I nodded, not at all surprised that my professor had been there. He was a tenured professor in the department, and as an alumnus, my father was one of the university's biggest donors. I'd seen the dean and head of the board yesterday through my tears.

“Thank you,” I breathed, taking one of only two seats left in his crowded lecture.

“He’ll be missed so much.” The professor shook his head sadly.

I wished instantly for any distraction to relieve me of this torture.

And then I wished my prayer had gone unanswered.

The door swung open as the clock chimed on the hour, and in head-to-toe black with an oversize hoodie pulled low over his eyes, in walked Elis Brooks.

“Oh my God,” I gritted, my eyes rounding when he ignored the professor's gaze and zeroed in on the chair at my side.

He slipped in, opened his notebook, and pulled a pen out of his hoodie pocket. “Morning, Barbie.”

“What the fuck is this?” I seethed.

“Biology 310, right? Am I in the wrong class again? Hey, Prof?” Elis winked as the professor’s mouth dropped open.

I shook my head, scooting my desk as many inches away from his as possible before knocking elbows with my other neighbor. The professor started the lecture but didn’t get more than ninety seconds in before Elis thrust his hand into the air and started bouncing what sounded like impossible questions at him.

I was lost in scientific lingo from the start.

Forty minutes later, the professor was not much deeper into his slides. Elis had kept him busy answering dead-end rhetorical questions. His ability to verbally spar with anyone was unmatched. I’d loved that about him in high school, but he was getting deep under my skin now.

“What the fuck, Brooks?” I hissed as we crowded through the lecture hall doo a while later.

“Needed inspiration. I was hoping to find it in one of America’s finest institutions of higher learning, but it turns out this place only crushes the free thought out of you. I’d run if you know what’s good for that pretty little head of yours, Price.” He tapped my temple.

“How did you even get into this lecture? I was the last add, and I had to beg them to let me slip in,” I fumed.

His grin cracked, sliding to one cocky side and making me want to kick his teeth out. “I’ve got a way with words.”

I shook my head. “Why are you torturing me like this?”

His head tipped at an angle, his amused grin turning wry. “Because I can, Barbie, and because you deserve it.”

Chapter 7

Elis – Five Years Ago

I walked through the front doors, the scent of Devlynn still on my skin. My mom and Sarena huddled at the kitchen table, the place settings all in proper order, but the food was still on the stove, untouched.