Four
1224 Words
Elara pov
I didn't sleep that night.
I lay in my narrow dorm bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying every second of the kiss. The heat of his mouth. The scrape of his teeth. The way he'd said my name like a prayer.
This can't happen again.
But even as I thought it, I knew it was a lie.
It would happen again. Because I couldn't stay away from him any more than he could stay away from me. The pull between us was too strong—a magnetic, gravitational force that defied logic and rules and common sense.
I was falling for my professor.
And I didn't want to be saved.
---
The next morning, I walked into his class with my chin high and my heart in my throat.
He was already at the lectern, his back to the door. He didn't turn when I entered. Didn't acknowledge me at all.
I took my usual seat—third row, by the window—and waited.
The lecture was torture.
He refused to look at me. Refused to call on me. When I raised my hand to answer a question, he looked right through me and called on Sasha instead. When class ended, he disappeared into his office before I could even stand up.
He was avoiding me.
And it hurt.
---
That afternoon, Liam found me in the library.
"Hey." He slid into the chair across from me, looking nervous. "About yesterday… Professor Hyde was weird, right? Like, weird weird?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on, Elara. The guy practically growled at me." Liam leaned closer, lowering his voice. "And then you left with him. I saw you. Walking toward the woods."
My stomach dropped. "You saw that?"
"Yeah." His expression was unreadable. "What's going on with you two?"
"Nothing." I closed my textbook. "He was just giving me feedback on my essay."
"In the woods?"
"It's a long story." I stood up, shoving my things into my bag. "I have to go."
"Elara—"
"I said I have to go."
I fled the library, my heart pounding. If Liam had seen us, who else had? The rumors would start. The whispers. Someone would report it, and Professor Hyde would lose his job, and I'd lose my scholarship, and everything would fall apart.
Then stay away from him, a sane voice said.
But I wasn't sane. I was eighteen and lovesick and hungry.
---
That night, I did something reckless.
I went to his office.
The humanities building was empty after 9 PM, the hallways lit only by emergency lights. His office was at the end of the corridor—room 104, the same as his lecture hall.
I knocked.
No answer.
I knocked again. "Professor Hyde? It's Elara."
Silence.
I should have left. Should have taken the hint and gone back to my dorm and pretended none of this had happened.
Instead, I tried the door.
It was unlocked.
I pushed it open and stepped inside.
His office was dark, lit only by the moon through the window. Books covered every surface. Papers were scattered across his desk. And in the corner, sitting in an armchair with his head in his hands, was Professor Hyde.
He looked up when I entered. His eyes were red-rimmed, his jaw shadowed with stubble. He looked like he hadn't slept either.
"Elara." His voice was raw. "You shouldn't be here."
"I know."
"Anyone could see you."
"I know."
"If someone finds out—"
"Then they find out." I closed the door behind me. Locked it. "I'm tired of sneaking around."
He stood up slowly, like a man preparing for battle. "There's nothing to sneak around about. I told you last night—that kiss was a mistake."
"Then why have you been avoiding me all day?"
"Because I'm trying to do the right thing."
"The right thing?" I laughed—a bitter, broken sound. "The right thing would have been to never touch me in the first place. But you did. And now I can't stop thinking about it. About you."
He flinched.
"You're making this very difficult," he said quietly.
"Good." I crossed the room until I was standing in front of him. Close enough to touch. "Because I don't want easy, Professor. I want you."
His breath hitched.
"Elara—"
"I want you to stop pretending you don't want me. I want you to stop hiding in your office like a coward. I want you to—"
He kissed me.
Not like last night. This was slower, softer, more desperate. His hands cradled my face like I was something precious. His mouth moved over mine like he was memorizing the shape of me.
I melted into him. Wrapped my arms around his neck. Pressed my body against his and felt him respond—felt the hard length of his arousal against my thigh.
He groaned into my mouth. "We shouldn't—"
"Stop saying that."
"Elara—"
"Stop."
He pulled back just enough to look at me. His eyes were golden again—impossibly, beautifully golden. In the moonlight, they glowed like embers.
"I can't control myself around you," he admitted. "When I see you with other men—when I think about someone else touching you—I want to—" His hands tightened on my hips. "I want to do things that would get me arrested."
"Then do them."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because I'm trying to protect you." His voice cracked. "From me. From what I am."
I didn't know what he meant by what I am. But I didn't care. I just wanted him to stop fighting it.
"Maybe I don't want to be protected," I said.
He looked at me for a long moment. Then he closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath.
"You're going to ruin me, Elara Vance."
"That's the idea."
When he opened his eyes again, the gold was brighter. Wilder. And I could have sworn I saw something shift behind them—something ancient and hungry and not quite human.
"I should walk you back to your dorm," he said.
"Is that what you want to do?"
"No." His thumb traced my lower lip. "It's what I should do."
"But?"
He kissed me again. Harder this time, more demanding. His hands slid to my waist, pulling me against him, and I felt the evidence of his desire pressing into my belly.
"I want to take you back to my apartment," he murmured against my mouth. "I want to lay you out on my bed and worship every inch of your body. I want to hear you scream my name."
My knees went weak.
"But I can't," he continued, pulling back. His breathing was ragged. "Not yet. Not like this."
"Then when?"
"Soon." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I promise. Soon."
He walked me back to my dorm in silence. But at the door, he caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm.
"Tomorrow," he said. "After class. Wait for me."
"What about the rules?"
His jaw tightened. "To hell with the rules."
Then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness, leaving me with a racing heart and a single, certain thought:
He's going to ruin me.
And I can't wait.
- Writer
