Compounding Traumas (Artemis University #6) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,73
that stands before you. Okay? Ray and Zack are good. They know their shit. The Rothchilds are all now in the loop. I don’t know what your mate does, or if she can leave your house, but I can order one of the fae dogs to guard her.”
He let out a slow breath, nodding his head. “I understand. You’re saying it can be handled.” He waited until I confirmed it. “Thank you, Ms. Vale. I’m sorry I would betray you for her but—”
“She’s your everything. I saw that when we went out to dinner last year. I get it. She’s a lovely woman who doesn’t deserve to be dragged into this.” I smiled at him. “Tell her the truth without everything. Tell her that the council wants to use you to get to me, and it might be a golden ticket for something better since you picked the right side of this, because it’s not just me fighting against the councils’ tyranny.”
“She knows of your fight,” he chuckled. “She’s rooting for you. She’s asked if I’m helping, but knows how cautious I am. She is not.” He shook his head as if saying that was silly given how the councils were, or even the current climate of the supe world.
He wasn’t wrong, but that didn’t mean we should all roll over and show our stomachs to assholes.
“Let’s go find White. She gets the fun job of being the adult of this and handling Collins.” I opened my mouth to say something bitchy about how I doubted the man would tell me the truth of the meeting, or demand more of my blood to keep quiet, but Richardson had enough going on without getting in the middle of that.
And I wasn’t sure if he knew what had happened over the summer. I’d prefer less people did.
I wished I could forget it.
Shocked rocked me when I found Collins already at White’s office, but then I reminded myself that the two deans probably hand lots to talk about all the time.
“Speak of the devil and she will appear,” White teased me.
Or not.
I raised an eyebrow at that, waiting until she waved us in to join them. I closed the door behind us and put up a barrier. “What did I do now?”
Collins glanced at Richardson. “I believe you already know about the conversation we were forced to have with members of our council if you’re having a private word with Professor Richardson.”
“She actually came to me about class issues, and I asked for help,” Richardson clarified, as if that mattered somehow.
White’s eyes went wide, but then she closed them. “Of course you’d have issues with magical physics. By the gods, that would have been a disaster. I’m so sorry I didn’t think of that, Tamsin.”
“We’ve been slightly busy all fucking summer,” I drawled. “And it’s not like the first day we start opening portals. We would have thought of it. I just did today.”
Collins glanced between the three of us. “Why? What’s the issue.” He cleared his throat after a few moments. “I apologize for prying.”
I couldn’t even imagine what look he got from White because I hadn’t even acknowledged his question. “So he came to confess his council wants him to rat on me?”
“Yes, to use his position to get them information on you, to which he wisely reminded them, he doesn’t have any access to you,” she explained.
Collins actually looked contrite. “In doing as good of a job as I did, I inadvertently put way more pressure on Richardson, as he does have access to you as your teacher, and sees your magic first hand.” He cleared his throat and crossed his arms over his chest. “Honestly, I was so busy trying to act as if I couldn’t care less about you while praying they didn’t think to ask if I was at that first meeting—”
“Because that was when I busted that species crystal, and everyone there knew I was a fairy,” I grumbled. “And you couldn’t hide you knew that.”
“Exactly.” He glanced at the professor. “I am sorry, Richardson.”
“Not needed,” the other vampire forgave. “I know you well enough to know when you’re cornered and reacting. The whole matter was disturbing, and I worried any norms were completely off the table, and we could end up buried somewhere if we didn’t play our cards right.”
“Tell us exactly what happened and who was all involved,” White instructed, pulling out a pen and notepad before gesturing for all of us to sit.