All Chapters of BOURNEMOUTH SHIFTER ACADEMY : Chapter 31 - Chapter 33

Nessa slipped into the leather back seat without uttering a single word. Zane slid in right behind her, the heavy vehicle door shutting with a solid, airtight thud that cut off the quiet morning outside. As the sedan pulled smoothly away from the curb, Nessa kept her eyes locked straight ahead, refusing to look back at Talia’s house, she simply couldn't bring herself to face it.Zane leaned back into the dark leather upholstery and reached inside his tailored coat. The sleek lighter clicked on his second try, a small flame catching as he pulled a slow drag from a cigarette. He cracked the side window just a fraction, letting a thin trail of smoke drift out into the cool air."You don't smoke," he observed, his silver eyes fixed on the misty road ahead. "So I won't bother offering."A heavy silence stretched between them before he broke it again."Have you eaten anything yet?""I'm not hungry."He let out a short, breathy exhale through his nose. "And yet you'd happily be anywhere

A wave of heat rushed straight into Nessa's face, making her cheeks burn. She wished the marble floor would split open and swallow her whole right then and there.Zane struck his lighter, the small flame briefly illuminating the sharp angles of his jawline and cheekbones."It isn't as though I find you particularly tempting," he stated flatly. The words should have offered her a sense of relief, but instead, they landed like a cold slap, leaving her thoroughly humiliated."Not that it changes anything," he added, exhaling a thin stream of gray smoke toward the high ceiling."You look completely terrified every single time I step within two feet of you."Nessa stared down at the green silk clutched in her hands, her heart pounding even harder. Because he wasn't wrong. She was terrified.Not because she believed he would physically strike her, but because she had no idea how to survive his presence.Zane Blackwood completely dominated every single room he entered, every conversation, ev