Chapter Five
Evie pushed the heavy door open and stepped across the threshold, gawking at the room beyond. Easily three times the size of her father’s office back at the camp, the office offered a warm and welcoming sensation. A fireplace sat dead center on the wall to her right, closest to the door. Positioned further back, a decorative, antique desk dominated the room. Bookcases on either side of the desk overflowed with books, scrolls, and assorted figurines. The jumbled mess on the shelves was the only oddity in the room. Everything else, including the items on the desk, portrayed a picture perfect example of an organized individual.
Two chairs wrapped in rich, dark leather faced the desk, their backs low enough for Evie to tell they currently sat unoccupied. A closed door was on the far wall, but it was the left side of the room that instantly captured Evie’s attention.
She stood riveted as she took in the floor to ceiling weapon’s display. Bows in all shapes and sizes, recurve and compound, along with two long bows. Beside them, short daggers and long broad swords. Even an old musket rifle hung there.
Evie found herself in front of the wall, drawn to the weapons like a moth to flame. Different types of weapons always fascinated her, and she studied many different weaponry techniques when she found sufficient instructors. Yet, there was still more she didn’t know and yearned to learn.
She loved the sleek feel of the various weapons in her hands. A skilled craftsman, one who worked passionately and precisely when creating a masterpiece, left an imprint on the weapon. An almost detectable feeling emanated off the blade or the carved wood. It called out to her, begging for her to touch it. She reached up, running her fingertips along the smooth edge of one intricate blade.
A throat cleared behind her.
Startled, Evie jumped back and blushed at being caught. In the short time since her arrival, the foundation under her feet had been hammered away at, causing it to crumble. On unsteady ground, she would fall into the black hole opening up around her if she wasn’t careful.
She knew not to touch the objects on the wall without permission; a harsh lesson she learned at a younger age. She once touched a dagger from one of her father’s lieutenants. He’d lain it aside during a meeting with her father, and the light refracting off the small piece of steel instilled in her an irresistible urge to pick it up. When discovered, the jovial lieutenant smiled at her, admonished her verbally, and took it from her. When the young officer left, her father, not amused in the least, took a belt to her backside. It left her unable to sit for almost a week until her tender skin healed.
As she turned around, her shoulders hunched with guilt. Her fingers went to the strap of her backpack, plucking at it in nervousness as she focused on the tall man who stood before her. Dressed in a pair of black leather pants, a matching black T-shirt stretched tight across his chest. A thin silver chain hung around his neck, the attached pendent lost from her sight where it tucked away under his shirt. Black motorcycle boots completed his outfit.
Dangerous and sexy at the same time.
Blond hair, so light it was almost white, hung straight to his shoulders. Deep indigo eyes smiled at her, waiting patiently while she finished her perusal. Heat licked her checks at her forwardness. The Surmata smirked at her before he gestured for her to take a seat while he moved behind the desk, gathering papers as he sat.
Evie reached up covertly to make sure she wasn’t drooling. That much maleness shouldn’t be allowed. It was dangerous to any female’s libido, regardless of the species.
The nervousness from when she first walked through the door, afraid of what else she would encounter when she entered the room, drained away. Instead of the adversarial confrontation she expected from a leather clad giant, the stranger’s posture and mannerisms exuded calm.
Evie relaxed as she took a seat opposite him.
“I am Soma Dashiel.” The man spoke without looking up, his voice deep and throaty with some unknown emotion. Occupied as he flipped through a thick folder, his brows furrowed as if something he read angered him. He kept quiet, though, turning the pages slowly.
Not wanting to be caught staring at him again, Evie gazed around the room. The figurines on the shelves drew her eye. Bending forward a little, she tried to see them better.
Little, pixie statues sat in a circle, but each time Evie turned her head and looked back, their positions changed. Small movements like their arms would be in the air one minute, then the next time she looked, they would be pointed downward at their sides. When she peeked out the corner of her eye, she swore one of the smallest figurines winked at her.
Disturbed, she turned her attention back to the man behind the massive desk. Slightly hunched over, eyes focused on the pages in front of him, he bit his lip. His hair hung forward, partially obscuring his face from view. Every once in a while, his hand reached up, pushing the pale locks back behind his ear, but they only stayed in place for a few seconds before they fell forward once again.
He scowled in annoyance and shut the file. Reclining back, he placed his elbows on the arms of the chair, his hands forming an inverted V in front of him. He stared at her, hard.
“Miss Saunders,” he began before he grimaced and started over. “Evie, I’ve read your records. I must say, your educational background is impressive. Even by Surmata standards, you’ve excelled in your studies. Now, we need to figure out where you fit in here and what classes would suit you best.”
Soma Dashiel stopped speaking and waited for Evie to say something. Not sure what he expected of her, she stayed quiet and nodded for him to continue.
“We need to work together to ensure the classes we select are a proper fit for you. Everyone brought in today is required to take a handful of pre-selected classes. But, the rest of your classes are up to you. Right now, I’ve arranged a schedule I think you’ll like. Try it out for a few days. We’ll reconvene a week from tomorrow to see if you’re satisfied with the courses. If you’re not, we can make changes then. We’re not as stringent as traditional universities. We allow students like you to drop or add a class at your discretion as long as you do your part to catch up if necessary.”
He pulled out a piece of paper from within the folder and handed it to her. “Here is a list of possible classes you’re eligible to take. I’ve taken the liberty of marking a star next to the ones you’re currently signed up for. If you take a closer look, two of those classes are marked with an X. Those are the two mandatory classes. They’re human only classes. The rest of your schedule has mixed classes. Will you have trouble working alongside your Surmata classmates?”
“No, sir.” Evie shook her head. She fiddled with the edges of the paper, but tried to maintain eye contact.
“Good. Do you have any questions?” Deep indigo eyes flashed upwards, challenging Evie.
She swallowed tightly before she shook her head.
“Alright then. Mrs. Solomon is outside the door, waiting to escort you to the others.” He stood and walked around the desk to stop in front of her. With a warm smile, he placed his hand against her back as he escorted her to the door. “Have a good night, Evie.”
She offered him a slight smile before opening the door. Mrs. Solomon, the same woman who escorted her before, waited patiently on the other side. As Evie stepped through the doorway, Soma Dashiel’s hand slipped from her back, and the door swung closed behind her.
Immediately, she mourned the loss of his touch. An ache, centered in the pit of her belly, begged for her to turn around. An insane notion pushed her to return to the room, wanting the comfort of his presence back.
Shaking her head at her silliness, she followed the mute woman in front of her.