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“It’s nothing like that. You were into your kiss thief. I’m not into this hideous ogre.”

Scarlett laughed. “I said his eyes were green, not his skin.”

“Well all I can picture is Shrek now.”

“I told you he was hot.”

“Can we please stop talking about how hot the guy was?” Axel asked.

Scarlett just stared at me, confusion all over her face.

She’d saw how into dancing with my mystery man I was. But I’d just gotten carried away in the moment. It meant nothing. And my mystery man was a judgmental dick.

“I’m going to find him,” Scarlett said. “You helped me unmask my kiss thief. And I’m going to help you unmask your mystery man.”

I sighed. “Whose face you saw. It’s not the same.”

“It is the same. And who knows...maybe he could be the guy for you. The chemistry was undeniable.”

Jacob nodded even though he hadn’t even been there. “I’m down for a new operation.”

“Operation Mystery Guy.” Scarlett smiled.

“Or we could not,” Axel said.

“Axel.” She turned to him. “I love you with everything I am. I’m not finding this guy for me. I’m finding him for Soph.”

“I don’t want him,” I said.

Scarlett’s eyebrows pulled together. “Really? Not even a little bit? The way you two were dancing...”

“I was just trying to make Mr. Halifax jealous.”

“Operation Mystery Guy,” Jacob said. “Operation Mystery Guy,” he repeated. And then he started chanting.

Axel groaned.

“Fine,” I said. “Whatever. I can’t stop the three of you from sleuthing. I just don’t want to be a part of it. I’m going to get to class so Mr. Halifax has extra time to stare at my hickey. He was this close to dancing with me.” I held my index finger and thumb a half inch apart. “I just know it.”

I didn’t wait for them to put doubts in my head. I hurried off to class. There was no time to care about mere mortals right now. And Mr. Halifax wasn’t Hephaestus. But he was a god of a teacher who wanted to devour me. And that’s what I wanted. End of story. Full stop.

I knew what Scarlett was doing. She was very supportive, but she’d never truly approved of me pursuing Mr. Halifax. None of my friends did. She was trying to play matchmaker and I didn’t want her help. I was already in love.

As soon as I walked into class, Mr. Halifax looked up from his desk. He looked exhausted. There were dark circles under his eyes like he’d been up as late as me Saturday night researching Aphrodite.

His gaze dropped to the side of my neck and his fingers tightened around the notebook in his hand. I could tell. Because he was holding it so tight his knuckles were turning white.

Another man had marked me. And he was furious.

I smiled and walked up to him. There was only one other student in class this early. And he was busy in the back on his phone. It was basically like Mr. Halifax and I were alone.

I stopped right in front of the edge of his desk. “I saw you Saturday night,” I said. “Did you see me?”

“In a club underage and drinking illegally with a few of my other students? I was hoping I imagined it.”

“Do I often star in images in your head?”

His fingers were still clutching at his notebook like he wanted to rip it in half. “Class is about to start, Miss Hunter. Please take a seat.”