I knew I was failing History 301. The grades on my phone didn’t lie. A fucking D. One more bad paper and I was done for the semester. But I wasn’t going down without a fight.

I waited until the building was almost empty. Eight o’clock at night. The hallway outside Dr. Kane’s office was quiet. I knocked once and pushed the door open without waiting.

He sat behind his big wooden desk, his silver hair perfectly combed, sleeves rolled up over thick forearms. Dr. Elias Kane looked like he belonged in a movie—He is tall, has a broad chest, and a sharp jaw. Forty-two years old and built like...