Page 29 of Strength of Desire

What had I ever done to upset him so much?

“I would never mention it to anyone else.”

The words fell out of my mouth before I’d fully formed the thought that went with them.

“What?”

“That night. At the Balsam Inn. I haven’t told anyone about it, and I won’t. I wouldn’t do that.”

He barked a laugh. “Tell who you like. I didn’t do anything I’m ashamed of.”

“Then why are you such a dick to me?”

Those words came out before I’d evenbegunthe thought, and I clapped a hand to my mouth.

Noah gave me a withering glance. “I don't befriend students as a rule, Cory.”

“I’m not asking to be your friend.” I flushed with mortification. Did he think that was what I wanted?

“Good. Because it’s not going to happen.”

I just barely withheld a sigh, opting instead to walk even faster, trying to become the one in the lead. But Noah’s long legs kept pace with mine.

“If I’m hard on you,” he said after a moment, “it’s because you missed your first semester. I’m trying to catch you up. Nothing more than that. Definitely nothing personal.”

I watched his face as he spoke. His lip curled in disgust. He could say what he wanted, but I was clearly distasteful to him in some way. If he wasn’t worried I was going to blab his apparently not-a-secret, then what the fuck was his problem with me?

Abruptly, he said, “There’s the manor.”

We came around a bend in the path, and sure enough, the manor loomed in front of us. I started forward, then noticed he’d stopped walking.

“Aren’t you coming too?”

“I have other things to do than babysit you. I trust you can make it the last fifty yards on your own.”

I didn’t bother to respond, just stomped away.

“Cory.”

My name on his lips stopped me before I’d made it five steps. In spite of myself, I turned around.

“Maybe you really were just trying to get back to the manor,” he said slowly. “But you shouldn’t be wandering out here alone. It’s dangerous.”

“For me, but not for you?” Annoyance laced my tone.

“I’m older,” he said. “I can take care of myself. But I don’t have time to take care of you too.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

8

CORY

Heat and smoke filled the air, making it hard to breathe.

Red light shifted and shimmered around me, dark as blood and ink in places, sparking with electricity in others. There were flames nearby, I was sure of it, but I couldn’t see enough to know where. My eyes were clouded, and I could only catch glimpses of the world around me.

I was alone, except I wasn’t alone, because I could hear something shifting in the dark behind me. Something heavy, moving through the shadows as the heat on my back built. Then it was right behind me, and sparks cascaded down my back.

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