Page 22 of Shadows of Nightshade
“You wouldn’t dare!” Ms. Protean covered her mouth and then glanced at me. “I’m sorry, but I’ll reschedule with you later.”
Damen raised an eyebrow as he watched her rush away.
And since he was focused on her retreat, this could be my chance to escape! I needed space to compose myself before our inevitable confrontation.
I grabbed my bag and slipped into one of the aisles. I had to be quick.
I hadn’t even made it ten feet down the narrow space before I was pulled to a halt. Damen gazed at me, amused, as he held firmly to the backpack. He smirked. “Where do you think you’re going?”
7
I triedto ignore him and continue on my merry way, but Damen’s hold did not waver. My feet slipped on the laminate floor as he dragged me to him until my back rested against his chest.
I could no longer hide from my predicament.
“Whatare you doing?” I hissed at him. “Let me go!”
Damen was more like Titus than I’d thought. Maybe he needed a dose of the same deterrent.
He even had the nerve to chuckle! Why did the sound of it annoy me?
“I’m holding you this way so you can’t escape,” he explained. “And so you can’t resort to any underhanded attacks.”
“There was nothing underhanded about what happened with Titus,” I retorted. “I was acting in self-defense.”
This was the worst.
“Yes, I know. It was hilarious,” Damen said. “And well deserved. Titus can be overbearing. However, I’d rather play it safe.”
Who wasoverbearingnow?
“But there’s something I want to ask you first.” His breath was warm against my ear.
I shook off the shivers shooting down my spine as I focused on his words. “What?”
“How do you know Gloria Protean?” he asked. “You’re not in her class.”
Where did he get the right to look up my schedule?
Still, his question caught me off guard, and I finally turned to look at him. Why were his intense features drawn in worry?
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
Damen sighed and moved closer. I’d almost made it to the end of the bookcases and was now trapped between the neatly stacked shelves and his larger frame.
I should have been intimidated—this wasn’t exactly an ideal situation. But instead of being scared, I was flustered.
What was wrong with me? I hated this kind of guy.
Damen didn’t seem to notice. “Ms. Protean,” he repeated in a voice that indicated he was not used to being ignored. “What does she want with you?”
What was it to him, anyway? Did he have something against grandmotherly figures? He’d been pretty rude to her, and I wasn’t even sure what to make of their conversation.
But he seemed so concerned that it was hard to stay on guard.
“She wanted to talk about Professor Hamway,” I told him. “Which was fine because I’ve been doing some research.”
Damen’s gaze over me made my skin prickle. “Without me?” he asked. “You were supposed to wait.”
