The way he’d looked at me when our masks came off... there had been genuine panic in those amber eyes. Not just surprise or awkwardness, but real fear. Like seeing me again was the worst possible thing that could have happened to him.
That stung more than I wanted to admit.
I finished putting away the equipment and grabbed my gear bag, desperate to get out of here and back to my dorm where I could think clearly. Maybe take a very long, very cold shower and pretend this entire day had been some kind of stress-induced hallucination.
But as I headed for the door, I couldn’t stop replaying the bout in my mind. The way Valen had moved, the skill and centuries of experience evident in every parry and thrust. He’d been holding back at first, I realized now. Testing me. It was only when I started pushing him that he’d really engaged, and even then...
Had he let me win? The thought made my stomach clench with humiliation. Had he deliberately allowed me to unmask him, or had I actually earned it?
I paused at the door of the salle, looking back at the space where we’d just faced each other with swords instead of the desperate hunger we’d shared in that alley. Everything felt different now. Complicated in ways I didn’t know how to navigate.
The smart thing would be to quit the team. Remove myself from the situation entirely and avoid any further awkwardness. But the Quinn family didn’t raise quitters, and besides, I’d been looking forward to fencing again all summer. Not to mention,my father would never let me quit now, not when I’d lightened my course load in exchange.
Plus, there was a part of me, a part I really didn’t want to examine too closely, that wasn’t ready to walk away from Valen entirely. Even if nothing could happen between us again, even if we had to pretend Saturday night never existed, I wasn’t sure I could just forget about him.
I shouldered my bag and headed out into the hallway, nearly colliding with Amelia who was apparently waiting for me outside the athletic complex.
“There you are!” she said brightly, falling into step beside me. “How did tryouts go? Did you make the team?”
“I made captain,” I said automatically, still feeling dazed.
“Captain? Archer, that’s amazing!” She grabbed my arm, her excitement genuine. “I knew you’d do well, but captain? On your first year trying out?”
I managed what I hoped was a convincing smile. “Yeah, it was... unexpected.”
“We have to celebrate,” she declared. “I’m gonna tell everyone. Drinks at that little place off campus tonight.”
“Amelia, no,” I started, but she was already heading me off.
“Don’t even try to get out of this,” she said with a big smile. “This is huge, and I’m not letting you hide in the library like usual. Besides, after the disaster at Mother and Father’s party, we both deserve some fun.”
Right. The party. That felt like it had happened weeks ago instead of just a couple days ago. Before I knew that my perfect stranger was actually my vampire professor who was now desperately trying to pretend we’d never met.
“Actually,” I said slowly, “I need to tell you something.”
Amelia looked my way at last, and something in my tone must have caught her attention because her expression grew serious. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Remember that guy from Saturday night? The one I left with?”
“The gorgeous mysterious stranger who rocked your world?” She grinned. “Hard to forget. Why?”
I glanced around the hallway, making sure we were alone. “He’s my fencing coach.”
Amelia stopped walking so abruptly I had to grab her arm to keep her from getting trampled by other students. “He’s your what now?”
“Professor Crowe. The guy I hooked up with in Pigeon Forge is Professor Crowe.”
“The vampire history professor?” Her voice pitched higher with each word. “The one who’s supposedly older than dirt and scary as hell?”
“That’s the one.”
“Oh shit.” She stared at me with wide blue eyes. “Oh shit, Archer. What are you going to do?”
“Nothing,” I said, the word tasting bitter. “He made it very clear that nothing happened between us and we’re going to keep it professional.”
“But—”
“No buts,” I cut her off, starting to walk again. “It’s over. It never happened. End of story.”
