When I find it hard to focus during classes, all I have to do is remind myself who I'm teaching. They might look like a bunch of teens, but that's not who they really are. That thought does wonders to my level of alertness. Lessons can get boring and repetitive, making me forget my real circumstances, but a bit of a mental reminder usually gets me back on track. You can't allow yourself to relax when surrounded by enemies.

Today, it's not enough. Yeah, I'm teaching a class of monsters, how horrible, yada yada. Maybe getting closer with Aiden has made me fear them slightly less, or maybe there are just so many new things to think and ponder about, but today, it's terribly hard for me to concentrate.

From my place behind my desk, I can see Aiden in the third row, reading the passage from the book that I told them to finish by the end of the lesson. He stops every now and then to write down some notes for the future discussion. A strand of hair falls across his forehead when he writes, and I feel the urge to come over and brush it away, but he does it himself, thoughtlessly tucking it behind his ear. I've never touched his hair, and I wonder if it's soft. I bet he can change that at will.

I'm kind of hoping he'd look at me, like he did a few times today. It livens up my day, stealing a glance or a smile that nobody else notices. But he's a damn good student, and he takes my assignments too seriously to look around.

I've been doing this all day, making them read things, watch things, anything to minimize the interactions between us, giving myself more time to float in the fantasy world inside my head. What Aiden showed me last night was nothing short of magic. It explains so many things about how shifters operate, and opens so many possibilities that my head spins just thinking about them.

We could go places with that crazy 'technology' of theirs—any place with a mirror, really. We could travel the world. Maybe that's what Aiden was talking about, saying that I could carve a life for myself within the given boundaries. He's widened those boundaries for me, opening all kinds of interesting possibilities that I can't stop contemplating.

I could peek into other people's lives. Stalking isn't nice, privacy is important, yeah, sure, but a part of me still contemplates doing that. My life has been so utterly deprived of control for the last few years that the idea of having that kind of control over others—watching them without being seen—feels strangely appealing.

It's funny how, despite all the fantasizing, I no longer think about escape. I know how futile that would have been, trying to flee shifters who can appear at will pretty much anywhere, and get away with it. I never stood a chance against them. Maybe Aiden was right, and I should just try to accept my circumstances and see what kind of life I might be able to carve for myself within them.

The bell rings, and they all get to their feet. The uniformity of their reactions is something I think I'll never get used to, the way they tend to react to certain things in certain ways. Like, in any regular classroom, some kids would jump up right away, others would continue talking, and yet others would take their time to stretch and get up slowly, but a class full of shifters—they just get up with the signal. All the groups I've taught before were like that, too, and it usually takes me the larger part of the course to get them to react differently to the same stimuli.

They file out of the classroom, some talking, others walking in silence. As the place gets emptier, I can see Aiden still sitting in his place. It's not particularly surprising—in fact, after all the stolen glances that we've exchanged today, I would have been disappointed if he just left. It's only when the last one of the students leaves the classroom that he gets up and leisurely picks up his bag. He seems to have mastered the different reaction thing. Like I said, good student.

I get up, walk to the front of my desk and sit upon it, waiting for him to come closer. He takes his time, finally stopping in front of me, slowly dropping his bag to the floor and giving me an amused look-over.

"Do teachers often sit on desks?"

"Sometimes," I say. "Not unheard of."

He steps closer, standing between my legs, kind of locking me in my position on the desk. I draw back, leaning on my hands, to maintain some distance.

"Hey," I say. "Mind the gap."

"Sure will," he says, and then leans forward and kisses me.

I sort of just freeze there. It's not a bad feeling, but I'm too surprised to react. He cups the back of my head with his hand to prevent me from getting away as his lips continue to explore mine, gently forcing them to open. His hand slides down to my neck, keeping me in place, and my body begins to react, warmth spreading through me. I close my eyes. I've kind of dreamt of having control, but in this, I guess I don't mind being led.

A few seconds later, he releases me. I open my eyes to find him peering at my face, like an artist examining his artwork.

"You didn't kiss me back," he says.

"I was...surprised."

"You didn't like it?"

"No. I mean, I did. I mean..." I sigh. "That was my first real kiss, you know?"

"Oh?" He cocks his head, raising an eyebrow. It's so damn sexy how unperturbed he looks. "Then watch out, because here comes the second one."

He kisses me again, and this time, I kiss him back. The heat inside me intensifies. It feels like my body is drawn to him like a coin to a magnet. I wrap my hands around his neck and slide closer to the edge of the table, pressing against him. Through his sweats, I can tell that he's hard. I'm getting there pretty quickly myself, which is kind of inconvenient with the rather limiting jeans that I'm wearing. His lips get more insistent, and I'm getting breathless, both from the kiss and my own rising excitement. When our lips finally part, he peers at my face again, his eyes black and bottomless. They were light brown just moments ago. He also forgot the freckles again.

I don't care.

"I want it," I breathe out. "I want to do it."

"Oh?" He raises an eyebrow. "What a quick evolution from the first kiss."

"Yeah." I close my eyes and rub against him, as much as my position on the desk allows me. It feels different from the fantasies that I used to have, doing it with an actual person—or whatever he is. I wonder if it would classify as monster porn, doing it with a monster that doesn't look like one. Either way, I'd try that. It's like a barrier's been broken, and things I previously thought would never happen to me are suddenly within my reach. I kind of thought I'd die a virgin. Now I have a shot at avoiding that.

"Are you sure?" he says, then dips down to kiss my neck, sending yet another burst of hot sparkles rushing through my bloodstream. "Here? In the classroom?"

That cools me down a bit. The classes are over for today, and we're alone, and there are no cameras and no mirrors, but still, there's no guarantee some of the students won't return. Also, if I really intend to go all the way with him, I should probably have a shower and prepare first. I mean, I've never done it before. I guess I should take it slowly.

"Not here," I say, and he straightens up, his eyes finding mine again. He looks flushed, too—I guess what we're doing is having its effect on him as well. That's good. I don't want to just check out the virginity box. I want to feel desired. "Also, not now. I need to shower."

"Where, then?"

I blink, contemplating it. My tiny room feels kind of too bland for the event. His blindingly white apartment doesn't stir my fancy, either.

"I know," he says, and smiles. "I know a place you'll like."

"Really? Where?"

"Let it be a surprise." He steps back, slipping out from under my hands. "I'll come back at nine and take you there, what do you say?"

I watch him, my head spinning from all the things that have been happening and are about to happen.

"I say yes," I reply at last. "Believe it or not, I've no other plans for tonight."