That mental image makes it impossible to breathe right. My chest aches.
Walking to their quintet apartment to see if she's there would be easy. If she is, I'll act like a curt asshole as usual and hurry back here to sulk some more.
But if Mavenisn'tthere…
I realize the window I'm staring at has completely frosted over as my panic spirals and glazes my office with a thin layer of ice. Taking a deep breath, I begin to pace.
I didn't sleep last night. I stared wide awake at the ceiling, overthinking every possible way my keeper could have been hurt in her mission to get her friend back. Since sleep wasn't an option, I eventually went to patrol the halls like some of the other faculty members have been doing, just to see if I was lucky enough to find her coming back.
Instead, all I found was a creepy-ass pair of dismembered hands. So there's luck for you.
Walking to my desk, I straighten what little is on it. I organize it again and again, and then I pace some more before finally dropping into my chair and rubbing my face.
How the hell am I supposed to get through today? How can I keep resisting every single instinct I have toward her? I was dangerously close to snapping yesterday. And feeling Maven's warm, strong, incredibly fuckingperfectbody pressed so tightly against me when I rolled her out of the way of Baelfire's dragon…
Nope, don't go there. Don't even think about it.
Too late. I glare down at the erection that's trying to strain through my pants.
"You're a helpless fucking idiot, you know that?" I grumble.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just talk to your own cock," Silas's voice says from the entry to my office.
I startle and scowl viciously. He must have used magic to silently open my door and walk in to keep anyone outside from hearing him knock. My face is probably bright red, but I turn back to the few papers on my desk like that's what I've been focused on instead of losing my fucking mind with worry for our keeper.
"I'm busy. Get out."
"No, you're not," he scoffs, sitting and lounging in the chair across from me as he glances at the ice covering almost every inch of my office. "Tell me, why exactly do you evenhavean office? I haven't figured out why you came back here."
"To teach."
"Bullshit."
Yes, it is.
I came here for three reasons. First, I wanted to take a break from modeling for the first time in over thirteen years. Second, there was the whole debacle with keeping Heidi out ofEverbound. My parents would only heed my demand that they keep her away from here if I acted as their point of contact at the university.
They were desperate to have someone at Everbound in their pocket after receiving an anonymous tip that the rumoredtelumwould be found here.
I've tried to distance myself as much as possible from the Frost family's shady dealings and dirty money. But when they mentioned thetelum, it created my third reason for coming here. I wanted to know if the rumors were true.
After all, thetelumis mentioned in my personal prophecy. I hoped learning more about it would shed some light on the disheartening prophecy I received from the temple of Arati so long ago.
But now that I knowMavenis the Entity's weapon, I'm more confused than ever. And as usual, my family complicates things.
Silas picks up the glass of water on my desk which has been frozen solid. He ignores the way I scowl at him as he turns it over curiously.
"Is there a reason you barged in?" I huff.
"The Immortal Quintet almost killed me yesterday."
"What stopped them?"
Silas's glare is as scarlet as ever. "You're an insensitive prick, you know that?"
"I meant, why only almost?" I clarify. "I've seen how they work. They never change their minds while executing someone, sanctioned or not."
"That prophetess stepped in with peculiarlyserendipitoustiming and got me out of there. But I came to tell you about this because before Natalya sank her teeth into me, they asked some questions about our keeper. Specifically, where she's from and whether she's ever been through the Divide."
