“Guys,” I interrupted. “We don’t have time for this. I’m going to get Miles to class. I’ll meet you at lunch to find out if it’s safe for Miles to show his face around campus. Zypher, don’t forget to get Gabriel up to speed. And the two of you work together to distract the very pissed off dragon.”
My mates nodded, their expressions serious. Shadrie stepped forward and gave Miles a hug, murmuring something I couldn’t make out. Whatever it was seemed to calm him slightly before we turned and hurried to class.
Chapter Forty
Bechora
By some miracle, we managed to avoid Thrackborne. When lunch rolled around, none of us wanted to risk having Miles out in the open. We grabbed food from the dining hall—or rather, Zypher insisted he and Gabriel grab it and bring it to his dorm in Daemonium House after assuring me it was the safest place on campus to hide from a dragon shifter. While we ate, he and Gabriel told me they’d gone straight to the library when Miles and I headed to class that morning, but the professor and papers Miles mentioned were gone.
We answered Gabriel’s lingering questions about my status as a Starcaller—the ones we could. He offered thoughts on connecting with my abilities, walking me through techniques vampires learned as children to test their limits. One exercise required me to push against him with everything I had, pulling magic from my well and guiding it to infuse my muscles. I thought he was playing a trick on me, but my palm shoved him back several feet. His boots skidded across the floor with a startled grunt.
“Fuck, I think you broke one of my ribs,” he hissed, an arm wrapping around his side.
“That doesn’t make sense. All I did was push you. I didn’t even have momentum behind it.” I frowned.
“Vampires have enhanced strength,” Gabriel grunted, stepping toward me. “We don’t need momentum to break bones.” He paused, eyes narrowing at nothing. “Fuck, that’s it! When I bit you, you threw me into the side of the other building—remember?”
My mind slipped back to the day he’d cornered me between buildings, threatening me before accidentally initiating our mate bond. “Yes,” I clipped, not wanting to think about that day.
“It makes so much sense,” he continued. “After I bit you, you were suddenly strong enough to fight me off. And then just now…”
“Your strength,” Zypher picked up as Gabriel trailed off. “That’s the ability she has from your mating.”
Miles scribbled notes as Shadrie’s gaze flitted between me and my mates with glee.
“Let’s go again. We have to test it to be sure. Try to pull more magic into your muscles this time,” Gabriel demanded.
“But your rib.”
“It will be fine. I’m a vampire; we heal fast.” He shrugged.
My eyes sought Zypher, hoping for a way out of potentially harming Gabriel again. Shadrie offered a reprieve instead.
“As excited as I am to see B absolutely kick your ass for being such a dick, she’s going to be late for class if she doesn’t get moving.”
I gave her a grateful look, then followed her gaze to the clock on Zypher’s wall. “She’s right. We have class, and I don’t want to find out how Kragmane deals with tardiness.”
“Fine, we’ll continue this in combat class later,” Gabriel replied.
The three of us hurried across campus to Human Studies. I expected Gabriel to take his usual seat as Zypher, and I claimed ours. Instead, my vampire stalked behind us and snarled at the female at the desk next to mine to move. Hushed whispers rolled through our classmates as he claimed the seat, eyes pinned on the front as if he hadn’t done something gossip-worthy. Professor Kragmane cleared his throat, ending the chatter.
“Today’s lecture will be the last that isn’t focused on the end-of-year trials,” he began, eyes scanning the room. “Wewill be discussing human mating rituals—an area in which, I assure you, I am quite the expert. Some of you will want to pay close attention, as you may find yourselves in the human realm seeking your mate.”
The excitement among my classmates was palpable. A male wolf I recognized, thanks to Shadrie, cupped his hands and howled.
“Settle down!” Kragmane snapped, turning to the blackboard and sketching a diagram that looked suspiciously like two potatoes holding hands. “With the exception of our mage brethren, humans do not use mating as a form of pleasure. In fact, the females of the species are naturally opposed to physical intimacy of any kind. Yes, Mr. Welvern,” Kragmane paused, calling on the wolf who’d howled.
“My brother just came back from his mate hunt in the human realm over the summer. He said that isn’t true and plenty of women in the human realm are employed at strip clubs because they really like getting naked and fucking.”
Kragmane arched a brow. “Language, Mr. Welvern!” He waited for the shifter’s muttered apology before continuing. “There are outliers in every species, but research tells us the majority of human females in that profession do so because they have been shunned from polite society and are essentially unmateable.”
I stiffened, biting the inside of my cheek until I drew blood. Wherever the professor got his information, he was wrong. The wolf hadn’t been correct either, but at least he wasn’t claiming to be an expert. My gut told me the rest of the lesson would be worse.
“As I was saying,” he continued, unaware of the storm brewing within me. “It is well documented. Human females will go to great lengths to avoid consummation, citing mysterious headaches, religious calendars, or fleeing into the night. Entire marriages can pass without a single coupling, as the male resigns himself to a life of frustration.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” The wordswere out before I could stop them.
“I assure you, Ms. Knight, I am the foremost expert on this subject. The facts are irrefutable. Why, only last year I observed a pair of humans at a tavern. The male repeatedly offered to ‘buy her a drink,’ and the female rolled her eyes. This clearly indicates reluctance. The data is flawless.”
