Chapter 10 A Dangerous Proposal

• Gideon's hand brushed mine, his voice silk and venom.
• Elara was used to walking the Academy's halls with whispers trailing behind her like smoke, a constant reminder of her precarious position in the supernatural hierarchy. But now, whenever the murmurs grew too loud or the stares too hostile, Gideon Wicke appeared as if summoned by her distress.
• It started with something deceptively small. A leather-bound tome on Pack Dynamics slipped from her overloaded arms in the main corridor, its ancient binding threatening to crack against the polished marble floor. Before she could stoop to retrieve it, before embarrassment could flood her cheeks with heat, Gideon was there.