My heart hammered at his words, his tone, his penetrating stare; the one that threatened to devour me completely. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry.

Say something, stupid. I found myself thinking. You've been quiet for too long.

Inhaling slowly, I closed my eyes and exhaled in a silent burst.

"I'm sorry," I said after opening my eyes. "Have we met?"

He had been waiting for me? Why?

Suddenly, the man seemed stunned, his mouth agape and his blue eyes wide--but only for a split second.

"Apologies," he said with a subtle accent I hadn't noticed before. It sounded English, or maybe British, I wasn't sure. "I'm Gabriel Lachlan the third. Dean of this fine institution."

He was the Dean? But he looked so young; maybe just a few years older than me, save for the snow white hair he wore combed back.

"And you must be Mr. Malone," Dean Lachlan turned to Connor, breaking his hold over me.

"Yes, sir, Dean Lachlan." Connor gave him a short nod, his voice shaky.

Guess I wasn't the only one intimidated by Dean Lachlan.

Other students began gathering behind us, and when all the passengers were safely on the dock, Dean Lachlan cleared his throat.

"Students new and old," he spoke with perfect diction, commanding everyone's attention. "Welcome to Lachlan Island. I am Dean Lachlan, but if you prefer, you may call me Gabriel." His sights fell on me when he said the last part.

I had to admit, he was very good looking.

He was tall, nearly a foot taller than I was, and he was lean; a hint of muscle could be seen under the white button down he wore a blazer over. And though his face seemed youthful, it was still unmistakably masculine. Hooded blue eyes, a straight nose that rested above a set of firm, yet soft looking, lips. I could stare at him all day...if it weren't for our group shuffling to follow him off the dock.

"...campus is just up ahead." Dean Lachlan said, his back to us.

Had he been talking that whole time?

"You okay, Audrey?"

Connor whispered to my right.

He, Jo and I were no longer at the front of the group, but in the middle. We trudged forward with everyone else, and I gave Connor a short nod as the Dean continued speaking.

"Since it is nearly dusk, and most of you are already familiar with the campus, a tour for the freshmen will be conducted tomorrow morning."

We were heading for a thick forest, lush with various green plants and tall trees. It seemed so different from the openness of the rocky shore just a dozen or so feet behind us. I wanted to reach out, to feel the dampness that clung to the leaves and branches, but I was still caught between Jo and Connor.

"Now, I need you all to form a single line."

Dean Lachlan stopped abruptly, causing everyone to bump into each other. Mumbled apologies and excuse me's were exchanged as we all shifted into order. Connor, Jo and I were last in line, with me at the very end.

I didn't like being at the end.

I was short--shorter than most of the other students in front of me, which made it hard enough to see what was going on. And given my position in our newly formed line, I was totally out of the loop. I couldn't tell what was ahead of us as we trudged forward, shoes gently plopping into wet earth. Even as I got closer to our destination, I couldn't see anything besides the back of Jo's red head and thick forest on either side of me. It was a bit frustrating.

"Once you are through the gate you may proceed up the path." Dean Lachlan spoke somewhere up front. "But wait for me at the square. Understood?"

"Yes, Dean Lachlan."

Our group answered in tired unison.

I tried to peek around Jo to see how many people were ahead of us, when she smirked at me over her shoulder.

"Trying to get another look at the Dean?" She winked, her voice barely above a whisper. "If you think he's hot just wait 'til you see Camp Sec."

"Camp Sec?" I whispered, ignoring her playful assumption. "What's that?"

"Campus security," she shrugged. "They patrol the campus, mostly at night, and are so unbelievably effing hot!"

"Miss Pritchard,"

Jo stiffened at Dean Lachlan's impatient tone.

"I'm sure Miss Ridley would like to reach campus before nightfall."

Jo's shoulders slumped.

"Right," she mumbled. "Sorry, sir."

Then, she stepped through an open gate. She glanced back at me, her expression unreadable.

"Coming, Miss Ridley?"

I gave him a nod and stepped through the gate, absentmindedly running my fingertips up the cool metal as I passed. It was smooth, and polished so well that I could probably see my reflection if I had bothered to look.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I cocked my head at the Dean, and he gently kicked the gate shut before elaborating.

"The gate. It was made quite beautifully. Wouldn't you agree?"

I glanced back, taking in the intricate floral patterns that were carved into the silvery gate.

"Absolutely," my eyes flashed to his for a moment, then to the stone steps ahead of us. "We should probably join the others."

He gave me a short nod. "Of course." Then, he bowed slightly, extending a long arm out toward the steps. "Ladies first,"

I wasn't sure if he was attempting to be cute or if he was just old school. Either way, I couldn't stand there all night trying to figure it out.

His eyes stayed on me as I walked past him and up the steps. The bottoms of my sneakers scraped loudly against the rough stone steps; I wondered if it bothered Dean Lachlan. It certainly did me...as did the silence between us.

"So..." I began, not really sure what to say. "How long have you been Dean of Lachlan University?"

I heard him sigh behind me before he answered.

"Longer than I care to remember,"

He sounded tired, preoccupied, like he was lost in thought.

"Oh," I wasn't sure what to say next, or if I should have said anything at all.

We were nearly at the top of the steps, but I couldn't see any of the other students. I glanced back at Dean Lachlan when my foot accidentally missed a step. I gasped, my heart sunk deep into my chest, but I didn't fall. Well, I guess I did kind of fall, just not down the steps. Instead, I fell into Dean Lachlan's arms. His strong, strangely stiff arms.

"I'm sorry, Dean Lachlan." My voice came out in a rush as heat flooded my cheeks. "That never happens to..."

I trailed off, having met his gaze.

His eyes were wide, shining bright blue as he scanned my face. There was a reserved wildness behind his stare, one that made my heart slam into my breastbone. I gulped, unable to do anything else as he licked his parted lips in a slow, unintentionally seductive way.

Then, someone laughed.

It wasn't a light-hearted laugh, and it wasn't close by. It seemed to come from nowhere, yet everywhere, and it was dark, maniacal.

Suddenly, Dean Lachlan released me to stand upright.

"We should go," his tone was low, clipped. "Forget this ever happened."

It felt like more of a command than a request.

I was trembling, but managed a nod before turning to go up the steps.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. I could still feel a set of eyes on me, only now I wasn't sure if they belonged to the Dean or someone else. The thought of someone lurking around watching me made me shudder, and I hugged myself to hide the action. It wasn't until we approached a crowd gathered by an old bronze statue that I began to relax.

"Hey, Audrey!"

Jo waved.

Connor was standing with her, checking out the statue when he turned to give me a wave. His hand dropped, though, as Dean Lachlan came to walk beside me.

"Do you remember what happened?"

He whispered just for me to hear.

I gawked at him. Was he serious?

"I do," I finally mumbled, turning my gaze back on the other students. "Don't worry; I won't say anything." I added, remembering he had asked me to forget it.

I wasn't really sure what to make of the situation, so mentioning it to anyone seemed pointless anyway. Besides, nothing bad happened.

He looked incredulously down at me, but a sly smirk soon lit up his face. "This should prove to be a very interesting semester."