Page 19 of Blood & Betrayals

“W-What? No, I don’t!” I sputter.

“Please. Your eyes are practically black, and,” Alice sniffs at me, “I can smell your pheromones.”

“Stop. No, you can’t.” Fuck, can she?

Alice snorts. “So, you don’t want to ride him into the sunset and wave at the passerbys?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” I’m saved from defending my cooch’s extremely tattered honor as we arrive at class and take our seats, though Alice keeps throwing me knowing looks and occasionally crude hand signals.

“Welcome to Intro to Species. I am Professor Draco, and I will be your instructor throughout the year.” I am once again taken aback by how handsome he is. His face is angular and attractive, and you can tell he’s honed his body over the years. “It’s nice to see such a variety of species this year. I look forward to getting to know you all. Next year, you will be given the option to specialize in a particular species if you so choose. For example, there are Celestial Studies for those wishing to study the Heavenly Host or Infernal Studies if you wish to study those they war with. My specialty is Shifter Studies, those like myself who can change into a different creature. I would love to welcome you into my advanced classes in the future.”

I pull out my textbook on shifters and leaf through it, trying to identify the type of shifter Professor Draco is. There are so many possibilities. He could be a wolf shifter, but he doesn’t have the same untamed energy I remembered from the few I’d met. Tiger? It could be. I’ve never met one of those. But he saidcreature, not an animal.

“Ah, we have an enthusiast in the class!” I snap my gaze up, noticing that everyone is looking at me. Professor Draco smiles at me.

“Oh, sorry, professor, I’m just fascinated with shifters and the different types.”

“Please don’t apologize for enjoying my subject, Ms…”

“Tuatha De Daanan.”

He smiles kindly. “Right. I would like everyone to pair up and research the other species. Try to partner with someone of a different species, but I’m aware this particular class has a majority of sorcerers.”

Much to her relief, I quickly grab Alice as my partner, and we spend the next hour researching various things about each other. At the end of the class, we hand in our findings. Professor Draco gives me a searching look, and our gazes lock, his golden eyes mesmerizing. It makes me feel like he’s learning more about me than I want him to, and I almost take a step back. My instincts scream at me, but it’s not what I sense when the headmaster is present. It’s not dread or terror. It’sreverence. After a long moment, he smiles and nods as if agreeing to something I said.

Alice nudges me, and I shake my head. She tugs me toward the door. Yet even as we leave the classroom, I can feel Professor Draco’s gaze boring into my back, his golden eyes piercing through me like a blade.

8

Summer

After classes, I drag Alice to the library very much against her will. As soon as we are inside, she claims an empty table and pulls out her phone, adamantly refusing to explore the stacks with me.

The books call to me, and I scarcely know where to begin. I wander down the dimly lit aisles, brushing my fingers along the leather-bound spines of the books. Each conveys a slightly different feel based on how widely they have been read. As I turn the corner, I notice a tall figure browsing a book. He looks familiar, but only when I glimpse the halo on his wrist does recognition spark. My memories of the night before are a little hazy, but this is one of Connor’s brothers. The tall, dark, broody one named Rafe.

I make my way along the aisle, not necessarily toward him, but continuing my perusal of the library’s offerings. He doesn’t seem to notice me as I pass behind him. Interested in what he is reading so intently, I sneak a look at the title of the book he is holding.

“Demonology?” I whisper, the question slipping from my lips.

He slams the book closed and flicks me an irritated look over his shoulder. While he is a darker version of his brothers, there is still a strong familial resemblance. The sparkle always present in Connor’s blue eyes is absent in Rafe’s, but they are just a shade darker and the same shape. He shares the same bronzed skin and strong jawline as his brothers.

“Do you mind?” he snaps at me.

I quirk a brow at him. “You’re Connor’s brother, right?”

He glares at me. “One of.”

“And why is a Morningstar angel reading a book about demonology? Especially one written from a positive perspective. Aren’t demons your natural enemies?”

“Don’t you know the best way to defeat an enemy is to know them?” he says, his tone mocking. “And my name is Rafe. I will not just be known asConnor’s brother.”

“I’d tell you my name, but I don’t want your beloved brother to know, and I’m guessing you’d snitch,” I say, leaning against the bookshelf beside him.

Rafe rolls his eyes. “Don’t assume to know anything about me,” he says, snapping the book closed and pushing past me.

I watch him round the end of the row and disappear. I shrug and continue to wander the stacks for a while before circling back around to meet Alice at the table. A male stands beside her, his hand on the back of one of the chairs. Alice hisses at him and shows him her fangs, her eyes tinged with red. I quirk a brow and hurry over, not wanting bloodshed in the library. It might get on the books.

“Everything all right?”

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