Page 26 of Stalked By Monsters
Landon continues to read out names, but I tune them out since I already know where mine and Harper’s names are on the list ... and Denver’s unfortunately. I can’t help the jolt of excitement that sparks in me at the thought of being forced to spend time together. Now I have an excuse for being seen with him, but do I really want to take that risk? My mind seems to go out the window when I’m around him.
“Are you really so surprised, Hart?” Denver whispers. He leans in, closing the gap between our desks, and I curse myself for letting him catch me off guard. “Of course the two of us would be top of the class—it’s in our blood.”
I bare my teeth at him, hoping to at least get him to retreat, but he only huffs out a snort of amusement in response. I can’t concentrate on keeping my emotions from my face when his stupid, smug grin is so close to me, his cobalt eyes shining with excitement.
“Yeah I am surprised, Prince. How are you going to find a wife to rule as a figurehead coven leader when your powers are so high,” I ask, attempting to keep the bitter note from my tone as my heart pangs with regret. That’s the heart of the issue though. As a male, and the only heir to the Prince line, his family will find a witch with enough power to be coven leader, but not enough backbone to stop Denver from leading instead.
It’s common in high-powered covens for the families to do this to both keep the leadership and control in their name, and since the witch isn’t descended from that line she doesn’t need multiple partners. That’s also why Denver has already picked out his second and third, since no one is under any disillusion that they’ll be giving up any power to the woman he eventually marries.
“I guess my options are limited, aren’t they?” he says coyly, as though he already has something up his sleeve.
“Don’t even think about it,” I hiss, but there’s no real power behind my words. A jolt of excitement vibrates through me at the insinuation, and I try to bury it, not wanting to even picture that future. There’s no way either of our families would agree to it, right? Besides, there’s no way I could actually be with an asshole like that.
“Oh I already have, sunshine,” Denver drawls with a devious glint in his eyes. “This little test may have just given me exactly what I need.”
My breath catches in my throat, and I swallow down the spark of hope that lights with his admission. He very well could just be bluffing, trying to get under my skin and make me catch feelings when I shouldn’t.
“For what?” I demand, before glancing around to make sure no one else is watching us too closely. Thankfully, Samuel and Luke have turned to the row behind them and are speaking excitedly with a few other students.
“Oh you’ll find out, and I promise you’ll like it,” he whispers, his lust-filled gaze running over my body as if he’s picturing me naked right now. My skin heats at the desire blazing in his gaze and I cross my legs, needing some friction between them to keep myself from fisting my hands in his jacket and yanking him to me for a scorching kiss. His eyes flash to the movement and a wide grin stretches across his lips at the realization of what he’s doing to me.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” I whisper, frowning back at him before I face the front of the class again. I can’t let myself indulge in this fantasy any longer, and I sure as hell can’t let him turn me into some fool. Landon is still calling out names to my relief, and the rest of the class is distractedly discussing the results.
“I wouldn’t,” he says, his finger trailing up the side of my arm, eliciting goosebumps in its path. A shiver of delight shoots up my spine at the touch.
I’m about to snap at him, but the words get stuck on the tip of my tongue when our eyes lock. There’s no sign of amusement there anymore, no hint of any malice. His jaw is tense, his eyes open and sincere, a look of steel searing his promise into the fabric of the universe.
“Just give me some time, Hart,” he breathes, a crease forming between his brows as he searches my gaze.
My lips part and my brows furrow as I search for what to say, but my mind is blank. My brain is buzzing with conflicting thoughts, in direct conflict with my heart. Denver has never let on anything more than a magnetic attraction between us, has he?
“Okay, that’s it for the pairs,” Landon says, breaking through my scrambled thoughts. My heart jolts at the sudden interruption and I stiffly turn back to face him, doing everything I can to not show the shock on my face.
Denver leans back in his chair, but I feel the weight of his stare still glued to me, our conversation still clearly unfinished. Unsure what to believe, I pull in a shaky breath, my mind still a jumbled mess.
“Now remember, these are only based off your power level, and academics still factor heavily into your overall performance as a witch or warlock, so don’t get discouraged if you were near the end,” Landon says, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the class and skipping over me like he had that first day. “As I said before, the power of the entrapment spells requires students of similar power to be together so I’m not able to switch any pairs unless there are extenuating circumstances.”
I honestly don’t know how Glenda will react when she hears about this. Either she’ll rage and potentially burn down the school if it isn’t changed, or she’ll be delighted at the chance to show off in front of the Prince coven. It really just depends on what mood she’s in that day.
“With that being said, I’ll let you go a few minutes early and you and your partner can meet up to get acquainted outside the classroom,” Landon says, raising his voice over the students’ excited murmurs and the rustling of paper.
“Can we—” I murmur, turning to Denver, needing to find a private space to speak about what he just said, but I’m cut off before I can finish my sentence.
“Aria, can I speak with you?” Landon asks as he sits behind his large oak desk, the pairs of students already filing out of the class.
“I—” I’m honestly not sure what I’m about to say but that’s all I get out before Denver cuts in.
“We can talk when you’re ready,” Denver whispers, giving me a look of understanding. His gaze holds mine until I nod, his usual arrogant smirk is a distant memory now.
“I guess I’m crashing your meeting,” he says to Samuel and Luke, standing and turning to face his friends. “Don’t miss me too much, Hart.” He grins back at me, the mischievous glint in his eyes once more. And just like that, his normal demeanor is back, nearly giving me whiplash with how quickly he flipped the switch.
But which one is real and which is an act? Would he say all that to make me drop my guard just to crush my heart once I gave it to him? Do I even want any of this? A dull ache throbs at my temple with all the conflicting thoughts bombarding me with hope and doubt at the same time.
“You don’t need to worry about that, Prince,” I sneer, taking a note from his book. “You seem to be everywhere I turn, like a cockroach.”
Denver snorts on a laugh, nearly choking as he tries and fails to keep the sound in. “That was a nice attempt at an insult, Aria. Seriously, commendable for your first try.”
I bare my teeth at him, my fingers curling into fists as I glare up at him. “Normally I just claw people’s eyes out. You should feel lucky you’ve got to keep yours for so long.”