Horse Stone (Book 1 of Ilyrian Series)

Chapter 118

Ms. Carten smiled when we entered the classroom, and worry as well as relief flashed through her eyes when she saw that I was still standing. "Hello, Miss McCormick," she said while she bowed her head in greeting. "How are you?"

I shrugged and grimaced, feeling very exhausted for some reason. "I have been better, Ms. Carten," I admitted and licked my lips before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, my cheeks turning red. "But I have been worse, too..." I shrugged again, pressing my lips into a thinner line.

Ms. Carten frowned and slowly nodded but didn't say a word while I looked around the room, knowing full well what I was to expect but not liking it one bit.

So, when my eyes landed on someone in the back of the classroom, my heart sank into the pit of my stomach while I stared at him, his dark brown eyes boring a hole into my skin.

Ethan...

My heart skipped a beat before it started to pound hard and fast in my chest, and it took all of my self control not to take a step back and run out of the classroom or to call Inen to me and take me away from him.

Ethan grinned when he caught sight of me and the look on my face, and he bowed his head in mocking "respect" and greeting. He didn't say a word, but I knew that would change if I was ever alone with him again.

"Miss McCormick?" Ms. Carten asked with a small frown in her voice. She pressed her lips into a thin line and waited for me to look at her. "Miss McCormick?" she asked again when I didn't look at her.

I hesitated and tore my gaze from Ethan before I looked at her. "Yes, Ms. Carten?" I asked and cocked my head while I stared at her with wide eyes filled with tears, and I knew that fear was there as well. "What is it?"

She frowned and looked at Ethan before she looked at me, her eyes turning a different color while she became protective of me from this "unknown threat" of man that was new to the room with us. "Are you ok?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

I hesitated before I slowly nodded. "Yes," I said before I cleared my throat and shifted on my feet, lying because I was not ok. "I am ok." I grabbed my bag tighter in my hand, and my hand started to shake. "I'm going to go ahead and sit down, if that is ok with you, of course."

"It is," Ms. Carten said and nodded in confirmation, and I could tell that she didn't believe me. She looked at my sister and Liam, biting back a small smile while she tucked her head closer to her chest. "You two may go sit down as well," she said before she cleared her throat. "We will start the lesson as soon as you all do so."

"Yes, Ms. Carten," we said in unison and walked over to where we were supposed to sit, and I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief because I was on the other side of the classroom than Ethan, even though I could still feel his gaze on me.

Oh, Gods...

I sat down in my seat and didn't breathe a sigh of relief like I wanted to, setting my bag beside me. I didn't say a word while I started to take stuff out of my bag, underneath Ethan's critical gaze, who didn't even try to hide the fact that he was watching me.

"Mr. Nolan?" Ms. Carten asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and Ethan tore his gaze off of me and looked at her, and I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief when I didn't feel his gaze on me. "Is there something that you need?" she asked and cocked her head while she studied him with a raised eyebrow and a frown on her face.

"No, Ma'am," he said and shook his head. "I do not need anything. Why?"

"Then why are you staring at Miss McCormick and not getting ready for class? You have nothing on your desk." She gestured to his desk, and Ethan shrugged and grimaced.

"I forgot everything that I needed," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, "and I was hoping that Miss McCormick would help an old friend out." He looked at me when he said that.

I scoffed a laugh and rolled my eyes, pursing my lips in annoyance, but I didn't say a word. My hands started to shake, and my whole body was tense because I had no idea what was going to happen and prayed that he would leave me the hell alone and ignore me while we were in school.

But I knew that would never be possible...

"Then you may ask me," she said, sounding very unamused and protective of me as if she knew that something bad had happened between the two of us and didn't like him trying to talk to me one bit. "You will not ask any of your classmates for stuff. Is that understood?"

"Then, may I have a piece of paper and a pencil, please?" Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow in question. "I do not know why I have to ask you when it is not so hard to ask her." He gestured to me, and I flinched and set my jaw, not saying a word.

Oh, Gods...

"Again, you are not allowed to ask her for anything." She walked over to her desk and grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper before she started to walk over to him. "She is also on the other side of the classroom, and I will not tolerate that level of disrespect in my classroom, Mr. Nolan. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am," Ethan said and nodded. He smiled at her in a charming manner, and I knew that he was trying to get her on his side so that he could get away with anything in her class.

Ms. Carten blinked, and her eyes turned a different color, but for some reason, it didn't look like whatever he tried to do worked on her. She frowned and looked at him, unamused.

Oh, thank Gods...

"Was there anything else that you needed, Mr. Nolan?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question when she handed the piece of paper and pen to him, and Ethan shook his head.

"No, thank you," he said with a small frown on his face. "I do not need anything else besides that. Thank you." He again offered her a smile that tried to win her over when she was closer to him. "I do appreciate it."

"Of course," Ms. Carten said, and again, it didn't seem like it worked, even though a few other girls in the classroom seemed to swoon.

She cleared her throat and started to walk toward the front of the classroom. "Now, who can tell me about the homework that we had to do yesterday?" she asked, directing her attention to the whole classroom. "Let us begin with that before you turn it in. As always, if you have not done your homework, then you will have to leave the classroom and get it done before you turn it in. Mr. Nolan, that means you."

"Oh, I have the homework, Ms. Carten," Ethan said and shrugged with a small smile on his face. He looked at me before he looked at her, and I couldn't help but feel like I stopped breathing. "I just do not have a piece of paper or pencil to work on for the rest of your class, and again, I thank you for getting that stuff for me."

Oh, Gods...