Fallen University: Year Two

“Better learn to like it unless you want to talk about your feelings for half an hour,” Kingston said, nodding toward the door. “Cassandra’s on cafeteria duty.”

I glanced at the door and saw that the siren was staring right at me. I didn’t know if it would work—I’d only really tried it on my own guys—but I pushed a feeling of utter contentment at her. It wasn’t much, because honestly I didn’t have much to draw from, but it seemed to be enough. She turned her attention to a different table.

“Thought police,” I grumbled.

“They just want to make sure nobody’s going full evil,” Hannah said pragmatically. “It’s not like they’re out to get anybody.”

“I guess. I wish they’d keep their snooping to the classroom though.”

“Save all your aggression up for Combat,” Kai drawled. “That’s what I’ve been doing. My scores have improved and nobody’s asked me about my well-being.”

“Not even Beedle?” Jayce asked.

Kai shook his head. “Beedle gives no fucks. As long as you aren’t trying to destroy the school on his watch, he doesn’t care how you feel.”

The table that Cassandra had her eye on now was full of a bunch of second-years, most of them young. Like, high school sophomore kind of young. I’d noticed them the year before, but hadn’t really given them much thought. They mostly kept to themselves and kept their heads down—not surprising, considering they were surrounded by a bunch of full-grown demons—but today they were being a little louder than usual. A food fight broke out suddenly and was quickly quashed by the cafeteria staff. One of the kids, whose name I was pretty sure was Taylor, stood up and shouted.

“Really? The one fun thing we’ve done in months, and you have to jump in and end it? Come on, dudes! What the fuck?”

Nobody took a whole lot of notice. Just a teenage kid having a tantrum, right? But Cassandra immediately went over to him, hurrying through the cafeteria until she reached his table. She whispered a few words in his ear and he sat down, dazed and silent.

“I’m not liking the direction this is going.” I lowered my voice a little, leaning toward the others as I spoke to make sure the school healer wouldn’t hear me. “Hypnotizing people out of a tantrum feels like an overstep.”

“He’s a teenage boy,” Jayce pointed out with a shrug. “She wouldn’t necessarily have had to hypnotize him. Look at her. Just standing that close to him would have short-circuited his brain.”

Well, he’s got a point there. I wasn’t sure whether it had anything to do with her being a siren, but Cassandra was undeniably hot. The school’s resident healer was a wispy woman with large ocean-colored eyes and reddish-brown hair that hung down her back in loose curls. I could easily imagine Taylor growing a little dazed just from all his blood rushing to his dick.

And to be fair, the kid did seem to shake it off pretty fast. Maybe Jayce was right.

I tried to put the whole Big Brother feel of it out of my head and save my complaints for the hallway. When we finished our breakfast, I made a point to smile at Cassandra as we passed by her.

Still, I couldn’t really say I agreed with how the school admins were handling things.

“If they’re worried about people losing their shit, they’re handling it all wrong,” I muttered under my breath as soon as we were out of earshot. “If the pressure wasn’t getting to me before, it sure as hell is now.”

“Keep your head up. This will all blow over eventually.”

Jayce dragged two fingers along my jaw, then slipped them under my chin and tilted my head a little so he could kiss me thoroughly. Ignoring the grumbles of students pushing past us in the hall, I wrapped my arms around him, losing myself for a moment in his fresh seafoam scent. We broke apart reluctantly before he turned to head toward his class on the other end of the castle.

“He’s right. Plus, I’m still trying to—you know.” Kingston made a furtive little gesture toward his back pocket.

I nodded and took a deep breath. “Yeah. Right.”

Then I stepped forward and pressed a kiss to his lips, reveling in the fact that I could do this now, that he returned the kiss with equal intensity. This was new for us, and I fucking loved it.

Brushing my hand down his chest and over his abs, inching just close enough to his hardening dick to drive him crazy, I looked up at him through my lashes. “See you at lunch.”

Heat flared in his forest green eyes, and his hands tighten

ed on my hips for a moment. I definitely wouldn’t be eating at lunch today. Or rather, I would, but it wouldn’t be food.

Who needs food anyway?

With a light, taunting slap on my ass, Kingston turned and strode down the hallway. Xero and I went the other way. Kai was nowhere to be found—probably in class already. He was still twitchy about getting too close to any of us, me especially.

We were about halfway to our class when a voice I recognized rose up from ahead of us.

“Answer me, you little punk!”