Chapter 019

TALIA

Mother had tried to act like professor Cassian's threat did not bother her. But later that night when father came back and I had been on my way to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk to help me sleep, I had heard them whispering.

"Do you really think he will do it?" father had asked. "I mean, what possible interest could he even have in all this?"

"He looked very serious," mother had replied. "I don't really know how, but I'm sure that Talia is causing all trouble with the professor. That girl has been nothing but trouble since she was-"

I had crept back upstairs, not wanting to hear any more.

Knowing mother and how much she loved holding up the picture of a perfect family, one thing was certain. They would not be able to withdraw me from South Ville because of Cassian. At least not yet.

One question though would not leave my mind. How had he known I was on trouble? How was it that on the day it had been decided I would stop going to school, he had come up with something that made it mandatory for me to attend school?

A coincidence? Or more...

There was another thing that was very strange.

I had not entered for any competition. So what literature competition had the Professor been talking about?

I thought and thought until like my head was going to explode at any moment. Wearily I closed my eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

That was when I heard the noise. From right outside my window.

Sitting up in bed, I held my breath, listened. The noise came again. A faint tap on the glass.

I was reaching for the off switch on my night lamp when I saw a small pebble hit the glass, making that sound again.

Someone was at my window.

I crept out of bed, pulled open the curtain, staying close to the wall, ready to scream for help at the slightest sign of danger. Taking a deep, steadying breath, I peered out the window.

Down below, half hidden in the shadows of the front yard stood Cassian, his hands shoved deep in his pockets, looking up at me. The sight of him made my heart jump.

For a long moment, I could only gape at him. I blinked, wondering if I was imagining him there. Then he began to gesture for me to come down.

I hesitated, but only for a moment. I found myself shoving the glass out of the way.

I sat on the sill, swung both legs out, braced myself and jumped. As I hit the ground, my right foot caught in a loose stone. A muffled gasp left my lips as I stumbled forward before catching myself.

Cassian started forward, his hands hovering an inch above my arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Are you hurt?"

I was surprised to hear him sounding anxious. A worry line creased his brow.

"I'm fine," I assured him and he looked at the hands reaching for me as though he didn't remember how they had gotten there. He hastily shoved them back into his pockets again. "It's er- not my first time climbing out of a window."

I felt the colour in my cheeks rising, as in spite of myself, I began to wonder how I looked. Was my hair right? My clothes? I hadn't made much of an impression when he had come earlier today.

"Let's take a walk," Cassian said, already beginning to move, sure that I would follow.

I did. Even though I was confused about what was going on, it didn't change the fact that I still wanted to be with him or close to him.

As we walked, I kept my head cocked to one side, breathing in the cold night air thick with the smell of freshly cut grass. Doing that meant I wouldn't stay fixated on his scent.

We soon left the row of houses behind, then the street. He led me into the woods to the very spot where we had met for the first time. The moon was shining brightly in the sky, illuminating everything.

I stood staring at the tree I had crashed into in what felt like a lifetime ago. The forest was still and silent except for the occasional cry of a bird and the fierce thumping of my heart.

Behind me, a twig snapped. I turned to see Cassian staring at me.

"I am sorry," he murmured.

If I had not seen his lips move, I might not have believed he had actually said those three words.

"What?" I said, blinking. "Why? I mean... what are you apologizing for?"

"For everything. For ignoring you for so long. For not treating you better. Mostly for being a jerk. I'm sorry."

His apologies got past all my defenses and went straight to my heart. Tears burned the back of my eyes. I hurriedly blinked them back.

A tear fell anyway. With my thumb, I wiped it off. His words felt like what I had been dying to hear.

"From now on, I am going to take care of you," he promised and a warm, pleasant feeling began to spread through my chest.

"How did you-" I stopped. My voice was a hoarse croak. I swallowed and tried again. "How did you know I was on trouble with my parents?"

Cassian shrugged. "I had a hunch."

I waited for him to say something more, to explain. He didn't.

"A hunch..." I said. "It must have been a pretty strong one for you to know what exactly my parents were planning."

"Have you had dinner?"

"What?" I asked, thrown by the abrupt change of subject.

"I'm asking if you ate tonight," he explained patiently.

"Um- no," I admitted.

I had been so upset with all that had happened that I had gone straight up to bed without even thinking of eating.

"Let's go and have some food then," he said.

I was still dressed in a t-shirt and jeans so I was good to go. As before, he led the way out of the woods and I followed. I was helpless not to.

I asked myself why he had suddenly gotten a change of heart. Not that I was complaining though.

What was happening now was exactly what I had dreamed of. Only it still felt like a dream.

Cassian took me to a restaurant. At the late hour, there were only a few customers left.

When we got in, he had a brief whispered conversation with a waiter who had come hurrying over at the sight of us. There was a wait of barely two minutes and we were ushered by another waiter into a private booth.

I lowered myself slowly onto the plush leather seats, looking around. My already rapid heartbeat accelerated when I glanced over at Cassian again and found him watching me.

"It's alright," he said softly. "You can relax. Feel comfortable. I know the owner of this place so we will not be disturbed."

The waiter brought the menu. While I pored over it, another came bearing Cassian's usual as he called it.

Service in the restaurant was fast. In minutes my order was served.

After a few mouthfuls of the really good food that took the edge off my hunger, I gazed up at Cassian from beneath my lashes. He was the kind of man one could watch all day.

I found myself staring far too long and far too intensely at his bottom lip which had a dab of sauce on it. Biting my lip, I looked down at my food.

"Tell me about yourself," I said. "Who really is Professor Cassian Lennox? Where do you come from?"

Cassian did not answer. He frowned slightly down at his glass of wine. His eyes clouded with irritation. Clearly he did not want to take about himself.

"I will tell you all about that some other time," he finally said in a tone that didn't invite argument. Then he glanced up, his expression softening a little and asked, "Okay by you?"

"It's fine," I told him, wondering why he was so secretive.

I felt almost certain that even his colleagues at school knew nothing but the basic details about him.

A puzzle. It was the word that best described Professor Cassian Lennox.

After an excellent dinner, we strolled back to my house in what I thought of as a companionable silence. At the gate he stopped. My mind was reeling as I desperately tried to gauge how our evening together had gone.

"Thanks for dinner," I said.

He nodded. "I will be back to check on you from time to time. I would appreciate it if you tell me everything going with you. I want to know. I want to help."

"Does this mean you accept me as your mate now?" I blurted out.

Cassian's expression was unreadable as he stared down at me for some seconds before saying, "I will answer that later."