“Trying to charm the faculty now, are we, Miss Orlova?” Grey’s voice was so cold my tea nearly froze solid, and I promptly choked on it.

  “No — why would you think that?” I wheezed, attempting to remain alive and dignified at the same time.

  Grey leaned closer.

  “I saw you flirting,” he said, with the calm certainty of a man delivering a death sentence.

  My eyes nearly climbed off my face in shock, but surprise quickly burned into anger. Heat rushed through my veins like wildfire, and I narrowed my eyes. Silence was no longer an option.

  “We’re adults,” I snapped, lifting my chin. “If we want to flirt, we flirt. If we want to sleep together, we sleep together. That’s none of your business. Your job is to teach, not supervise students’ private lives like a bitter ghost.”

  Not a single muscle moved on Grey’s face, but something dangerous flickered in his eyes.

  “And the rule forbidding relationships between staff and students doesn’t apply to you? Never read the Charter? By the way, I see you’ve removed the bow-leg curse. How did you manage that?” His brow lifted, mockery dripping. “Surely not by yourself?”

  My brain switched into exam mode: answer first, panic later.

  “Yes. By myself,” I said quickly, forcing myself not to blink. “I’m extremely talented. And occasionally lucky.”

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  Grey narrowed his eyes.

  “A lie,” he said flatly. “You could not have removed it. Your reserve is far too weak — red level. Next time, think before attempting to deceive me, miss Orlova. Did my assistant help you?”

  “No. Another friend.”

  “Oh? You have many of those, do you?” he said dryly, clearly implying boyfriends. “And what did you pay with, I wonder? Let me guess — since you’re a succubus, someone offered… intimacy. Or are you still denying it?”

  “I. Am. NOT. A SUCCUBUS!” I snapped. “Just so you know, humans also engage in intimacy. You might try it sometime. Preferably with your own kind.”

  “With my own kind?” he repeated slowly, voice soft with lazy menace. “Advising me on personal matters, Miss Orlova? Bold. Especially for someone with such a… pathetic reserve.”

  I snorted, as if my nerves were forged from steel rather than melted rubber.

  “What, jealous, Professor?” I shot back, emboldened by my own recklessness. “If someone enjoys life, it doesn’t mean everyone else must sit around decaying.”

  He stepped closer — too close. I realised, belatedly, that I had wandered far beyond safe territory. His face was suddenly near enough to be genuinely alarming, and I had to tilt my head to meet his cold grey eyes.