Chapter 78

–

“Please,” Alvez murmurs, gesturing towards of all places – his desk. As I hesitate, he sinks. into his rolling chair, which scoots back a few inches. Seeing my confusion, his smile grows. “I’m unfortunately low on seating in this little room – castles, such wide sweeping halls, such…tiny little workspaces.”

My eyebrows raise as he gestures towards the desk again and I realize that he wants me to sit there. But I just sigh inwardly again, doing as he says and lifting myself up onto the desk so that my legs dangle. I cross them at the ankles, leaning forward with my hands pressed to the edge of the desk, watching him warily.

There’s such pleasure on Alvez’s face, in the way he lets his eyes rove over me. Is it that he enjoys seeing me unsettled? Or is this just…how he is? noveldrama

“We’ve met before, Princess – before the Academy, I mean. Do you remember?”

I sit up a little straighter, surprised. “We did?”

Alvez nods slowly, folding his hands in his lap. “At the Palace, during my interview with your mother and your aunt. You popped in, asking a question about evening plans.”

“Oh,” I say, my heart sinking a little – because that sounds very plausible. “I’m sorry, no, I don’t remember.”

“Understandable,” he says, giving a little shrug. “I’m sure that your home is rather a revolving door of visitors. But I certainly remembered you.”

I blush a little, because the way his voice pitches lower when he says the word suggests not just that he remembered me, but that he…noticed me. Like noticed me, notice women.

the way

that men

My stomach twists and his grin deepens, giving me my answer.

–

He does like this making me uncomfortable. I can see it clearly now in the take in my blush, the way my hands grip the edge of the desk.

way

his eyes

God, how am I supposed to handle this? I wish, quite suddenly, that my brother were here –

he’d solve everything, probably by punching Alvez right in the face.

–

But Rafe he has a pretty strong trust in authority, especially in people hired by our own parents. I don’t think that there’s any way he’d suspect that Alvez was making me uncomfortable unless I actually told him.

And I can’t tell him, right? Because Alvez – he’ll rat me out, get me kicked out of the Academy, and probably Rafe too.

God, he’s really got me tied up here.

“So,” Alvez says, using his feet to pull his chair closer to me, peering up into my face from his lower spot in the chair. “How have things been going with your magic, little Princess?”

I shrug, eager for the change in conversation but not wanting to open up about my magic either not that there’s been any developments. Jackson and I, when we did our

–

“homework” outside under the tree, we didn’t exactly try to do anything magic, did we? We just held hands and talked.

“Oh, come on,” Alvez prods, his voice low with a little laugh in it. “Why so reticent, Princess? I’m trying to help you here.”

I flick my eyes up to his, a little spark of anger in me now. “Are you?” I ask quietly. “Because it feels like you’re trying to intimidate me.”

He clicks his tongue, turning his head to the side. “And what gives you that impression?”

“The fact that you’ve called me, alone, to your office?” I say, surprised by my willingness to confront him, “and that you keep calling me Princess, reminding me of your secret. And that I’m completely under your control.”

“Oh, that’s where you have it wrong,” he says, leaning forward now and reaching out a casual hand, letting it rest on my knee. “The opposite is true, Princess – you’ve got me quite under your spell.”

–

My eyes widen, my

mouth falling open a little at his bold touch, at his words. My reaction pleases him, I think or at least, his grin deepens. But this just makes me scowl, even though I don’t brush away his hand, or move in any way. I don’t know what the rules are here and I find that I’m terrified to make him mad.

But how do I get the upper hand here? Or, at least, get out of this?

“No developments in my magic,” I snap, though my voice is soft, almost a whisper as I stare tensely down into his face, wondering what the hell he’s going to do next. “Not since the marble.”

“Ah, yes,

the fascinating marble,” Alvez murmurs, his thumb starting to make slow circles around the inner part of my knee. “That you melted. All by yourself.”

I raise my chin, daring him to call my bluff.

“And what of your connection to Cadet McClintock,” Alvez murmurs, his thumb still moving, though making broad strokes now instead of little circles. “Did you experiment. more with him? Complete your homework, like a good girl?”

My breath hitches, then, as his hand presses upwards, caressing the top of my thigh and working its way around to the outside as Alvez smiles at me, possessive and hungry.

I just stare at him, shocked, until he gives my leg a quick little slap that makes me jump. “Pay attention, Princess,” he murmurs, his smile deepening. “Did you do your homework?”

“Y–yes,” I say, sitting rigid on my professor’s desk, “but…um…”

“No developments,” he says, his voice low, like he’s disappointed in me. Slowly, his hand. begins to move again, moving slowly so slowly upwards. An anxious heat starts to curl in me, and I don’t know what to do, panic mixing with something else.

With with fury? I don’t know what. Some kind of heat.

I don’t respond, not saying anything else.

“And,” Alvez continues, his eyes locked on mine, “what of McClintock’s power? Did your magic’s affinity with his produce any results regarding his own powers?”

I frown slightly at him now, confused. “But you saw him yesterday,” I whisper, “so he’ll have already told you –”

I gasp when Alvez smacks my leg again, this time harder, and getting dangerously close to my ass. My professor leans forward, smiling at me, enjoying himself. “Don’t worry about

what McClintock and I talked about yesterday during our office hours,” he murmurs, slow and pleased, “I’m asking you now. This is our time, after all. Just you and me.”

I lean back, away from him, my heart starting to pound as he puts his other hand on my other knee, starting to press against it, clearly obliging my legs to spread open. I squeeze my thighs, wanting the opposite, when suddenly

–

A knock comes at the door – a deliberate rapping sound, but too hard to be casual. Alvez freezes, his head whipping towards the door. Neither of us move.

The knock comes again and Alvez scowls, glaring up at me. “Who did you call here?”

“N–no one,” I say, shaking my head.

“Professor Alvez?”

I sit up straight when I instantly recognize the voice calling outside.

The professor scowls at me but stands and walks towards the door. When he pulls it open, Jackson’s eyes flick over him only for a second before they move immediately to me, sitting on the desk, Alvez’s chair still sitting directly before me.

“Yes, Cadet McClintock?” Alvez murmurs, leaning against the doorframe and blocking Jackson’s path should he want to enter. Alvez is annoyed and makes sure that Jackson hears. every inch of it in his voice.

“Yeah, I had some questions about magic,” Jackson says, not taking his eyes from me, his voice bored and not even bothering to pretend that he’s serious about that.

“Well, then you’ll have to make an appointment,” Alvez replies, pressing himself up from the doorframe and starting to close the door. “I’ll be happy to speak to you at another time

“Nah, I need to come in now,” Jackson says, breaking through the arm that Alvez has spread across the door and moving immediately to the window on the other side of the room, which he leans against. He taps the side of his head. “I’ll forget all my questions if I leave now. And considering how much progress you’d like me to make,” he shrugs, “I’m sure you’d hate me to do that.”

I work very, very hard to t

the smile that pulls at my lips.