I released a breath that had been trapped in my lungs, opening my eyes and gazing triumphantly at Orion.
He clucked his tongue. “Good. Let's get on with tonight's session.” He glanced at his watch. “All thirty five minutes of it.”
I fought an eye roll, dropping into my seat opposite him, trying to muster the nerve to accuse him of murder.
Maybe I should build up to that.
“Geraldine's doing better,” I said, eyeing him closely for a reaction.
“Yes, thank the stars,” he said hollowly. “She can go back to annoying us all by preaching about the 'True Heirs’。” He actually air-quoted it and I pursed my lips.
“Any idea who attacked her?” I asked airily.
“Whatever I know or do not know about that incident is none of your business.” He stared me down and I refused to budge.
I'm not done with this conversation, douchebag. No matter how intimidating you are.
I scrunched my fingers up in the black skirt I was wearing, trying to decide on my next line of questioning.
“So, how is Order Enhancement coming along?” He leaned back in his chair, threading his fingers together and stacking his hands on his stomach. His t-shirt rode up to reveal a line of dark hair leading below his waistband and some unholy part of me squirmed with desire.
I forced my eyes up to meet his and didn't miss the flicker of amusement in his gaze.
“Well I know I'm not a Werewolf,” I said with a shrug.
“Yes, a great way to figure out if you're a Werewolf is dancing with one of them like you were paid for it.” He gave me a long, hard stare that pulled at my insides and unravelled them like twine. He'd seen me with Seth. Of course he'd seen me with Seth, he'd been at the bar. And I suddenly felt too hot and this seat felt too hard. I shifted nervously, his ridiculing tunnelling through my body.
I didn't have an answer to that, unsure exactly what he wanted me to say. Deny it? Couldn't. Confirm it? Wasn't necessary.
He picked up a pen and rolled it between his fingers, swivelling side to side in his chair. His eyes never left mine like he was trying to drill his way into my mind and pick out all of the information he wanted. “And screwing him didn't bring out the wolf in you either?” he asked calmly, rationally, like he had the right to ask that. Like he wasn't my damn teacher and it wasn't so inappropriate I wanted to scream.
My lips were pressed so tightly together I didn't know if they'd even allow me to answer. “I didn't,” I hissed. “And it would be none of your business if I did.”
He scooted forward in his chair and his bare knee brushed mine. I dug my heels in, inching backwards as my heart jolted from the contact.
He leaned forward and I held his gaze. “It's my business as your Liaison to look out for you. The Heirs will chew you up and spit you out, Miss Vega. Just a friendly warning.”
Nothing about his face said friendly. In fact, if I looked up the exact opposite of friendly in the dictionary, there'd be a picture of him.
I rested my palms on the desk, leaning in rather than leaning away like I wanted to. My heart was frantic and begging me to run for the hills. But I wouldn't run away. This guy needed to know I was onto him. And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it inside his own office. He couldn't incriminate himself like that. At least, that was what I was banking on.
“Funnily enough, sir, I've taken an interest in your business too lately.” I let the energy of that impending thunderstorm crackle over him.
He cocked his head, his mouth twisting up at the corner. “Well don't keep me in suspense, Miss Vega. I'm dying to hear the speech you've written for this occasion.” He smirked darkly and in that moment, I knew that he knew what I was going to say. Because I'd already reacted like a kicked puppy when he came hounding into the bathroom after me on Friday night. He knew I was afraid of him. He knew I suspected him of coming after Tory and I. So he'd already put two and two together and realised I suspected him of attacking Geraldine too. But he didn't know how I knew.
I folded my arms and abandoned my speech because dammit he'd been right about that, I'd been rehearsing it all day. So I decided on being entirely blunt instead and laying out all of the facts.
I raised a hand to count them off. “You and Darius have been against Tory and I since we stepped in the door. You meet up in secret and you talk about going on killing sprees like it's completely normal. You chat with some stupidly hot model in a bar who is apparently in the know about your killing sprees and then you corner me in a women's bathroom like a psycho. Then later that evening both you and Darius go conveniently missing just before Geraldine turns up almost dead in a strange attack. Oh and who happens to be the first on the scene? You. Covered in blood and smelling like cinnamon.”
Orion's brows had raised during my list and now he was grinning, his dimple out in full force. “Cinnamon?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “Geraldine smelled it and that's what you smell like so…” I waited for his outburst. A fierce denial, or him falling to his knees and begging me not to go to the FIB. But he just sat there watching me like I was his favourite TV show.
“And how many people have you told this, Miss Vega?” he asked calmly. Too damn calmly.
“Enough that if you lay a hand on me, the whole school will know what you're up to before midnight.” Triumph scored a path through my body but something about his expression told me I hadn't quite won yet.
“Well it seems you've been spending a lot of your time spying on me - and smelling me apparently. But I'm still waiting for you to plant the evidence on my desk?” He gazed at my hands, mock-expecting me to produce something as my gut shrivelled into a prune. “No?” he questioned tauntingly. “No video, photo, audio recording? No evidence at all?”
I remained totally still, refusing to back down. I might not have had evidence but it was only a matter of time until the FIB caught on to him.
Orion calmly took his Atlas out of his bag, placed it under my nose and brought up a news report which had been published less than half an hour ago.
Wounds on Zodiac Academy Student Now Confirmed as a Nymph Attack.
Underneath it in bold were the words:
Professor Orion （the head of his field in Cardinal Magic at Zodiac Academy） is expected to be awarded the Noble Crest after his act of bravery saved her moments before her death.
“Oh,” I breathed as the world crashed in around me.
“Yes – oh. Now can we return to your session or do you have any more wild accusations you want to throw around? Is Principal Nova dealing drugs under the bleachers at the Pitball Stadium? Or is Professor Pyro starting fires in The Wailing Wood?” He chuckled at his own words and I rose to my feet, knocking my chair over in my haste.
“You know what? I'm done with these sessions. I know what I heard, sir. And maybe you didn't attack Geraldine but I know you're up to something.” I strode toward the door but Orion flew in front of me, his Vampire speed propelling him into my way.
My heart got jammed in my throat as he gazed at me.
“Don't bite me,” I snarled, stepping back in a rage. “You took almost everything from me the other day and I've only just got my full power back.”
His eyebrows knitted together. “You got it back? How?”