The female human had returned to the library the next day. To the same table. Chin up, eyes focused on her reading, only the slight trembling of her hands betrayed her nervousness. And it infuriated him. Ethan had the feeling that she was trying to challenge him. He had managed to chase her away once, but this time, she seemed determined to claim the place while completely ignoring him.

He didn't want her here. He didn't want to see her parading around with her pretty face and disrupting his peace. He didn't want to constantly fight his inner vila that urged him to initiate contact with her. And most of all, he didn't want anyone, especially his peers, to find out that his vila had chosen her.

So he sat there, in his chair, shooting daggers at her and never taking his eyes off her. She seemed unperturbed, but he could occasionally see her long, slender fingers reaching up to scratch her neck nervously.

"You look nervous, Darcy. Did your mother demand that you find a worthy mate quickly again?" Jericho called out to him sarcastically, a vila of lower caste than his own.

Maybe he should have been harsher with his peers if they thought they could get away with using sarcasm to mock him like that. He didn't like to constantly remind everyone of how ancient and hierarchically superior his family was, but there was one thing he liked even less, and that was being disrespected in such a way.

The mate of his subordinate hung onto his arm, discreetly pulling it to signal him to stop his insolent comments, a worried frown on her face. At least she knew her place, unlike her soulmate. He had nothing against her in particular, but he couldn't let Jericho off without reprimanding his insecurities to teach him a lesson.

"And what about you, Larson? How did your parents take the news when you told them your soulmate was an Inferio?" Ethan retorted with an acidic tone.

His peer's gaze immediately flared up upon hearing the insult veiled towards his soulmate. Touché. He seemed about to lunge at Ethan before the young woman verbally ordered him to stop, brutally grabbing his hand to force him away from the conflict before the situation escalated.

Wise decision.

Vilas were proud creatures, and honor and purity were crucial concepts within their families. Their political games and caste system were primarily based on these elements. Ethan showed little interest in politics and his peers, much to his mother's dismay, but he also knew that no vila family could escape the anxious concern over the revelation of their children's soulmates. Individuals deemed physically weak or socially inferior always brought great disappointment to parents, even though they knew their offspring had no say in choosing their partner. And Jericho had hit the jackpot when his inner vila had chosen a mate from the lowest caste among the vampires.

No, it's me who hit the jackpot of having the worst possible and unimaginable soulmate. I would have preferred an Inferio a thousand times over a human.

After about thirty minutes of observing the human while trying to kill her with his gaze, his already-frayed patience was seriously wearing thin. His inner vila allowed him no respite. It was like an itch so intense that it was impossible not to scratch. Ethan was doing his best not to give in to his instincts.

Stolen novel; please report.

It took him three more minutes to finally give in. If his mind was torn between going to talk to her and getting her to leave quickly, he could very well do both.

Perhaps she didn't see him coming, or maybe she was deliberately ignoring him, but she jumped when he suddenly slammed his palms down on the table. The sound of the impact on the wooden furniture drew the attention of the few students present in the library, but everyone knew it was better to focus on their own business when in the same room as a vila. Despite their curiosity, each of them buried their nose back in their books.

Finally, the human deigned to meet Ethan's gaze with her green eyes. He saw a mixture of fear, suspicion, and uncertainty that threw him off for a second. In a way, he hated himself for what he was about to say, but it was easier to hate her, as if she had never come to their world, he wouldn't have had to act accordingly.

"Little humans like you have no place on Istarea. There are people here who would like to read quietly without having to endure the sight of your disgusting weakness wandering through the aisles as if the place belongs to them. It would be nice of you to just leave," he said in a cold and controlled tone.

The young woman's fists clenched, and her facial expression was a mix of astonishment and rage. Not exactly the fear response he expected.

"No," she replied so weakly that he struggled to hear her.

"Excuse me?" he retorted, stunned.

"I said no," she repeated, this time with more confidence. "If the sight of me bothers you, you can just close your eyes. The library doesn't belong to me, but it doesn't belong to you either."

He leaned in until he was just a few inches from her face, his gaze locked onto hers. She had that glint of defiance in her eyes that he would have loved to replace with terror. The small vein on her temple pulsed under the suppressed anger that was building within him.

"If you don't plan on leaving by yourself, I'll take care of it," he growled, gripping her wrist.

She squeaked from the force of his grip, and he immediately loosened it, enough to avoid hurting her, while still keeping his hold. His inner vila was now roaring, unhappy with his actions toward his soulmate.

"Let go of me," she muttered.

With a sudden movement, the blonde stood up from her chair, knocking it over in the process. The thunderous noise once again drew the inquisitive gazes of students who didn't miss a moment of the scene unfolding a few meters away. She placed her hand on top of the vila's and dug her nails in to break free from his grasp.

"I said, let me go! You psycho!" she screamed, hysterical.

His entire body froze for a moment, his mind mechanically repeating, let go of her, let go of her. It was like a defense mechanism that, once triggered, overpowered his reason and free will.

Finally, he released his grip on her wrist. The first thing that came to his mind was to flee. Without a glance back at the young woman, he rushed toward the exit as she continued to shout, "Never come near me again," "madman," and "completely crazy."

This initial contact left him with a bitter taste, halfway between frustration and shame. Part of him felt pathetic for not being able to get her to leave, and the other part was burning with anger at himself for pushing the young woman to deeply hate him within seconds.

He sincerely hoped none of his vila peers had witnessed the exchange. They weren't foolish and would easily understand why he lost his temper so quickly and why he let her go suddenly. However, he greatly underestimated the observational and analytical abilities of the other students who had witnessed the scene. For him, other species were not a threat.

When Ethan returned to his room, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to the memory of the warmth of her soft skin against his.

Fuck, he muttered to himself.