The Somerset Series: A Box Set: Books 2-4

by Isadora Brown

  At least he was better to think about than Ryder. She could not believe the words that had come out of his mouth earlier that day. She knew he wasn't the biggest fans of supes and she could understand being a little wary but she had no idea it ran so deep to the point where he was literally talking about them as though they were second-class citizens, dangerous and forbidden, who should be locked up without any rights whatsoever.

  To be honest, Danielle had no idea why Ryder was even taking a class with a known vampire as the professor. He mentioned something about the professor being easy but from the way Professor Eriksson outlined the class curriculum, Eriksson seemed like the furthest thing from easy Danielle had encountered. And not just because she slept with him.

  She could tell in the way he taught that he had high expectations for each student in his class. It didn't matter if they were freshmen taking an Intro to Literature class or if they were grad students trying to obtain their PH.D. He treated everyone the same, and, in fact, Danielle had heard he was a stickler for grammar, proper punctuation, and he didn't care what side some took while writing the research papers he assigned as long as they made a strong, compelling argument backed by actual research. If anything, Danielle felt she would be pushed harder than she had been before in a writing class.

  She ran her fingers through her hair. Danielle needed a shower. And some chocolate. And possibly something greasy with lots of cheese.

  Her stomach rumbled and she glanced at her purse. She had some cash. She needed some food and a hot shower and maybe some ice cream.

  4

  The weeks passed. Danielle buried herself in her studies, trying not to think of the fact that her father was still missing and there were still no leads. He hadn't been a major part of her life. In reality, her parents had never gotten together except for one night of passion, and while they didn't force something that wasn't going to work, Danielle recognized that he provided a lot for her and her mother financially. He paid for her school trips, her car, and her school. Although, to be honest, she still had no idea what he did for a living, and multiple conversations and semi-interrogations revealed that her mother didn't know much about him, either. However, her mother hadn't ever dated since having Danielle, despite her beauty and her warm personality. Danielle wasn't sure if it was because she had never gotten over her father or if there was something else there.

  When news broke about her father's disappearance, Danielle learned that he headed some secret department of the NDS. It was the only explanation of why anyone would take him. Though she didn't know her father well, he didn't seem like the type of guy who would just disappear or run away from his problems.

  Which begged the question: if someone from the NDS, who ran a confidential department in some shadow organization, was kidnapped, what sort of security measures did the NDS have? How could one of their top guys be stolen away without anyone so much as blinking an eye? That made no sense whatsoever. In fact, the more Danielle thought on it, the angrier she got. Her mother tried to calm her down, tried to remind her that the NDS had its top guys on this and that her father would be found soon.

  Soon wasn't ever quantified.

  Weeks passed. Then months. Soon, it was November and there was still no word on her father, if he was even alive. News of his disappearance dropped from the media and he was as forgotten as those that came before him.

  There was one NDS agent, a man named Luke Foyer who checked in with her every week to update her about her father. He still kept that up, even though the message was the same: no news.

  Instead, Danielle did everything she could to focus on school. She was taking four classes this quarter, and if everything went according to plan, she would be able to graduate early and get spring quarter off to do what she wanted. What that was, Danielle wasn't sure. Originally she thought she might travel but that all changed after her father disappeared. If he hadn't been found by then, she didn't know if she wanted to leave on the chance that she might miss his return.

  If he ever did return.

  There was still no sign that he was alive. However, no body meant that he might not be dead, either.

  Danielle was in a constant state of confliction. She didn't know whether to hold out hope for her father being found alive or if she should prepare for the worst and accept the fact that there was a good chance he might actually be dead.

  To be honest, Danielle wished she could have that moment with Alek again. Not because she had any romantic feelings for him but because she had never had the ability to let go of control and completely trust someone with her body. And she had been able to do that with him. He gave her multiple orgasms that night and she had slept like a hibernating grizzly bear. It had been the best feeling in the world, and in that moment with him, she was able to forget her problems and simply focus on the moment, on his pleasure, on hers, and them. And if she needed that sort of distraction, now would be a good time for that.

  The problem was, Danielle didn't have the best options. She would have had no problem doing it with Alek again except for the fact that he was her professor and she was pretty sure he could get into a lot of trouble for sleeping with his student.

  Ryder wasn't an option, either. Although Danielle knew he would probably be open to it, she had never been the type to reunite with an ex, no matter how desperate she was. Especially considering he was the one who broke up with her. And her pride was too stubborn to ever allow herself to go back down that road. She wouldn't be able to look him in the eye again.

  Alek, on the other hand... To put it plainly, Alek was sex on a stick and she wanted more from him than she had. Just thinking about the way he looked at her that night, the entire night, made her pelvis twinge and her blood to run hot. He encapsulated everything she had ever been attracted to and things she hadn't known she was attracted to in the first place. He was dark and dangerous and seductive and... A shiver slid down her spine and she could feel the inner thighs moisten just thinking about him.

  But would she still sleep with him again, knowing he was her professor and knowing they could both get in trouble?

  Logically, she would say no. Of course she would say no. It wasn't right. They were serious repercussions for both of them if they were ever found out. The list went on and on and on.

  But there was a part of her, a deep dark part of her that no one knew about, that she barely even knew, that would say yes. That would completely override all logic and sense and give into her selfish, primal desires just to feel him inside of her once more.

  She wondered if he ever thought about their night together when he saw her. Truth be told, Danielle knew there was a good chance he had been with women after her. She didn't particularly care. They weren't in a relationship, he hadn't actually bitten her the way vampires do to show they were in a relationship much like a wedding ring. It was just one night. A night she couldn't stop thinking about. A night she wondered if he ever revisited when he was by himself and needed his own release. Danielle was almost positive the answer was no, that there was a good chance he had completely forgotten about their encounter, but every now and then, his eyes would linger on her neck, on the place he left a hickey on her neck for everyone to see, and her flesh would burn in response.

  He hadn't even touched her and he somehow got a response out of her.

  She needed a break. Maybe over this coming weekend she could go south, back home where she was from. It was more urban, filled with more people, more distractions. She might even consider going back to that vampire club with her friends if she couldn't get home or her mother was away. Not necessarily to have another one-night stand but just to get noticed, just to get the attention.

  She ran her fingers through her hair and got out of bed. She had a paper to write and midterms were coming up. The quarter was flying by. In a few weeks, she wouldn't have to think of Alek again as her professor.

  Which made him totally okay to sleep with again, a voice pointed out in her head.

  S
he flushed just thinking about it and shook her head. She shouldn't. Even if she did, that didn't mean that he would even want to be with her again. He had barely even looked at her, much less talked to her, since that first day after class. Maybe he was over it, their moment forgotten.

  Which was fine.

  Her head turned back to her research paper. She decided to write about Austen, which, on the surface, wasn't that unique. However, Danielle had gotten bold and immature, and in an effort to try and obtain some kind of reaction from Alek, she decided to write about whether or not there was sex in Austen's novels.

  Danielle smirked just thinking about his reaction. His brows pushed high up, nearly touching his blond locks, slicked back from his face. His lips pressed together - not tightly, exactly, but enough where his sharp cheekbones were heightened. And his eyes, when they locked onto Danielle, narrowed slightly, the shade of crystal blue darkening just a hint. A hint no one else would notice except for her.

  "Don't you think that's a bit inaccurate inappropriate?" he asked in his low, smooth drawl.

  "Actually, no," she had replied, shaking her head so her bangs shook with her. "Jane Austen is pure romance. If we compared it to genres of today, it would be contemporary. Maybe sex isn't explicit in her works, but I would argue that sex does take place in her worlds."

  "And why is that important?" he pushed, crossing his arms over his chest.

  She hadn't meant to drop her eyes from his face, but she did. They found the beginning of his collarbone before running up and down his arms, clad in a sky blue collared shirt.

  Danielle didn't have an answer. What was she supposed to say? She couldn't explain why sex was important in Jane Austen. All she could think of was that in a society such as Austen's, any hint of sex was a way for a woman to rebel against the class structure expectations that permeated behavior. Not only that, but considering that Austen never married implied that there was a good chance she was a virgin.

  He bought it.

  "I look forward to your first draft," he told her.

  Maybe Danielle was crazy but there was some underlying current in his tone, something simply more than what he was projecting for the rest of the class. It had sent shivers down her spine and she squeezed her thighs together as though she was keeping everything together.

  And then, his nostrils flared and his lips curved into a smirk even though he wasn't looking at her anymore.

  Her cell phone chirped at that moment, which was probably a good thing. She glanced at the caller id. Maggie. Danielle shook her head with a smile as she answered the phone.

  "What's up?" Danielle asked as a greeting.

  "Let's go to Vampyre again," Maggie said. "I can get us in."

  Danielle rolled her eyes. "Just because you signed up to be a blood bank for vampires" -

  "Do you know how much money it pays?" Maggie interjected. "It's a couple of times a week for ten minutes and I get five grand. Five freaking grand. And if I manage to get a rich vampire who likes my blood, I could get more. I mean, I don’t have a partner yet but I got accepted with the agency so I automatically get a Black Card."

  "So you're like an escort but you aren't having sex, you're just giving blood?" Danielle asked, cocking her head to the side even though her friend couldn't see her.

  "Think of me like a donor but, like, a highly paid one," Maggie said.

  Danielle rolled her eyes. Her friend was crazy but it was one of the reasons why she loved Maggie. Although, if she was being honest, Danielle had a feeling Maggie was all talk sometimes. In fact, Danielle didn’t even think Maggie had had sex yet, but she liked feeling sexy.

  "So," Maggie continued. "Vamps? Come on, maybe you'll run into Professor Hottie again and things will heated and..."

  "He's my professor, Maggie!" Danielle exclaimed through a laugh. "We can't sleep with each other again."

  "Not yet," Maggie said with a grin. "At least make him want you. Please, Dani, please?"

  "All right, all right." Danielle rolled her eyes. "Yes, let's do it. Let's get out."

  "Yes!" Maggie exclaimed. "I'll text you the details. We are going to get laid!"

  "Oh my god," Danielle murmured, hanging up the phone. But she couldn't deny the skip of her heart at the thought of seeing Alek again in a non-academic setting.

  5

  Danielle had been sleeping deeply when a knock on her dorm room door startled her awake. She glanced at her digital alarm clock and saw 4:51 bolted against the neon green light. She sat up, rubbing her closed eyes with the back of her palms and threw her legs over her bed. She pressed her lips together to keep a frown from coming out. The knocking got louder and Danielle forced herself to stand up.

  "Okay, okay," she said, forcing herself to stand up. "I'm coming."

  She padded to her door, not bothering to worry about her appearance. When her eyes found the peephole, she pushed her brows up.

  What was she doing here?

  Danielle opened the door halfway, leaning her tired body against the frame. Her eyes found Aubrey Grene's green-flickered hazel eyes. Without speaking, she furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side.

  "Hi," Aubrey said.

  Aubrey was a journalism major who had taken a few core classes with Danielle before Danielle went into literature. She was perky and fun but passionate and determined when she was writing a piece for the Somerset Purpose. She was thorough to the point of annoying and always seemed to research and write about odd cases Danielle would never have even heard of if it hadn't been for Aubrey.

  She was also very pretty, with long strawberry blonde hair and hazel-green eyes. She always dressed professionally with a slight independent edge. Right now, she wore a grey boyfriend shirt, the front tucked into her low rise skinny jeans. She wore black ankle boots and a black blazer. She didn't look like some immature college kid trying to figure out what to do with her life. No, Aubrey looked like she knew exactly what she was going to do and she was going to do it no matter what. She had grit Danielle envied. It was hard to feel tough in a summer dress.

  "Hi," Danielle replied. "What's up?"

  "Do you have a roommate?" she asked. She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Sorry, can I come in? I need to talk to you about something important and I can't have anyone listening to our conversation."

  She knew.

  She knew she slept with Alek a couple of months ago and now she was going to expose him.

  She was going to expose her.

  She was going to expose both of them.

  "Uh..." Danielle stepped aside and let Aubrey walk in.

  "Thanks," Aubrey said with a smile. Her arms were filled with binders and notebooks, and as she walked through the door, she started to go through them. Danielle made sure to lock the door and glanced at the windows to ensure they were shut tightly so no one could overhear their conversation. "The minute I discovered this, I knew I had to reach out before I wrote anything. I think some people have this misconception of me where I'm this bulldog bitch who exposes people without warning. The thing is, I always give them a chance to explain, I always give them a chance for a rebuttal because I want to write about that, too. I think it makes for a better story, to hear both sides. I hope it makes me more trustful."

  Danielle pressed her lips together. Aubrey was known for babbling but Danielle had a sneaking suspicion it was a tactic to get people to talk and to make her appear more trusting.

  "Anyway..." Aubrey reached the small dining table Danielle’s father bought her when they went college shopping. Danielle didn't think it was necessary to have a dining table when she already had a coffee table but her father insisted. "I found something in my research and I wanted to give you a chance to-"

  "I didn't know he was my professor when I slept with him, okay?" Danielle said, the words gushing out of her like a fountain. "It was late September, I just found out about my dad, I was ready to move on from an ex who broke up with me months ago..." She shook her head. "Please don't write about it." />
  When Danielle was finally able to look at Aubrey, there was a sudden realization that this might have nothing to do about Alek and her tryst with him. In fact, judging from the pink taint of Aubrey’s cheeks and the raised brows, it would appear that Aubrey knew absolutely nothing about that night. Until now, of course.

  "Um." Aubrey pushed her curtain of hair out of her face. "Okay. Well, your secret is safe with me. I don't even know what you're talking about."

  "Oh." Danielle's face was redder than Aubrey's hair. "Good."

  "Right." Aubrey glanced back down at her messy stack of paperwork. "Would it be okay if I got your opinion on this?"

  "Yes." Anything to distract her from the agony that was this awkwardness. She plopped into the seat next to Aubrey and looked at the paperwork, trying to find something she could latch onto. "Please. Show me."

  "Okay." Aubrey still remained standing, flipping through more paperwork. "Aha." She yanked out a particular sheet and slapped it in front of Danielle. "Here."

  She pulled out another piece of paper and slapped it on the only clean surface of the small dining table there was left: directly in front of Danielle. Danielle hunched over to look at it. She noticed the NDS letterhead at the top and there was a spreadsheet with four digit numbers next two to columns with four digits that went up to twenty-four. She stared at it for a moment before looking up at Aubrey and blinking blankly.

  "I'm sorry," she said, "but I have no idea what I'm looking at."

  "Oh. Right." Aubrey curled her hair behind her ear and walked around Danielle. Leaning over Danielle's chair, she began to point at the various numbers. "The first column here, I believe, are id numbers. Everyone - even the civilian staff - is assigned a badge number. Sworn agents have three digits, civilian staff - records people, front desk, property - they have four digits to their badge number. These badge numbers represent people." She moved her fingers to the second column. "This is military time. Judging by the two times that corresponds with everyone, I'm going to assume that this column is start times and this column" - she pointed at the third column - "is when an individual ends their shift."