Page 80 of Laid Bare

Truth. *one hundred emoji*

“Now that’s a smile I like to see.” I startle at Thaddeus’ voice, dropping my phone onto my lap.

Shit. I was so lost in my conversation with the guys that I didn’t even hear him come in.

“So... are you going to tell me, or do I have to guess how you did?” he asks, dropping to the floor in front of me.

Impatient ass Smurf.

“I passed!” I squeal, excitement returning to my veins. “And she said I have better control over my earth element than the advanced students.”

“You went the hard route and shook the foundation, didn’t you?” I’m already nodding my head before he finishes. “I knew I shouldn’t have taught you that yet.” He laughs.

“What?!” I shove his shoulder. “I rocked that shit, thank you very much. And I didn’t even have to go through the whole exam. She passed me after testing my earth once.”

“That’s amazing, sunshine. But completely expected. You’ve been working so hard since…” he trails off, not saying it, but we both know what he means.

Since the gala.

I can’t wait until that gala is nothing more than a distant memory instead of a bitter reality check.

“Yeah.” I roll my lips in, agreeing.

“Yeah. But I have good news. In light of your achievement, I’m canceling rune practice today. So spend the rest of the day relaxing, and if you feel like practicing, work through the ones you know in your dorm.”

“But won’t Head—” He cuts me off, slicing his hand through the air.

“I already spoke to him, and he agreed that if you passed that class, you should get a break.”

Did an alien take over Jasper’s body? Because that definitely does not sound like something he would agree to.

Shit. Are aliens real? I mean, the rest of us are, so why not them, too?

“Eeek!” I squeal. “Thank you, thank you, Thaddy!” I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“You’re welcome, sunshine,” he chuckles, hugging me in return. “Keep working as hard as you are, and I can guarantee you’ll graduate this academy with flying colors.”

“Gods, I can’t wait.”

“I can,” he mutters lowly, before clearing his throat.

“What?” I pull back, not sure I heard him correctly.

“Nothing.” But his ice blue eyes betray him. He searches my face for something, I don’t know what, but his next words startle me. “Faerie fuck it.”

Thaddeus’ cool blue lips crash into mine, his long fingers enveloping my neck and pulling me closer. I quickly climb into his lap, giving into the sexual need coursing through my body. His long white locks tangle in my fingers, and my thumb brushes against the point of his ear. The answering groan to my touch floods my panties with warmth.

His kiss is everything I never knew I needed.

There’s a minty tingling feeling taking over my tongue with every swipe against his against mine, and I swear it’s like the temperature has dropped twenty degrees inside the containment room.

A menacing rumble finally makes it to my ears, and that’s all I need to come back to reality. I’m sitting in my professor’s lap, kissing him. The same Fae who had a girlfriend not long ago. The very reason I’m being called a whore, homewrecker, and mistress.

Fuck. What am I doing?

I tear myself away from Thaddeus and scramble out of his lap, racing toward the containment room door. The confusion in his voice is thick as he calls my name, but I ignore him, grabbing Bane’s hand and bolting through the exit.

I need to get as far away from the confusing Fae and the kiss that rocked my world as I can.

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