9. ARIANA: PROFESSOR JASON CROX

One thing I hated more than being surrounded by humans was eating at a restaurant. I couldn’t see what was happening in the kitchen. What if they added something to my food or drink?

A shudder raced down my spine. Panic was starting to cloud my mind but I quickly suppressed it.

Eva sat next to me, studying the menu intently while humans moved about without a care in the world. The friend we were supposed to meet was running late.

“What are you going to eat?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you being serious?” Eva hissed. “Do you have any idea how rude that is?”

I stared at her for a few seconds before I turned my head to stare out the window to my right. I’d eaten a sandwich before we left and drank some water. It would keep me full until we got back to the dorm.

Eva sighed and lowered the menu. Her eyes burned into the side of my face. “Are we going to ignore what happened?”

I bit my lip.

“Ariana—”

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, ladies,” a deep voice interrupted.

Our eyes snapped up to the man hovering next to our table. He was dressed in slacks and a button down shirt—something all our professors wore—but there was something about him. It was definitely not his good looks.

His eyes flashed yellow for a few seconds before they turned back to their normal deep green colour.

My body slowly relaxed. He was one of us.

Chuckling, he sat down opposite us. “I thought that would do a trick. You don’t look like you want to run anymore.”

“Ariana isn’t very fond of humans,” Eva said before I could speak. “Well, apart from one human boy. She—”

I elbowed her in the ribs.

“Ouch,” she hissed.

But it didn’t stop her.

“She fell asleep in his arms. A human boy!” Eva exclaimed. “She—”

“Shut up, Eva!”

The professor chuckled. “You two are like a breath of fresh air. Now tell me”—he leaned forward and glanced between us—“who is this human boy you’re talking about?”

“His name is Lucas,” my sister answered. “It’s all I know.”

“Lucas Watson?” The smile slowly slid from his face. “Tall and a bit lanky, blue eyes and curly hair?”

“He’s not lanky,” I told them. “He’s slim but muscular.”

“Right.” Eva winked at me. “You’d know because you were in his arms.”

Colour flooded my cheeks but thankfully I was saved from her taunts by the waiter. Eva ordered a burger and fries while the man ordered coffee. I instantly declined anything to eat or to drink which earned me some strange looks.

“So Professor—”

“Jason,” he interrupted her. “You can call me Professor when we’re in class.”

“Jason.” She smiled. “You can’t be as old as Dad.”

He chuckled. “I’m two years older than him. We became friends shortly after we met. Silas stayed with us for a few months.”

Eva’s shoulders sagged as the excitement she’d felt earlier faded. She was looking for a new toy to experiment with.

“Are you friends with Lucas, Ariana?” Jason asked me.

I frowned at him. “We have the same classes.”

We had a few classes together. I wasn’t sure if we had all our classes together since I hadn’t attended all of my classes yet.

“You don’t like him?” Eva asked after a few seconds of silence.

Jason shifted in the chair. His lips parted but he pursed them when the waiter appeared with their drinks. After placing them down, she smiled and then disappeared again.

“I don’t know the kid that well,” he muttered after taking a sip of his coffee.

He picked up a packet of sugar, added it to his coffee and stirred while his eyes darted between us.

“I know him based on rumours. He’s the stepson of Samuel Watson who married his mother when Lucas was just a baby. His mother died a few years ago.” He paused. “Lucas got into Sewn Lake thanks to a scholarship he won.”

“Sounds normal.”

“Yeah.” Jason frowned. “The kid has no close friends and he never participates in school activities. I know that he works at a tattoo pallor downtown.”

“He sounds normal,” I repeated.

Jason’s eyes studied me silently for so long that I squirmed in my chair. He was starting to make me uncomfortable.

“It might sound normal,” he said with a small smile, “but you must always beware the quiet ones. They’re the ones with the most secrets.”

Eva laughed. “Stop scaring my sister. I barely get enough sleep as it is, I don’t want to be kept up by Ari’s nightmares.”

“I don’t have that many nightmares.”

She rolled her eyes. “Not always, but you do talk in your sleep.”

My eyes narrowed at her as I pursed my lips. She was only trying to piss me off.

The conversation took on a lighter tone but his words were stuck in my head. An image of Lucas flashed through my mind, making my heartbeat increase slightly. Was there really something dangerous about him?

I licked my lips as I remembered the way he’d kissed me.

But looks could be deceiving.

I swallowed as my stomach twisted. I’d learned the hard way that not everybody was as they seemed. But I found it hard to believe that Lucas was dangerous.

“He’s your mate, isn’t he?”

I blinked and slowly turned my head to look at Jason. With a start I realized that Eva was no longer sitting next to me.

“She went to the bathroom,” he answered my unasked question. “Tell me, Ariana, is Lucas Watson your mate?”

My mouth was suddenly so dry. I had no clue why I was reacting the way I was. He asked me a simple question.

“I don’t know,” I whispered.

Our eyes locked for a few seconds before I lowered mine. The last thing I wanted to do was spill my secrets to a stranger. Dad trusted him enough to ask Jason to look after us. But I didn’t know him well enough.

“I’m here if you want to talk,” Jason said softly.

I gave him a small smile instead of answering him. Is there a possibility? I wondered. I knew that meeting your true mate was a rarity. Fear filled me. I blinked as sudden tears burned my eyes.

Pushing the chair back, I glanced up at Jason. “P-please excuse me.”

“Ariana.” His firm voice made me pause. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

My eyes darted up to his. He had stood when I had, and he had his hand outstretched as if he wanted to touch me.

“You didn’t,” I told him. “You just said something that has me thinking.”

His face turned grim. “We might not know each other well, but your father is my friend and I want to help him like he helped us.” His eyes darted around the cafe. “I just don’t want you getting involved in something dangerous.”

“I’m not. . .I’m not a daredevil like Eva,” I said softly. “I won’t do anything without thinking it through.”

“Just be careful around him.”

I nodded. With one last glance at him, I hurried out of the cafe and across the street.

I needed to think.