It was tempting to move toward the warmth coming from the light strands, but that wasn’t why she was here. Oh, she’d do that eventually. Find his anchor the same way Artemis had found hers. But today she was searching for the source of his vice, a clue to the unfulfilled need that drove his addiction. She turned toward the darkness, the cold, a black tangle at the back of the web. Hidden deep within the shadows of his psyche, whatever it was made her shiver with dread. This was the source, the events that turned a simple, controllable desire for sex into an unmanageable monster that ruled Jason’s life. If he were to overcome his vice, he needed to face this darkness. As she approached, a chill coursed over her skin.
Artemis and many others in the pack assumed his vice had started with the death of his potential mate, Jessica. He didn’t like to talk about her, that was for sure. If it was about her, about grief and loss, he might have worked it out over time in years and years of therapy. But he didn’t have years. Every day they were in this apartment was a day closer to Nickelova growing suspicious and coming for him. Whether he admitted it or not, he needed her. The faster he faced this darkness, the sooner he could walk fully in the light and the sooner he could free himself from Nickelova’s hold over him.
Gently she reached out and touched the root of the darkest thread. For a heartbeat, it felt rough between her fingers, like spun asphalt, and then she was inside the memory, standing in a college classroom.
Most of the students were human, but she spotted Jason right away next to the only other shifter Selene could sense. At the front of the lecture hall, a female professor spoke. “Everything we take for granted comes from somewhere. It’s a construct of our chemistry and our environment. What we consider sexual norms are simply those imposed on us by our community.” Her eyes fell on Jason.
“Why is she staring at you like that?” the boy, the other shifter, whispered to Jason.
“None of your business.”
“Is there something going on between you and Ms. Matthews?”
“Is there a reason you’re not minding your own fucking business?” Jason’s eyes darkened as he turned them on his friend.
The friend chuckled. “Dude, she’s hot but she’s twice your age.”
“Still not your business.”
The clock ticked to the hour. “Read chapter twenty for Thursday,” Professor Matthews said. “Jason Flynn, I need to see you about your paper.” She held up a stack of stapled assignments.
“Whatever.” With a sharp look, the shifter next to Jason gathered his things and followed the others out the door.
Jason stood and descended the stairs of the emptying auditorium, Professor Matthews tapping the toe of her red pump as he neared. “I’m afraid your work isn’t up to par,” she said.
“I followed the rubric. Everything you asked for is there.”
“Not everything.”
“Tell me what’s missing. I’ll rewrite it.”
“You know what’s missing.”
He swallowed, hard.
She gestured toward the door as a student entered early for the next class. “Come with me.” She led him out of the lecture hall and across the building to her office. Jason’s shoulders slumped, his expression like a lamb to slaughter.
Professor Matthews closed the door behind him, the lock clicking into place. “Now show me why I should reread this paper, Jason.”
He dropped his backpack on a leather chair near the window, setting his cell phone on the seat next to it. “This has to stop.”
“I’ll decide when it stops. Do you want me to reread the paper, or will you be taking an F?”
Looking disgusted with himself, Jason snatched the paper from her hands and slapped it down on the desk. He grabbed her by the neck and bent her over until her nose touched the printed sheets. “No better time than the present,” he said.
“Yes. Yes. From behind.” Matthews purred.
“This is the last time,” Jason said through his teeth. “It’s over.”
She cast him an evil grin. “It’s over when I decide it is.”
Selene wanted to look away from what happened next. It was obvious Jason didn’t like Matthews, but he followed her instructions, did what his professor wanted him to do. She could feel his self-loathing, sense his disgust as he touched her. But she couldn’t look away. She was experiencing this memory as if she were living it.
When the brutal coupling was done, Jason backed away like the very sight of the woman repulsed him. He zipped his pants and picked up his backpack, staring at the door while she composed herself.
“A-plus,” she breathed, coming into his line of vision again and holding up the paper. “You’re a natural.”
Jason scowled, turning away. “Can I go?”
