from me and looked at Bayla, who was slowly closing the drawer with the student files – albeit with an unpleasantly loud squeak – and I spotted Julie slipping something under her hoodie, but I didn’t recognize what it was.

My gaze slid back to the biggest problem in my life.

I should have heard Alarik coming, but that fool had completely distracted me.

“What brings you herethis time?”my uncle asked, closing the door.

What was wrong with him?

Then he laughed in amusement. “Have you lost your tongue over me being here?” He looked at me. “You should actually know.”

Finally, someone said something. It was Bayla. “We’re sorry. We were looking for something.”

He looked at her and was it... pity that resonated in his gaze?

“In the student files?For realthis time?” he asked, as if Bayla had gotten something wrong.

He sounded incredibly calm.

“For real...” Bayla assured him sheepishly and looked down.

Alarik went to the round little table with the scotch bottle, right next to Miles, and calmly poured himself a glass. He took a sip and put his other hand in his trouser pocket.

“Honestly. I don’t even want to know what you all are doing here,” he laughed warmly and looked at each of us... at me for a particularly long time. “Even if I didn’t expect it from some of you.”

Did he think I was one of them?

---