Amelia hurried to catch up, her expression troubled. “That’s not fair though. You didn’t know who he was, and he obviously didn’t know who you were either. It’s not like either of you did anything wrong.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I said, pushing through the doors that led outside. The fresh air felt good against my overheated skin, but it did nothing to calm the chaos in my head.
“It matters to me,” Amelia said quietly. “You were happy, Archer. Really happy. I haven’t seen you like that in... god,maybe ever. And now you’re just supposed to pretend it meant nothing?”
“It was a hookup. It literally meant nothing, Amelia.” I stopped walking and turned to face her. “Besides, what choice do I have? He’s a professor, I’m a student. There are rules about this kind of thing.”
“Since when do you care about rules?” she challenged. “You spent Saturday night breaking about a dozen family rules, and Sunday you told Constantine Pemberton I collect fart as a hobby.”
“I was trying to help you,” I replied. “And I got my ass chewed out for it too.”
“That’s exactly what I mean!” She threw her arms up in the air, scoffing in exasperation. “Mother and Father just want to parade us around, marry us off, and don’t give one good god damn about how we feel about it!” She reached out, grabbing me by the shirt. “Aren’t you fucking tired of it?!”
“Y-Yeah,” I stammered. “Of course I am. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”
She leaned in closer. “You could fuck a vampire,” she offered. “A vampireprofessor.”
I stared at my sister in shock, my mouth falling open. “Amelia...”
“What? I’m serious!” She crossed her arms, that determined look settling over her features that I recognized from childhood. The one that meant she’d already made up her mind and nothing I said would change it. “You like him, don’t you?”
“That’s not the point?—”
“It’s exactly the point.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice even though we were alone on the quad. “Archer, when have you ever done anything just because you wanted to? When have you ever put yourself first?”
I opened my mouth to argue, then closed it again. Because she was right, wasn’t she? Every decision I’d made, every path I’d taken, had been carefully calculated to meet family expectations. Even fencing had started as something that looked good on applications before it became something I actually enjoyed.
“This is different,” I said weakly. “He’s a professor. There could be serious consequences?—”
“For whom?” Amelia challenged. “You’re both adults. You’re not even in any of his classes. And he’s a vampire. All of them are filthy rich, so it’s not like he needs the job.”
I thought about the way Valen had moved during our bout, the centuries of experience evident in every gesture. The casual way Lila had mentioned immortality, like it was just another fact about him. Amelia was right. Normal rules probably didn’t apply to someone who’d been alive for hundreds of years.
But that didn’t make this any less complicated.
“Even if I wanted to,” I said, running a hand through my hair, “he made it pretty clear he wants nothing to do with me. You should have seen how fast he ran out of there.”
“Maybe he was just caught off guard,” Amelia suggested. “Or maybe he’s just as freaked out as you are and doesn’t know how to handle it.”
I snorted. “Right. A centuries-old vampire is scared of a college student.”
“A centuries-old vampire who’s probably never been in this situation before,” she countered. “Think about it, Archer. When’s the last time he probably had to deal with academy politics or student-teacher boundaries? He’s probably navigating uncharted territory just like you are.”
That... actually made some sense. If Valen was as old as Lila had implied, he would have lived through eras when such relationships weren’t just accepted but expected. The conceptof professional boundaries between consenting adults was relatively modern.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, though my conviction was wavering. “Father made it very clear what would happen if I got involved with anyone he didn’t approve of. And a vampire professor definitely doesn’t fit his vision for my future.”
Amelia’s expression darkened. “Fuck what Father wants. Seriously, Archer. Fuck all of it.” She grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. “Do you want to end up like them? Married to someone you barely tolerate, going through the motions of a life someone else planned for you?”
The vehemence in her voice caught me off guard. “Amelia?—”
“I’m not going to marry Constantine Pemberton,” she said fiercely. “I don’t care what they threaten me with. I’d rather be disowned than spend my life pretending to be someone I’m not.”
I stared at her, seeing something in her eyes I’d never noticed before. A desperation that matched my own, but sharper somehow. More resolved.
“Stop living your life by their rules, Archer,” she said, turning away from me. “Or one day you’re going to wake up and realize that you’ve turned out just like them.” She stopped for only a moment, glancing my way. “I’m not going to end up like that. And you shouldn’t either.”
Chapter 9
