Her Hidden Half (War Songs of the Courts #1)

Chapter Eight

Okay, so I probably should have guessed he was a teacher.

The fact that he was about ten years older than me and had the whole hot substitute teacher look going on were like giant flashing signs. Ones that I had obviously missed, but in my defense I had just woken up, so I wasn't exactly at full brain capacity.

Resting my head on my hand, I let out a loud breath, sighing for the tenth time since he sat me down with this monster of a book and ordered me to read it. You'd think a book about the paranormal Courts would be a fascinating read. You'd be wrong. Whoever wrote it made it as equally intolerable to read as every other ordinary history book I had to sit through growing up. It took all the fun out of the only fun part about this whole ordeal.

Mr. Woodward was a damn sadist. I really wasn't expecting it, but the man was making me read a book bigger than most dictionaries I've seen put together and actually smiled every time I complained or got frustrated. It's made me want to bash his face in more than once in the few hours I've been here.

I had a feeling he was the devil playing dress up with the pretty face of an innocent.

Sitting back in my seat, I crossed my arms and sighed as obnoxiously as I possibly could while staring directly at the asshole holding me hostage in this damn office. He paused in his reading and muttered something I couldn't make out. He lowered his book down into his lap but kept his feet resting on his desk. He slowly turned his head to look at me and I could almost hear him asking 'what' in exasperation with that one look.

See, that was impressive. Forget history, I want him to teach me that.

I raised my eyebrow and continued to give him a look I hoped clarified how much I disliked him in this moment.

"How exactly is this teaching? I could have done this on my own," I said, gesturing to the beast of a book in front of me.

He stared at me for several moments as if my words hadn't registered and then picked his book back up to continue reading, ignoring me completely.

"Unbelievable," I said mostly to myself.

I looked back down at the book that haunted me. Old pages were stacked on each side in a mass that would no doubt become a source of long, drawn-out pain. I reluctantly picked up where I left off and tried not to give into the temptation of lighting this thing on fire.

My brain throbbed with an oncoming headache, no doubt caused by all the information I took in, when Mr. Woodward slapped a small map down on the book in front of me.

"These are the directions to the place you'll go to train. Go to lunch and straight to training. Nowhere else. Got it?" He stared into my eyes and I nodded.

"Yes, sir," I said with a sarcastic salute.

He gave me a look. "I'm serious, Echo."

"Okay, okay. I got it." I stood up and walked past him towards the exit.

"And don't pull anything like this morning," he called out.

I paused slightly at the door, shocked he even knew about it since I was with him for the majority of the morning.

"Stuff like that travels fast. Don't do it again," he warned.

I smiled to myself, my back still turned. He didn't know any better yet, but telling me not to do something was like daring me to.

I waved over my shoulder and left without promising anything.

* * *

Alec suddenly sat across from me and I almost jumped out of my seat at the movement.