Damn you, Professor

CHAPTER NINE

Damn you, Professor 

Lucian quickly ran into the other side of the building and as expected, her battered body was on the other side while her head was forced through a hole in the wall. 

Lucian's chest tightened. Artemis was no longer a bully. He was a fucking demon!

He quickly ran over to her and pulled her carefully out of the wall. Because the hole was small, it was quite a struggle that ended up grazing both her neck and face. 

She was bleeding from multiple wounds and bruises and it made Lucian a little cautious while holding her to avoid hurting her. 

“I'm so sorry, Elle,” Lucian apologized, pulling her into a hug. “I promise you, he won't get away with this…”

He barely got to finish the words when she pulled away from him. 

“There is no need,” she muttered. She raised her head to look at him and the sight of those broken eyes made Lucian's heart clench. 

He should have damned those stupid lectures and helped her. How could he have abandoned her like that to someone like Artemis for a few hours?

If he could do this in just a few hours, he couldn't imagine what Shawn who had spent months under him went through.

“Elle…”

She rose to her feet, fighting back the tears that clouded her eyes. 

“I guess in the end, it all boils down to the fact that I am his next pet now. That is my fate and nobody can change it,” she muttered.

Her words broke his heart. She made to walk past him but he caught her arm.

Lucian was ready to make things right. 

“Elle…” 

“Please stay away from me, Professor,” she yanked her hand away from him. “Just meeting you alone made him so mad at me. I can't afford that again. I'll be fine on my own. Forgive me for bothering you, Professor.” 

As Lucian watched her walk away, his fists began clenching. They clenched so hard that all knuckles turned white. Anger seeped through his veins as he watched her fragile injured form stagger away. 

He wanted to go after her but her words replayed over and over in his head. He needed to get those bastards.

“Elle!” Lucian called suddenly, standing up. She stopped in her tracks. “I am going to make them pay for what they did to you, whether you want my help or not!” 

There was hesitation for a split second before she walked away. Lucian walked further into the building and took the stairs. 

He returned to the spot where the minions were. He could hear them discussing.

“Damn, that Professor is just as badass as he looks. We're lucky he took it lightly with us,” One said. 

“Don't be so loudmouthed. He's only lenient with us because he has no idea what we did to that little twig. He thinks the girl is with Artemis,” another said and Lucian's steps slowed. 

“I mean, Artemis did ask us to have as much as we like and he was the one who stuff her face in that wall so he might as well take the fall for all of us. We've gotten our fair share of beating,” another said and Lucian's eyes darkened.

Fair share of beating? What a joke!

They might have been acting on Artemis' instructions but it didn't change the fact that they hurt that girl. 

“Don't get too comfortable. We all got our asses kicked by one man with no form of weapons. Artemis would kill us himself when he finds out,” the second voice said. “We had just one job. Teach that fucking professor a lesson…”

“It's not too late to do it,” Lucian's suddenly echoed in the room and seven pairs of eyes turned to him.

Their faces paled at the sight of him. They clearly thought he was long gone. Why was he still here and why did those icy blue eyes look like murderous intent was infused into them?

Even the air around them felt different. 

He took a step forward and they all shrunk closer. They were still in bad shape from the last fight. They couldn't take anymore of him. 

“Prrrroo…fessorr… what are you doing back… h-here…” one managed to stutter out. 

Lucian took long strides forward as he spoke. 

“There are two things I hate in this world…” his tone was calm yet razor sharp at the same time. His aura had suddenly gone from calm and soothing to menacing. “One of them are bullies.” 

They gulped hard. 

“What are you doing guys? We can't let this man beat us the second time! There are seven of us and just one of him for heaven's sake! If we go at him at once, he doesn't stand a chance,” one yelled out. 

Lucian stopped walking, adjusting his glasses as he stared at them with a blank expression. 

“You should do that,” he encouraged. “It's no fun tearing you limb to limb if you're just cowering at the corner. Come at me with everything you've got. I've got more than enough rage to spare.” 

Those words frightened them even more. How could someone look so calm while giving such a threat?

To make it worse, he was actually capable of doing all that to them. Their legs went jelly from fear. They didn't dare move. 

Clearly, they were hoping that if they continued to cower, it would make him take pity on them but unfortunately, it got Lucian even more pissed. 

They could go all out and inflict pain on an innocent defenseless girl but they couldn't stand in the face of a real man?

He was even more motivated to kick their asses now. 

Lucian didn't wait for them to make a move.

With a sharp breath, he lunged forward, fists clenched like steel. The first guy barely had time to blink before Lucian’s knuckles crashed into his jaw, sending him sprawling across the room with a dull thud.

The others flinched but didn’t move fast enough. Lucian was already on the second one, grabbing the back of his collar and slamming his face into the nearest desk. Wood cracked, blood splattered.

“That's for touching her,” Lucian hissed.

Two of them tried to tackle him at once, charging from either side, but Lucian ducked and twisted, grabbing one by the arm and flipping him hard onto the ground. The other caught a swift elbow to the ribs, wheezing and dropping like a sack of bricks.

“You only feel strong when your opponent can't fight back,” he growled, eyes wild with fury. “Let me return the favour.”

One of them scrambled to the corner, fumbling for a chair to use as a weapon, but Lucian didn’t give him the chance. He kicked the chair out of the man's grip and punched him in the gut, dropping him instantly.

“Four down,” Lucian muttered, turning to face the last three who were now huddled together in fear.

One of them—the biggest of the bunch—mustered up enough stupidity to charge again, yelling as he swung a thick metal rod.

Lucian sidestepped smoothly and grabbed his arm mid-swing, twisting until he heard a sickening crack. The guy screamed and fell to his knees, clutching his broken limb.

“Five,” Lucian counted, stepping over him.

The last two dropped to their knees, begging.

“Please, we—we didn’t know he’d go that far—Artemis—he—he made us!” one cried, voice trembling.

Lucian stared at them coldly.

“I don’t care,” he said, voice low. “You chose to hurt her. You enjoyed it. And now you think begging will wipe your slate clean?”

He grabbed one by the shirt and pulled him close.

“Tell Artemis I’m coming for him,” he whispered. “And when I’m done, he’ll wish I only broke his bones.”

With one final punch, he knocked the guy out cold. The last one fainted on the spot without being touched.

Lucian exhaled, chest heaving. Blood stained his knuckles, but his rage still simmered.

He straightened, pushing a hand through his hair.

“Damn you, Professor,” he muttered to himself, echoing Elle’s words. “You should’ve stopped this earlier.”

He turned to the unconscious boys.

“You don't get to sleep while she's out there suffering. The seven of you are going to report yourselves to the board,” Lucian said, grabbing the bottles of alcohol scattered around. 

He emptied it on them to wake them up and a few sprouted up, coughing..

“Did I make myself clear?” He asked. Even though they didn't hear what he said, they didn't dare ask him to repeat himself so they responded weakly.

“Yes, Sir.”