Page 28 of Shattered & Returned

“Right,” I said, acutely aware of the entire room’s attention shifting between us. The boys’ gazes turned speculative, the girls’ downright hostile. I could practically hear their thoughts:Why her?“You called Orren a dog. I don’t think he appreciated the comparison.”

Sebastian waved a careless hand. “It wasn’t an insult. People are just too sensitive these days.”

“Speaking of sensitive, Sebastian,” I kept my voice just above a whisper, “maybe you could find another seat? No offense, but I didn’t sign up to be part of the tourist attraction.” I was too polite to add the wordsfreak show. “You seem to bring the spotlight with you, and I’d rather not be on your stage.”

Sindy’s heel connected with my shin under the desk.

Sebastian’s laugh rang out, a sound that would undoubtedly bring a challenge or two my way after the class was over. “I like how you say my name,” he murmured, leaning closer.

My fingers tightened around my pen. Flirting? With me?

Sindy looked ready to combust beside me, her eyes practically bulging from their sockets.

“Just wanted to welcome you properly,” Sebastian added in a low voice, amusement still dancing in his eyes. “Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

A deafening bang cut through the room as the side door slammed open. Every muscle in my body locked whenhestrode in, his movements sleek and predatory, his long black coat billowing behind him like living shadow.

My hand flew to my mouth, stifling a choked gasp.

Him.

The devil who’d bitten me. The one who’d given me my first fantastic—andillegal—orgasm.

Nero Ravencrux had just walked into my gin joint.

My stomach dropped to my shoes. Ofcourse, the man who’d ruined me for anyone else would turn out to be my Magical History professor. Ofcourse, the one night I’d let go would be a cardinal sin at Forsaken Academy.

Shit!

I could practically hear the universe laughing at me.

I shrunk lower in my seat, silently begging:Don’t see me. Don’t look this way.

If the floor had opened up, I would’ve gladly leapt into the abyss.

I didn’t have my textbook yet, but Sindy’s lay abandoned on the desk. I grabbed it and yanked it upright like a shield, pressing the spine to my nose as if the flimsy barrier could save me.

It didn’t.

His gaze seared through the pages like they were glass, pinning me in place. How did healwaysknow?

The weight of the room’s attention split: some glueing to our professor, some clinging to Sebastian’s golden presence, and the rest zeroing in on me.Shit,I could practically hear their unspoken questions buzzing in the air.

The room, already hushed when Sebastian entered, fell deathly silent, the air crackling with nervous energy. Everyone feared the devil; though Professor Ravencrux wasn’t quite the devil, he was close enough.

“You’re holdingThe History of Oldest Magicupside down,” Sindy whispered to me.

“Don’t you have better things to do than harass the new girl, Sebastian?” Professor Ravencrux’s voice cut through the room, icy with rage.

I sighed and let the textbook drop. The professor’s dark gaze fixed on me, and like always in his presence, heat prickled under my skin. I clenched my thighs, trying to stifle the sudden ache between them.

Ravencrux changed course, moving between the tables with predatory intent. My right eye twitched; my left earlobe burned— unmistakable danger and sensation.

“I was far from harassing Bloom,” Sebastian said. He knew my name without me telling him. His grin was lazy, provocative as he met Ravencrux’s glare without flinching. “I was taken with her the moment she walked into the academy. Who wouldn’t be? And where did you find her? I was hoping to get to know her better. She’s quite exquisite, isn’t she? Makes a real man want to protect her at all costs.”

That was odd.

And unlike everyone else, Sebastian showed no fear of Ravencrux—rank, power, nothing seemed to faze him. He was deliberately provoking the professor, itching for a fight. His words carried a taunting edge, like he knew some dark, dangerous secret of Ravencrux’s.

---