Page 351 of A University of Betrayal

Luckily, she rushed down a side corridor, completely upset, away from the violin playing which tempted guests to come to the ballroom in the distance.

I suspected she was looking for the troublemaker who had declared war against her in a distorted voice through an announcement a good fifteen minutes ago. And I had already wondered how long people would put up with this woman’s bullshit.

Even though Harlow had already left, I didn’t slow down.

The mission couldn’t fail. We couldn’t get caught again. And above all, nobody should bemissing.

I had just spotted Miles in one of the inner courtyards, wandering around, a little overwhelmed.

Hoping that everyone else was already outside and that Miles would follow in a moment, I rushed even faster through the side corridor of the west wing with inhuman speed.

I was too fast. Before I knew it, I banged into something hard and warm and lost my otherwise flawless balance.

I almost fell, but surprisingly warm hands held me by the shoulders at the last moment.

“Careful,”said a deep, worried voice.

The pleasant sound forced me to look up.

Gray eyes, like shimmering crystals in the darkness, one of them stained by a brown spot in the iris. Both eyes, framed by thick curved lashes, filled with a hint of worry, surprise, and curiosity. Disheveled deep brown hair, streaked with light brown strands. A sharp jawline, a three-day beard that lent the mysterious stranger a certain charm. And a black tailored suit that covered a masculine, athletic body. Sharp rune tattoos peeked out from his collar, as well as from under the sleeves of his suit jacket.

He looked older than me. Mid-twenties if I guessed correctly. And he was as tall as me, only a little bit taller.

Unable to avoid his intense gaze, I stared at him. It was as if something yellow was flashing in his irises. Then I saw the reddish glint of my own iris reflected in his eyes.

That was the moment I sucked in a sharp breath.

A strong, pleasant scent flooded my nostrils. It was like roasted almonds or some other nut. But it wasn’tthissmell that made me take another step back.He smelled of Senseque.

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My eyes widened.

In an instant, the worry vanished from his gaze and was replaced by confusion. His brows drew together with a jerk.

“A Legacy,” he murmured, and the depth of his masculine voice sent shivers down my bare spine.

Who was this guy, and why had I never seen him near Nash before? In fact, it was the first time I hadeverseen him.

Before I could think further, he stepped up to me unexpectedly quickly, grabbed my hands behind my back to bring them together and pressed his forearm against my chest.

I slid against the cold stone wall. A startled sound escaped my throat.

He had narrowed his eyes. His irises now glowed like golden rings.

“Why is yourfuckingscum all over the Vanderwood all of a sudden?”

He sounded angry as his face came dangerously close to mine.

If I wasn’t busy scrutinizing his aesthetic facial features, I would have pinned him against the nearest wall, like he just did to me.

“If you don’t get out of here, there will be serious consequences for you!”

Either someone had skipped classes for the entire semester or he’d been sleeping, because apparently the DeLoughreys had been attending Vanderwood for the entire winter semester.

The veins protruding from his temples reminded me of Bastien’s words about the effects of a Senseque bite.

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