Page 219 of Castings & Curses

I touched his neck.

“There?” he asked and closed his eyes. “It explains why my appetite—ouch!”

He laughed.

“That was a warning.” I kissed the spot I’d just bit him a little harder than necessary. I may not be his first, but I was damn sure his only now, so he didn’t need to think about anyone else during our time together.

CHAPTER9

I snuckinto the dorm room and tried to settle into bed without being noticed, but living with a vampire made that impossible.

“Where the hell have you been?” Nadia asked.

“Studying. Grading. Something.” I hadn’t been a very good liar and she was an excellent detective.

“Bullshit. Tell me or I will force you to tell me.” She held up the device that would blast music I did not like. It was her form of torture and it worked like a charm on me.

“I was with Professor Roark.” That wasn’t a lie.

“Is that where you keep disappearing to?” she asked. “You’re gone all weekend now and I used to worry I would wake you out of your dangerous sleep liaison when I snuck out.” She waggled her brows.

“Who are you sneaking out to see?” I asked. This was totally news to me. Here I had been so caught up in my own mess, I hadn’t even talked about hers.

“I’m making the perfect man. I told you this.” She shrugged.

“Yeah, I know you keep saying that, but seriously. Where are…you…wait.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. “You really are…like…making someone…aren’t you?”

“Mary Shelly is my favorite human author.” She winked at me, and I tried to process that information.

“You are not growing one in a test tube, like from infancy to manhood.” I clarified because that would also be creepy as fuck.

“Nope.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m doing it the old-fashioned way.”

“Which would be?” I knew the book, but needed clarity on this situation as the medical department here was prone to questionable experiments on living beings, but I hadn’t thought of anyone doing something to the dead ones.

“Putting him together, part by beautiful part.” She smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not reducing the student body around here by reducing student bodies. I’m hunting off campus grounds. Well, not even in this universe really.”

“Are you jumping and stealing from another universe?” I asked and she made fake shock and horror expressions. “Nadia!”

She shrugged. “Look, I’m not taking anyone that would be missed. If anything, I’m helping them get rid of some real assholes.”

“And then you are putting together your very own asshole with their parts?” I asked.

“Well, not entirely. I mean I’ve tried and failed a few times, so those bodies just wound up in the fire, but the ones I have right now.” She sort of wiggled over there in her seat. Her fingers crossed and she held up her hand and said, “I hope this is the one.”

“Wha.” I stopped, cleared my throat and asked, “What is wrong with just keeping one of them alive and then…I don’t know, asking a favor of one of the witches or something?”

“Um. Clearly you don’t understand perfection. I can’t just accept a body as it is. I need to ensure it is up to my personal specifications. I don’t want just any man, I want MY man.” She shrugged. “I had to put the last one down.”

“What!” That was not a question.

“Forgot to add the smarts department and while the physical form worked perfectly, the brain meats were already rotten.” She got up and went to the small fridge in our room. She pulled a blood bag from it and then said, “Ugh. Cold blood. So gross.” She popped the top and took a swig and said, “Still. A girl’s gotta eat, right?”

“Right.” I looked at my best friend and decided not to pry any further. She was obviously attempting to create something that did not exist. Perfection.

Sure, I thought my warlock professor was perfect, until he kidnapped me and turned out to be possessed by a part of my mother trying to control him long enough to destroy me and then inhabit my body for another lifetime or two. I learned he was not perfect. He had flaws and vulnerabilities I never even thought possible.

“You’re judging me. You and your moral code.” She rolled her eyes. I laughed and shook my head. “No?”

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