by Sadie Moss
Hardwick narrows his eyes at me. He always seemed like a kindly uncle or something, but I’m slowly realizing he’s got a lot more facets to his personality than that. And this side of him doesn’t take any shit. “Not that it’s any of your business, young lady, but Roman is one of the magical practitioners who has learned how to temporarily raise the dead.”
My jaw drops. Excuse me, what?
I turn to Roman, eyes wide. “You can do that?”
“Not for long,” Roman says, his voice quiet and soothing. Like I’m the one who’s being accused of murder, not him. “The dead can only answer direct questions, and if you keep them animated for longer than a certain amount of time, they turn into mindless zombies. Only Unpredictables who pass difficult, specialized exams are allowed to do it. A few necromancers work homicide in the Circuit.”
Well, that makes sense. If you can ask a dead body questions and actually get answers, it must make solving murders a hell of a lot easier. But…
“Why can’t you do it this time?” Cam asks, taking the words right out of my mouth.
Roman looks down at Trevor. “I don’t know. Something’s blocking me.” He sounds disturbed.
“Blocking you?” Dmitri frowns. “How?”
“I don’t… know.” Roman repeats his answer absently as he crouches down next to the body, trying to examine it without touching it. “And that is very concerning indeed…”
“Well, since we can’t do this the easy way and get a name from him,” Hardwick says, “how about you tell me where you were and what you were doing? Preferably before security gets here.”
Roman opens his mouth, then closes it. Almost imperceptibly, his gaze flicks over to me.
Oh fuck. Right. I’m his alibi.
But if he says that—if he admits what we were doing—there goes our attempt to keep what happened between us under wraps. I don’t know if it’s strictly against the rules for a professor to fraternize with a student, but I know both of us have our own reasons for not wanting it to come out.
“Come on, son,” Hardwick adds quietly. “I’d rather not have security march you out in front of all your students.”
Shit, shit, shit. I can’t let them arrest Roman. Not when I know he didn’t do this. He couldn’t have done it, not unless he managed to sprint past me to the dorm. He had to have just gotten in when I did, and that’s a hell of a small window in which to kill someone. And what was Trevor doing in Roman’s room anyway?
It might put my head on the chopping block, but I have to say something.
“Dean Hardwick!” I blurt. “He couldn’t have done it.”
The dean and my professor both stare at me. Roman’s face is—I’d almost dare to say it’s devastated. He looks horrified that I’m speaking up. Not for himself though, I don’t think… but for me.
He quickly wipes the expression off his chiseled features, replacing it with his usual neutral look.
“Oh?” Hardwick asks.
“He was with me,” I continue, not quite sure where I’m going with this yet. “I’m… um, I’ve been struggling in my classes. Since I wasn’t really a part of the magical community before I came here, I started out behind, and I’ve been trying hard to catch up. Roman’s been tutoring me.”
There’s a large element of truth to that statement, which I’m hoping will cover up the part that’s a lie.
Hardwick narrows his eyes, clearly suspicious—but then Cam speaks up from behind me.
“It’s true.” He puts a hand on my shoulder. “We all quiz her, and she’s been working late at night when she can use an empty classroom to practice. I was there with them.”
“We were sparring this time,” Dmitri adds with a small smirk in my direction, and Asher nods.
Roman is staring at all of us, his face a mask of total shock, but he transforms his features into a calm I told you so expression when Hardwick looks over at him.
“That’s correct,” he says smoothly. “These three men have been very helpful in welcoming Miss Sinclair to the school and making sure she doesn’t get left behind. She’s extremely powerful but still needs to work on control, and our private sessions keep her moving at the same pace as her classmates without embarrassing her by singling her out.”
Hardwick nods, apparently appeased for the moment. “Well… I’ll need you all to clear out of the room. When security gets here they’ll—take care of the body. Ah, Roman, I apologize, but you have to understand—what this looks like—”
“Of course. I do understand.” Roman frowns down at Trevor’s body, a worried expression clouding his face. “Someone’s clearly trying to set me up.”
“Yes, well, we can discuss that more in the morning. Everyone out, please.”
Roman continues to look troubled as we file out, leaving the dean alone with the dead student.
“Not being able to raise the body?” Asher whispers, leaning in close to my ear. “That’s a big deal. Someone must’ve done something to it so that the spirit couldn’t reveal who’d killed him.”
“That means powerful magic,” Dmitri mutters. “And not the good kind.”
“Miss Sinclair?” Roman comes up behind us as we enter the dormitory’s main hall. He grasps my elbow with a strong, long-fingered hand and tilts his head toward a shadowy corner. “May I have a word with you?”
I step to the side, allowing him to pull me away from the others.
“You okay?” I ask, my gaze tracing his face. Worry is eating a hole in my stomach, try as I might to deny it. If Dean Hardwick doesn’t believe me, if he accuses Roman of murder… what will happen to him?
“I’m surprised you care,” Roman says carefully. Not like he’s trying to insult me, but like he’s genuinely confused. His voice is quiet as he adds, “You’ve made it clear that this is… a purely sexual relationship between us.”
“Well—yes,” I stammer.
He’s caught me off guard. I mean, on a basic human level, of course I care. Roman’s a good guy, and there’s no way he should go to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. What kind of asshole would I be to not help him out? It’s just common decency, that’s all.
Right?
“Doesn’t mean I was going to let you get hurt for something you didn’t do,” I reply, realizing I’ve let the silence stretch on for too long.
Roman grunts softly in acknowledgment of my words. His penetrating gaze is locked on me again, and I really wish he’d stop doing that. It looks like he wants to say something else, but instead, he just nods once. “Well. I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me. You and the others.”
He glances over his shoulder, and I see that the guys are, in fact, hovering nearby protectively. Dmitri’s practically glaring at Roman, as if daring him to try something with me while the rest of them are here.
My ebony-haired professor turns back to face me, his expression smoothing out. “But it’s unnecessary. I don’t need your help.”
What?
His words hurt a little, and they worry me too. I don’t need this guy getting himself into serious trouble because he’s too proud to let me try to help. This isn’t about whatever is or isn’t happening between us. It’s bigger than that, with consequences that could possibly be far more dire.
“You sure about that?” I scoff under my breath. “Because it looks to me like you do. Someone in this school killed a student. They murdered him, Roman. And they tried to frame you for it.” I pull out of his grip, though I swear I can still feel his touch on my skin. Then I tilt my head up, meeting his gaze squarely. “You’ve got an enemy here. You need all the friends you can get.”
With that, I turn and walk away.
Chapter 18
The four of us—me, Dmitri, Cam, and Asher—head back to our dorm room in silence.
I’m not sure where Roman goes after we leave him, and I try not to think about it. The jumbled up mess of what the fuck between us is too much for me to handle right now. But I don’t care what he says, I’m not lettin
g him get blamed for this attack if I can help it.
The silence only lasts until the door closes behind us. As soon as we’re safely ensconced in our room again, Dmitri rounds on me.
“What the hell was that?” he growls. “You just stuck your neck out for that guy—”
“So did you,” I shoot back.
“Only because you did.”
“Aww, I didn’t know you cared.”
“And because Roman’s a good professor,” Dmitri adds, defensive.
I snort. “Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Guys, please,” Asher says quietly, his voice heavy and weary. “Whoever’s been attacking students just upgraded their tactics to murder. I think that’s a little more serious than Elliot choosing to do the right thing and protect Roman.”
“But she wasn’t with him when the attack happened,” Dmitri argues. “So how does she know he didn’t do it?”
“Roman wouldn’t kill someone.” Cam pulls a face. “He’s not that kind of guy.”
“Are we sure about that? He’s a professor—how much can any student know about their professor? Or even their fellow students.”
“I know it wasn’t him because I really was with him,” I reply. “I didn’t lie about that part.”
That shuts them up.
Silence falls, and they all turn to stare at me, their combined gazes practically burning a hole through me.
“Oh. And I’m guessing he wasn’t really helping you with studying,” Dmitri says after a long moment of painfully awkward silence.
I’ve never been the kind of person to be embarrassed about sex—either talking about it or having it. I’m a grown-ass adult, and I can do who I want, when I want, how I want. So even though Roman and I have been keeping whatever’s going on between us a secret, I don’t see any reason to lie about it to my roommates. Especially when they’ve clearly already guessed the truth.
“No,” I say evenly. “We were having sex, if you really want to know.”
Dmitri’s eyes narrow, and he looks like he wants to punch something. He turns and walks over to his desk, facing away from me, bracing his hands on the back of the chair. Asher blushes, his gaze dropping to the floor. And Cam looks… disappointed?
“Jesus. What’s wrong?” I ask, my gaze darting between them. “It was just sex; it’s not a big deal. We’ve all done it, right? You look like I told you I kicked a kitten.”
“No, it’s cool. It’s just… uh… we didn’t know.” Cam tries to reaffix his usual cheerful smile to his face, but it keeps slipping.
Well, that’s definitely not the whole fucking story. Is it because Roman’s a teacher? Do they think if I get busted, they’ll be found guilty by association? Or…
“What?” I chuckle weakly as a new thought strikes me. “Did one of you want to go out with me?”
The silence is even thicker this time.
Oh.
Oh.
Shit. Who?
I glance around, trying to pick out which of the guys looks the most awkward and uncomfortable, but the weird thing is, none of them will meet my eyes.
Asher’s blush deepens.
Cam shrugs as if to say you nailed it.
And Dmitri? He’s still gripping the back of the chair like he’s about to snap it in half.
“You mean…” I trail off, then clear my throat and start again. “You mean you all want to date me?”
No one speaks, and my mouth falls open like a fish gawping in slow motion. My brows rise so high they practically invade my hairline.
Their non-answer says more than words ever could.
Well, holy fuck. If you need me, I’ll just be over here picking my jaw up off the floor.
Finally, Asher clears his throat. “We’re all… interested. But we decided at the very beginning of the semester that we didn’t want to fight over you. So we won’t.”
“You guys all want to date me?” I ask again, like a polyamorous broken record. It’s the only thing I can think to say though, because they’ve just thrown me for a serious loop.
Dmitri grunts something under his breath, and I swear I hear the wood of the chair crack. I doubt he’d admit he had feelings for me right now under threat of torture, but that doesn’t explain why he’s hulking out on the furniture.
I tug my bottom lip between my teeth, gazing at them in shock. I’ve been attracted to all three of these men since the day I first met them, but I’ve been trying to ignore it. And there were definitely moments when I thought they might’ve been attracted to me too. But Cam’s an incorrigible flirt, Asher’s so withdrawn and quiet it can be hard to tell, and Dmitri—well…
“I thought you didn’t like me,” I say to his back.
“I’m not saying I do.” His tone is defensive, his hackles raised.
“And here I thought I was being so obvious.” Cam scrunches up his nose, grinning sheepishly.
“You—you were, I’m just…” Now I’m the flustered one. “I’m just not used to it, I guess.”
“What?” He looks genuinely confused. “To guys being interested in you?”
“Not unless they’re drunkenly trying to hit me up at the bar.” I haven’t had time to meet men in any other environment, so I haven’t really had any chance to be, well, wooed. If wooing is what Cam and Asher have been doing.
The jury’s still out on Dmitri. I don’t think the guy even knows what he wants, much less how to express that to anyone else.
Cam looks at Asher, who runs a hand through his hair. Somehow, in their wordless exchange, I’m pretty sure Asher just got nominated to explain this to me. My suspicion is confirmed when he squares his lean, muscled shoulders, turning to face me.
“We’re—if you’re interested, yes, we want to date you. We talked about it, and we’re not the types to get jealous or… well, we’re close, let’s put it that way. And if you just choose one of us, or none of us, that’s totally fine. But if you ever want something more… we’re not going to compete over you. Not even with Roman.” He chuckles softly. “As if any of us could.”
Cam nods in agreement, but Dmitri doesn’t say anything.
I jerk my thumb toward him. “Is he on board?”
Asher shoots Dmitri a look. “Well…”
“We thought he was.” Cam rolls his eyes, shaking his head at his surly roommate. “Come on, Dima! You couldn’t stop talking about Sin the day we met her! And after your first sparring session with her? We heard about that for days!”
My eyebrows fly up. What?
I honestly have a hard time imagining Dmitri talking nonstop about anything, least of all me. And he certainly can’t seem to muster up a single word at the moment. He’s still leaning over the back of his chair, his head turned away, but I think I see his dark gaze flick toward me from beneath his long eyelashes.
“He was there when we made the agreement not to fight over you,” Asher adds. “And he agreed too.”
“Anyway, we’re definitely on board.” Cam grins, gesturing between himself and the green-eyed mage.
My knees feel a little jelly-like, and I surreptitiously put a hand on the door to steady myself. I have to admit, this is pretty overwhelming. Knowing that two—possibly three, if Dmitri ever pulls that stick out of his ass—guys want to date me, that they’re willing to share, even…
It terrifies me and thrills me, the idea that these men care so much.
I can’t let them get too close to me though. Someone’s killing students, for fuck’s sake; nobody’s safe around here. And I can’t risk falling for people that I might find being brought out on a stretcher the next morning.
I know it’s dumb, and I know it makes me a coward, but I just don’t know if I can do it. I keep my exterior so hard and prickly because on the inside, I’m literally nothing but mush.
But at the same time… I want them. I crave them. And I feel happy and safe with them.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
“It’s late,” Asher says,
probably reading the conflict raging across my face. “We should all get some rest. We can talk more about this another time if we want.”
That’s a brilliant idea. Nobody’s rational at two in the morning.
Cam nods, some of his usual pep returning. “Good plan. I don’t know about you guys, but I could use some fucking beauty rest. I’ll need it if I’m ever gonna win over Sin here.” He winks at me before his face grows serious. “Plus, I’m sure tomorrow’s gonna be insane.”
He’s right. I wonder if we’ll even have classes. Would they shut down the whole school over something like this?
It’s a little awkward as we all get into our beds. A million thoughts are bouncing around in my head, mirroring the emotions bouncing around in my heart. I’m glad the unspoken attraction between us all is out in the open now, but I have no idea what I’m going to do about it. I don’t want to hurt the guys, and I don’t want to risk our friendship. It means a lot to me, even though I never thought I’d make real friends here—or maybe because of that.
But what they’re suggesting, what they’re offering? It sounds kind of incredible. Part of the reason I never made a move on any of them is because I didn’t think I could choose between them.
Now they’re telling me I might not have to.
I need to think about this. I need to figure out what I want, and whether I can really handle any of this.
Between my encounter with Roman, the discovery of Trevor’s body, and now this conversation with the guys—not to mention, my general exhaustion—my brain is on serious overload.
I half expect to have nightmares, but instead, I don’t dream of anything at all.
Chapter 19
Inspectors from the local Circuit are called in to investigate and search the campus the next day, working in conjunction with the campus security, so we’re all given the day off from classes. The guys and I are brought in for questioning about Roman, and as far as I know, we all stick to our story. I know I do, and the authorities don’t drag Roman away in handcuffs, so I guess the guys must’ve as well.