Teach Me (The Hierophant)
The Hierophant generally appears in life in the form of a teacher or mentor. He’s wise but can be stubborn to the point of disaster, especially if his beliefs are called into question. Galen Forsythe believes the traditions and tenets of academia to be an almost sacred trust. So when he is hopelessly attracted to a brilliant young graduate student, he fights against it for three long years. Lydia has been in love with Galen, her Hierophant, from day one. When she’s targeted by an ancient demon determined to escape its prison, will Galen be able to let go of logic and tradition and trust in the power of love to save her? EXCERPT: Galen ran his hand through the silky strands of her hair, carefully disentangling the now useless rubber band that had bound it into a tail. A ponytail. Oh, gods, she was so young. Young enough to be his daughter! What the hell had he just done? “You’re thinking too much.” Her voice was still soft and sweet but the wry humor he’d been so drawn to in class was back, even though her eyes were still closed. “Lydia—I—this…” He had no earthly idea what to say. “Don’t. Please don’t ruin this.” Her voice cracked. Not the tears again. He could handle anything but those. If she cried again, he’d end up taking her home and locking her up in his house where no one else would ever have the chance to hurt her again. And he couldn’t, just couldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be fair to her. He pulled her to her feet, to stand in the vee between his legs, then he hugged her close to his chest. “Nothing could ruin this. What just happened will always be one of the most beautiful memories of my life.” “But?” He could tell by her sigh that she knew what was coming next and was as resigned to it as he was. “But you know as well as I do that it can never happen again.” He felt her nod against his shoulder. “I understand.” “Just so you know…” He had to fight past the lump in his throat to get the rest of the words out. “What I told you about—helping you find a job, an apartment—none of that had anything at all to do with this.” “I know that.” Her voice hitched but she soldiered on. “And for the record, if I had thought that, even for a second, then it wouldn’t have happened.” “Okay then.” He patted her back and dropped his hands so she could step away. Neither of them made any attempt at eye contact as they righted their clothing and Lydia combed her fingers through her hair. “Right.” She nodded her head and squared her shoulders before picking her exam paper up off his desk. She unzipped her backpack and shoved it inside. “I’ll have this in your mailbox by tomorrow morning, if that’s all right.” Hell, like it mattered. With one word she could destroy his entire career. Not that he thought she would. “Fine.” She turned to go, pausing with her hand on the door. “Can I say one more thing, Professor?” He tried to laugh but the sound was shaky and hoarse. “Go ahead. But I think I’d feel a whole lot better if you called me Galen while you said it.” Her laugh didn’t sound any too steady either. “Fair enough. Galen then. I just wanted you to know that what just happened—it wasn’t out of the blue. I’m twenty-nine, not seventeen. Old enough to know what I’m doing. I’ve been wanting you for a very long time. So—thank you.” |
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