Page 15 of Curses & Keys
Hawthorne turns his head and asks, “Is this okay?” Green eyes search mine intently.
“Yes,” I tell him, conscious of his big body next to mine. Warmth spreads from him to me, making me want to curl closer, like a cat seeking the sun.
We spend the next hour planning the lecture. Deciding it would be best to supply our students with a list of approved materials, we research and argue about the best ones to include in the discussion. It’s exhilarating to speak to someone with more knowledge of ancient civilizations than me.
At one point, he leans over to point to something on the screen, and his body curves around mine, making the small space shrink. The air becomes charged with tension, and I have to repeatedly remind myself we’re in a library. But instead of dampening my interest, my mind wanders to the dark stacks located in the back, hidden from the rest of the world, and I silently groan at the images flooding my brain.
We finally finish laying out the details, and he leans back to scan the notebook in front of him. Breathing a little easier, I take a moment to contemplate the man beside me. Elven men are genetically gorgeous and inherently sexy, but the way this man thinks, his brain, is the ultimate aphrodisiac. He’s exactly my type.
“Would you like to grab lunch?” I ask as nonchalantly as possible. Or search for an obscure book in the back. Find a deserted room. Go back to my office.
He stops making notes. “Sorry. I can’t.” He flips the notebook closed. “Taking this position was sort of a last-minute decision for me, and I haven’t prepared for my first seminar. I’m working on it over lunch.”
Disappointment hits me, but I brush it off. “Completely understand. Maybe another time.” I don’t care if he is a spy. It’s not as if I have to share my secrets with him.
He nods. “Thanks for working with me on this. I’ll type up the notes.” After grabbing his stuff, he glances at the monitor, then back at me. “Are you going to be at your office later? I could drop it by.”
I nod and give him my hours. “Thanks, Hawthorne. I’m looking forward to working on this with you.”
“Me too.” He flashes me a wide smile and strides off.
Tempted to lean over and watch him walk away, I restrain myself. Once I’m sure he’s left the library, I drop my head in my hands and groan. The man is smart and passionate, and I could sit beside him for hours. I almost wish he were an ogre. How am I going to keep my guard up around him?
By doing what I always do… getting back to my real job. I lift my head and open up the chat screen from earlier.
AncientFangs: Key went up for sale a week ago. LINK. Seller took the post down a couple of days later. Original ask MMs.
Nothing truly disappears from the web. After paying for the information, I click on the link, which takes me to the original seller’s post. An image of an ancient-looking key pops up on the screen. I study it, but it’s not familiar, so I turn to the archived post.
User9738432: Platinum key with Hephaestus’ symbol on bow. Non-magical. Serious collectors only. 20M GBP
Non-magical. Then why is everyone after it? Is this a money play? My eyes dart back to the image, and I zoom in on the bow, the portion of the key a person holds in their hands, and see the metal stamp Hephaestus often used to sign his pieces. A simplified version of the hammer and anvil. I frown. Anyone could have stamped this onto the piece.
Given the attack at the museum, and Jamison’s subsequent search, the piece must somehow be connected to Westgate’s collection, and if it was in the vampire’s possession, it could be thousands of years old. Westgate was ancient and reported tobe one of the first vampires to cross the portal. Objects with a symbol of the gods are rare, but they do exist. If it’s been authenticated, it would be worth the twenty-million-pound price tag.
I flick back to the post. The seller’s use of “non-magical” tells me they’re supernatural. A human wouldn’t make that distinction.
Beyond curious, I decide to send the anonymous user a note.
CursedGreek: @User 9738432 If the key is authentic, I’m interested. DM me if still available.
I close the chat and head to the sandwich place on campus, then back to the library. Someone’s using my favorite desk, so I drop into another. I’ll only be here a minute. Entering the chat room, I check for messages, but there’s no reply. Disappointed, I log out and decide to head to the gym early to blow off some steam.
Cara stops me the minute I walk in. As the gym’s owner and resident fitness guru, she spends most of her time here and is one of the few supernaturals I speak to on a regular basis. “Guess what? You’re never going to believe it. A new supe moved to town, and he’s a trainer. Here. In my gym. What are the odds?” She drags me around the corner to the weight room. “There. See him?”
I scan the faces around me. Most of them I recognize as regulars. “Where?”
She smirks. “Keep looking. You won’t miss him. Believe me.”
Shaking my head, I stretch up on tiptoe to see the back of the room. “Holy… Huge” The man is freaking big and muscular.Stacked in all the best ways. “What is he?” I keep my voice low, so he doesn’t hear us.
She licks her lips. “Shifter of some kind.”
One of the men working out in front of me moves, giving me a clear view. At least six feet, seven inches tall, he’s definitely massive, but surprisingly, it’s not the first thing you notice about him. “He looks like a golden god. Or a Nemean lion.” Big, powerful, with acres of golden skin and a full head of white-blond hair.
She hums. “He does, doesn’t he?” As a panther shifter herself, she’s practically purring at the idea.
I continue to watch him train the woman next to him, showing her how each piece of equipment works and how to do the reps. She’s not even looking at the weights. “He’s not the only new supe in town. There are two more.”
