Chapter 180
Lily POV
I immediately took a deep breath as soon as I left his office, feeling like I could finally breathe properly again. The fresh air was a welcome relief after the suffocating tension of our conversation—or whatever that had been. My mind was still spinning, trying to make sense of his shifting demeanor and the questions that remained unanswered.
The sudden shrill ring of my phone made me jump, my heart skipping a beat as I fumbled to pull it from my pocket. When I saw Kai’s name on the screen, my face broke into an involuntary smile, all thoughts of mysterious lecturers temporarily forgotten.
“Hello,” I answered, unable to keep the happiness from my voice.
“Hey,” Kai’s familiar voice came through the speaker, warm and intimate in a way that made my chest tighten with longing. “What are you doing p>
I looked down at the notebook the lecturer had given me, still clutched in my other hand. I’d forgotten to ask him his name. “Nothing much. I’m at school p>
“I know,” he said, and something in his tone made me pause.
“You know?” I asked, confused.
“I love what you’re wearing,” he continued, with amusement in his voice.
I glanced down at my navy blazer and white blouse, then back up with a frown. “Thank you, but how do you p>
I turned around as I spoke, scanning the area around me, and my words died in my throat. There, in the staff parking lot below, sat a familiar black SUV. Kai was leaning against the driver’s side door, one hand holding his phone to his ear, the other raised in a wave. Even from this distance, I could see his smile.
“Kai!” I exclaimed into the phone, my jaws were aching from my wide smile. “What are you doing here p>
Without waiting for an answer, I ended the call and rushed toward the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time in my eagerness to reach him. My dress shoes clicked against the concrete as I hurried across the parking lot, my heart racing with anticipation.
He pushed off from the car as I approached, opening his arms just in time to catch me as I threw myself against him. The familiar warmth and scent of him enveloped me as his arms closed around me, holding me tight against his chest. For a moment, the rest of the world disappeared—the mysterious lecturer, the Shadow Council, even the curse that was supposed to keep us apart.
“I missed you so much,” I whispered against his shoulder, breathing in his scent that meant home to me.
“I missed you too,” he murmured, his voice rough with emotion. One hand tangled in my hair while the other pressed against my lower back, as if he needed to confirm I was really there, really solid in his arms.
When we finally pulled apart enough to look at each other, neither of us hesitated. His lips found mine in a kiss that was desperate, hungry, full of all the longing and frustration of our forced separation. I could taste his need, his love, his determination to fight for us despite everything working against our relationship.
The kiss deepened, and I forgot we were standing in a public parking lot. I forgot about propriety and the careful distance we were supposed to maintain. All that mattered was this connection, this proof that whatever curse plagued Kai, it hadn’t destroyed what we felt for each other.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, I noticed something that made me pause. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of movement in the building behind us. The history’s lecturer’s office door, which I was certain had been closed when I left, was now slightly ajar. As I watched, it closed quickly, as if someone had been observing us and then retreated.
A chill ran down my spine, but I forced myself to brush it off. I was being paranoid again, seeing threats where none existed. The lecturer was probably just curious about the commotion in the parking lot below his window.
“What are you doing here?” I asked Kai, refocusing on the man in front of me. “I thought we agreed to keep our distance until the curse is broken p>
His hands came up to frame my face, his thumbs stroking gently across my cheekbones. “I know what we agreed,” he said, his eyes dark with an emotion I couldn’t quite identify. “But I missed you so much it was driving me crazy. I had to see you, had to make sure you were okay p>
The desire in his eyes was unmistakable, a heated intensity that made my pulse quicken and my knees feel weak. Despite everything—the curse, the danger, the careful barriers everyone had constructed around us—he was looking at me like I was the only thing that mattered in the world.
“What are you doing now?” he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. “Do you have another class p>
I shook my head, still lost in the warmth of his gaze. “No, I was just going to the library. A new lecturer who replaced Professor Morrison gave me some materials to catch up on the coursework I missed p>
“Professor Morrison? Am I supposed to know him?” Kai asked with a hint of a smile
“My history professor,” I explained. “He’s setting up private tutoring sessions to help me catch up on everything I missed while I was… away p>
Kai’s hands were still cradling my face, his touch gentle but possessive. “Can you spare me thirty minutes?” he asked, his voice dropping to an intimate whisper. “Just thirty minutes to be with you p>
I knew this was a bad idea. Everything about this situation screamed danger—not just from the curse, but from the possibility that someone might see us together, that word might get back to Luna Helen or Celeste about our reckless behavior. I didn’t know how the curse might affect Kai when we were alone together, didn’t know if his control would hold or if being near me would trigger the violent impulses everyone was so afraid of.
But I missed him desperately. These past few days of separation had felt like torture, and now he was here, solid and real and looking at me like I was his entire world. The risk seemed worth it for just a few precious minutes together.
“Yes,” I whispered, the word escaping before my rational mind could override my heart.
Relief and something deeper—gratitude, maybe, or triumph—flashed across his features. “Come on,” he said, taking my hand and leading me toward his SUV.
The simple contact of his fingers intertwined with mine sent warmth shooting up my arm. The mate bond hummed between us, stronger than it had felt since before my kidnapping, as if our brief separation had only intensified the connection.
He opened the passenger door for me with old-fashioned courtesy, waiting until I was settled before closing it and walking around to the driver’s side. As he slid behind the wheel, I caught another glimpse of the building we were leaving behind. The history lecturer’s office window reflected the afternoon sun, making it impossible to see if anyone was watching from inside.
“Where are we going?” I asked as Kai started the engine.
“Somewhere we can be alone,” he replied, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road of the university. “Somewhere we can talk without worrying about who might be listening or watching p>