Page 80 of Virgin Sacrifice

Chapter thirty-six

Luz

With all the murder and mayhem, it would have been easy to forget that finals were rapidly approaching. But as the days got colder and shorter, the libraries became more packed. A general sense of anxiety had descended on campus as we entered the last couple weeks of the semester and professors attempted to cram as much information into us as humanly possible.

Locke seemed to attend his own lectures as infrequently as some of the students did, often letting Dominic cover in his absence. Another stark reminder that Blackwells could do whatever they wanted.

Ever since our heated exchange in his office, he had stayed away from me. I was happy to reciprocate the distance. With only a couple of weeks left until the final exam, I had begun to hope I might be able to ignore him entirely until his class resumed after the winter break.

I should have known I wasn’t that lucky.

“All right folks, that’s a wrap on today’s lecture. As a reminder this week’s readings are Chapters 24 and 25 of the textbook, and please be prepared to speak to Piketty’s work on income inequality at your tutorials this week,” Locke said, wrapping up his lecture, before adding, “Miss Torres, a word if you please.”

I did not. But considering how close I was to pulling off an A in this class despite Professor Dickhole, it was in my best interest to play nice.

I took my sweet time making my way down to speak to him, waiting for the bulk of our class to exit the lecture hall before I even got up from my seat.

“Sometime today, Miss Torres,” Locke groused, tapping his foot impatiently while he waited for me.

“Apologies, Professor,” I replied in a saccharine tone, “I didn’t realize time was of the essence.”

Locke huffed. “I’m a busy man, Miss Torres. Surely even you can appreciate that.”

I shrugged noncommittally. “What is it you wanted to discuss?”

Locke clenched his jaw, his eyes darting around the classroom as he waited for the last couple of stragglers to leave the classroom. For all his bluster about wasting his time, apparently this wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have in front of the other students.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t feeling a surge of nerves, despite my blasé attitude. I couldn’t forget his earlier threats, after that first class, when he all but promised to force me out of not only his class but Hollow Oak too. So far not much had come to pass, but I wouldn’t put it past him to try to finally make good on his promise now that I had put so much effort into proving him wrong.

The door swung closed behind the last remaining student with a heavy thunk that reverberated through the now-empty lecture hall.

Rising up to his full height behind the lectern, Locke took me in, looking me up and down in a manner that might have felt leering if it weren’t for the perpetual scowl on his face.

I crossed my arms and met his eyes with a stony gaze. I hadn’t broken under his cruelty before, and I wouldn’t start today.

“It’s come to my notice that you have been associating with my younger cousins.”

I arched my eyebrow and let out a quiet huff under my breath. Of all the issues I might have anticipated Locke raising, Alister and Nixon were at the bottom of the list. “I think you’ll find that it’s your cousins who have been associating with me, Professor. I can promise you that I have never sought out either of them nor done anything with the intention of seeking their attention.”

Locke scoffed loudly. “Alister and Nixon have far better things to do than trawl for scholarship trash. I don’t know if you think you can get at me by harassing them or if you simply believe they’re the ticket to elevating your social standing, but I am telling you that it won’t succeed and for your own safety and well-being, you would be wise to stay away from them.”

My nails dug harshly into the meat of my palms. The brass balls on this man. If he was trying to provoke me into saying something rash and getting myself thrown out of his class, he was doing an excellent job of it.

Forcing a steady breath in and out through my nose, I hiked my backpack up and rolled my tongue across my teeth before moving to speak again. When I did, my words were deliberate, my tone deceptively calm.

“Let me assure you, Professor, nothing would make me happier than to see your cousins find a more suitable target for their stalkerish tendencies. Be that as it may, I hardly see how my relationships outside of this classroom fall under your purview. So, if you’ve nothing to say regarding ECON200, I have a study group to attend to. Thank you.”

I turned and spun on my heel to march out of the classroom before I could even hear his response. At the beginning of the term, the drama with Locke had seemed all-consuming; all I could think about was how this one man had the power to destroy all my academic dreams. But so much had happened since then, and I had too much at risk now to worry about his petty squabbles. If he wanted to get me thrown out of Hollow Oak, the onus was on him. I refused to give him any more fodder.

I had barely made two steps down the hall when I heard the heavy footsteps of an irate male coming up behind me, and I swiftly dodged the outstretched hand I felt reaching out for me before spinning around to confront Locke. “Don’t you dare touch me!” I hissed.

For a moment he froze in place, his usual mask of stormy contempt shattered, replaced by something very close to confusion. It only lasted a heartbeat before the sneer he usually wore in my presence was firmly back in place, and he opened his mouth to deliver what was surely another venomous accusation against me.

I steeled my spine, but before the cruel words I anticipated could come flowing from his mouth, his eyes shifted to something behind me, and he promptly snapped his mouth shut.

I swung around to see what on earth could have compelled Locke Blackwell to shut his mouth but was surprised to find only an empty hallway.

“Good day, Miss Torres,” Locke gritted out to my back, stomping back inside the classroom before I could even look back at him. It was unnerving, seeing him retreat, but I wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, and I power walked down the hall as quickly as my legs could carry me.

---