Compounding Traumas (Artemis University #6) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,90

to class.

He was already there writing on the chalkboard… The one I’d goofed around at writing runes on with Izzy while he’d watched us with amusement. I glanced at the desk we’d messed around on more times than I could count and had had sex on. Next, I looked at my old seat and memories assaulted me.

I shut it all down and pushed it out as I hurried to a seat on the far side in the very back by the windows. Maybe if I was in the corner furthest from his view, then I wouldn’t feel his eyes on me, and the windows would give me a distraction.

The bell rang and he gave his intro, my heart aching to hear his accent and smooth voice in such a familiar way instead of simply in my dreams. It killed me to know how many were falling for his voice as I had, and maybe he would actually love one of them and the person they were, accept them when he couldn’t me.

I couldn’t listen to this. I couldn’t listen to him. This was too much for my broken soul and longing for Julian Craftsman. I didn’t even realize I had made the decision to completely tune him and the whole class out until a syllabus packet was tossed back at me, landing on the extending lap desk used to take notes. I mumbled something resembling a thanks and stuffed the packet in my bag.

And then I went back to plotting what areas and estates I planned to rescue hobgoblins from in the coming weeks.

“Ms. Vale!” Craftsman’s voice echoed through the lecture hall, letting me know that it wasn’t the first time he’d tried to get my attention. Even if I didn’t physically react or look at him, something in my muted aura must have told him he’d surprised me because he didn’t shout again. “Am I boring you, Ms. Vale?”

I was about to swallow down what I really wanted to say, but then realized he’d given me the perfect opportunity to sow some dissent. People were bitching about how the school protected me and that I was in too tight with them. McGrath wanted to spy on me for the council and others wanted access to me. I was limited on this and that because I had to play nice for the school.

Maybe letting people think everything wasn’t all flowers and candy with us was a good thing?

“Yes, to tears actually,” I drawled as I kept my focus out the window. Several people gasped or tried to cover snickers with coughs, but failed miserably.

“Excuse me?” he bit out.

“You asked, Doc,” I purred. “Don’t get angry at me if you don’t want the truth as I’d be in trouble for lying. So do you want my answer, or do you want to pretend you didn’t ask the question?”

“I expect you to answer my questions if I ask them, Ms. Vale.”

I slowly turned my head and met his gaze, letting him see how much I hated him for forcing me to take his class behind my back after what had happened between us. I mentally smirked when he flinched.

“Yes, you’re boring me, Dr. Craftsman. I find this class remedial, which was why it took me less than a month over the summer to learn the runes and place out of it. Which Dean White and Professor Pillay approved. But it was decided that the spoiled elites couldn’t handle allowing the lowly unknown to place out of yet another class as I have skipped ahead two years of physical training and now mental shielding.

“And unknowns are so unstable, and the gods forbid I do anything magical well as I’m so fucking volatile. Or so sayeth the savant Craftsman, right, Doc?” People weren’t even trying to hold back their shock then. “Did I do something before you could or better than you could at my age? Are you like your sexist council and I needed to be put in my place because I have breasts?”

“I think that’s enough—” he tried to cut in, but I wasn’t done.

“It’s funny how the elites get around the rules all the time, but I wasn’t even given the respect of a conversation before being stuck in this class at your discretion after I was approved to be placed out of it. And I pay my tuition just as they do. Hell, I was the single largest donor to Artemis this year and still I was screwed over because