Page 24 of Shadows of Nightshade
My eyes widened. “I’m not scared of him,” I explained in a rush. “I’m just trying to prevent an ugly confrontation. Can we please leave before he finds us?”
Finn called out to me again. He had to be only seconds away from finding us.
I flinched. We had to move.
“Whatever,” Damen said. He tore his gaze from mine and grabbed my hand. I was so stunned at his determination that I unresistingly followed.
He pulled me through a private doorway reserved for the library staff.
“I’ll let it go for now,” he said, pulling me behind him. “But we will discuss this later.”
I allowed him to lead me along winding hallways and staircases until we finally stepped out into the afternoon sun and exited the building. But even though we were safe, he didn’t stop.
Instead, Damen continued to guide me to the faculty parking lot.
Nowwhat?
“Wait.” I tried to pull away, but Damen’s grip was solid. He did, however, stop walking. “Where are we going?”
He looked at me incredulously. “You didn’t want Finn to know you were with me, did you?”
“Yes, but I’m still with you,” I pointed out. “And you’re kidnapping a student. That won’t look good on your resume.”
One of his eyebrows shot up. “Kidnapping?” he asked, amused.
“Yes,” I pointed at him with my free hand. “I know you want revenge, but Titus had it coming. What else was I supposed to do?”
“This again?” Damen’s lips lifted before he dropped my hand. “I know he did, and I’m glad you did it.”
I’d never admit to my guilt! “I don’t regret it—” Then his words penetrated, and my tirade faded. “What?”
“You were alone in an unknown neighborhood and approached by a strange man. I would have done the same thing.” Damen was still grinning.
I frowned, recalling the other manner of injury inflicted upon the aforementioned man. “But… I kicked him in the… parts, too,” I whispered.
Damen’s nose twitched, almost as if he were about to burst out laughing, but he resisted. “Yes, but you were uncomfortable, and he wouldn’t leave you alone. Plus”—he leaned down and touched my nose—“itwasfunny. Not everyone has the fortitude to stand up to Titus. I think you’ll fit in with our group quite well. It’ll be helpful when we work together.”
I stepped back and covered my face with my hands. He was too much.
But did this mean they weren’t angry? Still, Titus had to hate me. It hadn’t been nice of me to do that to him.
“How are…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say. ‘Titus’s balls’ was too crude of a comment, so I went with the next best phrasing. “How is Titus doing?”
Damen flung an arm over my shoulders as he resumed leading me through the parking lot. This time I didn’t protest. For whatever reason, he seemed to want to hang out with me.
And I was kind of curious as to where this might lead.
Now that my panic had faded, all I could focus on was him. The warm feeling of his arm over my shoulders chased away the early autumn chill. The way he towered over me made me feel so small, and his comforting, musky scent seemed to dominate the air.
He was sharply dressed, too. With his glasses and Oxfords, he was both modern and scholarly. His tweed jacket was tailored to his powerful form. Everything about his appearance seemed expensive.
I wondered how much money psychology graduate student-teachers earned. It couldn’t be a lot. He had to be living on family money—like Finn.
Even though I was wearing one of my nicest sweaters and skirts, I had to look out of place. It was strange. With Finn, I was never self-conscious. I’d grown up with way less when I was younger, and, as best friends, our styles had evolved together. But for some reason, with Damen… He was a true professional. I wanted to impress him.
I really did need to learn how to be self-sufficient; otherwise, hanging around Damen and his little friends could easily ruin my already low self-esteem.
My tumbling thoughts screeched to a halt. What was I thinking? I wasn’tgoingto be hanging around them. This entire situation was awkward. And I hadn’t even accepted their help.
