“She’s not his mate, but even if she was, that’s not something to say to anyone,” she snapped, crossing her arms.
Nate’s angry expression faltered as he glanced at Trixie.
Ice licked up Thorn’s arms, and a blast of snow burst forth toward Nate, who held a hand up and melted it. “Just stay away from Wren. I don’t trust you.”
“You used to,” he bit back before forming a ball of fire and shooting it at Thorn’s head.
Panic skittered through my limbs, but Thorn deflected it with a wall of ice. “Youusedto be trustworthy. Not anymore.”
“What’s going on out here?” Alister’s voice cut in, and I turned to see him walking over leisurely with a dangerous edge to his gaze. “Surely, you’re not fighting off training grounds.”
“Oh, Mr. Vespertine,” Nate greeted him with a chuckle. “It was a simple misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?” He glanced at Thorn, who had the muscles of his jaw clenched as he nodded.
“Let’s keep the misunderstandings without using magic, yeah?” His red eyes landed on me, and he smirked. “Wren, would you like to walk to class with me?”
“Class isn’t for another hour,” Thorn gritted out as he glowered at Nate.
“I insist,” Alister purred, holding his hand out for me to take.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach up to my lungs, making it hard to breathe, but I reached my hand out. Placing my hand in his, his hand swallowing mine.
“Excellent.” He grinned, tugging me beside him.
“I should go too,” Trixie stated, winking at me.
“I’ll see you later, then?” Nate asked her.
“Maybe,” she said before turning and high-tailing it toward the Vinery.
“I suggest you two walk in separate directions,” Alister told Thorn and Nate, who grunted in agreement.
“Don’t go near her,” Thorn told Nate before glancing at me. “I’ll see you later,” he promised before spinning on his heels and walking away with ice spreading across the backside of his uniform.
My chest tightened. Something serious must’ve happened between those two, and Thorn wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
Nate shrugged and started back toward the dorms without saying anything.
Alister pursed his lips before we cut through the middle of campus toward Arcane Hall. “What was that about?”
“Not entirely sure,” I mumbled as my gaze stayed locked on our hands entwined together. Other students noticed his hand in mine, but Alister didn’t seem to notice or care.
I could hear the whispers about us, but I tried to block them out.
The rest of the walk was quiet, but my hand in his was warm and lit a fire in my chest that spread down to my fingertips.
He let go of my hand to open the door to his classroom before stiffening. “Shit.”
“What’s wrong?” I peeked my head around him, and my stomach lurched.
Professor Fallon was lying in black lacy lingerie on top of his desk with black stiletto heels on. Her breasts were spilling out, and the thong panties showed off her round butt. Black glossy waves tumbled off the side as she turned her head to glance at the door.
“Took you long enough,” she purred, flashing her fangs in a sultry smile as she pushed up to sit on the edge of his desk.
I didn’t like Professor Fallon, but I had to admit she was gorgeous. My mouth went dry as I glanced at Alister.
A rumbling growl left his throat, and he blurred forward.
