Page 36 of After Darkness Falls

She'd met Miss Paxton before—she'd seemed nice enough.

"I have to take Paranormal Introduction this semester so I stop feeling quite so out of my depth," she said. "And maybe Advanced Immortal History, too."

Everything here seemed to revolve around the vampires, and if the last couple of days had taught her anything, it was that she knew nothing at all about their kind. Hell, she hadn't even known the history of their creation before Blair shared it.

"Ah. Well, Paranormal Introduction is just an hour per week for eight weeks, and there's, like, no homework, so that's not a problem, but AIH…let's just say it would add to your workload. There are a bunch of names and dates you have to memorize." Blair grimaced. "Between the fae, the scions, the dragons, the vamps, the gods, and everything else, that's a whole lot of work for something that won't really help your MBA."

Chloe frowned. Blair was right, of course, but her MBA wasn't the only thing that mattered. She wanted to know the world she'd be part of for three years. If she wanted to belong here, she couldn't forever stay the newbie who asked a billion stupid questions.

"How many hours? How long does it last?"

"Two hours twice a week for two semesters."

She bit her lip.

Blair sighed. "Hey, if you want to do it, I'm not here to stop you, girl. So many people come here with a clear idea of what they want to do and then change their mind one or two years in. Taking a few courses outside of your schedule is smart—it leaves the door open for other things. I was just going to advise you to take a language and at least one irrelevant, fun course per semester. AIH just isn't all that fun."

Again, Blair was the voice of wisdom.

Chloe quietly stated, "I'm good with dates. They just stick in my head without much effort. I mean, it could be fun."

"It won't be," said Blair, grimacing. "But you quite obviously want to do it. Besides, you can always drop it later."

“Right.”

She’d never dropped anything in her life and wasn’t going to start now.

17

One Notable Professor

All right, she might drop AIH before even officially taking it up.

This week, they were supposed to sample the casual intro classes before deciding on their courses. Chloe had been fairly certain that AIH would be on her final selection, until attending the class at four that afternoon.

Blair had talked about numerous dates and names, neither of which had frightened Chloe. She hadn't said that the professor was an asshole.

Chloe and Gwen, who'd tagged along, arrived early and sat in the second row. As more students arrived, they frowned in confusion, because all of them were bundled together at the back of the classroom like a flock of sheep.

"Should we…"

Gwen didn't finish the question. A door opened, and a stunning creature with long ears and piercing moss-green eyes walked in. The man wore a long black skirt that floated on the floor like a bride's veil. His torso was bare, and Chloe thanked the gods for it. His body was delicious—golden skin, defined muscles, and a black ring through one of his nipples.

"You. You," he said, pointing to both of them.

His voice was honey and poison, impossible to tune out, so very beautiful that hearing it was almost painful.

They stiffened in their seats.

"I don't know you."

Gwen was stunned into silence. Chloe, who recovered faster, cleared her throat.

"We're new."

"Evidently. What are you?"

She blinked.

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