Golden Blond god

Chin held high, I smirk right back at them...and that's exactly when I spot him. My heart practically leaps out of my chest, and my stomach drops the instant my eyes land on them...on him.

He's incredibly tall, taller even than my cousin Caleb. Even setting aside his height and looks, his walk alone commands attention, prowling through the room like he owns every square inch of it. Pure confidence, pure elegance. Some unsettling blend of royalty and predator.

Everything around me fades into background noise, and somehow I've stood straight up without meaning to. I quickly drop back into my seat, desperately trying to steady my racing heartbeat. Can barely think straight, my stomach's churning and my whole body's trembling. My breathing's ragged. What's happening to me? He's like some magnetic force pulling me toward him. God, what is going on?

Both newcomers continue further into the room, and there's absolutely no way anyone could ignore a presence like theirs. The room's chatter nearly dies out completely. Every set of eyes is locked onto them now, mine included.

"Oh. My. God," breathes one of the girls who'd been mocking me earlier. "Wow."

"Right?" her friend murmurs back, sounding equally breathless.

I completely understand the sentiment. He's honestly the most stunning creature I've ever laid eyes on. Impossible not to notice how his white t-shirt stretches tight across broad shoulders and chest, tapering down toward a flat stomach. How those designer jeans hug his long legs and, well, everything else perfectly. Dayyum. Bad Freya, look away, Freya. Look away now.

There's a gorgeous redhead walking beside him too, but somehow I can't tear my eyes off him specifically. I watch them both make their way to their seats. My fingers curl into fists and I wrap my trembling arms tightly around myself.

They settle right into the middle of the back row, quite far from where I'm sitting, yet a bunch of other students immediately relocate closer toward them anyway. Moths drawn straight to flame.

Everything about the two of them screams wealth, elegance, and raw power. Nobody else around me seems to notice, but I can practically feel dangerous energy radiating off them in waves. Not that I feel personally threatened or in danger from them exactly, but I know without question they're dangerous. Deadly, even.

Despite knowing all that, I still can't stop myself from staring at him from beneath my hood.

My gaze travels from his sharp, aristocratic nose toward high cheekbones and an angular jawline. Every contour of his face looks chiseled straight from granite. His hair, silky and shiny, golden blond streaked with lighter gold, styled to absolute perfection. His skin, smooth, flawless, glowing golden tan. Honestly, a golden god, that's exactly what he is.

He looks utterly bored. Leaning back, sprawling his impressive frame lazily across his chair, scanning the room with obvious disinterest. Like some kind of king surveying subjects beneath him. That perfect blend of haughty and bored somehow reads as incredibly sexy.

Can't tell what color his eyes are from this distance, but even from here, the eyes beneath those sharp, prominent brows look piercing. His glance sweeps briefly over me without pausing even slightly, instantly dismissing me as unimportant, uninteresting. Weirdly, that stings.

I watch his attention linger on several pretty human girls now showing considerably more skin than necessary as they cluster closer around him. His companion, the stunning redhead, rolls her eyes and leans in to whisper something in his ear. His sensual mouth curves into the faintest smirk before he resumes scanning the room, bored once again.

Freya! Get a grip and stay away! I swear I can practically hear Nana's voice echoing in my head right now. Yeah, I'm aware that hearing voices belonging to someone who's already passed isn't exactly the picture of mental health, but hey, I've never claimed to have it all together, and clearly I'm losing it completely now!

I wonder if that redhead is actually his mate or something similar. Ugh...why does that thought make my stomach turn?

I finally manage to tear my gaze away when our professor walks in. The instant the middle-aged professor turns toward the board to write something, my eyes drift straight back toward the golden blond god again.

Seriously, how does he make even flicking a pen look that sexy? Literally everything this man does looks obscenely attractive. No, no, absolutely not, this cannot be happening! Normal human man. Normal human man. Stay focused on normal human men, Freya. No lusting after...whatever exactly this creature is.

I glance down at my completely blank notepad. Freya, seriously, what are you even doing right now? Pay attention! So far, the sole piece of information I've retained from today's lecture is that my professor's name is Professor Bennett. Yeah, that's going to be extremely useful come exam time.

No matter how hard I try, my eyes keep drifting right back toward him.

Now I'm noticing how impossibly long his legs are, stretched out beneath the table, or how perfectly they fill out those blue jeans.

By the time lecture ends, I'm absolutely furious with myself. So mad and frustrated I could actually cry. I've retained literally nothing that was taught today. Why, Freya, seriously why? He's not even remotely interested in you, not even a little bit...which honestly is a good thing. Very good. Incredibly, wonderfully good. Completely!

I'm fairly convinced neither of them is human. Definitely not werewolves either. So what exactly are they? Nope, shouldn't matter, shouldn't care. Doesn't change anything regardless of what they actually are. What genuinely matters is staying far away from anything not human. No matter how insanely sexy or impossibly gorgeous he happens to be.

I sigh, gathering my belongings together. Why am I so ridiculously drawn to him anyway? Why do the "not normal" ones always end up being this unfairly attractive?