Chapter 65

“I promise I won’t compel Ann again,” Michael spat.
“Or anyone else, for that matter,” Jessica added.
“Now you are just pushing your luck,” Michael snorted and walked into class.
“What? It was worth a try,” Jessica said and walked into class.
Deacon just shook his head at her.
‘What a great team we make. If only I could make her see it,’ Deacon thought, and followed her into class.
“Pfft,” Jessica remarked when she walked past Ann and saw Michael sitting next to her with his arm around her. Jessica looked around for an empty chair. “Of course, just my luck,” she remarked, and walked over to sit next to Deacon.
Deacon smiled sweetly and was happy to have her so near him, her scent enticing his senses.
“I missed you,” Deacon whispered.
“It’s been a few days, and you saw me in class,” Jessica chuckled sarcastically.
“You know what I mean,” Deacon whispered.
“Please shut up,” Jessica said a little too loud and had all eyes on her besides Ann and Michael, who had their eyes on each other.
“Thank you, Miss?” the lecturer that was not too bad looking said, inquiring about her name.
“Jessica. Jessica Steel,” Jessica said. “And you are welcome,” she added with a wink, making Deacon jealous.
“Now that Miss Steel has you all quiet, perhaps we can start the lesson?” the lecturer walked to the board where his name was still on. Mr. Lestat Alilović.
‘How the hell do you even pronounce that?’ Deacon thought, and a snort escaped him.
Mr. Lestat wiped his name off the board and replaced it with that day’s topic.
‘Who even uses blackboards in universities still?’ Deacon thought as the screeching of the chalk on the blackboard made his sensitive ears ring. ‘I should donate some whiteboards,’ Deacon thought, and mind linked his recently appointed personal assistant to find out how many classrooms the university had and to buy that amount of whiteboards and have it delivered asap.
***
I have to get back to varsity. I already missed one class,” Katelina said after spending an hour with Paris.
“Don’t I get to drink from you as well?” Torvald that was sitting in silence all the time spoke up.
“If it was up to me, you would have been dead,” Katelina said and made her way out of the dungeons.
“Why does she hate you?” Paris made small talk.
“Didn’t you see when you drank her blood?” Torvald chuckled.
“I didn’t care to look,” Paris admitted and decided he should look deeper into Katelina, pass Ann to get to know Michael if he wished to gain the upper hand.
“I killed all her brothers and their offspring. Well, the hunters I designed and created, did,” Torvald said and laid down with his arms folded behind his head.
“Why were you so hell-bent on getting rid of your own kind?” Paris asked and was willing to small talk with Torvald if it meant not going crazy after what he saw. ‘How could Ann be over me so quick? Did Michael compel her? That must be it? Does she love me? Loved me?’ Paris mind raised.
“Because I liked this new world where men were in charge and not women,” Torvald chuckled.
Paris was glad to be pulled out of his own thoughts and kept the conversation going. “This world is slowly turning back to a world you thought you could kill off.”
“That you can say again,” Torvald laughed at the thought and remembered Katelina’s words. ‘If it was up to me, you would be dead.’
“One thing for sure is that you would have been dead already. Tell me, why is your brother keeping you alive?” Paris questioned.

“Michael is keeping me alive because he is sentimental,” Torvald chuckled.
“You laugh about it when you should be grateful,” Paris said in disbelief.
“Grateful? I am locked up,” Torvald spat.
“But alive, and as long as you are alive, there is hope to be free again,” Paris said optimistically.
“Mr. Optimistic,” Tovald said, standing up and leaning against the bars, facing Paris, his arms through the bars.
“What?” Paris questioned with a frown on his face.
“Let me drink from you,” Torvald asked.
“Why not just compel me because I am not going to let you drink from me,” Paris chuckled.
“Because my brother made me promise to obey him in exchange for my life and after that promise, he told me I am not allowed to compel anyone,” Torvald said and sat on his usual spot.
“You are shit out of luck,” Paris chuckled.
“Tell me about it,” Torvald sighed.
“You deserve everything that is happening to you,” Paris chuckled.
“And you don’t?” Torvald challenged.
“So, because I am in love with a woman, I have to be punished?” Paris snorted.
“No. But you walked right into it. I was kind of rooting for you,” Torvald admitted.
“Why?” Paris questioned.
“Think about it. What did I ever do wrong but protect the supernatural world from my own kind?” Torvald asked.
“You are kidding, right? So, you didn’t try to kill a pregnant lycan and her babies? And what about your crimes through the centuries?” Paris questioned.
“What crimes?” Torvald pretended not to know what Paris was talking about.
“Michael drank from you, right? To see what you have been up to, right?” Paris questioned.
“He did,” Torvald confirmed.
“And then we had a little housewarming party at Deacon’s house in Alaska where everyone was drinking from everyone, so everyone saw everything you have been up to,” Paris said.
“And what did you see?” Torvald laughed.
“Not me, but surely everyone else. I have not drunk from a prehistoric, besides Kat just now and she was still trapped in the ice during the party,” Paris said.
“One day when I get out of here, I will introduce you to the enchanting community. You will be surprised how informed they are about our world and the magic they are capable of,” Torvald said. “This mind of mine,” Torvald said, pressing his finger to the side of his face. "Showing you what I want you to see, but don’t go telling that to my brother.”
“Then why tell me at all?” Paris questioned.
“Because you hate him more than I do,” Torvald chuckled.
“Why set me up in the first place?” Paris questioned.
“Because I knew you won’t help me escape. Not because you don’t want to but because you were not able to,” Torvald said, being serious.
***
When Katelina got back to the varsity, it was lunchtime, and she joined Ann and Jessica at their table.
“Where have you been?” Jessica asked.
“Well, not with my boyfriend,” Katelina pouted, looking over to where Michael was sitting with Soroya.
“She has him wrapped around her little finger,” Ann said, also pouting.
“What happened to not mind sharing a boyfriend?” Jessica teased.
“I hate her. I will share with Katelina but not her,” Ann snorted and took a sip of her iced coffee.
“I am with you on that one,” Katelina chuckled. “You see, the problem with sharing a boyfriend is knowing your boundaries and waiting your turn, but Soroya is so needy.”
“Well, if he wants me to be one of his girlfriends, he will have to choose,” Ann said.
“And choose he will,” Jessica said, knowing if Ann said that she will date him, if he dates only her he will.
“You should just walk straight up to him and tell him to dump Soroya if he wants you to be one of his girlfriends,” Katelina suggested, knowing that Michael was bound by a promise to obey Ann.
Jessica chuckled as she also recently learned about the promise that Michael was bound by.
Jessica and Katelina smiled at each other when Ann stood up. “You know what? I will do exactly that.”
Ann walked off to confront Michael.
“Did you compel her to say that?” Jessica asked.
“Of course not. Her demands won't work if she was compelled to make them,” Katelina said.
“Promise me you will never compel me or Ann,” Jessica requested.
“I promise to never compel you or Ann,” Katelina promised, and looked over at Michael’s table.
Jessica followed Katelina’s eyes and watched along the scene that unfold in front of them.
Soroya stormed off and Ann took her seat, followed by taking her appetizer.
***
Ann looked at Michael in silence, who didn’t seem so happy about what just happened, but knew he could not exactly blame Ann since she does not know about the promise he was bound by.
‘I have to go see an enchanter to release me from this damn promise,’ Michael thought, his eyes on Ann, who seemed pleased with herself.
“What are you doing tonight?” Michael questioned.
“I don’t know, you tell me,” Ann said seductively, planning to reward Michael for choosing her, not knowing any better.
“Meet me at the indoor pool after dark?” Michael asked.
“It’s a date,” Ann said and stood up, with Soroya’s appetizer in her hand.
“Where are you going?” Michael questioned.
“To our next class,” Ann said and walked away, swaying her hips, making her long hair that was in a high ponytail swing from side to side, but Michael’s eyes were not on her hair. No, his eyes were on her rear end, making his mind trace off to every possible way he could have her.
Michael got brought back to reality when Jessica and Katelina walked past him. He stood up and called after Katelina.
“Kat, a word,” Michael said and caught up with her, throwing his arm around her.
“How am I supposed to find a new love interest with your around me, all the time?” Katelina joked.
“You are not,” Michael chuckled.
“But you said,” Katelina started, but Michael silences her.
“You are mine, always and forever,” Michael said as they walked to their next class.
'Acting and copying Ann's style seems to be working,' Katelina thought with a smile on her face.
“I want your eyes on me at all times and later tonight you will come to the indoor pool where I will be busy with Ann,” Michael shared his plan.
“And show Paris?” Katelina said.
“Smart girl,” Michael smiled and took his arm off Katelina when they walked into the class.