Page 23 of House of Pain
Alecto jumped, but it wasn’t any use. Blaze was way taller than her, and she had to climb a fucking ladder to reach that far over her head.
Alecto jumped again, but instead of reaching for the toy, she threw herself at Blaze. Caught off guard, he lost his balance for a moment, stumbling backwards. His back and head hit the wall, and he cursed under his breath.
For a moment, he lowered his hand, and that was enough for Alecto to snatch the toy out of his palm.
Alecto pushed herself away from him, leaving him leaning against the wall, and shoved the bullet back into her drawer, slamming it shut and pushing her thigh against it.
A wicked grin spread across Blaze’s face as he stepped away from the wall, scratching the back of his head.
“So savage.” He tsked. “Tell me, does it really work as well as everyone claims?”
“How about you get one yourself and find out?”
She wasn’t about to tell Blaze that it workedbetterthan everyone claimed and that it was basically the only thing that could get her off.
“It’s already after sunset. You’re late,” Blaze announced, glancing at the watch on his wrist, tangled together with a gazillion silver bracelets and cuffs.
Alecto threw her crimson uniform jacket on the bed, the imprint of where Blaze just lay still fresh on her white sheets, and went around it to the dresser.
“I had three lectures and large gaps between them. I got here the moment my class was finished.”
“Well then, let’s roll,” he insisted.
Alecto threw him a mean glance and went into her bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Blaze was an entitled asshole. It made her blood boil having to go anywhere with him.Why would Val think it was a good idea to assign them to work together?
Alecto growled in frustration, stripping out of her pleated uniform skirt and white shirt, kicking off the black knee-high boots. Then she pulled on a tight black turtleneck and a pair of flared black jeans.
Without much thought, she put her boots back on. They had a heel, but Alecto didn’t think they’d need to run anywhere, so it wasn’t a risky business.
After Alecto pulled her hair back with a tortoiseshell clip, she returned to her room to find Blaze leaning against her desk, looking bored as ever.
When his eyes landed on her, he cocked an eyebrow. “Ready?”
The only answer he got was a roll of her eyes.
Their Herbalism in Witchcraft lectures took place in a massive greenhouse built like two centuries ago, with the glass fogged up and dirty from the age. It stood on the northern side of the campus, right on the edge of the rockey field.
As Blaze and Alecto made their way through the campus, neither of them spoke, Blaze striding in an easy step, hands shoved in the pockets of his black jeans, only occasionally humming something to himself.
Alecto tried to push the weird feeling of embarrassment prickling at her chest as they got closer to the greenhouse, but it was so fresh, her cheeks were still hot. She was grateful that the night hid her shame. Blaze would probably find a way to use it against her.
As soon as they reached the main path leading through the large garden to the greenhouse entrance, Blaze snatched her wrist, tugging her after him off the main path to the smaller one going around the greenhouse.
“What the fuck are you doing?” she hissed.
Blaze turned back to her, stopping as his gaze met hers.
“Are you seriously thinking of going in to steal something from the professor through the main entrance?” he asked, arching a brow. Alecto blinked. He had a point. “Yeah, thought so.”
She followed him in silence, her heart hammering in her chest.
Alecto wasn’t a problematic child growing up. She was raised to be a lady, always polite and considerate of her behavior.
It was just appropriate for a girl from a family like hers.
Even as Alecto grew up into the young woman she was today, she never stopped being the pristine daughter her mother would be proud of.
