Page 18 of Lady Killer

Sure enough, he plonked himself down beside me while I did my best to ignore his presence and dug out my notebook and pencil case. He quickly made himself comfortable, shucking off his coat and settling into his seat with his legs lightly spread.

The lecture hall was designed to pack students in like sardines, which meant that unless I was willing to sit twisted to the side for the entire class, my thigh would be braced up against his. He was surprisingly warm for a man who looked like an ice fae, and I was oddly comforted by the heat radiating from him.

Taking in a deep breath, I was enveloped in the scents of cedar, juniper, and something else. It took me a breath to place it before my mind was taken back to the night of Aaron’s murder—the cold, crisp scent of falling snow.

The combination of the three conjured up images of a rustic cabin surrounded by the bitter cold of deep winter.

“You can open your eyes, darling. I promise you that grumpy, old Locke isn’t that bad.”

Embarrassment swept through me as I snapped my eyes open. I hadn’t realized they were shut.

“And I told you, I don’t need you to protect me from Locke,” I whispered.

Everest offered me a lazy smile before turning to face the front of the classroom. I opened my mouth again to reiterate how unwanted his presence was, but he cut me off with a flick of his finger.

“Shhh, class is about to start.”

Blood rushed to my ears and my eyes shot forward.

Sure enough, Locke had come to stand behind his lectern and was looking expectantly out across the classroom, waiting for the students to come to order.

He looked as severe and beautiful as ever, with his black hair brushed away from the sharp planes of his face. As always, he wore one of his impeccably tailored suits that hugged the long lines of his body.

The class settled down as he continued to inspect the room, like a lord surveying his domain. His brow knitted as he cleared his throat to begin speaking.

“Welcome to Microeconomics,” he began, his piercing green eyes scanning the crowd for something. “I hope you all enjoyed a restful break, because—‍”

Locke’s attention landed on Everest and me, causing his eyes to widen as he stumbled over his words. His jaw twitched, and I braced myself for another verbal lashing as he pressed his lips into a tight white line.

Everest leaned forward in his seat, biting down on his lip eagerly as my heart began to race in anticipation.

Then, as if I wasn’t sitting in his class with a madman grinning next to me, Locke’s mask fell back into place, and he turned to address the rest of the class.

“This term, the pace and difficulty of the workload will increase substantially . . .”

This was not going to end well.

Chapter seven

Everest

If I had known going to class with Luz would be this fun, I would’ve introduced myself to her much sooner.

Luckily, I didn’t believe in regret, only opportunities.

The only question was, what snack to bring next time? Was popcorn too cliché? It would stink up the room and piss off Locke, which was always a bonus.

Then again, I knew Luz liked Sour Patch Kids, so maybe I should go with those.

Or both! Saltyand sweet.

“ . . . just like last semester, you will have a weekly tutorial where you can bring any questions not covered in class to your TAs . . .”

Good old Locke prattled on in front of the class, a disturbing portion of which appeared to hang on to his every word.

Insipid little sycophants.

When he wanted to be, Locke was probably the most charming of the Blackwells. Idiots flocked to him like seagulls to trash.

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