3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

~Valerie Contempt~

M inor panic averted, the relief holding that frosty bottle to my chest was life changing. I didn't know what to do or think or say, so I just sat in the quiet of his room. There was the soft flutter of butterfly wings, and the soft puffs of air from fans or the trees lining the walls. For a moment, between gulps of water, I studied it. A massive suite with two rooms branching off from the library I sat in. Bookshelves carved out of trees that made up the walls, there were branches and large boulders scattered around the room. Pillows decorated the boulders like they were chairs, and the couch I sat on was built into a massive shelf. I could point out a few books I knew, and a collection I didn't. There were scrolls and papers and binders tucked everywhere. Vines with delicate leaves draped from the ceiling. Butterflies and moths fluttered from their places as the flowers bloomed into the morning light.

Dragging my blanket with me like a cape, I crept around the room. My body was slow and unresponsive at first, but it gave in when I looked through an archway into the kitchen. It was a large space full of dangling pots and pans, fresh herbs filling the window, and a garden built into the back corner. It was a daydream—no, it was a fucking fantasy. I couldn't resist. I snooped in my professor's fridge.

"You know, I didn't peg you to be this efficient, Professor O'Hare." I poked and prodded at a well-stocked and organized fridge. He had steak marinating in a bowl with cling wrap, a pie that hadn't been carved into yet, fruit, vegetables, and all the things that made me drool. I pulled out some cheese, a handful of chopped salami, and grabbed up some cherry tomatoes. After washing the vegetation off, I sat at his table and ate my smorgasbord with some of the sliced bread he had sitting in his breadbox.

Now, if I had an ounce of shame in my body, I might feel bad about eating his food. At least I didn't shove my face in that blueberry pie, because I was fucking tempted. Instead, I ate from things he obviously kept well stocked and filled my angry belly with food. It wasn't what my body wanted, but it's what it was getting. I wanted fried potatoes and heavy cheese sauce and bacon, stuff that stuck to my ribs and made me feel warm—gooey even. Yet, that felt like too much work. I was too tired.

First, breeding season smacked me in the back of the head. Then, I got chased through the forest, then…well…I saved my favorite professor from a bear trap, and I got to see up close and personal why the other professors call him 'Big Loch' as a nickname. Forget Tavrin, Lochlainn O'Hare was now the only man for me!

Problem being—he was my professor. Oh, and the whole being accused of murder thing. Funny how I was less worried about the murder accusation. If I wasn't accused of witchcraft or murder once during my stay here at the college, did I even get a degree?

I grumbled to myself through my snackfast and cleaned up my mess. It took all the energy I earned from eating to make it to the other end. I found a bedroom, just as gloriously earthy as the library, through the opposite door. There wasn't so much a bed as there was mattress in the floor with several pillows and blankets of various sizes. Outside of that, the bath and closet were the only thing in the room.

His shower was basically a waterfall with a frosted pane to keep the water contained. Peeling my nightgown off my body was amazing. Realizing I still stunk of sex and moss, not so much. I sat there, clutching my nightgown to my nose and realizing my professor definitely smelled me. I'd been touching myself in those woods for hours in hopes of calming the roaring need in my soul. Breeding season was cruel and unforgiving. It meant wanting to get boned near 24/7. My cunt still ached, and I was frustrated.

I was a feral, horny cat stuck in a cage. The shower helped…a little. Washing off the mud and clovers made me feel more like a person. Rinsing my hair and running it through with the bamboo wide-toothed comb made me feel more in control. Drying off made me feel sensible again. Even if I was a frisky feline, I had bigger things to worry about—like the murder accusation.

I stood in his closet, trying not to dig through his drawers like the raccoon I was for his dirty secrets. I needed a top, which wasn't hard. The man only wore tunics of soft cotton. I pulled on a cream tunic that I had to tie closed below my chest. I gave up trying to find pants of his that would fit and instead went for the shameless set of boxers he kept in a neat basket on top of his dresser. I did sniff them first just to make sure they were clean.

Heading back to the living room, I returned my blanket to the couch first. Then drank my water. And I waited. The panic rose again with every moment he didn't return. I imagined the campus enforcers busting through the doors. They would arrest me and drag me out by my toes. Could I trust Professor O'Hare?

The urge to rush out the door, to run for cover, filled me like a thousand buzzing wasps. I chewed on my thumb as I stared at that damn door. By the time I convinced myself, fuck it, I was up on my feet and the door swung open.

I dropped back onto the couch. "Professor!"

"Ms. Contempt," he breathed, returning with the Dean of Students in tow. My heart clenched up with my lungs and my asshole. Lochlainn motioned at Dean Bandur. "Dean Bandur has some news for you."

"Firstly, Ms. Contempt, I whole heartedly apologize for the rollercoaster night. I do regret to inform you, that your roommate, Teddy Wither, was murdered last night."

I turned into a pile of goo, falling back against the couch, "Teddy?"

That's why they accused me. Teddy Wither and I were roommates for the last two years. We came in as pledges together. Bunked together. Stayed together. Survived together. Teddy was in her second year of grad school, going for cleric. She wanted to be a High Priestess of the Temple of Light. My heart sank.

No wonder, because who else would murder a saint but a hag? Teddy and I got along because we understood each other. We were both too busy with studies to bother with parties or much of anything outside of the half-hearted fling. But we couldn't be any more different. An elf from a "good" family, born to be a cleric, raised to be number one, and sent to school to become a priestess. And I was the literal embodiment of evil magic, sleeping ten feet from her every night.

"I promise, sir, I wasn't…" my voice tightened. I couldn't claim innocence if I wanted to, my insides were too tight.

"I know, I know, we're still investigating but we have evidence of you leaving the campus to the eastern woods entrance at nine pm. Teddy was murdered in her room—"

" Our room ." Why the fuck did I correct him? I gritted my teeth, punching myself mentally as I forced myself to watch him.

"Yes," he sighed, hanging his head. "Your room. The room is still an active crime scene, but we've had one of the professors pack your bags for you."

"Wait, what?" I blurted, stumbling to your feet.

"Ms. Contempt," Lochlain exhaled stepping toward me. I side stepped him to stand in front of Dean Bandur.

"It is in everyone's best interest if you did not return to Alma Psi. Your leader has requested your immediate removal, and I think that is fair."

"Oh! So, they get to just harass me, attack me in the woods, threaten my life! And I'm the one forced to leave?" I shrieked, throwing my arms out to my side.

"Thank you, Dean Bandur, I'll take it from here." Lochlainn put an arm in front of me like I was a lioness about to launch at the dean's head. He's probably right. I snarled, but was unable to say anything as the human admin turned away from me. He left without another word. I turned my attention on Lochlainn.

"What do you mean ‘ I'll take it from here' ? You'll take me where? I didn't kill anyone! I don't know why I'm being treated like the bad guy!"

"Ms. Contempt—"

"Valerie," I spat.

He arched a singular brow but I didn't back down. Lochlain exhaled heavily, "Valerie, your sorority is demanding your head. Even when administration cleared your name, they didn't want to hear it. It's safest for you if you leave, rather than risk an attack. So, I've already pushed through and gotten permission from administration to bring you on here…to The Grove."

"Here?" I stumbled back a step. I glanced around his place.

Lochlainn chuckled, "Well, not here -here; these are my quarters. But you'd be a part of the fraternity I oversee and live here in this facility. Welcome to The Grove."

I was speechless as I stared up at him. My sorority wants me dead? Why the fuck were they so set on making me the bad guy? Was there any way to change their minds? I knew likely the answer was no. Maybe they always thought of me as a villain and this just gave them the best opportunity to label me officially. Either way, and as much as I hated to admit it, Lochlainn was right. I wasn't safe back at my sorority, even if I wasn't a suspect. They blamed me. Did I really want to risk my life to prove a point when I was so close to my dream?

"Where do I stay?" I huffed, tossing my arms out.

"That's the spirit!" He beamed that giant, goofy grin of his that seemed to make everything okay. He motioned with a grand swoop of his arm to the hallway. "I had them drop off your bags so once you're feeling up to it, you can unpack…oh."

"Oh?" I blinked.

"Sorry, I wasn't—you're wearing my…because of course, none of my pants would fit." His ears tinted a little red. For the first time in a long time, I was able to stare at my professor. For an elf, he was tall and built like a brick wall. Broad shouldered, massive arms, light brown hair. He had this sweet look about his face. Maybe it was the bushy brows or the slight break in his nose that clearly happened when he was young. Despite the scars on his exposed arms or along his cheek, he was genuinely handsome. Lovely tattoos like ivy crawled down his left arm and along his throat. I'd love to trace them, see where they led.

I smirked as I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sorry, left my undies out in the woods, so I needed something to cover up my nether region. But your trunk is much thicker than mine."

I meant it to lighten to mood, to make him chuckle. I even slapped my sides heartily to add to the emphasis. Only, as I studied his face, my own throat threatened to close. A hungry look filled his features as his honey gaze traveled down my face, across my torso, and over my bare legs. It broke, and the charming, carefree professor returned.

Lochlainn chuckled, "It's the thick bear hide."

"Yeah," I struggled the breath as hot pink crawled over my face and chest. "Yeah, uh, I know. I kinda hit it going max velocity."

"My apologies."

"Not your fault. I mean, who puts a bear trap out in these woods? Plus, one that's got a magic lock on it!" I babbled a bit, trying to cover up the fact my professor definitely checked me out. Definitely looked at me in his shirt, in his boxers, and thought about it. It's one thing for me, a silly little grad student to have fantasies about my hot, kind, built like an ox and hung like a horse, professor. It was a another for him to look like he might rip me out of his clothes.

"Hmm, a question I was asking myself," he exhaled heavily, crossing his arms. After a moment, he glanced back at me and smiled warmly. "But a question to ponder for another time, hmm? You've a room to unpack and some introductions to make."

I led the way down the hall, trying not to be caught up in all the questions. Who would murder Teddy? Who would put bear traps in these woods? What god did I piss off? What the hell am I going to do now? Like he said, questions to ponder for another time. I needed to worry about what was directly in front of me.

"Not to mention someone asked us to prepare to debate our classmates on the topic of ointments vs potions," I tossed flirtily over my shoulder. As I glanced at him, I caught it again. Clear as I saw him in the forest under the full moon. Lochlainn O'Hare was staring at my backside, beastly hunger in his eyes.

Oh, this can't be good for my breeding season. I corrected my gaze. He's a professor and you're a grad student. Mom is right. My priorities are fucked.

I swung my hips more, flaunting them like they weren't about to get the boxers ripped off them. Like my professor wasn't considering risking it all…like I wasn't hoping he might.