Lucian walked into the dormitory building with his arm around Cate's shoulders. The girl in his arms had calmed down. The crazed obsession that had seemed capable of tearing everything apart had vanished without a trace, leaving only gentle, clinging affection. She rested her head on his shoulder like a traveler who had finally found shelter from the storm.
Lucian took her back to his room and closed the door.
"Get some sleep. You've barely slept all night."
Cate bit her lip and shook her head. "Stay with me."
"I'm not going anywhere," Lucian promised her.
Only after receiving that promise did Cate finally relax and lie down. She kept her clothes on, simply curling up under Lucian's covers, but her hand gripped the hem of his shirt tightly, as though it were the only rope connecting her to the world.
Lucian sat beside the bed and watched her quickly fall into a deep sleep from sheer exhaustion, a faint, contented smile still on her face.
As he was thinking, his phone rang.
It was Professor Brink.
Lucian silenced the phone, gently pried Cate's fingers loose, and stepped onto the balcony. Only after closing the door did he answer.
"Are you awake?" Brink sounded in good spirits. "Did you have fun last night? A celebration for taking the top spot-young people ought to let loose a little."
There was a knowing tease in his tone. Although Lucian had already implanted the underlying principle that Lucian's interests took precedence over everything else for him, Brink still went about his daily affairs in his usual manner. That was just what Lucian wanted. He still needed this old fox to use his connections to open doors for him.
"It was all right, Professor," Lucian replied.
"Good." Brink changed the subject. "There's a celebration