Aidan has been warned about the dangers of being with a human. His people live on the edges of society, in the shadows and alleys. And one day, if he's willing to submit to the birthright ceremony, he'll lead the next generation to continued wealth...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The rest of the night passes without incident. He refuses to tell me any more about Kaden, just that he's the only source of help or backup he can trust. But he won't even elaborate about that.
Whatever they discovered last night, it's made him more paranoid than he was before. As soon as I leave my dorm room, he's at my elbow, and he's alert in a way that wasn't visible before.
At my class, he insists on picking our seats, close to an alternate exit. It's not where I'd normally sit, and when the TA starts returning the tests we took last week, I have to leave Aidan to get my test when she can't find me.
Across the top is forty percent written in deep red pen. Frustration bubbles up inside me at the terrible result. Even if they end up adjusting the grades, I'm not normally a bad student. Since coming to Cape Beatrice, I've struggled with my focus, and this test makes it obvious that I'm not always winning that war. I don't even remember taking it, so it makes sense that I didn't pass it.
I plop down in the seat beside Aidan, my test upside down.
"What's that?" he asks, nodding at the stapled pages.
"A test."
"Did you pass?"
"No."
"Can I see it?"
"Are you secretly a microbiology wiz? That's the only reason you might be interested."
"I don't even know what that is."
"My grade seems to imply that I don't either." I slouch lower in the seat and play with my pen while the professor continues her lecture at the front of the room.
Curiosity comes off him in waves, and I heave out a sigh before passing him the pages. He flips through them, a frown on his handsome face.
"Why would anyone need to know any of this?" He tosses the page back onto my desk.
"I want to be a nurse. This is a course I need, so I'll have to spend more time studying. Maybe get some extra help."
"I could get you a passing grade, if it matters to you that much."
"By tutoring me?" I narrow my eyes at him, suspicious. Two minutes ago, he didn't even know what microbiology was.
He chuckles. "No, definitely not." He cracks his knuckles and gazes at my professor. "I can be very persuasive."
"No," I say, my voice firm. "Absolutely not. Whatever you're thinking, cancel that thought."
"We've got bigger things to worry about than this." He flicks his hand at the slideshow on the screen at the front of the lecture hall.
"Whatever is happening, it's temporary," I say. "This course is my future. I'm going to be a nurse."
