"Forget I said anything. It's unimportant."
When he moves to turn away, I find myself reacting instinctively, and the other girls in glass who have stayed behind gasp as they see me curl my fingers around the professor's arm. We're going to become Rosethorne's hottest scandal again, but I find myself caring little about it.
"Whatever it is," I say slowly, "I think it is important."
"It wasn't. I spoke out of turn—-"
It's my turn to shake my head. "Why did you really ask if I was okay? Did E—-" I almost mention my god's name in public, but I catch myself in time. "Did my god say something to you?" The professor doesn't answer right away, and my unease grows. "He did. Didn't he?"
"No," he says finally. "Of course not."
I want to believe him, but the stiffness of his tone is unlike him at all, and I'm even more convinced that he's hiding something. "Professor—-" His gaze drifts down as I speak, and I'm momentarily distracted. I follow his gaze, and heat blooms in my cheeks when I realize I'm still holding on to him. I'm about to let go, but the professor suddenly places a hand over mine, and my gaze flies up to him in disbelief. "Professor?" I'm tempted to yank my hand out of his hold, but we still have an audience, and I don't want to give them even more to talk about.
"I have to tell you something," he says tautly under his breath, and I see the other girls physically straining to hear his words. "The other night—-"
I nearly groan out loud. Does he not realize how awful it sounds when a professor-and-student conversation begins with the words 'the other night'? Since it can't get any worse than that, I no longer see any point trying to be discreet and spin away to leave as soon as I've yanked my hand out of his hold.
Shit, shit, shit.
Just when I thought my problems with Eros and the professor are over, this happens, and I'm terrified that Something Important might end up becoming something bad again. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Eros gets wind of this, and what then?
O Bella of Forks, help me.
How do I put an end to this unwanted love triangle for good?
Chapter Eight
Whip-poor-wills sing unseen in the dark when I step out of Dark Rose House at the stroke of midnight, and I quickly give my surroundings a hopeful scan. Pre-3rd, these nocturnal birdies were considered nothing out of the ordinary. Now, however, everyone knows them as the avian version of a four-leaf clover, and if I could just have one wish, I would—-
Handcuff my god to me for eternity.
Lock him in a cage and throw away the key.
Be the invisible one even for a day, just so I can spy on Eros.
My face contorts with a grimace—-
Shit, shit, shit.
I can't help mentally cringing as I realize how much I've changed ever since I've allowed Eros into my heart. I never used to care about boys but here I am, stupidly willing to throw away a prospective wish just for a chance to see into my god's heart.
A heavy fog creeps in seemingly out of nowhere to swallow me whole, and the clucking and growls of the whip-poor-wills fade as I walk under the arched entryway of the labyrinth. Its vine-covered walls loom over me as I finally remember to take my phone out, but my fingers pause mid-air as a familiar fragrance tickles my nostrils.
Roses of the Erotes, I think absently. It was here in the labyrinth that this scent first came to me, and that night was also the first time I saw Eros in his bestial form. The memory used to terrify me, then it became rather sweet when I got to know my god, but now...
Now it just makes me feel guilty and desperate, when I think about how he's been faithful to me from the very start. I need to make it up to him, and for that to happen...
Tap, tap, tap.
Although we still don't have Internet access here in Rosethorne, the map function of our school's official app still works, and a loading wheel flashes on the screen as soon as I've input my destination's coordinates.
Clubbing and drinking have never been my thing, but when Cad texted me out of the blue about a secret "par-tay" that's exclusive to members of the Sub Rosa, I found myself texting back 'yeaboi' in a heartbeat. And for the record: deliberately misspelling words just to sound cool isn't normally my thing either, but this, at least, is better than moping around and obsessing over Something Important.
Ding-dong.
That's literally the sound the app makes when I reach the spot that Cad's coordinates have led me to, and hearing it snaps me out of my thoughts.