Page 27 of Our Covenant

“It’ll be quick. Can you open up the program you were using to write it?” He gets up and pulls out Elsbeth’s chair before retaking his own.

She opens her computer and taps a few times before stepping back to let him see. His brow wrinkles as he moves his hands over the keys and trackpad for a long moment. “When did you lose it?” he asks, not raising his eyes from the screen.

Elsbeth doesn’t bat her lashes at him like she had with me. Instead, she uses her body to reel him in. She leans forward, planting the heel of her hand on the table close to Asher and letting her cleavage do the work.

“Last night. Well, this morning, maybe? I’m not sure,” she answers, sending him on a wild-goose chase. But it’s no secret to the three of us that he won’t find anything. “I’ve had too many cups of coffee.”

The low hum of voices starts to come up the stairs and I check the time on the wall. It’s still fairly early, most of our classmates are getting ready for the morning class block and either hitting the campus cafés or dining halls to refuel. But it sounds like something else is going on downstairs. A committee meeting?

When I turn back to the two of them, Asher’s head is lifted and he’s staring up at Elsbeth like he’s seeing her for the first time.

“Did you transfer in from another session? I haven’t seen you in class before.” Asher’s voice is barely audible over the growing noise, but the way he’s looking at her makes my stomach sink.

“I like to keep to myself.” She shifts in her seat and leans in closer to him. ”It’s easier to work without distractions.” Their voices lower and several exchanges happen that I can’t hear.

The first time I laid eyes on her, I couldn’t find words. She’s classically beautiful. Soft but intentional. The way she carries herself is like she is well aware of the way others see her. That perfect curation of effortless fashion and makeup mixed with a strict sense of self-worth. She’s not a snob, though she can be guarded at times, like she was with Fox and me earlier. But when she’s open to a conversation, she is all-consuming. And at the moment, Asher is experiencing the addictive nature of that perfection. I have to do something.

He leans into her, their knees under the table flush together. I can feel the tension of a question coming when the screeching sound of alarms go off overhead. Everyone looks up to the blaring sirens as one of the librarians rushes up the stairs.

“Please collect your most valuable items and find the nearest exit. There is a small fire on the lower level. Do not panic. It is contained,” Gloria, the head librarian, calls with stern authority. “Do not speak. Do not run. The fire is contained. There is no danger, but the fire department has to come and investigate.”

She makes eye contact with me before moving on to repeat her announcement. The study group is getting to their feet behind Asher and Elsbeth. Tension in my shoulders loosens as Asher stands up to gather his things.

“I can help you after class,” he says to Elsbeth as he slings his bag onto his back.

“If you haven’t packed up your belongings, you must exit without them when I get to ten. One . . . Two . . .” Gloria comes bustling back and glares at Elsbeth, who is still sitting down at the table, mouth agape.

I take the opportunity to head toward the stairs and make my way to the first level. There is a whiff of smoke when I reach the second floor, and it gets stronger the farther I descend. Flashes of red and white lights follow me down.

Three admins stand at the front desk on the ground floor. They’re talking to Jerome, a part-time librarian and my classmate last semester. He’s pointing to a small trash can that sits between the double front doors. Tendrils of black stain the silver door of its dome and there is a puddle of water and something that looks like coffee or soda collecting around the smooth metal base.

The floor must have been cleared of students already because aside from the sirens still going off, I can hear him loud and clear as I walk closer. “No one was coming in or out. I checked the feed. No one has thrown anything away in over twenty minutes, and it just burst into flames.”

I look up at the cameras positioned to face the door. Whoever set it would have had to come in or out of the doors and there is nowhere to hide. The nearest row of shelves are at least twenty feet away, and most people use the first two floors as a meeting place. The majority of the space is taken up by tables, armchairs, and couches.

“You can’t go in there.” Gloria comes up behind me, her shrill voice in my ear making me jump. “Use the exit next to the bathrooms.”

“Right,” I say, but she’s already moving toward Jerome and the other faculty members as two firemen walk through the front doors. Less than five minutes. That has to be some sort of record.

The small fire was long extinguished with no obvious harm done, but since the entire school is historic, the fire department has to be called and the building has to be evacuated. I glance over my shoulder to see Elsbeth finally coming down the stairs, her curiosity about the commotion finally getting the best of her. I slink slowly back to where the bathrooms and emergency exit are to wait for her. Gloria will likely have her leave the same way, and I think it’s time that Elsbeth and I have a real conversation.

Giving Elsbeth a few seconds, I lie in wait. The dark alcove is the perfect cover to spring on someone, and that seems like the worst place to put the women’s bathroom, but today it’s to my advantage. My heart pounds in my ears as seconds pass. Will she be scared, or will she show me the same fight she did at the gym? The fury in her eyes could become my new kink. I like the way she challenges me, but threatening Fox with pepper spray got my dick rock-hard. That inner fire is intoxicating.

Finally, she turns into the hallway, looking for a back exit, and I push off the wall.

Turn around. I know you feel me.

The bounce of her ponytail makes my palm itch. I want to know how many times her silky strands will wrap around my fist. Will she call out my name when I pin her body with mine?

She’s within reach, and anticipation thrums in my blood as I close the distance between us. Her hand reaches for the emergency exit door, but before I can get to her, someone else comes out of the shadows and pulls her into the men’s bathroom.

I curse under my breath and plant my hands on the door to try and push it open, but whoever grabbed her is too fast, the deadbolt firmly in place.

I deepen my voice and slam my hand on the wood. “Hey!”

“One minute!” she yells back, and I freeze.

She knows them? Everything about this girl is a mystery layered in smoke.