There was a growing humidity in the air, and the air pressure seemed heavier, and yet the public was told there was nothing to worry about. Theo couldn’t get that shattered window out of his mind, but despite the concerns, there was nothing he could do. So he left the promenade, and returned to campus swiftly for his daily routine.

Theo sat in attendance, his mind often wandering back to the Redever girl from last night. Why was she so familiar, he wondered? Her short dark hair, and gleaming almond eyes were still fresh on his mind. The way she smelled, and the way she nestled so close to him, as if he were a familiar protector, rather than a random college guy she just met. More than anything, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way her tail kept rubbing his back. That was strange, not unpleasant but strange.

What was even more weird was that he could’ve sworn to have seen her around on campus more frequently. When he was getting a drink at the vending machine, he thought he saw a whip lash tail poking out of one of the bushes behind him. When he searched for it, he was surprised not to find anything. Again he thought he saw a pink set of horns spying on him from around the corner on his way to the gym, only for them to disappear when he rushed over to find out more.

Am I going crazy? He started to wonder.

Later, when he went to the shower in the locker room, he caught a whiff of something sweet and pungent in a neighboring stall. He grabbed a towel, then dared a peek, expecting to find a mischievous Succubus girl watching him. Instead there was nothing, and nobody.

He supposed he should be thankful for that, after all, the last thing he wanted was be caught spying in on another guy in the shower.

On the way to class he couldn't help but wonder... why he kept smelling that familiar scent? Once inside the classroom for mystical arts, he chose a seat along the middle of the stands, and threw open his notebook. Lucy took a seat next to him.

The dark haired muscle magnet was perhaps his one and only friend in this seminar, everyone else either resented him for his grades, which constantly made it difficult for the professor to curb the average scores, or mocked him for his acumen with shadow magic.

Lucy wore her school uniform liberally, her coat was draped over one shoulder, and her blouse was practically sliding down her chest, revealing a plentiful amount of perky cleavage. Theo couldn’t help but notice she definitely wasn’t wearing a bra, which should’ve been against school code.

"Howdy?" He joked, with a flimsy movie accent.

The dark haired woman chuckled at that. The duo had a playful game going between them for months, after learning about their shared obsession with old rancher flicks. The sub culture was mostly prevalent in the southern side of town, in the largest open areas of the canyon, where cattle could freely graze and be raised.

“Right back atcha partner,” Lucy winked. She opened her book and began to read, while Theo flipped through his private notes, ready to write down any new information he learned.

After a few minutes, the professor came in and started instructing his students. Theo listened intently, taking copious notes. At times, he would look over, daring a glance at Lucy’s cleavage. Her nipples were partially visible, and were poking against the fabric.

It wasn't until near the end of the lecture, where the professor was talking about different schools of magic and how they worked, that he saw a flash of pink sticking out from a desk behind him. Theo's heart leapt into his throat, and his hand flew to his mouth.

In his panic, he dropped his pencil, sending it skittering across the floor. The pink flash was gone, amidst a jumble of rattling chairs. Theo looked around for several minutes, trying to gauge whether he actually saw anything, before deciding to reach down and pick up the pencil.

"Sorry," he stammered to Lucy, reaching down to grab it quickly before anyone could see him reach under the desk. It was then that he saw a pair of bright almond eyes staring up at him.

Lorelei seized with panic, and in a blind stupor she jumped. Her head slammed against the underside of the desk, knocking the wind right out of her. She then fell forward onto his lap, dazed. She blinked several times, seemingly trying to regain her senses. When she finally looked up, she had been mere inches away from his groin.

Theo’s eyes were wide with shock.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, clearly embarrassed. "I didn't mean to…,” she trailed off, unable to think of what to say, or do.

"Don't worry about it," Theo responded kindly.

"Um... excuse me," Lucy stammered next to him. “What is going on?"

Theo glanced back at Lucy, confused. Lorelei seemed to notice this, and in an instant she jumped off his lap, and ran out of the classroom. She darted so fast, the instructor gasped in bewilderment. All the other students in attendance seemed shock as well, some welcomed the distraction. A few who were privately asleep, trying to mask their eyes in their books or computers, woke up from the disturbance.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Hey, wait!" Theo called after her. He jumped from his seat, and tried to reach out to grab her, but she was quick, and she quickly fled out the door.

"Lucy," he yelled, “can you hold my seat for me?”

Lucy remained silent, staring ahead blankly. “What is happening right now?”

----------------------------------------

Lorelei stood outside of the magical arts building, peering around the corner. A few students passed her by, but she waited in silence as Theo rushed past her, scratched the back of his neck, then reluctantly turned around to go back to class.

How could I do that! Oh my god, Theo is going to hate me! I made him look like a fool in front of the whole class! What was I thinking?

After a moment, she sighed a breath of relief; no one was searching for her. Feeling safe, she decided to head towards the library on campus. The wind was steadily getting worse, and already a dour overcast consumed the skies. It was clear another thunderstorm was approaching, and she didn’t want to be caught outside when the rain started to fall.

She made it to the campus library, and could already imagine the vanilla latte that was calling her name at the front barista. After getting her latte, and browsing the shelves for awhile, she found a book that might be fun to read, or at least get her mind off things.

As she pulled it off the shelf, she felt her foot slip, sending her colliding with the shelf.

SMACK!

Lorelei cursed, taking a step back and rubbing her forehead. As she tried to collect herself, a knock sounded from behind her.

She whirled around, and there he was.

Her heart raced again, just like earlier. She tried to calm herself.

"Hi," Theo said, smiling nervously.

“Theo…!” Lorelei dropped the book.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to scare you." Theo cleared his throat, and picked up the book for her. "Can I sit with you?"

Lorelei nodded, letting him follow her to a couch in the library leisure area.

"So, what are you reading?" He asked, while sitting down next to her.

Lorelei looked down at the book she withdrew from the shelf, she hadn't even read the title until now.

"Oh, this is... ‘the history of inter-species procreation’,” she replied with a twitchy smile.

“Really?" Theo’s eye lit up, his face consumed with questions. Lorelei could tell he wanted to respond with a tease or a joke, but held it in. It was charming, how he tried to hold himself back.

“Yep…,” Lorelei's tail was standing straight toward the ceiling. Somehow she figured she might as well go with it, rather than seem like a complete nut. "I'm interested in the topic of inter-species marriage, and everything that it entails.” Her tone was practically a high pitched squeak toward the end.

Theo laughed at that. "I guess that's a pretty popular question these days."

"Well, there are lots of creatures that seek out relationships with humans, but not vice versa.” Lorelei tried to continue speaking as if she fully understood the subject. “And there are several other species that are avoided by humans altogether.”

"I'd beg to differ," he laughed. "I mean my roommate is dating a Lamia."

"Yeah, I know about that," she exclaimed. "He's dating my roommate Marci. They make an...awkward couple."

"Yeah, I know," Theo continued, “it doesn't make sense to most people. But they're happy together, so I guess it works."

"That must be nice," Lorelei said, and smiled at him. For the first time her shoulders released some of the tension she had been holding up.

“I guess,” Theo leaned back in the couch. “I just wish they were more quiet about it, especially when I’m trying to sleep.”

Lorelei gulped, spilling some of the latte she was drying to drink. Every fiber of her being wanted to run, her hands wouldn't stop shaking. She had to forcefully will herself to keep still.

They both fell silent for a moment, contemplating their own thoughts. She half expected to hear rain drizzling outside, but instead a small band of sunlight broke through the clouds, illuminating the library.

"So, I'm curious," Theo finally broke the silence. "Why were you hiding under my desk?"

Lorelei blushed. "I...I'm sorry," she stammered. "I'm just...I'm a little bit embarrassed."

"It's okay," he reassured her. "I won't tell anyone."

"I'm still sorry, though," Lorelei clutched onto her latte. "I shouldn't have done that."

"I'm just glad you did," he replied. "I was getting really bored in that class.

Lorelei laughed at that, blushing profusely. "I'm glad I could entertain you," she said.

Theo smiled back at her, and Lorelei felt her heart skip another beat.

"Do you want to maybe get something to eat?" He asked.

Lorelei was caught off guard, for some reason she wasn't expecting that. Her heart was beating rapidly.

"I...I don't know," she said.

"Come on," he coaxed her gently, "you can bring your book if you want." He extended a hand to her.

Lorelei stared at it for a long time, her heart throbbing beneath her breast. She expected him to withdraw it, he should’ve withdrawn it. After several seconds, his hand still reaching out, she finally took it, electricity passing between their fingertips.

"Okay," she sighed.

"Great!" He exclaimed. "Let's go to the dining hall then."

They got up from the leather couch, and walked hand in hand through the halls of the library toward the exit. While Lorelei found it hard to say anything, her tail wouldn't stop stroking Theo's back all the way to the dining hall.

And then something poked her in the face, hard.

Lorelei opened her eyes, a dull throb steadily rose behind her eyes. She was laying on the floor, evidently she had slipped and fallen into the bookcase, then passed out next to it. A short vampire girl seemed to float above her with a curious grin.

“Hey, you alright?” Laura asked.

Lorelei groaned.

The vampire poked her lightly on the cheek again, “I knew following you around would be fun, I never imagined you’d fall asleep after falling head first into the shelf though!”

Lorelei rolled over to her side, then slowly got to her knees. “How long have I been out?”

“Oh about five minutes.” The vampire rolled her eyes.

“You could’ve at least woken me up sooner!” Lorelei rubbed her temples. The pain was slowly fading, but she still felt disoriented. The memory of her blissful dream was still prominent in her mind. She wished it were real.

“But you looked like you were having such a nice dream,” Laura scoffed. “And you were talking in your sleep.”

Lorelei’s tail moved to strike at the vampire, who simply dashed to the side. The vampire planted her feet onto the ground, then picked up the empty latte cup on the floor. “How about I get you another one, and in return, all I ask is that you sit with me.”

Lorelei looked at the sticky puddle that was once her beverage. She swallowed, remembering the taste of vanilla cream on her tongue.

“Ok,” Lorelei nodded. “But don’t expect me to talk about anything.”

“Oh I wouldn’t dare,” the vampire laughed.