Adored By Them

ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊ᡣ𐭩 ⊹ ࣪ ౨ৎ˚₊

Aurelia

“I’m just saying, if the river was supposed to symbolize freedom, why did it drown her?”

Zuri’s eyes light up with that familiar spark of challenge. “Because freedom isn’t always safe,” she shot back, leaning forward. “Freedom can kill you.”

A few girls nearby were half-asleep, heads propped on their hands. Others were passing notes, barely listening.

“So you’re saying the author drowned her to prove a point?”

“I’m saying the author drowned her to prove the point.”

Ms. Ramsey held up a hand, a small smile on her face. “Alright, ladies. That’s enough. Both of you made excellent points, and I’d love to hear more tomorrow, but class is dismissed.”

I shot Zuri a look. “This isn’t over.”

“It never is,” she said, grinning.

I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

I liked this. The back-and-forth. The push and pull. It was one of the few classes where I felt like myself.

I pulled out my schedule, scanning it quickly. Business next. Fantastic.

I stopped by the bathroom, pushing through the door. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead as I faced my reflection.

My big brown eyes stared back at me. My hair was pulled into a French braid that fell to my lower back, but a few strands had already escaped, curling around my face. I tucked them back and straightened my blouse. Good enough.

I pushed the door open, grateful to find it almost empty now. Everyone had shuffled off to their classes, leaving me with blessed silence for about three seconds before—

“Oh! We’re just so delighted to have you in our school!”

I froze mid-step.

That was Principal Sherrin’s voice, dripping with that overly sweet tone she used when she was trying to impress someone. I spotted her near the main entrance, surrounded by a group of men in sharp suits.

.....Maybe they were new teachers? The school had been hiring like crazy lately.

My curiosity faded as I glanced at the clock. Seven minutes late for class. Shoot.

I walked past them, keeping my head down and trying not to draw any attention as I headed for the stairs. Just a few more steps and I’d be—

“Aurelia!”

Ugh.

I forced myself to stay composed as I turned on my heels, plastering on my best ‘I love school, miss perfect’ expression.

“Yes?” I asked, my voice sweet as honey.

Principal Sherrin’s eyes were still stuck on the strangers, practically sparkling with excitement. “Come here, I would like you to meet some people.”

I sucked in a breath. Great. Just what I needed.

I walked toward them, keeping my eyes fixed on the principal as I stood next to her. I wasn’t about to stare at these strangers like some gawking idiot.

The woman’s pearly white teeth flashed at me as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. Her grip was too tight, her perfume overwhelming. “Aurelia, I would like you to meet these six distinguished professors from Willsberg University,” she spoke, her big blue eyes practically glued to them like they were celebrities.

“They have generously offered to perform lectures in our assembly next week,” she continued.

I naturally raised my eyebrows.

Willsberg University? The prestige university that probably had a rejection rate of ninety-nine percent? What do they want with us?

I gave them all a quick glance, not paying too much attention. Sharp suits. Strong jawlines. Important-looking. Whatever.

I turned back to Principal Sherrin. “Amazing, we’re so honored to be in the presence of such educators,” I spoke swiftly, with a practiced smile.

Fake it, fake it, fake it, fake it.

A soft chuckle came from somewhere in the group. I ignored it.

“This is Professor Laeton,” the principal said, turning me to face the first stranger.

Once my eyes lied on him, my heart dropped.

Holy...

Professor Laeton stood tall and buff. He had that kind of face you’d see in old paintings—sharp jaw, straight nose, the kind of looks that made people stare without meaning to. His dark brown hair was thick, slightly tousled as if he’d run a hand through it moments before. But it was his eyes that snagged my attention.

Hazel, threaded with gold.

He smiled. A faint curve of his lips that made my stomach tighten.“Aurelia,” he said, my name slow and deliberate, like he was tasting it. “What a pleasure.”

As he extended his hand, I caught the edge of black thorned vines curling up the side of his neck.

Tattoos. Of course. The hot ones always had tattoos.

I forced myself to take his hand. His grip was warm, firm, his thumb brushing lightly over my knuckles.

Principal Sherrin’s voice floated somewhere in the background, but I wasn’t listening.

My skin burned where he’d touched me. And those gold-laced eyes held mine like a challenge.

I managed to find my voice, maintaining my composure. “Pleasure is all mine.”

His grip tightened, just for a heartbeat, before he let go.

The contact left my skin buzzing, and before I could process it, Principal Sherrin was already steering me toward the next professor.

“And this is Professor Nikalous.”

My breath hitched. Holy hell.

He was stunning. Sharp cheekbones. A jawline that could cut glass. Light green eyes that glowed under the sunlight streaming through the school’s windows. A dusting of freckles across his nose softened his otherwise striking features. His light brown curls were half-pulled into a careless man bun.

“Hello, Aurelia.” His voice was low, but it had a twinge of an accent... Greek, maybe? It curled around my name like a secret.

I forced myself to shake his hand, my fingers dwarfed by his. That’s when I saw it—the same thorned vines as Laeton’s, this time trailing along his wrist. My stomach twisted.

Was that some kind of university thing? A club? A cult? I made a mental note to Google it later.

The third professor was, to absolutely no one’s surprise, yet another unfairly attractive one.

Professor Ezekiel. A name that sounded like it belonged to some fallen angel in an old scripture.

His eyes were a deep, unsettling grey, the kind that made you think of old ash after a fire. They stood out starkly against his sun-kissed skin.

Like the others, he was broad-shouldered, built like he could pin me against a wall without breaking a sweat. His black hair was tousled, just shy of messy, and he was watching me with a smirk that was all sharp edges.

“Aurelia,” he said, his voice smooth but with a rough undercurrent. “Charming.”

I forced a tight-lipped smile, shaking his hand. His fingers were long, but there was nothing delicate about them. His grip was firm, testing, like he was gauging my reaction. And when he pulled away, my eyes fell down.

The thorned pattern again, this time creeping up from his collarbone like the vines were growing upward from his heart.

Okay, definitely a cult.

“And Professor Zoriaz.”

The fourth professor stood before me. Different in energy, but no less striking. Thick black glasses framed his dark brown eyes, giving him a studious intensity.

His tanned skin and strong desi features—the bold arch of his brows, the sharp cut of his jaw—stood out against his crisp white collar. Like the others, his broad shoulders and muscular build suggested he spent as much time in a gym as a lecture hall.

His handshake was brief but firm, and as his sleeve pulled back slightly, I caught a glimpse of the now-familiar thorned design circling his forearm like a barbed band.

Despite his no-nonsense demeanor, I couldn’t deny it...

He was breathtaking.

I clenched my warm hand into a fist, forcing myself to breathe normally.

The fifth professor was Professor Kane.

I felt a shudder run down my spine. He was attractive—don’t get me wrong—with soulless black eyes and porcelain skin.

His handsome angular features hinted at slight East Asian ones, and his hands veiny and covered with silver rings.

His pink thin lips were not amused, and he had a deep, unsettling eerie vibe.

He didn’t outstretch his hand, but when he adjusted his silver rings, I saw the thorned vines tattooed across his knuckles—the sharpest and darkest of them all.

I moved on to the professor next to him quickly. All while his gaze stayed locked on me, making my skin crawl.

“And this is Professor Azriel.”

The sixth professor stood slightly apart from the others, his platinum blonde hair with dark roots falling in loose waves around his sharp features. His eyes, an unsettling shade of amber, remained fixed on me as Principal Sherrin spoke.

When he turned his head slightly, I caught just a glimpse of the infamous, black ink behind his ear.

“Aurelia,” he said, his voice smooth like honey over gravel. “Nice name.”

Principal Sherrin cleared her throat. “Professor Azriel teaches literature at Willsberg.”

“Among other things,” he murmured, though those strange amber eyes never left mine.

Principal Sherrin squeezed my shoulders tighter.

“Aurelia is one of our top students, always getting the highest grades. She comes from a very respectable family. This girl practically runs the school,” she exaggerated, giving them that desperate, pleading smile she reserved for donors and important visitors.

“We have no doubt,” a soft but deep voice said. I looked up to see Professor Laeton had spoken. I gave him a soft smile before averting my eyes.

Stop staring at him, Aurelia. Stop. It.

“Oh, and you know what, since you’re here,” Principal Sherrin started, turning me to face her, “I’d like it if you gave these lovely professors a tour of our school. I would do it myself, but I still have so much work right now.” Her expression turned pitiful as she looked at them.

My blood ran cold.

Me? Alone?...With them..?! Be serious right now.

“I would love to, but I have business class now and I’m already running late,” I said swiftly, my tone laced with fake disappointment.

Please take the hint. Please.

“Oh, no worries! I’ll talk to Mr.—”

“Principle Sherrin, it’s no trouble. We can have the tour another time.”

I didn’t need to turn to know it was Professor Laeton speaking. His voice was calm, measured, like he was used to being in control.

“After all, we wouldn’t want to disrupt a seventeen-year-old’s education—”

“Eighteen,” I corrected, turning to face him.

“Of course,” he said, though I didn’t miss the brief flash of relief that crossed his features for a split second. “We wouldn’t want to interfere with a student’s attendance, especially not with someone as dedicated as herself.” His eyes met mine as he spoke the last words.

“Well... I suppose,” Principal Sherrin sighed.

Yes!

“Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you all, and we’re truly honored to have you at our school. I should get to class now,” I said politely, excusing myself.

I turned and walked toward the stairs, feeling six pairs of eyes boring into my back.

My cheeks were burning. My heart was thumping so loudly I could hear it in my ears.

What the hell was that?