They Shouldn’t Have
~Artemis~
While I was arguing with those idiots, Euphoria had slipped away.
She was quick enough to take advantage of us arguing to escape me.
Quite clever of her.
I smirked as I opened the classroom door and walked inside.
My eyes drifted around the room before settling on the beautiful face sitting in the back.
Aemion purred the moment he spotted her.
Are you serious?
I asked my dragon.
How are you not over there inhaling her scent?
Because I’m not a bloody animal.
Fair.
Having such keen hearing, I could catch every whisper in the room.
“He’s so hot.”
“What I wouldn’t do to have a taste of him.”
“I’d let him have every part of me.”
The last one made me smirk.
Slut.
Only one girl held my interest this year.
And that woman was sitting in the very back of the classroom, her long brown waves cascading over her shoulders and spilling across the desk.
She locked eyes with me.
For a moment, my heart stopped beating.
The air left my lungs.
Something about those blue eyes shone so brightly, even from all the way up here.
I realized then that I was just standing there staring at her.
What just happened to me?
I walked down the aisle and took the seat beside her.
Almost instantly, Aemion settled inside my mind, choosing to sit instead of pacing.
A sense of tranquility washed over me.
I wanted to grab hold of that feeling and never let it go.
She leaned toward me.
My heart started beating again.
Only this time, much faster.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and her nose twitched.
Was she…
smelling me?
Yes.
She was.
“You can keep smelling me if you want.
I quite enjoy your scent as well.”
“My scent?” she asked, wearing that curious little pout I was growing so very fond of.
“Yes.
You smell like freshly bloomed peonies after a soft spring rain.”
I took the opportunity to inhale deeply myself.
Shamelessly.
I didn’t care.
She smelled incredible.
When the professor dismissed class and the students began packing up, I noticed the mood in the room shifting.
Jealousy.
Hostility.
The whispers weren’t quiet anymore.
Not like they had been when I’d first entered.
“She’s already throwing herself at beasts.
How desperate can a girl be?”
“I know, right?
Pathetic.”
One second I was sitting beside Euphoria.
The next, I wasn’t.
I’d crossed the room before anyone had time to react, my hand wrapped around the man’s throat.
Rage flooded my veins.
Aemion clawed beneath my skin, threatening to tear free.
A snarl vibrated deep in my chest.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the other girl and clamped my hand around her neck.
“I dare you to say one more word about her.”
Aemion had pushed himself to the surface, fighting for control.
He was behind the wheel.
I was only seconds away from shifting.
Then I felt it.
A soft, gentle touch rested against my shoulder.
I let out a long breath.
“Artemis…”
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
I knew that voice.
That scent.
That presence.
My head snapped toward her.
Instantly, my entire body relaxed.
Aemion’s fury melted away, retreating back into my mind.
Still angry.
But calm.
Good.
“Can you help me find my next class?”
She sounded confident.
Her body betrayed her.
She was trembling.
I released the girl, letting her crumple to the floor before flinging the boy across the room by his throat.
His back slammed into several desks and chairs.
He cried out.
Seeing him in pain made me smile.
Never mess with what’s mine.
“Talk about her in front of me like that again, and the bruising around your neck and across your back will be the least of your problems.”
For some reason, I knew that threat wouldn’t be enough.
She walked back to her seat.
I waited patiently while she gathered her belongings before reaching over and taking hold of her wrist.
I wasn’t letting her sneak away again.
Even though she’d asked me to walk her, something about it felt less like a request and more like a distraction.
She squealed.
It was adorable.
Aemion circled once inside my mind before lying back down, acting as though nothing had happened. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
As we walked toward her next class, I noticed how painfully slow her pace was.
“You walk slow,” I groaned.
“Sorry,” she panted.
Instantly, guilt punched through my chest.
Not just because I’d practically dragged her through the halls.
But because of my outburst.
Or rather…
Aemion’s.
“I’m sorry.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
She came to an immediate halt.
Those enchanting blue eyes widened with surprise.
Such beautiful doe eyes.
“You’re sorry?
What for?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“I lost my cool back there.
I shouldn’t have.
They’re simple mortals.
Picking on the weak and vulnerable isn’t my style,” I admitted reluctantly.
“It’s okay, though I don’t totally understand why.”
She twisted her foot against the floor.
I’d begun noticing that little nervous habit of hers.
It was subtle.
Almost impossible to catch unless you paid close attention.
I explained our beast side.
What they were like.
How instinct often overpowered reason.
Then I admitted how much Aemion had changed since meeting her.
“Well, I’m happy I can help.”
She looked up at me with an expression so open and sincere it almost seemed to say, I’m glad I matter.
I could practically feel the warmth of her smile.
I didn’t know what was happening to me.
Or to Aemion.
But she was changing us.
And that smile…
That innocent, genuine smile…
It was so unbelievably cute.
“You’re adorable.”
Her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.
Then a thought crashed into my mind.
“I wonder how you’ll look when you’re underneath me.”
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
The seriousness of our conversation vanished.
I burst into laughter.
Her expression.
By the gods.
The mixture of horror and utter disbelief on her face was priceless.
Every second of teasing her had been worth it.
Who do you want to win Euphoria’s hand and heart?