That was too much.

“I’m really sorry,” I pressed out somehow, brushing a strand of hair behind my ears and turning around.

Before my insecurity could express itself in any way, I ran back to my seat and sat down, glad that none of the other students had noticed.

Everyone was engrossed in election gossip. Only David gave me a suspicious sideways glance.

The professor was sorting through his papers with his lips pressed together without giving me another glance before he began with the topic of today’s session: epigenetics.

He handed out worksheets and had us work with the internet, and I had time to reflect on this strange moment from just now.

No doubt those had been runes of forbidden magic. But where had he gotten them from? How had he gotten them? The paper had looked old, worn...

Without attracting attention, I looked at the professor, who was sitting behind his desk doing something on his iPad.

My gaze lingered on the glasses he had put on and the tingling in my stomach returned, with it, the warmth in my face.

Of course, this man looked hot even with reading glasses.

What had he done in his last life that the gods had blessed him like this?

My gaze slid back to the ring.

And, of course, he had a wife. How could someone like him not be married? There had probably been several women fighting over him, and the one who had managed to get him into a marriage was now fighting with his thousand female worshipers.

Shocked by my thoughts, I lowered my head.

Out there, with the other girls, I pretended to be innocent and here I was gawking at the guy just like the other female students.

What was wrong with me?

I didn’t want to have thoughts like that. Not about a married man who was ten years older than me and in addition my professor.

I pulled out my cell phone and guiltily opened the chat with Erik before I started typing. Erik was online, which increased the excitement in my stomach even more.

He read my message immediately and started typing.

I smiled, but the feeling of guilt didn’t really go away. But at least it distracted me.

Then my message sounded. Unfortunately, it was too loud.

Everyone around me stared at me. And the professor looked up from his iPad. Right at that moment, my message tone sounded for the second time and I gritted my teeth. The professor turned his head toward me.

Oh damn.

“Ms. Blair?” He stood up and set the iPad aside. “Would you like to share with us what you’re typing there?”

“No,” I blurted, far too panicked, and I shoved the phone under my desk.

He smiled challengingly. “Then please turn off your ringtone.”

I obeyed and took a deep breath while the girls around me giggled and Noah snorted at the back of the room.

David was the only one who didn’t make a sound, probably because he had also been on his cell phone and had now discreetly slipped it into his pocket.

“Well, then I’d like to compare the assignments,” the professor began, walking toward my table. “And since you seem to have finished quickly, I’ll put your worksheet under the camera as an example.”

I didn’t even have time to protest as he simply pulled it off my table and walked back to the front.

Kelly giggled gleefully next to Amber, who gave me a condescending look.

Didn’t this girl have any other facial expressions in her reservoir?

A glance ahead told me that Mr. Suspicious hadn’t expected me to finish everything. He ran his examining gaze over my worksheet.

I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly, even though I regretted it, because he looked up and studied me before pinching his lips together as if he was annoyed.

Nevertheless, I left the classroom proud of my achievement. And when the strange thoughts about the runes tried to catch up with me, I quickly reached for my cell phone to read Erik’s messages.

The smile disappeared from my lips.

What if Erik was one of those who knew about the dark side of the city? What if he was one of them? What if he was a Senseque or a Ruisangor?

I shook my head.

What a stupid thought.

Probably his message was simply referring to the campus drama, the murder and the ongoing election preparations.

And as if the devil had been spoken, someone pressed a flyer with Vivienna’s face on it into my hand.

I sighed grimly and put it in the nearest garbage can.

If anyone wasn’t getting my vote, it was her.

Chapter 46

Larissa

“I swear to you, my mother thinks the Copelands had something to do with the murder,” Barbie nagged next to Vivienna.

I rolled my eyes. This girl was the epitome of hysterical and spreading fucking fear around campus. To make matters worse, her friends were no better.

“Her whole face was scratched up... Doesn’t that speak for itself?” Amber squeezed out with a dry laugh.

Bayla next to me looked at the two of them, as if she wanted to believe their brilliant words.