“I… apologize for interrupting,” she said suddenly, her perfect posture unimpeded but her voice now shaky. “I seem to have forgotten what I was saying.” Her eyes flicked to John, and something flickered in their depths – confusion mixed with something more primal, something hungry.
“Perhaps you should sit for a moment, Miss Blackwell,” John suggested, his voice steady despite the pounding of his heart. He couldn’t believe it was working.
Liliana nodded and walked to the back of the room, a vacant expression on her face as she sat at an empty desk. John stood, his usual slouched posture replaced with a commanding presence. The other students whispered, but he paid them no attention.













