Chapter 197

The next morning, I woke up snug in Asher’s arms.

My body was pleasantly refreshed. I felt lighter than I had in a very long time, as if much of the weight I had been hauling around had suddenly been cut loose.

I was still in danger, but Asher… Oh, Asher…

I turned in his embrace to look up at his sleeping, peaceful face.

Last night, he had made me feel things I hadn’t thought possible. More, he helped me feel well and thoroughly loved.

With those warm feelings, I could feel the mating bond thrum between us, pleasant and strong. And with it, my own powers felt more stable.

“The mating bond is reconnecting,” Lilith said in my mind. “You should soon feel more control over your projection ability. Plus, the occasional pains you both feel will gradually diminish.”

I placed my hand over Asher’s heart, and was surprised to find that our heartbeats continued to pound in rhythm.

“Two people in love draw strength from each other,” Lilith said.

Gently, a bit sad, I pushed away that remark. “Asher might love me, but he isn’t in love with me.”

“I’m not sure how you can believe that, after last night,” Lilith said.

“Sex and love are not the same thing.”

“You feel the strength of the bond,” Lilith said.

“It doesn’t mean romantic love.”

Lilith elicited a noise, much like a sigh.

“You are young, and have not had many kind encounters. But eventually, you will learn.”

“I know more about love than I want to,” I said in my mind.

“No. You know about liars and cheats. You know heartache. But you will learn. Asher will teach you.”

She seemed so certain, but I wasn’t as sure.

Asher had broken my heart once already. And though he seemed apologetic now, and our bond was growing, I couldn’t let myself be hurt again by expecting more than he was willing to give.

Sexual feelings did not mean romantic love.

A mating bond did not necessarily mean romantic love, either.

I couldn’t risk letting my guard down.

Suddenly, Asher made a sleepy noise and pulled me closer. He nosed at my hair, then hummed contentedly.

My heart flipped in my chest, and I wondered if it was already too late for me to protect my heart.

I loved him so much. Would I ever be okay if he chose to walk away again?

Over the next few days, Asher and I kept tabs on Joseph’s club website, but nothing changed. The website wasn’t shut down. None of the posts were deleted.

None were added either, blessedly. Maybe Joseph had halted all club dealings under the potential pressure of being caught.

But I had thought by now the Academy would have acted in some way. It seemed like my anonymous report had no effect whatsoever. Had they even read it?

“I have an idea,” Asher said, but wouldn’t reveal more. “I don’t want to get your hopes up.”

“Anything is better than nothing,” I replied.

The next night, when we met back in Asher’s room, he was more eager to tell me his news.

“I’ve arranged for a meeting with a younger member of the Academy’s administrative staff, from the Student Affair’s office. She should be able to tell us what happened to the report.”

I frowned a little. “You arranged a meeting? She wouldn’t talk to you at the office?”

“No. She said she would only speak to us off campus and in secret.”

That was strange. If I properly blew the whistle on the website, it shouldn’t be a secret to talk about it. Unless the Academy’s response was less than ideal.

“The Academy wouldn’t try to cover this up, would they?” I asked.

“Even if they wanted to keep it quiet, they would still do something to stop the website,” Asher said. “What Joseph and his lackeys are doing is criminal, and would reflect badly on the school. But…”

He hesitated. When I pressed, he said, “You won’t like it.”

“Tell me anyway.”

“Lamar didn’t tell the police about the website, he told us. Almost like he was afraid of something worse than jail time.”

Asher was right, I didn’t like it.

“What could Lamar be afraid of? Joseph?” I asked.

“Since Joseph is so fond of blackmail and extortion, it wouldn’t surprise me if he had something on Lamar, as well. Lamar took a chance, telling us the truth. We’ll have to be careful on how we proceed.”

“Especially because Joseph already knows that we know.”

“But how did he find that out?” Asher crossed his arms. “The deeper this goes, the more I hate it.”

I tried to think about Joseph’s connections. He was popular, sure, but this? It felt a bit like Coach, who had been able to keep his job because of his mysterious relative that was a high-ranking employee at the Academy.

“Could Joseph have connections within the school?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” Asher sighed. “But I’m hoping our contact will. She should have some insider knowledge about what happened to your letter. She’ll likely know if it even made its way past the front door.”

“I hope she’s honest,” I said. “I want to get to the bottom of this.”

Some of the girls on the website were likely still being extorted for money or favors. Joseph was still free in the world to prey on whomever he wanted.

Someone had to stop him.

Asher lowered his arms. He took one of my hands in his and laced our fingers together.

Since our night of pleasure, he had become more tactile, holding my hand or wrapping his arm around me whenever he could. We had not been intimate again since, but this regular closeness was nice.

“We’ll find out what’s going on,” Asher said. “I promise you.”

Asher kept his promises. With his assurances, I pushed away my fears.

With Asher on my side, I felt like there was nothing we couldn’t accomplish.

When I wasn’t at Asher’s, or in class, I was sitting at my regular table in the library. The librarian still hadn’t warmed to me, but she at least looked less annoyed when I walked by her every day. As long as I was quiet enough, she didn’t bother me.

I spent most of my time reading or re-reading. Sometimes I would write down what I could remember from the text, to help reinforce the ideas into my mind.

The rest of my solo studying time, I spent taking practice tests and reviewing the answers once I checked the results.

Today, I had been so immersed in my study time that I hadn’t realized it had already gotten dark outside.

Ever since running into Joseph, I had been nervous to be out too late alone.

I quickly stuffed my books into my bag and hurried for the exit. I couldn’t run in my condition, but I was determined to move as fast as I could without endangering the baby.

I wouldn’t feel safe again, until I was back at Asher’s side.

Yet when I opened the door, there was another person on the outside of it. A man whose appearance I unfortunately recognized.

He was the head investigator from the hospital. The one who had looked at me across the waiting room. The one who had peered through the window of my door as I rested in my hospital bed.

“Cynthia,” he said, and it wasn’t a question. He knew my name. He knew who I was. “I think it’s time we finally talked.”