“Yes,” Wells insisted. “While we’ve never officially met, I do recall seeing you lingering about, Mr. Hart. I know the two of you are both members of the Retinue, but with all due respect, my cousin isn’t even a student at Vail. There’s no good reason for you to be distracting my best and brightest—”
Pavel held up a finger, effectively cutting the professor off. “I’m not liking the usage of the wordmythere, Professor.”
“Pavel,” Zane scolded, reaching across the small table to latch onto his wrist and pull his arm down. Then he turned to Wells and gave a short bow, hating that he had to, and honestly a bit miffed that this whole thing was making him. “Apologies,Professor. He’s in a bad mood today. I’ll get back to work as soon as I’ve finished lunch.”
Wells huffed. “See that you do.” He took a step back then pretended to recall something, turning to them with a slight sparkle in his eye Zane instantly disliked. “Also, come see me at the end of the day. I’ve been meaning to discuss an error I discovered in the work you submitted last week.”
“Of course, Professor.”
Zane watched him walk away, practically seething on the inside. He’d managed to avoid having to have one on one time with him for a while, and now thanks to Pavel, that was blown to shit.
“I never liked the way he looks at you,” Pavel scowled, eyes locked onto Wells’ back as the professor crossed the cafeteria and exited. “If he wasn’t a Diar—”
“But he is.”
Wells was a Diar, which meant neither of them could do anything but grin and bear it, no matter how badly Zane longed to glide the edge of his blade across the older man’s throat. Flying under his radar until he was made the Royal Doctor was the best he could do, and Pavel was fucking that up.
“Has he been trying to play with you?” A different sort of look flashed behind Pavel’s eyes as he tipped his head and inspected Zane’s expression. “Have you been bedding someone behind my back after all?”
“No, I—” Zane stopped himself. Why was he defending himself? “Who I sleep with is none of your business.”
“Want to rethink that statement, gorgeous? While I’m being generous?”
He blew out a breath. “Lyra made him my advisor, but he isn’t allowed to touch me unless my grades slip, which we all know will never happen—What are you doing?!”
Paval had stood, but Zane grabbed him a second time and dragged him back down to his seat.
“What the hell?” He kept his hand on Pavel’s arm until he was certain he would stay put and then slowly withdrew, ready to latch onto him again if need be. Fortunately it didn’t come to that.
“You just told me the two of them made a deal with you as the prize, and you expect me to just sit here and eat—” he glanced down at the food on his tray, further proving he hadn’t been paying attention when selecting it, “—ors nuggets and mashed freet? Absolutely not. I’ll make what I did to Samuel seem like—”
“You can’t do anything to him,” Zane cut him off. “He’s a Diar.”
“He’s—”
“Part of the Imperial family.” He sighed. “You think I would have sat back and done nothing myself if there was a chance of getting away with it? I dream about skinning the guy alive almost every day, but it’s too great of a risk. Besides, it’s not a big deal.” It was an epic deal that made him sick to his stomach whenever he thought of it, but whatever. “It’s not like I’ll ever give him the satisfaction of seeing me fail. He’ll never touch me, Pavel.”
“I thought you studied so hard because you wanted the position.”
“Idowant it.”
“Sure, but you also don’t want to be sexually assaulted.”
“That’s rich coming from you.” Zane was starting to hate this conversation.
“That’s different,” he disagreed. “Wells could get to touch you by order of the Imperial Heir. They’re treating you like a thing they pass between them, which they cannot. You might be a belonging, Doctor, but you’re mine, no one else’s, and I sure asshit won’t tolerate another person’s hands marring your perfect form.”
This was a terrible idea.
This was…
Zane stood with a flourish, fast enough the back of his chair whacked loudly against the wall. His chest was tight and he had the unmistakable urge to flee, as though there was danger nearby.
“I’ll only say this once,” he stared down at Pavel, the words rushing out of him. “I am not interested.”
“You’re not ready,” Pavel corrected, sighing when Zane went to leave. “That’s why I started us off in the woods.”
He hated that his curiosity was piqued by that but couldn’t seem to help himself from turning back. “What?”
