Gothicana

CHAPTER 15

Corvina

It was the hand around her waist that woke her up.

Corvina blinked her bleary eyes open on an unfamiliar pillow, disoriented. There were wooden beams on her ceiling. Why were there wooden beams on her ceiling? And a chandelier? Since when did they have a chandelier in the room? And why was the morning light coming from the left of the room instead of the right?

As her brain tried to process the new details, she became aware of the solid, warm weight against her side, a muscular arm around her stomach keeping her pi

Heart thundering, she turned her neck to the side, seeing the arresting face of the man who had somehow buried himself under her skin. He was tensed, even in his sleep, dressed in black sweatpants and nothing more, his hair mussed in his slumber. Corvina traced his face with her eyes, those full lips and the powerful eyes hidden behind his lids, and looked out the window at the grey sky that marked the early morning.

She had slept in his bed the entire night.

She didn’t even remember when she fell into the exhausted slumber. But she hadn’t slept so well during her entire time at the castle. No idea when he came in and decided to sleep by her side, not understanding why he would sleep beside her, especially if he knew about her, Corvina felt a lump in her throat.

Human contact was such a precious thing. Only people who had been starved of touch knew the value of it, knew to never take it for granted, especially something so intimate like sleeping beside someone. As someone who had always slept alone, even when she’d lived with her mama, Corvina hadn’t realized how hungry she had been for the prolonged contact that made her feel so belonged. She’d always wanted to belong, to be loved, to be cherished by someone despite every baggage she came with. The sheer degree of that desire made something hollow inside her chest gnaw and ache. She wanted to stay right there, letting him hold her safe.

Hands trembling, eyes burning, she gazed at him, silently thanking him for giving her this, another beautiful first, another memory she would keep safe in a corner of her heart that would remain untouched by her mind.

But she knew she couldn’t stay and bask in the moment as much as she wanted to. 

For one, she needed to get away from this man who had somehow learned more about her than she’d ever expected to reveal. She didn’t understand that, how a man who was teaching part-time and still studying could have accessed confidential records about her or her mother. Who the hell was he?

Second, she needed to get back and see what was happening at school in the aftermath of Troy. Corvina closed her eyes, her nose twitching as the thought of never seeing Troy again tightened her throat. But Jade would be worse, and she needed to be there for her friend. She needed to get back and get away.

With that thought in mind, carefully peeling his arm from around her, Corvina slid out from the bed, placing the pillow she’d been sleeping on under his arm. In sleep, his hand grabbed it and pulled it close, and Corvina hesitated, wanting nothing more to get back there and have him hold her like that, and surround herself with his scent and his warmth.

God, how she wanted him.

Which was exactly the reason she needed to leave. Lust was one thing, but emotional attachment would only end up breaking her, especially to a man who had told her clearly he wouldn’t get attached. She was already in too deep if her panic last night was anything to go by.

Straightening her clothes and pulling her bag over her shoulder, Corvina crossed the room to the door while undoing her messy braid, pulling her hair back into a ponytail, and took a last look around the room, committing it to her memory.

Then, just as quietly, she escaped the room and the thankfully quiet building, ru

Her hair whipping behind her, she climbed the foggy stairs up the mountain that led to the main castle grounds, emerging out on top of the path to run into none other than Kaylin Cross.

The older woman, clad in neon ru

Corvina froze for a second, her mind going blank. “Um, hi Kaylin.” 

Kaylin frowned even harder. “Were you in the faculty wing?”

Corvina denied hard. “No, I just went for a walk. I needed to clear my head after yesterday.”

The older woman studied her for a minute, before nodding. “Just so you are aware, any faculty and student mingling outside class is frowned upon at Verenmore, unless there are special circumstances. You’ve already had one of those. As your point of contact, I highly recommend not having another.”

Corvina gripped her skirt. “I just went for a walk.”

Kaylin began to head on her way. “I find that unlikely, Corvina. Especially given the slept-in state of your very distinctive clothes, the same ones you were wearing yesterday. Watch your step,” she gave her a meaningful look and left.

Shit.

Hurrying back to her tower after the encounter, Corvina saw a few students already outside. Thankfully, none of them paid any attention to her as she slipped in and went up to her room. It was empty, Jade probably still in the medical room.

Corvina threw her bag to the side and collapsed on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering what she was going to do. If she wanted to stay at the university, she couldn’t risk being with Vad again outside of classes, no matter how tempting it was. Moreover, she couldn’t be with him again, not after knowing what he found out on his own. But how did he do that? The Institute had assured her that all the patient records were confidential. They hadn’t even shared them on her university application. So who was this man, this twenty-eight-year-old part-time professor of literature who got them? She didn’t understand.

But she needed to speak to Dr. Detta. Somewhere on this campus, there had to be a phone for emergencies, and she needed to find it. The fact that Troy would’ve known a detail like that sent a pang through her heart.

Shaking off the gloom lest she stayed in bed all day, Corvina took her towel and toiletries, ready to take a shower before the bathrooms got occupied. Unzipping her boots and taking off her clothes, she stripped down, wrapped the big towel around herself, and went out of the room to the common showers.

There were eight of them and a large common area with the sinks in white and beige tiles that matched the walls. It was still pretty early so the stalls were all empty, only a night light on in the space.

Corvina turned on the main lights from the switchboard on the side of the door and moved to the shower stall she always used, one at the very end. The plumbing inside it was old and the pipes groaned when she turned on the faucet. A steady diagonal stream from the nozzle came a few inches above her head.

Locking the door, she hung her towel and tested the water, satisfied. The reason she liked this stall was because the water was never too hot or too cold in it. It automatically came out just at the right temperature. Standing underneath the spray, Corvina tilted her head back and let the water cleanse her, soothe her, replenish her, washing away all the stress down the drain.