Page 3 of I Married Kayog
She shook her head at each of my questions then made a weird face. “Kai is none of the above. His only flaw—if you can really call it that—is that he’s a pretty hardcore introvert.”
I gaped at her. Of all the answers she could have given, that one never featured on the list. “An introverted lead singer?! They’re the biggest attention whores in the universe!”
Tala sighed, a frown creasing her brow as she guided me towards the hall where our first lecture would be held.
“It’s complicated,” my friend replied at last.
“Complicated how?” I insisted.
She chewed her bottom lip while reflecting on her answer. “I’m not sure how to describe it. Kai often isolates himself at completely random times. You’ll see him hanging out with a group of jocks, then he’ll suddenly take off in the middle of aconversation. A few times, he also walked out of class and didn’t come back. In fact, he attends most of them remotely.”
“And yet he’s a top student?” I asked, the suspicion taking root in the back of my head audible in my voice.
“He’s not cheating, if that’s what you’re implying,” Tala said in a tone that brooked no argument. “Once you meet him, you’ll see that Kai is genius-level smart. But come, class is about to start. We’ll finish the tour after.”
We stepped inside the lecture hall, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head. I had known Acadia possessed some of the largest classrooms in the galaxy, but this exceeded anything I ever witnessed. At a glance, it appeared to offer at least a thousand seats. Shaped like an amphitheater, it had multiple rows arcing in front of the stage. Three balconies offered even more seats with multiple giant screens strategically positioned to give a great view regardless of where you sat. Although I couldn’t see any PA systems, I didn’t doubt the room possessed the finest audio systems available.
To my surprise, Tala headed for seats about a quarter way into one of the ten front rows. While that suited me, I couldn’t help casting an inquisitive look at my friend.
“Front row? I thought you loved hanging in the back to hide whatever shenanigans you were up to?” I asked teasingly.
“I am, but not on the first day,” she replied in a conspiratorial tone.
“Oh? And why is that?” I asked as I settled in my seat, grateful for the adjustable backrest so that it wouldn’t get in the way of my wings and tail.
“Yep, because it allows you to get a good look at everyone coming in, on top of enabling us to get out fast once they inevitably release us early,” she deadpanned.
I smiled and nodded before letting my gaze roam around the room to see who all was in attendance already, and if I spottedany familiar faces. I waved at a few acquaintances and made a mental note of the people I recognized but didn’t personally know yet. I would introduce myself later at an appropriate time. In the field I was pursuing, developing relationships with as many people as possible—especially among the elite—was vital.
Then a sudden hush fell over the room. Most of the discreet chatter ended as many heads turned towards the entrance.
“Oh my God!” Tala whispered with a thrill in her voice.
That reaction surprised me as I assumed the professor had entered, eliciting the sudden decrease in conversations. I glanced in the general direction that everyone was staring at only to freeze.
The most breathtaking Temern I had ever seen was walking up one of the main aisles, talking in a hushed tone to a human. He was tall—very muscular for our species, which tended to be lither—but not in a bulky way. His lean body put every defined groove of his abdominals and biceps on display. A pair of majestic wings hung on his back, the lustrous feathers the same dark maroon as most of his body. His front was a lighter beige color that seemed toemphasize the perfection of his torso. The golden down feathers of his chest spread to his stunning face, with a proud beak, and mesmerizing silver eyes. He walked with a grace that screamed of control and underlying power ready to be unleashed in the blink of an eye.
He suddenly stopped, frowned, and his head jerked towards me. Our gazes met, and it felt as if I’d been struck by a boulder straight to the chest. Time stopped. The silver sea of his eyes swallowed me whole. It hypnotized me even as it stripped me bare, leaving me feeling vulnerable and exposed.
Despite the shock that appeared to rob me of any rational thinking, I didn’t miss the stunned, disbelieving, and almost awed expression on the beautiful stranger’s face.
He started, breaking the magic, and he jerked his head away from me to look at his friend. He blinked, appearing to realize that his companion had been calling him while he’d been staring at me. After nodding at something his friend said, he stole another glance my way, his face unreadable. He then looked away and climbed the rest of the stairs granting access to the side balcony to my left.
Still dazed, I forced myself to avert my eyes, my heart beating at an insane speed. It took every ounce of my willpower to keep myself looking ahead instead of trying to steal another peek at him.
“What the fuck, Lin! He was staring at you!” Tala exclaimed in a hushed tone.
“Who is he?” I asked in the same hushed voice, still unsettled by the powerful effect he had on me.
“Mr. Perfect I’ve been telling you about! That’s Kai!” Tala said as if it was self-evident.
A human female sitting in the row right in front of us turned around to look at us, curiosity plastered all over her pixie face covered in freckles.
“Do you know him?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Wow! He never stared at anyone the way he just stared at you,” she replied in a voice dripping with envy. “I guess he’s just into Temerns.”
