100% That Witch - Celia Kyle Page 0,26

the distraught fairy’s shoulder, but before she could offer him a word of comfort, Ryan jerked away from her touch and disappeared down the hallway. She let out another sigh, watching him for a moment. Eventually, she just shook her head and walked into the classroom.

Some people are really deluded, she thought, especially when it comes to their relationships.

Thankfully, she wasn’t one of those people. She was positive her relationship with Rhys was about to turn into a happy engagement, and as far as she was concerned, there was absolutely nothing delusional about that.

Ten

Dr. Judd stopped right in front of Tiffany, a stack of graded papers in his arms. They had finished the exam almost an hour ago and, like the overachieving professor he was, the good doctor had offered to grade them right then and there.

Tiffany had sat at her desk, nervously trying to study for the exam she would have next week, but it had been almost impossible to focus. She really needed to get a good grade.

The test hadn’t been particularly easy, but most of the questions covered the subjects she had studied with Nero. The vampire’s help had been invaluable, but now that Dr. Judd was right in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel like a nervous wreck. He placed Tiffany’s paper face down on her desk, and she turned it over fast, as if by doing so, it would somehow improve her grade.

Her heart jumped as she saw a big B marked in red.

“It’s a B!” she whispered, blinking at the paper, and then up at him.

“Congratulations, Ms. Ufora. Your efforts are paying off, but there’s still room for improvement.” He tapped her desk to drive home the point before moving on to the next student.

“Thank you, Dr. Judd,” she cried out, clutching the exam to her chest as she scurried from the classroom. She was so distracted by her good fortune, she almost didn’t notice the giant vampire waiting outside.

“Whoa!” Nero laughed when she almost barreled headfirst into him. He’d been leaning against the classroom’s wall, his right foot against it like a cowboy from a bygone era, but his coolness gave way to a kind expression once he laid eyes on her. “In a hurry?”

“Just to find you! You’re not gonna believe it, Nero, but—”

“The exam went well.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Somehow, Nero sounded absolutely certain of Tiffany’s success, even though he couldn’t have known about the result. She really appreciated that about him. He had far more faith in her than she did, much less her father.

“I got a B!” she cried out, unable to hide her enthusiasm as she pushed the exam into his big hands. For good measure, she pointed to the grade on the heading so he didn’t miss it.

“Of course, you got a B,” he said with a proud smile. His voice was so gentle and smooth that a pleasant warmth spread from Tiffany’s chest to the rest of her body. She wasn’t sure how he managed it, but Nero always made her feel like she could accomplish... well, anything. “I’ve been on pins and needles all morning, you know. I had to come and wait for you.”

Tiffany blinked up at him—waay up. “You remembered I had a test?”

Sure, he’d been helping her study, but he had a lot going on in his own life. The fact that he remembered—and waited to find out the results—only made her like him more. Even though Ryan’s heart had been broken in the process, there was no denying it. Fate had chosen a worthy man for Nathan. She could only hope Rhys would be so supportive of her once they were married.

“Of course, I remembered,” Nero said with a chuckle, and then he took a step forward, closing the distance between them.

When he pressed the paper back into her hands, their fingers brushed, sending a bolt of violent heat up her arm. Before she knew it, Nero had wrapped his massive arms around her and was spinning her around. “Damn, I’m so happy for you, Tiffany.”

As the hallway moved in circles around her, all she could manage was wild, happy laughter, clinging to Nero’s broad, bulging shoulders. When he finally set her on her feet again, the world spun around her. But that wasn’t all. A tingling sensation rippled across the surface of her skin, like her nerve endings had turned to bubble wrap just waiting to be popped.

Get it together, girl, she thought, reminding