Burning Desire

Chapter 2

The drive itself was fine. Monotonous in its scenery, only broken up by the occasional passing car, of which there were few. Sunlight peaked through where it could, but the trees were dense. Twenty minutes was all it took to go from the remains of the life I had known to my new college.

Lilith hadn't been able to drop me off at Bernini since she was trying to be more hands off. I was trying to make it on my own as your run of the whorehouse succubus. My ability to survive on low energy set me apart.

Different wasn't a trait that was desired. It was hard to blend in when you were the only one of your kind to not need to feed daily. It was the only thing making my self-imposed dry spell possible. I was starving myself, but I could function. Barely.

Okay, thinking about it in those terms, it was obvious why Ruby and Mom were worried. But I was fine or would be eventually. Everyone went through bad breakups.

Though class didn't officially start until Monday, I still expected campus to be a bit busier. The place was a relative ghost town. At least, I'd be easy for Ruby to spot. Nothing sticks out more than a lost looking succubus with teal hair.

Even knowing there was no one around to judge me didn't help my brain from overthinking.

Thankfully, Ruby had come to Bernini as well and ensured that we'd be roommates. Given that I'd had also been running late, I looked around for my friend's signature blonde hair near the library they had planned to meet at. Ruby was supposed to show me around but I'd known she was easily distracted.

I busied myself by perusing the schedule and campus map, not that a map was likely to help. Directionally challenged was the nicest term for me. Hopelessly lost was more accurate. My hazel eyes rolled in my head as I realized how much back and forth the schedule demanded. Maybe it had been worth it going with Ruby to all those fitness classes all summer.

"Waiting for someone," someone asked from beside me. He was graceful. I hadn't even heard him sit beside me; that or I was too distracted looking for my absent friend. He ran a hand through his mess of cinnamon curls like a nervous habit.

"That obvious," I asked, hoping to have been anything but.

"Only to someone who spends a lot of time watching others,"
he answered casually. He took in my surprised face. "I promise that didn't sound nearly that creepy in my head," he amended, while a slight blush made its way across his cheeks.

A grateful laugh escaped me. "My friend was supposed to show me around but knowing her, she got distracted by someone shiny."

"I know the feeling," he laughed. "I'm free to play tour guide if you need it."

Absently biting at my lip, I thought over taking him up on his very kind offer. He was ridiculously cute. Short, sun kissed brown curls covered his heard in a permanent state of bedhead and his bright green eyes danced over me as if I was some brand-new toy he couldn't wait to play with. I finally understood what it was like being my best friend for a moment. My lady bits were steering this train.

A trio of jagged scars from his left hairline to left chin marred an otherwise perfectly boyish face. Although it did tend to pull the left side of his mouth of his mouth down, it only served to prove his smiles didn't come easy.

Definitely my type.

"That'd be great," I accepted.

His mouth turned up in a small lopsided smile. Gods help me if every guy at this school looked like him when they smiled. I wasn't likely to last a week before I had an energy overdose.