CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 65

"Zeenare?"

The word exploded in Rhea’s brain. She turned, her heart hammering against her ribs, to face the whole class.

"WTF." One of the students exclaimed as everyone immediately started murmuring among themselves.

"OMG!" Tia’s hands flew to her lips. "So our weird ’immortal’ professor has picked another victim. Congratulations, babe, you are free," Tia whispered in Rhea’s ear.

The word floating around was like a needle in her side, like a rope around her neck, strangling her. Her chest tightened, a sharp, cold knot forming beneath her ribs. The air caught in her throat, a sickening pressure that made it impossible to swallow. The classroom, the faces, the noise—everything blurred into a suffocating fog.

"Who’s the lucky slut?" someone in the crowd asked.

The question made Rhea turn pale as her gaze wavered across each of their faces. She glanced at Tia, wondering what she would do if she found out about this from others.

"Nothing on the bitch yet," the student answered. "Just Mr. Zeenare."

Rhea let out the heavy breath in her chest.

How did this get out? she pondered.

"Rhea?"

Who did this? We were never...

"Rhea." Tia called again.

Zack! She roared inwardly in realisation.

"Rhea!!" Tia shouted, breaking Rhea’s thoughts. "What’s up?" Tia questioned, scrutinizing Rhea’s expression. "You look pale, babe."

"I’m sorry, Tia. But I’ve got to go." Rhea sprinted for the door, not waiting for Tia to reply.

Fuck you, Zack. Is this what you came up with to screw me over again?

Rhea strode down the corridor, darting for Zeenare’s office.

She pushed the door open without even knocking. And there, a sight met her eyes she hadn’t prepared for.

"Zeenare, no!" she shouted, running toward him at full speed, pulling at the hand he had wrapped tightly around Tiffany’s neck.

"Zeenare, stop!" Rhea yelped in fright. Her eyes were drawn to Tiffany, who was desperately struggling to breathe, clawing at his hands. Her face was twisted as if death had wrapped itself around her, saliva at the side of her lips, her complexion growing purple.

"Please, I beg you." Rhea wrapped her arms over his waist, her head resting on his chest. "Please, calm down, please," she pleaded.

With Zeenare’s head not moving, his focused eyes once on Tiffany, moved down to rhea.

Rhea flinched, her hands around his waist threatening to go loose, but she held tighter, not looking away from the coldness crawling within his gaze.

"I’m sorry," Zeenare suddenly said, as he released his grip on Tiffany and his eyes grew softer.

Tiffany fell to her knees, coughing desperately, gasping for air to fill her lungs.

"Tiffany, are you okay?" Rhea scurried to her side, reaching to help her up.

"Fuck off." Tiffany snapped, pushing her away, then looked at Zeenare, a glare and fear in her eyes.

Rhea stood watching her, eyes moving from Zeenare to Tiffany, as Tiffany reached for her things scattered on the floor.

Rhea swallowed hard as a horrified gasp threatened to rip from her throat when her gaze traveled to Tiffany’s neck, landing on the red imprint of Zeenare’s hand.

Rhea turned to Zeenare with a sharp look, then back at Tiffany who had slowly managed to get up and trailed for the door.

"What the fuck, Zee? Why did you do that?" Rhea approached him with a scowl on her face. "She’s badly bruised, Zeenare!"

Zeenare sighed, leaned his butt on the table’s edge, as he held her gaze. "She was becoming a nuisance."

"A what? What could she possibly have done to deserve that?" Rhea pointed at the door, standing directly facing him.

"That thing... it’s not worth what you should bother yourself with." He reached for her hands.

"No. Don’t touch me. You could get fired or worse, arrested for attempted murder or maybe harassment," Rhea pointed out, fuming. "Because of what you just did."

Though I don’t know if that would work on you since you’re not human.

"Come on, you can’t pull away from me like this, because of that..." Zeenare made a reference toward the door, gritting his teeth.

"What did she do, Zee?" She let out a deep breath, her gaze strong, her tone serious, her hands on her waist. "I know Tiffany can have a bitchy personality and can get annoying sometimes, but you’re her lecturer—"

"She threw herself at me and kissed me."

At his word Rhea’s face turned straight, Oh, she deserved it. One hundred percent. Rhea smirked, watching Zeenare as he soothed his fingers through his head, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You’re not angry, right?" Zeenare asked.

But Rhea did not reply as her mind trailed away. So was she the one who was here yesterday? Or there’s another one?

"I guess you are angry," he continued.

God, how many girls are flaunting their asses at him? Her face twisted in disgust.

Zeenare’s brows arched as he reached for Rhea. "I didn’t kiss her back," he began explaining.

I know you didn’t kiss her back. I believe what she did is what earned her a strangulation.

Rhea cracked into laughter at the sad face Zeenare was making.

"I know you didn’t kiss her," she said softly.

"You do!" His voice was like a child’s.

"Yes, because you only have eyes for me."

Zeenare’s eyes followed Rhea’s hands reaching for his head.

"Am I not right?" Rhea probed, stroking his hair.

"Absolutely," he said with a smile, reaching for her hand still in his hair.

"Who was here yesterday?" Rhea suddenly asked.

"Yesterday?" He asked, unsure of when she was referring to.

Then Rhea proceeded to clarify. "Around mid-noon."

Zeenare’s jaw hardened, the muscles in his neck tightening. His eyes, once soft, blazed with a cold, terrifying fire. The air around him seemed to grow thin, a tense silence descending between them.

"Her," he replied, looking back at the door.

So it was you she and her friend were ganging up on yesterday. And I cried myself out like some loser.

"You did well," Rhea praised with a wide grin.

In strangling her, she added inwardly.

"Did you tell her about us?" She continued, taking the empty seat next to Zeenare.

"Yes."

Oh, so that’s why.

"Our secret is no longer a secret anymore," she informed, then continued. "The whole school knows about us."

Zeenare let out a loud sigh, then hissed, his nose crinkled. "That rumour isn’t about us." He leaned backward, his hands between his legs.

Rhea tilted her head slightly, shaking it inquisitively, her brows up.

"She spread that rumor about me. Since I didn’t tell her who I was in a relationship with, she did that to make you jealous or scared so when you found out you’d come rushing," Zeenare explained.

"Which I did, and now she knows who." Rhea completed. Then asked, "What do we do now? You could get suspended and the rumors... and..."

Zeenare took her hand, then brought it to his lips. "I don’t care about that. If I can have you to myself, possibly lock you up on the island, I would prefer that."

Rhea pressed her lips into a thin line, giving him a pointed look.

"What I meant is... I came to this school solely because of you. Nothing else," he muttered.

"Hmm," Rhea hummed, her arms folded, throwing glances at him from the corner of her eyes.

Zeenare looked away from her, clearing his throat with a fake cough.

And here I thought Zack was to blame. But Tiffany, don’t think I’ll sit with my hands crossed and watch you get near my man.

"It’s better she knows."

"It’s better she knows?" Zeenare repeated.

"Yes. That way she’ll back off."

"Back off?" Zeenare repeated again, this time a devilish grin on his face, his eyes narrowed to a seductive slit.

"You heard me so stop repeating what I said," Rhea snapped.

Biting down on his lips, he chuckled. "Spare me, Your Majesty." He teased, exhaling softly, his tongue circling his lip as his teeth welcomed it, letting a little moan slip. His eyes slowly ate her whole.

Little Green, what you are saying keeps making me think you are claiming me. How I wish it could be true. He thought.

Her heart hammered against her ribs, a frantic rhythm that mirrored the shifting of her chair. Her grip on her bag tightened, her knuckles turning white. His voice, that deep, rumbling hum, sent a shiver through her, a wave of heat that pooled low in her stomach. She pushed the chair back, desperate for a few more inches of space, but his gaze held her captive.

Cute, he thought, his eyes glittering.

"Why? Scared I would eat you raw?" Zeenare leaned in on her, caging her on the chair, his arms on each side of the chair’s armrests.

"No," she lied, swallowing the dread in her throat.

Now squatting, his face on the same level as hers, he brushed her hair away from her face as a deep, beautiful hum escaped his lips.

A tiny wave of chill rushed through Rhea’s veins.

Fuck, stop making that sound.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked, lifting her chin up for her to meet his gaze, hungrily staring into her eyes.

How did the conversation shift? Rhea squealed inwardly.

"Um-um," she began, pushing the chair back, "why don’t we— I mean, why don’t I start going home now?" she said, sprinting for the door as soon as her behind left the chair.

Zeenare scoffed as he stood up, his eyes smiling as he watched her scurry away.

What an adorable little bunny, he thought.

Phew, that was close. Heart, what’s wrong with you? Rhea thought, running down the faculty. I almost kissed him just now. My head was just moving on its own. And his voice just made me wet. Since when did that start? I’m a slut, she added as she slid into her car.

"I’m home!" Rhea announced as she pushed her apartment door open.

Expecting Tia’s welcoming voice, instead, a wave of bubbling laughter echoing from the living room filled the air.

There’s someone else in the house, she wondered in surprise.

"Tia, you got a visitor?" she asked, walking into the room.

"Oh yeah," Tia answered between laughs.

"Who is it?" Rhea inquired with a smile.

"Oh, it’s Athaliah."