Page 36 of Wings of Ashes
ÉtienneThierry swiftly strode to the shelf beside where Nix stood. “Why is her hair wet?” he asked through a frown.
“Wow, a question before an assumption?” Nix asked in a dramatic tone.
His frown twisted into a glare. “Never mind. I do not care.”
“Nix had a run-in with another student.”
“Not surprising,” Professor Thierry said, nodding.
As ifshewere a trouble student.
“She appears to be the victim of a hex, but we will know more with some research.”
Nix threw a betrayed expression in Professor Bowen’s direction. Had he not just said he wouldn’t tell anyone? Maybe he meant about the unknown-winged-specieswhat is sheissue.
“Hex?” Thierry paused in pocketing his glass vial of elixir. It was the same kind of vial that Nix accidentally ruined when she ran into him the day before.
“Like you care,” Nix said and turned to Professor Bowen. “I will see you tomorrow. Thank you, professor.”
“Of course,” he said warmly.
Nix swerved around Étienne, aka Professor Jerk Thierry, making sure not to touch him as she left the classroom.
The second she rounded the end of the hallway, strong, warm arms shot around her and yanked her to the side.
15
CHAPTER
Her back pressed to the wall as a tall, muscular male body caged her there. He moved his hands from her hips and flattened them on either side of her head against the wall.
“Who is bespelling you?” Bael asked her. “What is the spell?”
“Can you not just leave me alone? You got the answer you wanted.”
Bael’s red eyes flared with emotion. Which emotion, Nix was not sure. “Did I?” he asked.
Nix raised her hands to her hair, wrapped the damp strands around her fist, and squeezed what was left of the potion out. It dripped to the floor between them.
Baelalmosthad the emotional intelligence to appear guilty. “Did it truly hurt you?” he asked in a low, genuine voice that wrapped around her throat like a warm, dominating scarf.
She coughed and choked on an inhale of his titillating woodsy scent. “What, you think I faked it for attention?” she shot back.
He slammed his hand to the wall so hard that it cracked beside her head. “Tell. The. Truth,” he demanded.
“Yes,” she said. “It stung. Does that make you happy?”
“Fuck no, it does not,” he replied angrily.
“Will you let me go now? I need to head to my next class.”
It would be embarrassing to arrive late to Professor Thierry’s class when he watched her leave to walk there. Maybe he would assume she tripped on her way and ended up sucking some alpha’s dick in the hallway for a promise of a date to the next school dance.
“Where is your mate?” Bael asked, leaning closer so his distracting lips hovered over hers. “Or was that a lie?”
His breath blew more of his mesmerizing scent onto her face. “Because I’ve never seen a fated mate able tonotbe around his woman every second of the day. Is he in your other classes? Where is he now to carry your books?”
“I can carry them myself.”
