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“But you’re a human,” Vallie calls out with a level of snark only she can accomplish.
“And?” The professor turns to her with a determined challenge in his eyes, and I love it.
“The fae were in charge,” she grumbles, flicking her hair over her shoulder as the professor shrugs in response.
“King Reagan didn’t discriminate.”
My heart pounds at the mention of our history, of how things once were. Everyone complains that the fae ruined it all, but even though I don’t really remember anything from that time, my gut tells me that’s not the case.
The professor claps his hands again, his smile gleaming from ear to ear. “We’re going to hold a ball at the academy at the end of the first semester.” Groans ring out once again, making him roll his eyes, but he continues on. “The dean has decided it’s necessary for everyone to learn how to do the waltz.”
“The what?” I’m not sure who the comment comes from first because so many people holler it at the same time.
“The waltz. A two-person dance that is believed to represent freedom, passion, and expressiveness. Quite fitting if you ask me,” the professor explains, leaving grumbles in his wake again. “The fact that none of you really have a clue is exactly why work must begin as soon as possible. Luckily for your class, there’s an even number of males and females, so partnering works well.”
“I’ll take Raiden,” Vallie blurts, standing with a flourish.
“You’ll take who you’re given, Miss Drummer.”
She scoffs, flicking her hair over her shoulder again as her gaze narrows. “My daddy is?—”
“None of my concern within these four walls,” he retorts, making me snicker.
“Raidy, tell him,” Vallie whines, but the grumpy vampire ignores her, which only makes it harder to bite back my smile.
Of course her eyes happen to find mine in that moment, and she glares at me like always.
“Vallie, you will be paired with Grant,” the professor states, reading from his electronic device.
“But he’s a shifter!” she retorts with anger. I’m certain she’s going to stamp her foot at any moment, but it sadly doesn’t come.
“Did you miss the part where I said the origins mingled effortlessly?”
“Whatever,” she grumbles, dropping back down into her seat. I’m sure she’ll be calling home about the professor to try and get him kicked off campus, too.
Bitch.
“Arlo and Delia.” A petite fae girl waves nervously at Arlo, who grins in response. “Flora and Kryll.” I glare at the guy to my right, but he ignores me. He better be nice to her, or he’ll have me to deal with. “Kimi and Cassian.” A wolf turns to me with a sparkle in her eyes and a smirk on her lips, but I turn away to ignore her. “Polly and Raiden.” A blonde vampire I’ve seen with Vallie a few times claps her hands excitedly as Raiden shakes his head, not even bothering to look her way. Vallie, however, tries to cause a stir with the fact that they’re both vampires after the professor’s prior comment, but he continues to ignore her outburst. “Which leaves Addi and Brody,” he finally calls out, making my body stiffen.
I chance a look to my left to find a shit-eating grin on Brody’s face. Fuck my life. It didn’t even cross my mind that his name hadn’t been called out yet.
“I recommend watching some videos online to get a good gist of the dance. We’ll begin in-depth practice during our next lesson. For now, we’re going to focus on the other areas of etiquette that come with being present at a ball. From your attire to dining, we’re covering it all.”
He definitely loves what he’s talking about, that’s for sure. My father taught me everything about the dining experience, but unfortunately for me, I don’t know the dance at all. The professor’s words start to go over my head as I get lost in my thoughts, trying like hell to recall the dance from memory, but it’s nowhere to be found. I’m hoping the grumbles that filled the room mean I’m not the only one at a disadvantage. I hate not knowing something. Even something as trivial as this gets under my skin.
My brain wanders for the rest of the lesson until the bell rings and everyone starts to move around me. I rush from my seat, but it’s useless because the second I step outside of the classroom, Brody is right beside me.
“Have you done the dance before?” he asks, draping his arm around my shoulders, and I shake out of his hold, giving him my best glare as we step out into the afternoon sun. When it’s clear he’s not going to give me any space, I shake my head.
“No. Have you?”
“A little,” he replies with a shrug, making me pause mid-step before quickly remembering myself. That’s helpful. I guess.
“We can practice, get ahead of the game,” he offers, coming to a stop beside me. I move out of the way of the other students trying to move around us, giving myself a second to consider his offer, and a hand lands on my shoulder.
“Hey, Addi, I’m Neo.” I turn to find the fae who questioned the professor earlier. When I don’t immediately move to shake his hand from my shoulder, Brody does it for me. My stomach clenches, and I don’t even want to begin to think of why. He eyes Brody for a moment before turning his bright green eyes back my way. “I’m familiar with the waltz. I know we’re not partners, but I thought I could escort you home and we could?—”
“Let me stop you there, asshole,” Brody bites, his aura darkening around him. “We both know she would be protecting you and not the other way around because you’re weak and needy as fuck. Nice try, but fuck off.”
