Chapter 40

Camille blushed furiously as she scurried from the bathroom. When she’d seen Natalie—the red-headed girl from class—scrambling through the halls of the training facility, she hadn’t known what to think. Red faced and visibly flustered, in a clear rush to get somewhere, the sight had caught Camille’s attention. She’d followed almost by instinct.

Which was weird, she knew. Especially because she had hidden her pursuit, slinking around corners to not be seen. But she hadn’t been able to help herself. Natalie had been in such a state, and so Camille had been equally curious why.

And then following her into the bathroom? Even stalking her had been weird enough, but in? That’d crossed the line, even if the first part hadn’t.

But, again, her curiosity had been piqued. She’d never stood a chance when it came to resisting her curiosity. Sticking her nose where it didn’t belong was, essentially, Camille’s most fundamental flaw. Or virtue. That same inquisitiveness was why Cara Gylver had taken notice of her. Camille had discovered that at Tenet, her country drawl and “unrefined speech patterns” suggested to many that she was a woman of slow wits, or at best, a lackadaisical mind, but the opposite was true. As her adoption into House Gylver loudly proclaimed. The infamous ‘House of Ingenuity’ cared for little besides keenness of mind.

So, seeing her classmate flee down the hall, flushed and excited looking ... she had followed. Against better judgment. And propriety.

And then not just to her destination, but in. If she lied to herself, she had needed to use the restroom, anyway. She hadn’t entered with intent to intrude. It was just a coincidence she had gone into the same bathroom her fleeing target had.

Well, no. Even she couldn’t lie to herself that blatantly. She guessed she was just a nosy person.

Inside, Camille had discovered a reason to the girl’s flustered state. An answer she had distinctly not expected. Unexpected answers, she had found, tended to be the best. Her favorites.

This one, though. She hadn’t made her mind up on what she thought about it. Whether it adhered to that trend. Her head was still spinning, sorting through what she’d discovered.

Because Natalie—her classmate, who had trounced her and Elliot in spars this morning—had been masturbating, loudly, in a public restroom.

Sure, she’d probably fled to this secluded part of the facility explicitly seeking privacy, and Camille had slipped in as quietly as possible, not letting the door squeak as she inched it open, but still. It was in public. Did she have that little discretion?

And she had a cock.

The more ... important surprise.

Yes, she’d peeked. Outrageously nosy, as she’d already admitted—even to the point of perversion, apparently. She’d already chased a red-faced girl across the facility, then followed her into the bathroom, purposefully hiding her feet by sitting on the sink and raising them. And while Camille wouldn’t have invaded the girl’s privacy if nothing untoward had started happening, Camille had felt the faint hum of magic, and a few moments later, the noises had started.

Noises that said Natalie was very much enjoying herself.

So, she’d looked. And seen a cock. On a girl. Camille didn’t know what was going on with that. Her first thought had been the obvious—Natalie simply presented as a woman, but had been born a man. Camille of course had no problems with that, but she had a feeling it wasn’t Natalie’s situation. It didn’t feel right. Camille suspected something else. Something less typical.