“Careful, Prince,” Gabriel drawled before Zypher could speak. “It’s unwise to taunt a woman who’s proven she can control you with her magic once already. I’d much prefer not being caught in the crossfire if she chooses to do so again.”
The air thickened, heavy with Vallynn’s restrained fury. The fae prince went rigid at Gabriel’s words, his black hair gleaming as shadows pooled in his hands. Dante’s chuckle broke the tension, low and amused, while Zypher smirked, settling back against the loveseat like he was preparing to enjoy the show.
I sat frozen, staring at Gabriel. Disbelief gripped me as I studied the vampire. This was the male who never missed an opportunity to tell me how worthless I was, that I didn’tbelong at the academy. The same male who took some sick sense of pleasure from putting me on my ass every time we were paired together in combat class. His defense of me, while presented as a subtle dig, didn’t compute with what I knew of him at all. My mind whirled with possible reasons, wondering if this was some new form of torture he’d devised to screw with me.
“If you don’t mind, I have somewhere to be. I’d like to get this done so I can go about my evening,” Gabriel spoke, tearing me from my spiraling thoughts.
“As do I,” Zypher added, his eyes sliding to me. Shooting me a wink, he shifted his messenger bag to his lap and pulled out a notebook. I moved to do the same.
I flipped through my notebook, nervous energy coiling through me as I tried to ignore the tension in the room. Finding the page of my most recent notes, I tapped a finger under the first line and cleared my throat. “The Greeks used myths to explain what they couldn’t understand, right? The same way a lot of modern fairy tales in the human realm are just stories about supernaturals. The gods were just… the first attempt to explain supernaturals in their world.”
“Look at that, our charity case finally has something useful to say,” Dante smirked.
Zypher growled low in his chest, and I patted his thigh, forcing myself not to rise to the gargoyle’s bait. “As I was saying—”
“Not every myth points to a supernatural being,” Gabriel interrupted.
Zypher’s growl cut off in a snort. “Please, vampire. Half the underworld myths come from your kind; the rest come from mine.”
“Enough,” Vallynn said sharply. “We’re supposed to compare customs, not argue over who inspired them. The Greeks honored their gods through ritual, sacrifice, and ceremony. We can trace some of those to modern day. That’s the angle we’ll take.”
Dante leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs as he waggled his brows at me. “Maybe we should reenact some of the rituals. I’d look good in a laurel crown, don't you think, Red?” he smirked.
My face grew hot as I flushed under his gaze, but I pressed my lips together, refusing to respond. Vallynn seemed to tense beside him, and I couldn’t help letting my gaze move to his face. The fae kept his mouth firmly shut, his eyes anywhere but on me. Dante laughed, breaking the growing tension, and my eyes slid back to my notes so fast I nearly missed the way Vallynn’s eyes flicked to me for the span of a heartbeat before turning away again.
By some miracle, we managed to focus on our assignment after that. Zypher stretched with a lazy grin after marking down a final note in his notebook. “It appears we’ve managed to be productive for once. Bechora and I will ensure our sections are prepared and sent to you for the final document.” He snapped his notebook shut, slinging his bag across his chest before rising from the loveseat. His hand stretched out toward me in offer. “I’ll walk you to your room, Dilectus.”
Vallynn scoffed. “She’s not likely to get lost in the hallway.”
Zypher’s grin widened as I slid my hand into his and let him help me from the loveseat. “Then you shouldn’t have any objections to me escorting her to her room. Unless you believe you deserve the honor.” His tone was a clear challenge. Vallynn scowled and pursed his lips, causing Zypher to chuckle. “Come, Dilectus.”
I gathered my bag, allowing Zypher to lead me toward the door. Dante’s sudden movement in our direction caused us both to freeze just before the threshold. A glint of mischief flashed in his eyes as he stopped beside us. “Why don’t you go on ahead, Demon? I need to speak with Red about our astrology assignment. I’ll be sure she makes it back to her room.” The drawl in his voice was smooth as honey, and I fought the shiver threatening to crawl up my spine.
Zypher’s entire frame stiffened as he let his gaze roveover the gargoyle. His smirk faltered for the briefest second, turning to a pensive frown before he leaned down and whispered in my ear. “I’ll wait outside your dorm, Dilectus.” His lips brushed my temple, deliberately ignoring the gargoyle’s grin, and then he was gone.
The moment he was gone, Dante proffered his elbow, tilting his head to indicate I should take his arm. I shot him a glare and stomped through the door. Somehow, my demon mate had managed to move too fast for me to catch up to him, leaving me to deal with Dante.
“What do you want?” I hissed when the gargoyle caught up to me. “And don’t tell me it’s about class. I know damned well you don’t need my help with an assignment for astrology.”
His hand gripped my bicep and pulled me to a stop. Dante glanced toward the closed door of his dorm room before crowding me against the wall. “You’re always either running or look like you’re about to,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth curving up. “I can’t help wondering, Red, are you running because you’re scared of me”—his head dipped lower, so close his breath ghosted across my lips—“or because you want to know what would happen if you let me catch you?”
My throat went dry. I should have shoved him away and snapped back with something sharp and cutting. Instead, my body betrayed me, swaying slightly in his direction as if pulled toward him by an invisible thread. Heat crept up my chest until it burned my face, my skin likely the same shade as my hair. Dante chuckled, low and rough around the edges, before letting his eyes sweep over me in a way that made me shudder and press my thighs together.
“Selir, you blush so easy.” He dragged his thumb across my bottom lip, slow and taunting. “One of these days, Red, I’ll see just how far that blush goes.” His eyes traced down my body, a heat in them I was afraid to accept.
A door creaked down the hall, and reality came crashing back, bringing a hefty dose of guilt with it. “In your fucking dreams,” I hissed, shoving my hands against his chest. Dantedidn’t budge. It was as if I were pushing against a brick wall rather than the firm contours of his muscles beneath his shirt.
He finally stepped back, flashing me a wolfish grin and tilting his head further down the hall. “Run along now, Red, before your demon prince comes looking for you.”
My head jerked back. The sudden change in his demeanor hit me like whiplash. I blinked at him for a second before twisting my lips in an angry scowl. “Fuck you, Dante,” I hissed, slamming my shoulder into him as I stepped away from the wall and started toward the stairs at the opposite end of the hallway.
“That’s the goal, Red,” he called after me with a laugh.
I stomped the rest of the way to my dorm room, muttering to myself about the entitlement of asshole males.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Dante
