Zodiac Academy: The Awakening (Supernatural Beasts and Bullies #1)(113)

Goosebumps rose on my arms as the wind swept around me. I drank in the quiet and made a mental plan to go back inside and spend the rest of the evening with my friends. Something in Seth’s wolf nature coaxed out a willingness in me I didn’t like. When I was with him, I fell into the trap of his touches and stares like I was just another dog in his pack. One he could prompt and guide simply by being an Alpha.

A tingling feeling on my neck told me someone was approaching and I quickly opened my eyes. My heart squeezed with a mixture of emotions as I expected to find Seth, but Orion stood there instead.

“Oh,” I breathed, a note of dread in my voice. The lamppost behind him meant he was cast in shadow and I was entirely encased within it too.

I glanced down the path, finding us completely alone.

Not good.

I pushed off of the wall, intending to try and make a fast escape but he stepped into my way.

“Professor,” I warned, though I knew it was pointless. If he was here to bite me then I didn't have much choice but to let him. I couldn’t imagine he was here for any other reason. He wasn’t exactly going to kill me at the Academy formal...right?

His hand fell to my waist for the briefest of moments and his fingers pinched the material of my dress.

I sucked in a breath as goosebumps rushed across my skin which no longer had anything to do with the cold air. He extracted his hand and we shared this look that said we both knew he shouldn't have done it.

His breath rolled over me. One bourbon? Maybe two. The gleam in his beautifully dark eyes said he was letting loose tonight. But what did letting loose look like for him? It must have been so exhausting being as angry as he was all the time. And I wondered for a moment what caused such a deep, unworldly rage in him. But it definitely wasn't the time for those sorts of thoughts. If Orion was in a bad mood – which seemed to be a pretty much permanent fixture – then I needed to get away.

“Why do you keep flirting with the devil?” he asked and for a second I thought he meant him. “Seth Capella,” he confirmed.

I folded my arms, tilting up my chin as I tried to front out his absolute rudeness despite my instincts telling me to run. “You're my Liaison, sir, not my life guru. If I want to date Seth, I will,” I said coolly.

Did I want to date Seth? I mean, no. That was the right answer. But now Orion was trying to force me not to I was reconsidering my decision.

So you're going to date Seth to annoy Professor Orion? Real mature.

I internally berated myself. Of course I wasn't going to do that. Definitely not. No no no.

Orion glanced down the path then looked at his watch.

“Keeping you am I?” I asked in disbelief. It was like I was inconveniencing him even though he was the one blocking my path with his massive, hot body. The hot part was so not relevant, but also...

“Yes, now give me your wrist.” He reached for it and I stepped back.

“Really? You're going to bite me tonight of all nights?” I hissed but he ignored me, throwing a look down the path again before moving forward to try and get his damn teeth in me.

Laughter bubbled in my throat as I suddenly realised why he was acting so oddly.

So this place does draw lines. And Orion is sliding a toe across one. Which means I now have a weapon.

I narrowed my eyes, my ammo locked and loaded.

He made his move, darting forward and pushing me back against the wall, baring his fangs.

My heart hammered as I forced my tongue to fight back before he got his meal. “Not strictly allowed this, is it sir?”

He paused, his hand locked around my arm as his gaze flickered from my neck to my face. “And where did you get that idea?”

“From the shifty way you're acting. Why did you follow me out here anyway? You could have bitten me inside.”

He shrugged. “Seemed like easy prey.”

I released a cold laugh and his hold on my arm eased a fraction. “I don't buy it.”

“Why am I even tolerating this conversation?” he asked himself more than me.

I let him stew on that for a second, wondering if he'd come up with an answer because I certainly didn't have one. The closeness of his body and the heat seeping from his skin into mine was a sweet kind of pleasure I secretly wanted so much more of.

“Fine,” he sighed wearily. “I shouldn't be here alone with you. It's not appropriate.”

My brows rose. “We spend time alone in your office every Monday.”

“That's different,” he growled, seeming agitated as he threw a look at the path again.

I needed to work my angle to get out of this. He could bite me any second and I was kinda surprised he hadn't gotten it over with yet. “What would happen if I told Principal Nova about this?”

He gave me a dark stare. “Would you?”

His gruff tone sent a shiver through me and he shifted his hand on me as if he could sense my reaction.

“Try me,” I whispered, quietly knowing I wasn't much of a snitch but maybe the threat was enough to hold him off.

His fingers slid up my arm and a carnivorous look entered his eyes.

I took a shaky breath as his hand slid to my neck. Something about his mouth against my throat right then seemed like a very bad idea. One that made my heart pump too fast and my thoughts fly away on the wind.

Orion leaned in and the mere flutter of his breath on my flesh felt like the most forbidden of kisses. I sucked in a heady lungful of air, tilting my chin up, a small but wilful part of me suddenly aching for his mouth on me.