Before I could adjust it, he was coming at me again with a lightning-fast series of cuts that had me backpedaling across the salle. I tried to bring my weapon up to block, but his final thrust caught the edge of my mask and sent it flying across the room.
For a moment, we both froze. I stood there, exposed, my amber eyes meeting his through his mask as the room fell completely silent. Then, slowly, he reached up and pulled off his own mask.
Dark hair. Blue eyes. That perfect jawline I’d been dreaming about for days.
“Fuck,” I breathed, the word escaping before I could stop it.
Archer stood there staring at me with the same shock I was feeling, his lips parted in surprise. The sabre trembled slightly in his grip as recognition dawned in those beautiful blue eyes.
“Holy shit,” someone whispered from the group of watching students, and I realized we’d been standing there gaping at each other for far too long.
The rest of the team erupted into cheers and applause, completely oblivious to the personal drama unfolding in front of them.
“Quinn did it!” someone shouted. “He actually unmasked Professor Crowe!”
“That was incredible!”
“New team captain!”
I forced myself to move, to break eye contact with Archer and address the team like a professional. Like I wasn’t currently having an internal crisis about the fact that my perfect one-night stand was apparently one of my students.
“Congratulations,” I managed, my voice only slightly strained. “Mr. Quinn, it seems you’ve earned yourself the captain’s position.”
Archer was still staring at me, his face cycling through what looked like the same mixture of shock, confusion, and that familiaroh-shit-we’re-fuckedthat I was feeling too.
I noticed Lila appear in the corner of the room out of the shadows, her eyes sharp and calculating as she took in the scene. She’d clearly picked up on the tension between Archer and me, and I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.
“Alright everyone,” I called out, trying to regain some semblance of control over the situation. “That concludes tryouts for today. The team roster will be posted tomorrow morning. Captain Quinn,” I emphasized his new title, hoping it would help me remember the professional boundaries I was supposed to maintain, “please stay behind. We need to discuss your responsibilities.”
The other students began filtering out, still buzzing with excitement over the dramatic conclusion to tryouts. I caught several of them shooting impressed glances at Archer as they left.
Once the salle was empty except for Archer, myself, and Lila lurking in the shadows, I finally allowed myself to really look at him again. He was still in his fencing whites, hair slightly messed from the mask, and looking absolutely gorgeous despite the deer-in-headlights expression he was wearing.
“So,” Lila’s voice cut through the tension as she stepped out of the shadows, “this is interesting.”
I shot her a look that could have melted steel, but she just grinned wider, clearly enjoying my discomfort. Of all the times for her to make an appearance, she had to pick now.
“Lila,” I said through gritted teeth, “don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“Not really,” she replied cheerfully, settling onto one of the benches like she was planning to stay for the entire show.“Besides, I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You remember my brother, don’t you, Archer?”
Archer’s eyes went wide, his gaze darting between Lila and me. “Brother?” he repeated faintly.
“Adopted sister,” I corrected quickly, though technically that wasn’t accurate either. Vampires didn’t really do family in the traditional sense, but explaining our actual relationship would require revealing far more than I was prepared to discuss. “And she was just leaving.”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” Lila said, examining her nails with theatrical interest. “This is far too entertaining. Though I have to say, Valen, when you mentioned your mystery human had elegant movement, I didn’t expect it to be quite this elegant.” She gestured toward Archer with obvious appreciation. “No wonder you’ve been so distracted.”
“Lila,” I warned, my voice dropping into dangerous territory.
Archer was looking between us with growing confusion, and I could practically see him trying to piece together what was happening. The color had drained from his face, and he was gripping his sabre like it was the only thing keeping him upright.
“Professor Crowe,” he said carefully, his voice barely above a whisper. “I... we need to talk.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” I replied more sternly than I meant to. It was better just not to acknowledge the elephant in the room. If we never spoke it aloud, it didn’t happen, right? “You are the new team captain. During our next practice we’ll go over your responsibilities for the team.”
“Like hell there isn’t,” Archer said, his voice gaining strength. He had some spunk, I had to give him that. “You can’t just pretend?—”
“Actually, I can,” I cut him off, turning away to start collecting the equipment. My hands were trembling slightly, and I hoped he couldn’t see it. “Nothing ever happened between us.You’re my student. This is a professional relationship. That’s all there is to it, Quinn.”
