Page 20 of Cursed By the Love Witch

“Leave your potions on your desks, and I’ll examine them after you leave. As for this weekend,” he pauses, and everyone in the class holds their breath. “Enjoy it. Next week's lectures will be some of our hardest yet.”

A rowdy cheer goes up as the other students grab their belongings and file out. I make no moves to leave. Watching the last students trickle out, I hear the door click firmly shut and fall into my discarded chair. Bael looks down at me, the air in the room shifting.

“That was close.” I shake my head. “We have to be more discreet. It’s easy to get, um, carried away.”

Bael chuckles a rusty sound that tucks itself into my heart.

“Student-teacher relationships are frowned upon,” he admits, leaning against the table. “I wouldn’t want any ramifications happening this close to graduation.”

I nod, suddenly feeling very tired. Bael looks at me closely and crosses his arms over his massive chest.

“I’m tempted to ask you to return after your period with Mistress Saege so we can begin your tutoring. However, I know it’s the end of the week, and you surely have better plans.”

I open my mouth but quickly shut it as I watch Bael kneel before me. His hands tangle with mine in my lap. Dark power flows from him, dancing with my own. If only this were real—no one has ever looked at me this way before.

“Darcee, I want—no, I need—to do this right. To court you properly as my people have done for centuries. I have to show you I can be worthy of you.”

“Worthy of me? I’m not all that special,” I say, swallowing.

His eyes harden slightly.

“There are no words that would do you justice. Never forget that.”

I open my mouth to argue, but he continues.

“That is why I need to take this weekend to prepare. Tell me you want this, Darcee. There’s no going back if you say yes. Be honest with me. Please.”

I stare into his violet eyes and feel the weight of his promise pressing down on me. I am drowning in his scent and will greet death with a smile.

“Yes,” I say. The selfish truth of it all is that I mean it. I’m not playing a game to appease the love potion. I mean it. That’s what makes all of this so dangerous.

Hopefully, whatever needs to be planned won’t be too elaborate, and it will become a distant, unpleasant memory for him once the potion fades.

“I’ll begin tutoring you on Monday after class. I realize now you aren’t much of a morning person.” I meet his smile with one of my own. “There are three exams you need to retake. We should be able to accomplish them all before the grade submission deadline for graduation.”

“Thank you, Bael. Truly.”

A shiver goes through him as I say his name. Slowly, he rises to his feet, helping me out of the chair as he does. My head falls back as his fingers tuck a loose curl behind my ear. Gently, he skims over the shell, and now it’s my turn to tremble.

“You are so beautiful. I thought it from the first moment I saw you.”

I wrinkle my nose. “I had just had a charm blow up on me the period before. I was covered in day-old coffee grounds and chewed-up mint leaves.”

Again, he laughs, a sound I’ll never forget.

“A gallon of mud could be dropped on you, and you’d still be the loveliest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Don’t manifest that for me,” I say, even as my cheeks warm.

Pulling back, I collect my things from the desk. Bael observes each of my movements. I strode towards the door and finally looked at him over my shoulder.

“Have a nice weekend.”

“You do the same, Darcee.” A slight grin tugs at his lips. “I’ll be watching.”

I laugh and shake my head. The intensity in his gaze tells me he isn’t kidding. The thrill that runs through me at the thought is delicious.

Dear Goddess, I am in so much trouble.

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