Chapter 219: Special Treatment

"Do you think something happened to Brittney?" Aria was beginning to panic. "That one of the beasts dared to..." She couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t even want to imagine that one of the beasts had hurt her friend.

"I don’t think so." Trisha tried to sound hopeful. "She said she needed some air."

At that moment, Maverick snapped out of the mindlink, a deep frown settling across his face.

Aria’s heart missed a beat, thinking the worst had happened.

"What is it?" she asked nervously.

Maverick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think I just made a mistake."

"A mistake?" Aria stared at him in confusion.

Before he could explain, a familiar voice came from behind them.

"What is the matter?"

Aria turned instinctively and immediately wished she hadn’t. Caelis Cobryn stood a few feet away, looking as cold and irritatingly beautiful as ever.

And just like that, Aria was back in the woods with Maverick between her thighs, her hands trapped above her head and Caelis standing between the trees, watching.

Worse, she remembered exactly what she’d done when she’d caught him. She had looked the bastard straight in the eyes.

Fuck.

What in God’s name had possessed her?

Whatever courage had taken control of her body back there had apparently decided to remain in the woods, because Aria could feel heat rushing into her face. Her heart began pounding so violently that she was almost certain Maverick could hear it.

Caelis, on the other hand, looked perfectly unruffled.

Of course he did.

There wasn’t the slightest trace of embarrassment on his face to suggest that he’d recently been caught watching another man with his mouth between her thighs. Dark glasses concealed his eyes, his expression as composed as ever. Karen stood beside him, although thankfully she wasn’t hanging from his arm this time.

"Are you okay?"

Maverick’s voice pulled Aria sharply back to the present.

"Y-yeah. I’m fine." She cleared her throat.

Aria lifted her head again, and for the briefest moment, she could have sworn one corner of Caelis’s mouth moved.

The little shit.

By the time she looked properly, there was nothing there. Caelis merely raised one of those annoyingly perfect brows.

"Congratulations on finally acquiring a girlfriend, Maverick." His attention remained on Aria. "Although she appears rather startled by my presence. Perhaps there’s something she would like to tell you."

The bastard.

Aria glared at him. If eyes were bullets, the Basilisk Prince would have dropped dead where he stood.

How dare he?

He had been the one hiding behind a tree watching them, yet he had managed to stand there with that innocent expression and make her feel like the guilty one.

For one dangerous second, Aria considered telling Maverick exactly why she’d reacted that way. Then she imagined what would follow. Maverick discovering Caelis had watched them and getting upset. Two territorial beasts squaring off in the middle of the party while everyone watched. And by morning, the Roost Report would probably have an entire edition dedicated to her sex life.

Absolutely not.

For all she knew, Caelis had stumbled upon them by mistake—and then stayed to watch.

Aria forced a smile. "Like he said, I was startled, that’s all."

Then, just quietly enough to make it seem as if the comment wasn’t meant for everyone, but loudly enough that she knew Caelis would hear her, she added, "He does have a habit of creeping up on people. Just like the snake he is."

Caelis had never been particularly bothered by petty insults. Usually, they slid off him without so much as a blink. But this one landed, and his jaw shifted almost imperceptibly.

It wasn’t enough for anyone else to notice, but Aria did. Suddenly, she didn’t feel nearly as embarrassed anymore.

"Thank you, Caelis," Maverick said curtly, taking note of the strange tension between his mate and the serpent.

"I was under the impression you were impervious to a woman’s touch," Caelis said casually. "Was that merely a misconception, or have you wolves finally proven your little theory about finding the other half of your soul?"

Aria’s heart stuttered.

That was the only reaction she allowed herself. She kept her expression carefully blank, suddenly conscious of just how perceptive the beasts around her were. One nervous glance at Maverick, and Caelis might find the answer he was clearly fishing for.

Except before either Maverick or Aria could answer, Karen butted in.

"I think the better question is how this is supposed to work." She looked between them. "Aria is a student here and you’re her professor. What happens when she needs better grades? Or breaks a rule? Does everyone else get the same special consideration, or is sleeping with a professor one of the privileges reserved for his girlfriend?"

Karen looked exceedingly pleased with herself after asking the question. What she failed to notice was Caelis slowly turning his head toward her. Behind the dark lenses of his glasses, his eyes glowed.

He had been so close.

One question was all he’d needed, and the idiot had interrupted before either of them could answer. Caelis couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this tempted to turn someone to stone simply for the pleasure of shutting them up permanently.

"It might not work in your world," Maverick finally said, his attention settling on Karen, "but this is Bestiaris Academy, where humans and beasts are being forced to navigate circumstances none of us have encountered before. And insinuating that I would compromise my position to favor one student over another tells me you know absolutely nothing about my character."

Karen’s smugness faltered.

"However..."

The air changed.

Aria felt it before she understood what was happening. An immense pressure descended over the clearing, so sudden and suffocating that several gasps sounded around her.

Valerie and Variant immediately retreated several steps, putting distance between themselves and Maverick. Trisha went pale beside Aria, while Karen’s face lost every trace of color.

Caelis alone remained exactly where he was. His head stayed high, shoulders straight, not giving Maverick so much as a step. Yet when Aria looked closer, she noticed the tension running through his body. He wasn’t unaffected.

He was resisting.

Just how powerful was Maverick?

"The first insinuation is excusable," Maverick continued calmly. "Make it again, and you’d better have enough evidence to substantiate your accusation. Otherwise, you’ll answer to me for it. Are we clear?"

Karen couldn’t answer. She looked frozen where she stood, although Maverick hadn’t used any visible power against her. His presence alone had rendered her incapable of doing much more than stare at him.

Then the pressure vanished. Karen sucked in a loud breath and stumbled backward, relief washing across her face.

Maverick didn’t spare her another glance. Instead, he turned to Caelis.

"Good thing you’re here." His expression hardened. "Someone who doesn’t belong to this academy managed to get into your party tonight."

Caelis’s attention sharpened.

"And since this gathering is yours," Maverick continued, "I’m assuming you’d like to explain how an unidentified beast got past your security."