Page 66 of Shadows of Nightshade
Damen crossed his arms over my chest and pulled me to him. “Bianca is a better medium than you.” I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “You would be a hindrance.”
“Impossible.” Bryce frowned.
“Oh yes,” Damen purred in my ear.
I grit my teeth and fought the urge to bat his hands away. What was he doing? Damen was giving away my advantage.
I did not want Bryce to suspect me. I needed to be weak. I wanted to attack him when he least expected… and when I was braver.
“Anything is possible,” Damen continued. “There’s a whole world out there. Surely there is bound to be someone better than you.”
“Stop being stupid.” Bryce narrowed his eyes. “You know that’s not true.” There was a silent battle raging between the two of them, something not being spoken in their petty argument. Being stuck here, directly in the middle between two unyielding forces, had become even less fun than before.
What was I missing?
I touched Damen’s arm, not expecting him to notice. But, to my surprise, he did. His fingers entangled with mine as he stood down from his challenge.
And, even though I knew I shouldn’t care, I was happy.
Until he opened his mouth.
“What do you need, baby girl?” he asked, and my bloodturned to ice in my veins.
Not the embarrassing nickname. Not here, in front ofBryce.
What was he thinking?
Bryce, too, was frowning as he looked between us, clearly unimpressed by the other man’s improprieties. “Aren’t you teaching this semester?”
“See!” My voice squeaked. I wasn’t wrong; even the dense one had picked up on it! I broke free from Damen’s arms and pushed at his chest. “See!” I repeated.
I was right!
“What am I supposed to ‘see’?” Damen remained oblivious, yet obediently dropped his arms back to his side as he watched me, brow raised. “It’s fine. You’re not my student.”
I wanted to scream. Damen was ruining the spirit of the rule by embracing all these loopholes! He knew exactly what he was doing!
But then I saw it—a tiny twitch at the corner of his mouth.
He was screwing with me.
“In any case,” he addressed Bryce once more. “If you’re finished playing around, then I’m taking Bianca.”
“No.” Bryce stood and braced his hands on the table. “I’m not finished talking to her!”
I shivered. That commanding edge was back in his voice again. I wanted to avoid it.
Damen stood close enough to feel my reaction. His grin vanished, and I glanced up, catching his questioning gaze.
But I couldn’t explain.
I really wasn’t ready to deal with Bryce right now.
His expression turned smoothly calm, and he placed himself between the two of us before I could even blink. The weight against my chest lifted, and I was finally able to relax. I curled my fingers in his shirt and touched my forehead to his back.
How could he feel so safe?
“I really don’t care,” he told Bryce. “We’re done for today.”
