SWNOVELS Chapter 8
Nox
No! I think to myself. Her intoxicating scent drifts my way before she strides into the room. Silently I plead to the stars for her to be in the wrong place, but my plea falls on deaf ears as she makes her way to the back of the room where the only remaining empty seats are. “Of course.” I mutter to myself as she unfortunately, ...fortunately, no, definitely unfortunately claims the unoccupied seat next to me.
The girl snaps her head up in my direction, and I have to wonder if she heard my muttering. With a sneer I turn my attention to the front of the room just as the professor walks in but not before I hear her heart rate speed up. She must have just realized she had sat down next to me. I can’t help the smirk that takes hold of my lips, but I don’t look her way again for the rest of the class period.
Every time I take a breath in though she invades my senses. Like a dizzying high I want more. She’s a drug and I’m completely addicted.
∞
Blaise
I didn’t know who was next to me until I hear him mutter the words “of course.” I had been digging in my bag for a pen when I heard the deep timbre of his voice. My head snapped up and we locked eyes for the briefest of seconds before he turned his attention to the front of the room. My heart begins to hammer against my chest so hard I feel like I’m having a heart attack.
Breathing in deep I try to calm my racing pulse as I feel it tick in the side of my neck. Unfortunately, that doesn’t help as all I can smell is spiced apple and cinnamon. “Shit!” and only after a few classmates sitting near me turn their eyes in my direction do I realize I uttered the word out loud.
Slinking down into my seat I will myself the power of being invisible. Except, that isn’t a power I apparently control, and I feel a blush tinge my neck and cheeks red. Pressing my lips together I stare at the notebook in front of me and then busy my hands by opening the cover to the first blank page inside. Uncapping my pen that I’ve since clenched in a death grip; I pretend to listen as the professor talks about the syllabus he is handing out.
He had given a stack of papers to one of the students at the front of the classroom before telling them to take one and pass the rest on. From left to right the papers were passed onward, and I watched as the stack grew lighter while they travelled across the room. Following the direction in which way they were being handed I realized that I was going to have to hand the copies to Nox. Or I think that’s what Clover said his name was.
The dwindling stack reaches my hand and I place a sheet on my desk and lean over to hand off the rest to him. He doesn’t look my way, so I shake the papers to get his attention. Nox still won’t look at me. I huff in frustration. I know he can see out of his periphery making an ass of myself as I try to get him to take the papers. “Um hel-looo,” and finally, finally he sighs, gazes at me with those steel blue eyes to grab the papers out of my hand.
“Asshole,” I grumble to myself as I shift in my seat to look at the front of the room. Nox’s chest shakes as though he is silently laughing, and I become very curious as to if he heard me call him that. If he did well then, he’s got amazing hearing because I had barely whispered the word.
The professor had been leaning against his desk while he waited for everyone to take a syllabus. Once he saw that they were all handed out he stood straightening his tweed jacket at the same time. “Okay; ladies and gentlemen. As is typed on your syllabus, this is The Study of Humans. During the first half of this term, we will be delving into the human mind and how they perceive the world around them without the use of magic...” As the professor drones on, I slowly tune out his voice becoming hyper aware of myself. I could feel eyes on me as though someone is trying to see through me into my soul.
Instantly I know who’s staring at me. I can feel the intense heat of his gaze. Allowing just my eyes to move, I glance sideways and though I can’t see much out of my periphery, I can see he has turned in his seat to blatantly stare at me. A shiver goes through my body, and I want to squirm in my seat. More than that though, I want to jump from my chair and run out of the room. It’s as though my fight or flight instinct has kicked in and I wonder why he would cause such a reaction within me.
All I can say is thank the stars! Just as I was about to turn in my seat and say ’what’, the teacher announces that the class is over, and he will see us all back here on Wednesday.
Scrambling out of the desk chair, I stand so quickly that I knock my bag over causing some of the contents inside of it to spill out. “Dammit!” Swooping down I begin to shove my things back in my satchel. A pen is being waved in my face and I glance up to see who the hand belongs to. To my utter shock, Nox is squatting in front of me, arm outstretched with said pen laying in his open palm. “Th-thank you,” I stutter out as I snatch the pen from his hand. Before I can say more than those two words, I blink, and he is gone. “Dick!” I say to no one because the room has completely emptied out.
My next class Intro to the Elements is on the same floor, and I quickly make my way there. Wandering about halfway down the hall I spot A212. Walking in I look at the stadium styled seating. It’s a small room and I am curious as to why the school decided to design the room in such a way. Trying to decide where I would like to sit, I realize I’m early as most of the seats are empty. Only two other students are occupying desks at the moment leaving a wide range of seats available to pick from.
Without a second thought I climb the steps towards the back of the room. The stairs split the room into two sections and when I reach the last couple of rows I go to the left and pick one of the middle seats. Flopping onto the chair I heave a sigh and sliding down it a bit close my eyes letting my thoughts run wild in my head. Why was Nox staring at me for the last five minutes of class? Why did he feel the need to ‘help’ me by handing me my pen? What kind of supernatural being is he? I recall him sitting at the table that had been occupied by vampires, but he wasn’t really part of the group. I need to see what all Clover knows about him.
My eyes snap open as I feel someone standing near me. Glancing to my left I see Braeden glaring down at me. Quirking an eyebrow, I give him a questioning look of ‘what?’ Cause seriously, what have I done to him to make him hate me? And why if he hates me does he decide to sit in the same row as me just closer to the aisle? There are three seats in between us and I wonder why he has left such a large gap.
Ugh, my fault for wondering! I watch as like a panther, Morgan stalks toward us. With just a couple of minutes to spare before the class should begin, I watch as students hurry in and claim the desks. There are now just a few seats open. One empty one next to Braeden, one that is in between me and Morgan and the last remaining one near the front of the room by the door. Carden makes his entrance striding into the room as though not a care in the world. He looks to the back of the room spotting his brother and Morgan first. I swear a scowl flash across his eyes when he sees her sitting near Braeden, but a second later the expression is gone making me wonder if I had really seen it or not.
Carden, to my surprise, takes the empty seat in between me and Morgan. I honestly thought he’d want to sit next to his brother but, okay. “Hey beautiful,” he says leaning towards my ear. I can feel his breath brush against the side of my neck like a gentle caress causing goosebumps to pop up on my skin. Unintentionally I find myself leaning towards him in response as a shiver crawls up my spine.
Suddenly Carden’s head flies forward and I realize someone has just smacked him across the back of his skull. My mouth falls open in surprise to see Braeden leaning across Morgan’s desk lowering his hand. “What the hell dude! What you do that for?” Carden hisses as he leans across Morgan’s desk to glare at his brother.
As their honey-colored eyes lock on each other I watch as they seem to have a silent conversation. Braeden’s eyes light up in a golden hue of yellow light for the briefest second but go dim just as quick. Carden shifts his gaze to me for a second and his eyes light up just like his brother’s had and I know immediately that whatever their unspoken argument was about, I was the reason for it.
“What was that about,” I poke Carden in the arm to get his attention. He looks at me but doesn’t respond instead shrugging his shoulders. I growl because dammit, I want answers!
“Good morning, everyone,” a woman in her early thirties says as she briskly walks into the room, her short brown bob of hair swishing back and forth as she makes her way to the desk positioned near the front. She sits a travel mug of coffee on the wooden surface, and I am momentarily distracted from the questions swirling in my head as I think about wanting a cup of coffee myself.
She waves her hand at the whiteboard behind her, and writing begins to appear: What are elements? “My name is Professor Cartwright, and, in this class, we will learn all about the elements. For the upperclassmen, I do apologize that you are in this class, but it had just been decided prior to this school prior that this be a mandatory requirement for graduating. And who knows, maybe you’ll learn something about yourselves or the elements that you hadn’t known beforehand.”
By the time the class has ended, most of the students seem to be enthralled by the petite blonde. She is funny, had us all laughing multiply times including Braeden! She’s quirky and quick-witted and she’s genuinely excited to teach about the elements.
I’ve never been excited to attend a class before but I’m really looking forward to returning on Wednesday for this one!