Page 21 of Stalked By Monsters

Luke is right though. Ever since that party I’ve been distancing myself from them. They can’t know the truth, not how things are right now at least.

I glance down the hallway and walk back towards the classroom where I noticed a small alcove before. It won’t be private enough to have the discussion I want to have but at least it will give me some cover as I wait for her.

Leaning back against the cool stone, I let the bite of cold sink into my bones. The shadows and relative cover coax my mind into places it really shouldn’t head right now—at least not in public. My thoughts drift to our encounter in the closet yesterday. The image of her hands splayed on the wall, and the way her delectable lips sucked on my finger while her delicious pussy came around my cock will be ingrained in my memory for eternity.

My cock pulses just at the thought of her caramel-brown hair swinging around her as I pounded into her from behind. Fuck. I really need to think about something else before someone walks by and thinks I’m just some creep getting a boner in the hallway.

She steps out from the classroom, her long silken hair flowing down her back. I pause, wanting to wait a few moments before I let her know I’m here. She always looks the most beautiful when her guard is down, but unfortunately for me, it comes slamming up every time she sees me.

The click of her heels is muffled slightly as she walks onto the rug. She strides towards the main hall, her head held high, hips swinging with each step. I’m about to strut out into her path, and I ready for her lips to curl into her sexy scowl, when she stops abruptly. She glances around the otherwise empty hallway, clearly ensuring no one is watching her.

What on earth are you doing, sunshine?

I’m about to walk out and ask her just that when she turns on her heel, heading away from the main hall. My brows furrow and I lean out to watch her as she hurriedly strides back past the classroom.

“Apparet,” I murmur, holding my hand out as the school map drifts into my open palm. I follow the length of the path down to the other end. Only classrooms line the rest of the hall with the library and school offices on the second floor.

She could be going straight to her meeting with the headmistress, but why would she need to sneak around for that? My teeth grit as a million possibilities flit through my mind, and my stomach sours more and more with each one. But my resolve strengthens with each inch she takes away from me, and now I carefully creep out into the hallway, watching her as she nears the staircase.

Her hair ripples behind her and I duck back into the nook just as her blue-green eyes sweep the length of the hallway again. Satisfied that she’s alone, she climbs the stone stairs, her heels clicking away on the hard surface. I pull in a deep breath, grateful I haven’t started following her yet, because that was way too close.

As she nears the top of the stairs I come out of my hiding place again and shove the map into my pocket, hoping she doesn’t glance back down this way. But I know that if I don’t start now, I won’t be able to catch up with her. I rush past the open classroom door, keeping to the carpet so my footsteps are muffled slightly. I pick up my pace as she gets to the top of the stairs and nearly make it to the bottom as she turns the corner. Based on the map, it looks like she’s heading towards the library and not the offices, which is exactly what I needed to know.

I take my time climbing the stairs one at a time, not needing to rush now that I know where she’s going. But my chest tightens with each move I make, my mind already starting to imagine the worst-case scenario. There are only a few things that she would need to be secretive about, and one of those things would be a meet-up she isn’t supposed to have. Annoyance flares through me at the thought of her meeting that wolf after I already warned her about it. I can’t deny the hint of jealousy that lights along with it, but more than anything I just want her to use her damn head and not get herself into any more trouble.

Aria didn’t go to university in Endcliffe, but I did, and while the witches and warlocks respect her, they’re still wary over what her mother did. She went to an all magic school before, but now with every supe imaginable under this roof, there’ll be more eyes on her than usual.

I pause on the stairs and glance behind me, making sure Greyson isn’t on his way up after me, but the few students that stroll along the corridor are heading towards the cafeteria. I suck in a deep breath and continue forward, my conflicting thoughts warring for supremacy in my mind. As things are, this situation is hopeless between Aria and me. Despite the relative peace between our families, I know the deep-seated animosity still remains, especially with my grandmother trying to take the top spot in the elders away from the Harts.

But there might be a way. I cling to that thought, hoping I’m not just torturing myself right now. Once I got a taste of Aria Hart there was no going back. No other woman can compare to the fire blazing in her heart, the sunshine that beams from her soul, so bright and enticing—I never even had a chance to resist her pull. I’ve never understood why she clings to the darkness, likens it to herself when even her power gleams with the light sparkling in her soul.

I take the last few stairs and survey my surroundings. There’s a row of what must be the administration offices to the right, the names of the staff embossed on the oak doors in a gold placard. Oil paintings hang along the stone hallway, depicting some of the greatest leaders and battles of our ancestors. My gaze catches on the one before me of Isabella Hart, her sword raised in triumph with her enemies slain before her, their broken forms littering the ground. Her long dark hair is braided down her back, her blue-green eyes alight with pride and vicious delight, and I’d almost think the painting was done of Aria herself if I didn’t know any better.

I pull my gaze from the painting and internally scold myself for wasting time. Finding Aria is more important than staring at a painting that looks like her, especially if she’s about to get herself into trouble. I really don’t know how she survived the last four years without me watching her back for her.

Turning, I head towards the open double doors and frown at the lack of students here. It makes sense since it’s only the first day, but that only serves to heighten my suspicions.

Muted lights illuminate the entryway with a long wooden counter placed near the front. A woman who must be the librarian sits behind a computer screen, the blue lights glowing against her sallow face. I immediately turn to the stacks of books on the other side, not wanting to draw attention to myself. The cathedral ceiling stretches up to a peak with ancient wood bookcases lining each of the walls. Ladders stretch up, allowing students and staff to reach the books on the top shelves, while smaller cases fill the center of the library making the massive room resemble a maze.

I choose a row at random, knowing it won’t be a good idea to ask the librarian for help finding a girl. I’m sure she’d call someone to escort me the hell out of here, as she should. My pace increases as I methodically check each row, searching for any sign of Aria or whoever she might be with. Thankfully the long rows allow me to see straight to the other end without losing track of where I came in from. On a guess I rush down one of the aisles, noticing it cuts off sooner than the others, and silently hope she’s somewhere down here.

I turn the corner and maneuver down another row, about to give up when I catch sight of her long caramel-brown hair, her nose buried deep in a thick ancient-looking book. I sigh a breath of relief, sending a blessing up to the goddess that she’s alone right now. If I truly want Aria, I know I’ll have to share, because coven leaders are only females and they all must take on multiple partners. That has always been the case, a tradition deep within our coven’s roots. But it’s difficult seeing her put herself in a position where she might get hurt. These men might have the best intentions for her, but she’ll be the one at the center of the gossip if she’s seen with a wolf or a professor.

I block out my own obligations, not wanting to think about my family currently searching for acceptable matches for me. They want someone to be the leader in name alone for the sake of tradition while I’ll hold all the true power and decisions.

I know I’m on that same list too, that people will talk if we’re seen together too often, but that’s why I have to keep up this animosity between us, the façade that we hate each other when in reality that’s the furthest thing from the truth. Sure it’s fun to get under her skin, but I’ve had a crush on her ever since we were in high school. That night, two weeks ago, it felt like the stars had finally aligned, that the goddess herself was smiling down on me. I can never admit that to her though, not until I can at least get this plan figured out.

Pulling in a deep breath, I take a step forward and put on the familiar swagger I know she’s become accustomed to. Even I can tell she despises my cocky attitude just as much as it drives her wild.

“Isn’t it a little too early to start skipping lunch for studying, Hart?” I drawl, leaning against the thick bookcase. “If you needed help you could have asked me. I wouldn’t mind giving you some private study sessions.”

The moment the words leave my lips I immediately regret not going to get her something from the cafeteria. I didn’t miss that coffee poised on the corner of her desk this morning. Had she even eaten anything for breakfast? Annoyance flickers in me that I can’t be seen doing that for her, not when we both need to keep a low profile.

She sucks in a sharp breath and slams the book closed, nearly smashing her nose between its pages in her haste. A smug grin curls on my lips in response, satisfaction brimming in me that I was able to catch her off guard.

My smile fades in the next moment though as she murmurs, “Reditio.” The book vanishes from her hands, and she crosses her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing to slits.

“Really Denver?” she huffs out in annoyance. “I’m surprised you even know what a library is.”