Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Ellie winced. “Show a little restraint, Kas.”
Kassia turned on her side, facing Ellie. "What if I'm overthinking this? What if he really had family stuff to do and that's why he had to leave in the middle of the night? What if he's not really avoiding me?"
Ellie was torn. One part of her wanted to lie, just so she could see her friend smile again. The other half of her, however, wanted to be practical and truthful. Professor X was a jerk. It didn't matter if he had a reason or not for disappearing on Kassia. It was Kassia's first time to spend the night with a guy, and even if nothing had happened, the professor should have been there when she woke up.
But he wasn't, which meant he was a jerk and Kassia was better off without him.
"Ellie?"
She opened her mouth to tell the truth.
Then she saw Kassia's eyes swimming with tears.
Crap. She was such a sucker for tears.
Clearing her throat, Ellie said, "I think it's how you feel that matters, Kas. If you think he had a reason to do what he did, well, then...he did."
A relieved smile touched Kassia's lips. "I think so, too."
Ellie returned the smile weakly, thinking that she never wanted to fall in love like Kassia did.
Chapter Seven
Three more flights to go, Kassia. Just three more flights. That translated to thirty-six steps or a total of ten minutes spent climbing the stairs. It should sound easy, especially since she tackled the same set of stairs practically every day, but it didn't.
It sounded like hell, considering how her temperature was still over 100.
Taking another deep breath, she climbed another step. She felt heavy and sluggish, and it felt like she had weights around her ankles. Around her, the world started to dance, but she forced herself to ignore it. She mustn't lose her focus. She just had one test to go. One last test, and it was really important since it was for one of the two subjects she was in danger of failing. She had to pass this one last test, and Alessandro Moretti would be hers.
Another deep breath.
Another step.
Kassia looked up.
Thirty-four more steps to go.
God, she wanted to cry.
A second later, and she realized that a tear had already escaped her eye, trailing down her cheek. Just one teardrop, and it weakened her immensely, making Kassia lean against the wall and clutch the handrail desperately.
Oh God. Thirty-four more steps. THIRTY-FOUR!
"Are you okay?"
She recognized the voice. It was Jacob, coming from behind. She could only wait for him to reach her, having no strength left to even turn around and say hi.
Kassia saw his eyes widen at the sight of her, and she almost found the strength to smile. Almost. "That bad?"
"Umm, yeah. Kind of." He reached to touch her forehead and yanked his hand back. "Kassia, you're burning up."
"I've already taken meds, don't worry."
He frowned. "I don't think you should go to class—-"
She shook her head. "I can't. I've got one last test."
"But you can be excused—-"
She grimaced. "Not when it's Professor Vincent's class."
His protest died. "Damn." The professor Kassia mentioned was notorious for her strictness, and it was more than possible that she would refuse to give Kassia a make-up test even if she was in danger of dying from pneumonia.
Kassia looked back at the flight of stairs ahead of her.
Thirty-four, Kassia. Just thirty-four more to go. You've already climbed 24 steps. You can do this.
Jacob followed her gaze. "Fifth floor, right?"
She nodded.
"Should I carry you?"
It just showed how desperate she was that she seriously considered Jacob's offer. He was a football player, anyway. He was used to heavy lifting. He could probably get Kassia to her class in five minutes.
But...
What if other people saw them and misunderstood?
Kassia slowly shook her head. "No, but..." Biting her lip in hesitation, she took another deep breath before asking, "Is it okay if you let me lean on you while I head up?" By the time she finished her question, she could feel her face turning completely red. It wasn't like her at all to be this forward, but she didn't have a choice. She needed to take that test. Her life depended on it.
PAIN SLASHED AT ALESSANDRO with every step he took. Injuries that didn't heal in a matter of hours were rare for Lyccans, but this was an exception since the wound was a result of having been clawed by his own kind repeatedly. While the wound no longer bled, the Moretti pack's healer told him that it would take at least a week for the scarred tissues to repair itself.
"You should rest, Your Highness. This injury will and is already taking its toll on you, and you'll find yourself unable to function normally."
Alessandro had nodded at the healer's warning, pretending to agree even though he had no plans of staying in bed. No fucking way, not when Kassia's tests were scheduled today. She would need his support, dammit, and he would not let anything stop him from giving her what she needed.