 Slight sounds and scents Forge wouldn’t normally notice in this situation assaulted him. He shifted his weight and sighed. No one else seemed to notice. It was annoying and distracting, and he made a mental note to discuss this with Blair. As soon as the elevator door opened, he felt a slight tingling along his spine. Checking the doors as he wandered the hall became unnecessary as the tingling increased. Blair’s office was, in fact, a group of three small offices with a common outer waiting area. Forge slipped into a chair and picked up a magazine. Blair’s door was open and he stood listening to some guy who, if Forge was getting the gist of the conversation, was upset about a grade he’d received for a class project. Forge arched an eyebrow and glanced over the top of his magazine every few seconds while he listened to the exchange. “You didn’t do the project as it was outlined. You failed,” Blair said. He stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. “What I did was brilliant and creative and—” “And not the project you were assigned to complete,” Blair said. His tone was getting harsher. Forge flipped the pages of the magazine, but he wasn’t looking at it. “So, you’re saying, teaching assistant, that my work is brilliant, but you want ordinary?” Forge sort of hated this guy. “No, what I’m saying is sometimes you have to learn to complete the mundane tasks in order to advance to the more innovative ones. It’s called real life. Get used to it,” Blair said. “And, I’m a full professor now.” He wasn’t budging and that sent a warm wave of pride through Forge. To the casual observer, Blair might appear quiet, almost meek, a pushover who wasn’t aware of what was going on around him. Forge had mistakenly thought that at one time. Not anymore. “This is utter bullshit!” Forge gave up any pretext of reading and dropped the magazine to his knees. When he leaned forward and rested his chin against his hands folded together, Blair’s gaze flicked to him, and he shook his head the smallest bit. “It’s my class. I am responsible for creating the syllabus and grading the assignments. You didn’t complete the assigned work. Simple as that.” Blair punctuated his statement with a low growl it was obvious the guy couldn’t hear. “Maybe I should take this up with the department head.” This had gone on long enough. Forge slapped the magazine back into place on the table, stood up, and cleared his throat. The student—and Blair—ignored him. Though from the emotions Blair emitted and his stance, Forge could tell he was concentrating on not rolling his eyes. Blair could roll his eyes like no one else. “You go right ahead,” Blair said. “Make sure you get my name right. It’s Doctor Turner. I completed my course work and earned my degrees. Degrees, plural.” Forge crossed the room and announced, “I believe Dr. Turner and I have an appointment.” He tapped his watch for emphasis. The guy turned and poked Forge’s chest. “I’m not done here, buddy.” Forge put his hands on his hips, pulling back his jacket as he did so. “Hmm.” Blair sucked in a breath only Forge could hear, and he recognized it as that giggle/snicker sort of thing Blair did. The guy looked briefly at the badge and gun now in plain view. He blew out a disgusted breath and gave Forge another poke, saying, “I said I need a few minutes here. This is my life I’m discussing. That’s not a crime.” Forge looked down at the finger against his chest. Blair’s stance relaxed. He turned partially away, clearly trying to conceal the smile threatening to break out and scratched the back of his head. Using his best throaty vampire voice, Forge spoke slowly, enunciating each word. “And I said I have an appointment.” With another tap on his watch, he dropped his fangs a bit and let his eyes change to a solid blue. “Now.” The young man’s eyes grew wide. He stumbled away from Blair and Forge, tripping over a trash can in the process. “What the hell?” Forge twisted around and pursued him. “Here, let me help you.” He took the man’s arm, ushering him along a bit faster. His voice and appearance were normal again. “I… this….” The student hurried into the hall. Blair called after him and pointed. “The department head is down the hall, third door on the right. Big sign that says Department Head.” In the next instant, he put his hand against Forge’s chest. “You can’t do that.” “What?” Forge slipped one arm around Blair’s waist. “No one saw me change or move that fast.” He tugged Blair closer and walked them backward into the office, kicking the door shut behind him. “Though, my badass act works much better without you giggling in the background.” “You can’t—” Blair sucked in a breath and his voice cracked when Forge ran his other hand up Blair’s spine, bent his head and licked Blair’s neck. “—intimidate everyone—” His speech faltered as Forge’s tongue slithered slowly over Blair’s ear. “—who…. Stop! I only have forty-five minutes for lunch, and I’m hungry.” “So am I.” Forge used his fangs to lightly bite the tender flesh under Blair’s jaw. He was rewarded with the reaction he hoped for. Blair moaned and leaned more heavily against him, hips stuttering forward. “We’re men. Forty-five minutes is plenty of time to eat and get a quickie.” Blair squirmed and Forge let his grip be broken. “Be nice to the students, and I’m serious. We can’t do this…that…here.” Forge sighed and leaned to the side to open the door. “It’s my sworn duty as your soulmate to protect you and defend you. That’s rule number one of the vampire code.” Blair let the eye roll loose. It was probably painful to contain it for so long. “There is no vampire code, and I don’t need defending. I was taking care of myself years before I met you and your—” He paused, raised his eyebrows, grinned wickedly, and poked Forge’s chest. “--badge.” Forge waved out the door and stepped to the side so Blair could exit the small office. He stopped and waited for Blair to lock up, then walked beside him to the elevator. “You know what’s going on here, right?” “Five weeks until the anniversary of my dad’s funeral, which means—” “Five weeks and a day until the anniversary of when you were changed. You’ll be contagious,” Forge finished for him and pushed the down button. Blair nodded. “You’re only going to get more intense and worse, aren’t you?” “But that’s why you love me.” Forge let Blair enter the elevator first. They were alone. “For my badge and all.” “Declan is right, you and Lucas spend far too much time together. You’re both incorrigible.” Forge chuckled, and Blair gifted him with another eye roll as they took up their places in the cafeteria line. He put his most charming smile on his face when a girl picked up a tray and joined the line right behind them. “Hello.” Minor irritation skimmed the surface of Blair’s emotions, and Forge felt it prickle his senses. The girl cocked her head and flipped her hair. “Are you new here?” she asked and brushed her hand over Forge’s. Her gaze raked up and down his body. “I’m visiting.” They moved along the line, and he picked up a few dishes. “She’s a student,” Blair whispered. Forge leaned closer to Blair, dropped his voice an octave, and said, “I don’t work here.” He was using what Lucas liked to refer to as “Forge’s fuck me” voice. “Oh,” the girl said. “Even better.” She inched close enough to rub her arm against his. Forge basked in the tidal wave of heat, desire, and jealousy that swirled away from Blair to surround him. Blair grabbed one of the dishes from Forge’s tray and put it back. “Don’t eat the mystery green stuff—it’s not broccoli.” He leaned around Forge, forcing him back a step, and spoke to the girl. “You’re barking up a very wrong tree. He’s gay. He’s mine. And it’s spectacular.” The girl stared at Blair for a few seconds before taking her tray and storming away. Forge shrugged and picked up his tray. “Good luck with school.” “Table,” Blair growled and pointed out the direction. “Over there.” Trailing behind him, Forge feigned innocence. “I distinctly remember you telling me to be nice to the students.” Blair dropped his tray onto a table. “Yeah, be nice. Not use that tone and your—badge—in a way that makes them want to undress and fling themselves at your feet.”    
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