Page 171 of Nightshade

“Oh, God. What if he’s right?”

“Who?”

“Anya, I need to talk to Mister Van Croix.”

“Then, you do intend to meet with him this evening?”

“I have to.”

“A word of advice, miss. Be cautious if he takes you up to that bell tower. Not only is it unsafe, particularly when there’s lightning, but there are rumors amongst the staff that it’s where he prefers to deflower his conquests.”

“Well, lucky for me, that ship has sailed.” It’d been a while since I’d lost my virginity. My freshman year, to be exact, and unfortunately, due to my school load, he was my last sexual partner. So, for all intents and purposes, I might as well have been a virgin.

Except that I had absolutely no intentions of sleeping with Van Croix. I refused to let him try to win me over with sex and charm.

The man was dangerous, if he was even a man, at all, and, from the sounds of it, exceptionally obsessive over Lustina.

I needed answers, though. Some things in my head weren’t making sense.

“When you say that you spoke to Aurelia …” Hands rubbing together, Anya seemed nervous. “Did she happen to remember me, at all?”

“Yes.” With a slight smile, I rested my hand over hers. “She did.”

“I wish I could have seen her one more time. So many things I would have said.”

“From what I gathered, she loved you very much. She hoped to return to you.”

On a wistful sigh, Anya gave a sad smile. “Bit late for that now, I’m afraid. Perhaps one day, the two of us will find redemption, and I, too, will see her again.”

“I hope so, too.”

“In the meantime, I’ll inform Master Van Croix that you’re on your way up to his office.”

I had an hour before eight. Just enough time to finish reading that book.

53

Farryn

Ignoring what felt like a whole flock of butterflies stirring chaos in the pit of my gut, I knocked on the door to Van Croix’s office.

“Come in.” Certainly didn’t help matters that his voice carried a husky, perilous tone that set my teeth on edge.

I opened the door to find him kicked back in his chair, shiny, black leather shoes resting against the desktop. He casually flipped that coin over his knuckles, and for a moment, I felt like I’d arranged a meeting with Lucifer himself.

Perhaps I had.

With a glimpse of his unbuttoned, black, high collar shirt, the fabric stretched across his chest muscles, a feeling of dread sank to the pit of my stomach. My willpower was already shriveling like a cold, deflated balloon before I even sat down. Sex oozed from every pore of his body like a potent aphrodisiac, the confidence and determination in his expression warning me I didn’t stand a chance at resisting it.

I would, though.

By God, if it took every ounce of grit left inside of me, I would not fall prey to this man.

Eyes locked on his, I stared at him from across the desk, my fingernails digging into the leather upholstery of the chair.

He stared back, the hint of a smirk on his lips gnawing at me, as I contemplated how to broach the subject of Lustina without admitting that I believed him.

“How?”