“How delightfully vague.” Villeneuve adjusts his grip on the briefcase. “I have a faculty meeting across campus in fifteen minutes. Whatever this is about, it can wait.”
“It really can’t.”
Here we go. The showdown. I can practically see the little lightning bolts shooting between their eyes like in a cartoon.
Alpha energy, or whatever you want to call it.
Before I can lose the battle against the urge to start playing an air guitar riff from The Final Countdown, Villeneuve sighs.
“Walk with me.”
We fall into step on either side of him. I feel like a bodyguard in a movie, except the guy we’re guarding is the one who could kill us both without breaking a sweat. Bet it still looks totally badass.
The campus is already packed. Students running between buildings, a few professors hurrying to their own meetings. Nobody pays much attention to us, badassery aside.
Killian doesn’t waste any time.
“I know you bonded Regina during the ritual.”
Villeneuve doesn’t even slow down. “That’s hardly news. You saw it yourself yesterday.”
“I saw the thread.” Killian’s voice is almost a growl, which isn’t a great sign this early in the conversation. “Connecting you to her the same way we’re connected to her. So I can’t kill you without hurting her.”
“How convenient for me.”
“What I want to know iswhy.” The yellow in his eyes is yellowier now.
Fuck.
Villeneuve stops walking.
We’re in the middle of the path, and students trip over themselves to get around us. One literally walks into a bush to avoid Killian, which is probably the smart move.
Villeneuve turns to Killian and gives him that look that makes frosh piss themselves.
“Does it matter?”
Killian’s growl isn’t human at all. “Youbondedyourself to our mate without her knowledge or consent. Withoutourknowledge or consent. You wove yourself into something that was supposed to be ours, and you’ve been hiding it for months. So yes, Professor, it fucking matters.”
“I already gave Regina an explanation?—”
“Bullshit.” Killian steps closer. His knuckles are white. “You gave her the same cryptic non-answers you give everyone, but you’re going to give me the truth.”
“The truth.” Villeneuve’s lip curls slightly. “And what makes you think you’re entitled to that?”
“Because she’sour mate.” The words come out as a snarl. “Because you don’t get to insert yourself into our bond and then act like you owe her nothing. I can’t rip you to shreds? Fine. But that still leaves plenty of other shit I could do to you on the table that won’t affect Regina.”
I shift my weight, trying to look totally casual while also positioning myself to grab Killian if he lunges.
Lunging probability is at like a thousand percent at this point. I just hope he doesn’t Hulk out on me and finish turning into a werewolf when he does.
“I’m not going to ask again,” Killian says quietly. “Why did you do it?”
Villeneuve is silent for so long I start thinking about how shiny his hair is and wondering if he’d kill me if I used some of his shampoo. I could always blame Rowan.
“To protect her,” he finally says. It took him so long I’ve already forgotten the question.
Oh, right. The ritual.
