Page 19 of Heartflame

“That’s just it,” she shrugged. “I don’t know. But my gut tells me it’s more complicated than what it seems. Something about this is just too… clean. It feels rehearsed. Much like your lie you tried to feed to me earlier.”

I felt my pulse quicken. I’d never known Professor Blackwood to be into conspiracies. But that’s what she was describing. I trusted her judgment though. If she thought something was off, it probably was.

“So you want me to spy on him,” I said slowly, testing the words. It sounded worse when I said it aloud.

“I want you to observe,” she corrected, though the distinction felt thin. “You’re already in close proximity to him. You’re in his classes, his social circles. Or at least, you will be if you continue with this group assignment. I’m simply asking you to pay attention. Notice inconsistencies. Note who he associates with, what he talks about when he thinks no one important is listening.”

“And if I find something?” I asked.

“Then you tell me,” she said simply. “Not Dean Thornfield, not the other faculty. Me. Directly.”

I nodded slowly, though my mind was racing. There was something else she wasn’t telling me. I could feel it in the careful way she was choosing her words. But I also knew better than to push Professor Blackwood when she’d already given me more information than she probably should have. We both knew that if I went to the administration about this, it could be the end of her career.

“It’s probably nothing,” she said at last. “I could just be overthinking all of this. But I’m curious about what Mr. Pyre is up to. And, to be honest with you, he’s kind of a prick.”

“Thank you,” I sighed, a wave of relief washing over me. “He’s such an asshole. I don’t know why nobody else sees it.”

“He’s powerful,” she nodded. “And you and I both know that people will put up with a lot to gain power.”

I leaned back in my chair, processing what she’d just said. Part of me wanted to ask more questions, to dig deeper into whatever suspicions she harbored about Aeron. But another part of me, the smarter part probably, knew that the less I understood about this whole situation, the better. Plausible deniability and all that.

“So I’m still stuck with him as a partner,” I said, more to myself than to her.

“For now,” she confirmed. “And Quill? I appreciate your discretion on this. I know I’m putting you in an awkward position, but I genuinely do think you’re the right person for this.”

There was something almost apologetic in her tone, which made the whole thing feel even more real. Professor Blackwood didn’t apologize often. She didn’t ask favors. The fact that she was doing both now told me just how serious she was about whatever this was.

“When should I report back to you?” I asked, my mind already shifting into a different mode. How was I supposed to act around Aeron now, knowing that I was essentially gathering information on him? Every conversation would feel loaded with subtext.

“Don’t force it,” she said, as if reading my thoughts. “Just come by during office hours if you notice anything significant. We can chat like we normally do. No one needs to know this conversation happened.”

I stood up, my legs feeling a bit unsteady. “Is that all?”

“That’s all,” she confirmed. “Oh, and Quill? I won’t forget this. When you graduate, and you’re ready to take over your family business, come see me. I think I can help you with that.”

My jaw dropped. “Really? You’d do that?”

“Of course,” she nodded. “A favor for a favor.”

I left her office in a daze, my mind already spinning with the implications of what had just happened. Professor Blackwood had basically asked me to spy on Aeron, and I’d agreed to it. More than that, she’d dangled the promise of help with my family business in front of me like bait, and I’d taken it. Of course I had. Why wouldn’t I? I needed all the help I could get.

There was a part of me that wanted to feel guilty about this. Aeron was irritating, sure, but he hadn’t done anything to me personally. You know, except kiss me and chase me down the cross-country trail. And now I was going to be watching his every move, cataloging his conversations, looking for inconsistencies in his story. It felt underhanded and almost wrong.

But then I thought about how Aeron had looked at me in class, that possessive gleam in his eye. How he kept trying to tell me what I wanted when it came to him. Or the fact that he just let his dick hang out of his shorts last night, acting like it was completely normal or something. The guy was basically harassing me at this point, and it didn’t seem to bother him at all. In fact, he seemed to lavish in it.

Maybe Professor Blackwood was right. Maybe there was something more going on behind the scenes that nobody knew about. Or maybe I was just the bait, the temptation to get him to do something that would tarnish his image forever. Either way, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to finding out.

I made my way across campus, my books clutched to my chest, trying to look like a normal student just going about his day. But everything felt different now, charged with a new purpose. Every person I passed could be connected to whatever Aeron was really doing here. And now, despite my better judgment, I had to go looking for that dickhead and get to work on this stupid assignment.

Now if I could just get the image of his cock hanging out of his shorts out of my head, that would be great.

The library was nearly empty at this hour, which I was grateful for. I found a quiet corner on the third floor, far enough away from the main circulation desk that no one would bother me. I needed time to think before I had to face Aeron again.

However, just as I sat down and got my books out, I saw Aeron emerge from between the stacks on the far side of the room like he’d materialized out of thin air. His golden eyes locked onto mine immediately and my skin prickled. He was wearing one of those fitted black shirts that showed off every ridge of muscle he had, and his horns gleamed in the light like they’d just been buffed.

Of course, he headed straight for me.

“There you are,” he said, sliding into the chair across from me without asking. “I’ve been looking for you all day.”