They entered the main arts building and he paused by the directory, searching for the right room number before leading them to the elevator.
“I still don’t understand what an art major is doing here,” Zane said as they stepped inside. “Guest is the finest art school on the planet. Our program can’t possibly compete.”
“It can’t,” he agreed. “But that’s not why I came. Pavel is pretty well known, even on my campus. I wasn’t about to turn down an offer like his.”
“What was the offer again?”
“He’d let me sit in on a couple of advanced classes he’s taking, give me tips and pointers if I needed them. Nothing extreme.” Aneski gave him a sidelong look and cleared his throat. “I’m very happy in my relationship with Flix.”
Zane frowned. “Good for you.”
“There’s no reason for you to scowl like that, is all I’m saying.”
“Who’s scowling?” The elevator stopped on the third floor and Zane exited first, heading right to follow the signs toward the correct room. He hadn’t been aware their department was so…large. Apparently, it wasn’t just Pavel he didn’t know much about, it was the whole damn university.
His college career had been relatively focused, though. It wasn’t easy, studying to become the Royal Doctor. Even with Kelevra’s backing, there was always the chance he’d fail. If his grades slipped or he showed he couldn’t grasp the material, he wouldn’t qualify no matter how badly the prince wanted him inthe position. Between keeping Lyra and then Wells happy so that neither of them would interfere and try to sabotage him, Zane hadn’t really had time for anything else but sticking to his own neck of the woods.
Great. And now he was thinking about woods and being chased through them, preferably by a psychopath with glowing eyes who—
Who was currently sitting completely naked on a chair in the center of the large room Zane and Aneski had just stopped in front of.
The door was wide open, but that was nothing compared to the set of Pavel’s thighs. His feet were planted on top of a dais, right arm slung over the back of the glass chair he sat in, his other hand resting on his lower thigh. The pose left all of him exposed, his flaccid cock still hanging impressively.
Someone made a sound, and too late, Zane realized it had come from him. Fortunately, it was quiet enough no one else seemed to notice, but Pavel’s gaze immediately shifted to his.
“…Sorry, he told me you were coming tomorrow,” a woman, probably the professor, was talking to Aneski just within the room, leaving Zane standing there like an idiot. “As you can see, he’s the model for the day. You’re more than welcome to pull up a chair and join the rest of the class though.”
The rest of the class…who were drawing Pavel.
Naked.
Zane tore his gaze off of the other Retinue member, glancing at the nearest easel.
Only to suck in another sharp breath when he saw the female student was busy shading in the contours of Pavel’s abs depicted on the cream paper.
Another sound followed shortly after, this time not Zane’s doing, and he looked back in to see what had caught everyoneelse’s attention, eyes widening when they landed on that spot at the apex of Pavel’s thighs.
His cock was lengthening, and he was doing nothing to cover up or hide that fact.
Zane met his gaze, noticing the yellow of his eyes slipping through, washing away the usual dark brownish-black of his irises.
Before anyone could notice Pavel wasn’t the only one getting turned on, Zane spun on his heels and retreated, pretending not to hear the dark, familiar chuckle that followed him in his wake.
Chapter 18:
“We’re being tailed.” Madden went to step off to the side, no doubt to take the alley to their right and circle around to catch the shadow at the end of the street that’d been following them since they’d left the Little Palace.
“Don’t worry about it,” Zane stopped him and kept walking, lifting a single shoulder when his fellow Retinue member frowned at him. “It’s just Pavel.”
“Pav—” Madden’s head swiveled, gaze sweeping the area. He wouldn’t be able to spot the other man, however. They could both sense his presence, but Pavel was skilled enough not to be visually caught if he didn’t want to be. “What the hell is he up to?”
Zane sighed. “His best, apparently.”
It’d been three weeks since their game at Concealed and, for the most part, Pavel had kept his word.
Sort of.
He hadn’t approached Zane, and there hadn’t been any other late-night visits or break-ins at the Little Palace. But he hadn’t disappeared entirely. Every time Zane stepped out of the house, he was there, just on the edge of his peripheral.
