Eden wrote furiously in her notebook as Professor Thorne's voice, calm but commanding of attention, crawled over the students. Always used to living in the shadows, never being seen, Eden was used to hearing, listening to others and never drawing their attention. She was surprised then when the professor directed his next question to her.

  "Miss Eden, would you please share with the class your thoughts on what drives a monster to be a monster?"

  Her heart thumped wildly. Not only had he called on her but his dark brown eyes now bore into her own. What had he asked her? She found her mouth had gone dry and she'd lost her voice. All she could focus on was that gaze.

  "Miss Eden?"

  His voice sounded like it was coming from underwater. Eden felt like everything she'd ever learned about the paranormal no longer resided in her mind. It had drifted out of her ears and into the wild never to be seen again.

  Air rushed back into her lungs, she blinked away from his stare, and she answered.

  "From my understanding, Professor, monsters are not driven to be a monster but are perceived to be monstrous due to their inherit nature. To put it plainly, they do monstrous things because that is their nature."

  Sweat began trickling down Eden's brow. Her hands shook. But she'd answered the question. She watched as Professor Thorne nodded his head and continued his lecture.

  Looking around, she found several students staring daggers at her. He had called on her. The professor that every student at university knew as the "Sexy Professor." All of the girls, and some of the men, drooled over him. His classes were always filled to the brim every semester because students would do anything to spend a little time in his presence.

  The class ended, it was thankfully her last one for the day. This semester she'd booked herself with classes. Having been able to go to university from a trust fund, Eden didn't have to work like a lot of other students. She focused on her education. Which is why she'd found herself getting a master's degree at only twenty-two.

  Still feeling shaky, Eden was one of the last students to be leaving the classroom for Dark Histories: Fact and Folklore. Without a doubt, and not because of the professor, this was her favorite class. The professor being an absolute dreamboat was just a bonus.

  As Eden headed for the door, her hair draping over her face to conceal her embarrassment, she heard his voice call to her.

  "Miss Eden? A moment please."

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  Commanding. Calm. Smooth. His voice felt like velvet. The same calm sensation would pour over every part of your body, some parts more than others.

  She turned to face the professor, moving the hair out of her face. She didn't want to be partially blinded while he spoke to her directly for the first time.

  "I noticed the not required edition of Malleus Maleficarum sitting under your notes. Have you read much of it?" His eyes roved over her face, touching on her lips before sticking to her eyes.

  She nearly lost her senses again looking into his brown irises.

  Had she read Malleus Maleficarum? She'd spent the entire summer delving into that tome which led her into a rabbit hole of paranormal facts and fictions that had brought her to become consumed by the paranormal. Were monsters real? Were they lurking in the shadows? Where did these tales stem from? Nightmares? Large creatures in the night? Paranoia?

  "I," she hesitated. How much should she share with him? She'd always been known to be an incredibly strange child. Adulthood had promised even more strangeness as she broke out of her foster parent's holds and grew into herself. "Yes, I've read it through. Um, more than once actually."

  A blush creeped up her neck and bloomed across her cheeks. She fidgeted with her hair.

  A hint of a smile touched Professor Thorne's lips. Was he amused at her embarrassment? Or was he intrigued that she'd read such a dense book?

  "That's fascinating. What did you think?"

  What did she think?

  "I think that Malleus makes incredible points and draws conclusions that other authors haven't dared make. But one question, above many others, stands out." Professor Thorne nodded for her to continue. "Do you think, like Malleus, that monsters are misunderstood?"

  Her eyes pleading at him. She watched as he pondered this question. Mulling it over by chewing on the inside of his cheek. As he thought, she took the time to really look at him. She'd sat in the second row for the whole semester, this was the first time she'd been this close to him for this long. She was enamored by the salt and pepper in his hair. How the grays mixed in with the dark roots. How his eyes creased around the edges showing his age. How his glasses sat on his face. His lips drew into a line. She wondered what they'd feel like.

  "I think most monsters are misunderstood," he answered moments later. He smiled slightly and gestured toward the door. "I'm sure you're exhausted. I've seen the schedule that you hold here, not a lot of time left in each day for recreational activities."

  "Oh," she chuckled. "I really don't partake in any activities. I've always found that groups see me as too much of an outsider and 'weird',"

  Oh my God, why had she opened her mouth? The statement was true but he didn't need to know something so intimate about her. He was her professor. She needed to be more mindful about their professional relationship.

  "Hmm, well, if you ever find that you have additional time in your day, I always enjoy a quiet evening with like minded scholars."

  His smile nearly melted her to the floor. They were standing so close that she could smell him. Candle smoke mixed in with something sweet and the scent of books. Lots and lots of books. She leaned forward without thinking better of it and inhaled.

  Holy. Shit. He smelled so good.

  Eden's eyes widened as his smile grew. He'd noticed what she'd done.

  Her blush deepened further than it had before and she rushed out of the classroom.

  She heard him bid her a goodnight as she burst into the cool night.