I gulped. “Does your feud with Professor Asher have anything to do with the woman he couldn’t protect?”
He froze. Even his heart skipped a beat.
I’d suspected it since that day at the coffeehouse with Kayden and Joshua. Now, Alec’s body gave me the answer I sought.
“What woman?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
“The one who has my face.”
He drew back, the golden strikes aflame. “Asher told you about Rena?”
And now I had a name to the mystery woman.
“You both loved her,” I speculated. “Then something bad happened…to her?”
“What did he tell you, Belle?” His fists clenched, and his face turned crimson.
Even though I knew better, his anger didn’t scare me. It only pushed me to go further. “You think he hurt her, and now you’re trying to protect me from him, maybe even the same destiny she had to suffer?”
And Joshua was hoping for a second chance with me to correct whatever he had done.
Alec shook, his chest rising and falling with heaviness he kept unrevealed. “What did he tell you?” he whispered.
“Not much. But I hope you will.”
He closed his eyes. “He didn’t tell you anything, did he? I should have known when you touched me you were playing me.” A bitter chuckle burst out of him. “Well played, Professor.”
I started wiping off the coffee, evading his gaze. As I cleaned it all up, no more blood was coming out of the gashes. In fact, the wounds turned out to be a lot less deep than they had seemed. “Look at that. You might not need stitches after all.”
“I told you I’m a fast healer.”
I made sure all the openings are clean and bandaged half of his forearm. “You’re good to go.”
He gave me one last gaze, and then he put on his bloody shirt and got to his feet. “Thank you, Professor.”
Was it so wrong that I wanted to give him a hug? Even drive him to college on my way? I wanted to prolong our time together now that he was cutting it short so abruptly.
What was wrong with me?
“Do you need a ride?” I regretted the offer the second it fell out of my mouth.
“It’s best if we’re not seen together in public.” His voice dripped with blame and mockery. “I can see myself out.” The back of his head and his perfect ass said his goodbyes.
He opened the door and stepped outside. Then he twisted and leaned on the doorframe with a piercing look. “One day, you will know everything, and you will be smart enough to know that when you have to choose between us, you’ll choose me.”
CHAPTER 21
BELLE
I thought the department meeting was going fine, but when Pattison asked to have a word with me alone after, I became nervous.
“How are you doing, Isabella?” he asked.
Isabella? That’s new.
I smoothed my skirt and shifted in my seat. “I’m doing…great. Thank you for asking, Professor.”
“Please, when we’re alone, feel free to call me Damien.” He left the chair behind his desk and came to sit in front of me.
