°•°•°•|KIERAN|°•°•°•
The high-class dorm is a place for those who exist beyond ordinary rules, students whose bloodlines are old and powerful.
It stood apart from the rest of campus, not just by the gates, but because it was a place where the predators taught how to blend in reside.
To humans, it is luxury. But to them, it is territory.
Kieran entered elegantly, the guards bowed their heads instinctively, eyes lowering in respect. They knew better than to meet his eyes for long.
The top floor belonged to the oldest bloodlines. There were fewer rooms, more space and more silence.
He took the stairs instead of the elevator, boots echoing softly with his jacket slung loosely over his shoulder.
His room was at the far end of the top floor. The door opened and he walked in.
A single window overlooked the campus, revealing the city lights beyond the campus gates. A king-sized bed, shelves filled with books that looked more like decoratives and dark furnitures.
From where he stood, the humans looked small and fragile. Humans. He hadn't meant to stop in the hallway earlier, it hadn't even been a conscious decision. One moment he was walking and the next, his steps had slowed down, attention pulled by something he couldn't quite figure out why.
And she had been looking right at him. Most people looked away and some stare for too long. Others tried too hard to pretend they weren't watching. But her gaze had been different, why so?
That was what unsettled him.
Kieran dropped his jacket onto the chair and ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tightening slightly. He didn't dwell on people, he shouldn't.
Humans were not meant to linger in his thoughts, they were distractions at best. Whatever that moment in the hallway had been, it meant nothing. It couldn't mean anything.
He reached for the glass on his desk, the dark liquid inside a rich red.
There was a slight knock on the door before it opened without warning. Kieran didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
"What do you want?"
He brought a cigarette to his lips and flicked the lighter, smoke curling from the tip of the cigarette.
Adrian walked in anyway, like the question wasn't directed to him. He dropped onto the arm of the couch, with his legs stretched out, like he hadn't just walked into the room of someone who could tear him apart without blinking.
"Nice to see you too," Adrian said. "We thought we'd check if the king was in residence."
Marcus came in last, closing the door behind him and leaned against it.
Kieran finally faced them, smoke drifting lazily from his lips. "If this is about curfew, take it to the Sebastian."
"Speaking of him, that's why we're here."
"What now."
"He cut the rations short again. Blood bank deliveries are late, supervised feedings are being reduced, and Sebastian keeps giving speeches about co-existence like it's some kind of prayer."
Kieran took a slow sip from the glass. "Seems Sebastian forgets who actually keeps this place standing."
"Careful. That sounded almost like rebellion."
"Don't be stupid."
Marcus smirked. "Too late. He already is."
"You always have to ruin the fun, don't you?" Adrian leaned against the chair, acting offended.
"Somebody has to keep your ego in check."
"Please. I'm practically a saint compared to you. I'm spontaneous. Artistic."
Marcus rolled his eyes. "Artistic? You mean reckless."
"Reckless? Please, I'm a visionary."
"A visionary who almost got us caught last week."
"Hear me out, art is never neat. Kieran, they're new batch of transfers, humans and half-bloods, they smelled promising."
"Idiot, you're already feeding on the newbies?" Marcus scoffed.
"I said promising, doesn't mean I touched. I'm appreciating from afar."
Marcus added casually, "Some of them won't last the semester."
"That's not your concern," Kieran said coldly. He didn't care about rules or what anyone else thought.
Adrian tilted his head. "Still acting like Sebastian's leash doesn't exist."
"It only works if you let it," Kieran replied, taking a slow drag from the cigarette. "That all?"
"That's it."
"I'll talk to Seb, if he's not willing to listen, tell his family to get ready to plan a funeral. In the meantime, get out."
"Touché."
The door closed behind them, leaving Kieran alone again.
He let the smoke curl lazily around him, eyes drifting to the city lights beyond the window.
Humans were fragile and utterly expendable. Their lives were little more than the next meal, a tool to satisfy hunger. He couldn't care less.