CHAPTER 44: TENSE ATMOSPHERE

Andria’s POV

The hair on my neck stood, and I felt like my breath had disappeared for a moment.

I froze, my fingers curling into fists at my sides. My mind screamed for space, for air, but my traitorous heartbeat seemed determined to betray me.

"Athena, this is not the time for you to be excited," I mentally warned Athena, who was excited about the proximity of her mate to her.

"You’re not going to get that answer from me, Aven," I said, keeping my tone flat even though every nerve in my body was on edge.

His face tightened. "You can lie to everybody, Aria. You can lie to them..." His gaze bored into me, "but not to me."

"You think I’m lying, what made you think..." I started, but he cut me off with a low, frustrated sound.

"You think I don’t notice the way you look at me? Or the way you avoid my touch like you are afraid you will drown in it?"

I bit back a sharp retort. He was too close. Too damn close. But the moment I gave him that satisfaction, I’d lose the upper hand completely.

I pushed at his chest, just enough to force a breath of space between us. "This is exactly why I’m leaving. You don’t listen. You push. You corner. And you expect me to what? Fall into line like some possession you can guard and glare at?"

Something flickered across his face, like hurt. But it vanished as quickly as it came. "I don’t want to control you, Aria. I want to keep you safe. And if that means keeping Zade and Kaelric as far away from you as possible, then..."

"This isn’t about them," I snapped, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

His eyes narrowed, sharp with suspicion. "Then who is it about?"

The silence stretched between us like a taut wire, both of us daring the other to speak first.

Finally, I turned away, breaking the contact. "It’s about your selfish ambition to keep like your property among your circle." I paused, breathing rapidly.

"It has never been about protection, but dominance and possession. Kaelric is a threat to you, not because he might harm me, Aven," I screamed at him.

His face hardened and then softened almost immediately, taking some steps backwards. "You have been under attack for a while now, and unmistakably, the day Kaelric arrived at the Academy, you were attacked once again. I can’t help connecting the dots," He explained in a calm tone.

I could see that he was struggling to make those explanations; he hadn’t had to make explanations to anyone before.

I thought about what he just said, and it seemed to make sense. Kaelric is a Dravari; therefore, he is a vampire hunter and has every reason to want to harm me, although Aven and other successors don’t know about this.

Moreover, I was attacked the same night he came into the college grounds, making it more suspicious.

Concerning Zade, he is my ex, unknown to Aven and the other three, but he is still a threat, given my past with him.

I took a slow breath, willing my pulse to calm. "You’ve had thirty minutes, Aven. The time is almost up."

Instead of backing off, he stepped around to face me again, his expression unreadable. "Fine. Then answer me one question. Just one."

My throat tightened, but I forced myself to meet his gaze. "What is it this time?"

"What," he asked, his voice low and deliberate, " is the actual reason for changing classes?"

The words hit like a punch to the ribs. I blinked, my breath catching, and in that single pause, I knew he had seen the truth in my face.

A slow, knowing smile curved his lips, not of victory, but of dangerous certainty. "I knew it," he murmured and stepped back a bit.

I looked at him and rolled my eyes. "I swapped classes, like I had said before, because I can’t afford to fail my exams because of your distractions."

He let out a low rumble of laughter immediately after the words fell off my mouth. "Distractions...huh, so you admit that you feel the same way I feel for you that you had to swap a whole class, what happened to swapping seats?"

I shook my head. He was enjoying this moment, and I wasn’t finding it funny in any way.

"Not like I wanted to swap classes, the allocation officer suggested that it was a better option. Besides, you know it has nothing to do with feelings, but your constant activities beside me," I murmured.

Athena mentally scoffed at me. I knew that was a fat lie. I couldn’t help the constant fluttering of my nerves, the continuous surge of heat, and the constant acceleration of my heartbeat that comes with staying so close to them.

"Whatever makes you sleep well at night, I’m done trying to convince you to stay, but I would love you to stay... So please consider it, and if Tristan’s room won’t be comfortable enough, you can come stay in mine."

And before I could form a reply, he turned and walked toward the door, leaving me standing there with my heart in my throat, his words ringing in my ears.

I stopped packing for a while to consider what he said. He made a lot of sense, but why stay with the same distractions that made me swap classes?

I tried to convince myself that it was because it was classes, and I didn’t want them obstructing my learning. Still, it was a lie; I was afraid of giving in too easily for them to consume me. I didn’t want to give them the satisfaction that they had any form of power over me.

But here I’m in their place, speeding up the process.

"Athena, we’ve got to go, even if you don’t want to go, you need to," I coaxed Athena, who was whining because I decided the best option was leaving our mates.

I stood up from where I sat to collect my thoughts and continued to arrange my things. I had to leave.

I dragged my box to the door just to be accosted by Tristan.

My face turned to a frown. He was the last person I wanted to see after he spoke to me in such a manner.

"Leave my exit!" I ordered with a firm and unwavering tone, hoping it would make him move from the doorway.

"And what made you think I would let you move that way, Aria..., out of my protection, and straight into the night where you could be attacked," Tristan growled in an equally firm tone, maintaining his stance on the door.

Okay, this back and forth again. Well done, Tristan. Out of your protection, you mean, or out of your possession?" I asked.

"Put it anyway you want to put it, but the fact remains that it is late, and you have been attacked twice in the night, and I’m not allowing it to happen again....not under my watch," he said in a low growl.

And just then, Damon joined him on the door.