Page 32 of Laid Bare

Leaving the library behind, I teleport onto the edge of the field and prepare myself for the wave of dizziness and nausea that always happens when teleporting. Only, it doesn’t come, shocking the shit out of me. Ever since I learned this particular skill at a young age, I’ve always been plagued with sickness just by using it. As I’d gotten older, the effects were less, but never have they not been there at all.

Could finding Bailey—my goddess, my fated mate—be the reason?

My brows arch in surprise at the thought, and a smile stretches across my face. Of course, it’s because of her. She’s the only new factor in all of this.

“Luka?”

I glance up at the sound of my name, my smile widening even further at the beautiful sight in front me.

Bailey rushes over and throws herself in my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. I spin her around, relishing in her carefree laughter, even if it only lasts for a moment before she stiffens in my arms.

“Goddess, what’s wrong?”

Her legs drop from around me, and she wiggles out of my embrace, putting distance between us. Those stunning pink eyes of hers dart around the field, nervousness coating her features.

What the hell is going on? She’s never been like this before.

My head turns to follow her gaze, and my eyes immediately darken. Across the field, other students are openly mocking her, disdain clear on their faces. But that isn’t what really sets me off. It’s the words that I failed to hear when she was in my arms.

“Now the whore’s opening her legs for the demi-god?”

“First the professor and now the librarian. What a slut.”

Oh hell fucking no.

Thunder rumbles and clouds gather overhead, growing darker with every passing second. The need to defend my goddess overrides all rational thought, leaving me with only one thought.

Make them pay.

Bright flashes of lightning illuminate the blackening haze, but before the first strike can land, a small hand clamps onto mine, lacing our fingers together. The feel of her skin, her touch, it sends a jolt through my system and bleeds the fury from me instantly.

Coming back to my senses, I look down at the perfect specimen standing next to me, worry causing a wrinkle between her brows. She shouldn’t be worried, though. I’d burn this world down if it meant she didn’t have to hear bullshit spewed from the mouths of those lesser than her.

“They’re not worth it, Luka. Let them talk. It doesn’t bother me,” Bailey murmurs, not that I believe her. The small tremble in her voice leads me to believe otherwise. It bothers her. A lot. Much more than she’s willing to admit.

“Will you actually be joining this class, Miss Matthews?” My head snaps up at the harshness of the Lycan’s words, unable to believe that this motherfucker is actually talking to her this way.

Didn’t that fucker learn the first time?

Looks like he may need another reminder.

Bailey grinds her teeth at his words, so hard I’m damn surprised her molars haven’t cracked. Before I can comment, her grip slips from mine, and she makes her way over with the rest of the students, standing clear in the back, away from everyone else. My poor goddess looks so small in direct comparison to every other supernatural lined up in front of her. They’re shifters, so their size is a given, but all it would take is one of those big fuckers knocking her over, and she’d be done for.

With that thought in mind, I step forward to join my girl, but before I can, the asshole of the hour ignores his class and heads in my direction. As the distance closes between us, he starts to change form, his golden eyes bleeding silver, dark hair sprouting over every inch of his body, and his limbs contorting in an effortless ease until the man is no longer there. No, this son of a bitch thinks he’s going to intimidate me in his Lycan form.

Didn’t he learn the last time he tried this shit on me?

The motherfucker woke up tied to a gods-damned chair, and there was nothing he could do about it.

I arch a brow at his audacity, a smirk flirting on my lips.

His bravado falters for a moment, but he doesn’t stop, and the second he opens his mouth, I know something stupid is about to come out.

“Students only in class. We don’t have a need for a librarian.”

A mocking laugh rumbles my chest, my eyes shifting toward the demon brothers and back again, daring his next words.

“They’re council sanctioned. It’s different.”

---