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đˇ KIERAN đˇ
Kieran sat on the edge of the balcony, the night air cool against his skin, though it did nothing to calm the heat coiling in his chest.
In his hand rested the small, sealed bag of blood, it was Lyra's sample, taken from the nurse before she could think twice.
He turned it over slowly, inspecting it like it held the answers to some unsolvable puzzle.
The color was lighter than the rest, almost translucent, yet the scentâŚthe faint, almost cloying aroma was undeniable, even through the seal.
He groaned, throwing the bag to the side. His hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms.
Damn it.
Why now? Why her? Every instinct screamed at him, every shadow of thought twisting into obsession.
He didn't need another complication, didn't need somethingâŚfragileâŚpulling at the corners of his control. Yet, every time he thought of her, the tilt of her head, something in him roared possessively.
He pressed his forehead against his knees, breathing ragged. Possess her. Claim her. Protect her. All at once, all unbidden, all unwelcome.
Gods, he hated this. Hated the way she had wormed her way into the margins of his calculations.
He pushed off the railing, pacing the balcony with the bag still at the edge. The wind tugged at his hair, but it couldn't blow away the frustration thrumming in his veins. His control was slipping and the thought made his jaw tighten.
Lyra. Her blood. Her presence. And him, unable or unwilling to let go.
Damn it all.
___
Sebastian's office smelled faintly of old paper and expensive cologne.
He stood behind his desk now, hands braced against polished wood, knuckles pale.
"There are three dead students," Sebastian said, voice low but vibrating with restrained fury. "Three."
Kieran remained seated across from him, one ankle resting over his knee, posture loose and relaxed.
"They were hardly students," Kieran replied.
Sebastian's jaw flexed. "That is not the point."
"It usually is."
"You left them too close to the normal dorm," Sebastian continued, pacing now. "Do you understand the kind of damage control I have to perform? Parents are already asking questions. And you-" he stopped pacing to glare at him, "...you don't even have the decency to pretend it was necessary."
"They were loud," Kieran's gaze drifted lazily to the window.
"Loud." Sebastian stared at him, as if to confirm what he'd just heard.
"They were becoming inconvenient."
"That does not justify murder."
"It does for me." Kieran's eyes flicked back to him.
"This place runs of rules, rules that has kept this academy till today."
"I don't give a damn about some shitty rules." Kieran said simply.
Sebastian exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. "You cannot keep acting on impulse."
"I don't act on impulse."
"Then explain it."
Kieran tilted his head slightly, considering whether the effort was worth it.
"They were targeting someone I don't want targeted," he said at last.
"Who is this about?"
"I handle my own matters."
"And I end up handling the aftermath," Sebastian snapped.
Kieran stood slowly. The temperature in the room seemed to drop a degree.
"Yes," he said calmly. "Which is why you're here. You smooth it over, you rewrite reports, console their parents and whatever. That is your function."
Sebastian let out a humorless laugh. "My function?"
Kieran stepped closer to the desk, resting his fingertips lightly against the polished surface.
"If I wanted restraint," he said quietly, "I would exercise it."
Sebastian held his stare. For a moment, neither one of them moved.
Then Sebastian straightened, adjusting his cuffs with sharp, controlled movements.
"You're becoming reckless. Whatever this fixation is," he said, voice lowering, "end it. Before it becomes a liability."
Kieran's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "Take care of the bodies," he said instead.
Sebastian's eyes flashed with irritation.
"That," Kieran continued, turning toward the door, "is the main reason you're here."
He didn't wait for a response before walking out.
"Liability, huh." He said with a chortle. He would decide what was a liability. Not Sebastian.
He barely made it halfway down the east corridor when Xavier stepped out from the shadow near the arched window, hands in his pockets like he had nowhere else to be.
"Move."
"You're slipping," Xavier said casually. "Three in one week? That's almost messy. Even for you."
Kieran's eyes flicked toward him, almost a glare. Cold and flat.
Xaview stepped closer, deliberately closing the space between them. "Planning on adding me to Sebastian's cleanup list?"
Kieran looked down at him slowly, as if measuring the weight of that sentence.
"You overestimate your importance."
Xavier shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm not the one with a castle to maintain."
Xavier gestured vaguely toward the direction of the high-class dorm tower visible through the corridor windows.
"Must be nice," he went on. "Top floor rooms. Private access. Special treatment. Meanwhile the rest of us line up be used as subjects for your mere satisfaction. And it's still going on, by the way. Saw the schedule posted this morning. Still can't survive without feeding on us, eh?"
Kieran stepped forward just enough that Xavier had to tilt his chin up to keep eye contact.
"We don't need you to survive."
Xavier huffed a quiet laugh. "That's funny. Because the infirmary says otherwise. You act like you're above it," Xavier continued. "Above the system. Above Sebastian. Above the rules." His gaze sharpened. "But you're still part of it."
For a moment, Kieran genuinely considered adding him to the bodies. He could if he wanted to, but the corridor wasn't empty enough. And Sebastian was already irritated.
Kieran watched him with quiet disdain.
"You're still participating in all this," Xavier added. "Whether you pretend you're above it or not."
"You're one to talk."
Xavier's eyes hardened. "I don't touch human blood."
"No," he said. "You play farmer instead. Whatever wanders too close to the forest line," Kieran continued smoothly. "You tell yourself it's enough."
"It is."
"For now. What happens," he asked softly, "when the beast finally slips its leash? "When you're injured. Starved and cornered."
Xavier's jaw tightened. Kieran's gaze sharpened, voice lowering further.
"And then you get a taste. Just once." Xavier's breathing shifted, almost imperceptibly. "Ooh," Kieran murmured mockingly, "the temptation that comes with it."
Xavier shoved him back lightly. Not enough to move him, just enough to show he was done.
"I'm not you."
"No," Kieran agreed coldly. "You're not. You pretend you're in control because you avoid it," Kieran continued. "That's not strength. That's fear."
Xavier's voice dropped. "And drowning in it is?"
"At least it's honest. You think you're different because you sip from animals?" Kieran added. "You're still what you are."
"I won't become like the rest of you."
"The rest of us," he corrected quietly, "don't lie to ourselves."
"You b-"
"When it happens," Kieran said, voice calm and cutting, "when you finally lose control and taste human blood..." He let the silence stretch. "You'll understand why we do what we do."
Xavier held his stare, something unsettled flickering beneath his composure.
"And when that day comes," he added , turning around to leave, "pray I'm the one who finds you first."
He walked away, footsteps echoing down the corridor.
___
The high-class lounge was warm, dimly lit and polished to perfection. Low music hummed from somewhere unseen. A few of them sat scattered across velvet couches, some sipping lazily from sealed bags, and the others just wandered around.
Kieran took his usual seat near the fireplace. Adrian was already there, sprawled dramatically across an armchair like he owned the entire wing.
Marcus lounged upside-down on the couch beside him, legs hanging over the backrest, glass dangling loosely from his fingers.
"That damn halfblood actually confronted you?" he asked immediately. "The audacity."
"Of course you're going to talk about him. You bring him up every time we gather," Marcus continued lazily. "It's starting to feel personal."
Adrian shot him a glare. "I just don't like him."
"You don't like anyone," Marcus corrected. "Except maybe yourself."
"The dude walks around like he's morally superior. Like surviving on rabbits makes him enlightened."
Marcus grinned. "Technically deer."
"Shut up."
Adrian leaned forward now, eyes sharp. "He confronted you though? Actually had the nerve?"
"He talks too much," Kieran said flatly.
Marcus perked up at that. "Oh, I would've paid to see that. What did he say? Something about ethics? Or the poor oppressed humans?"
Adrian scoffed. "He hates the routine. Thinks we're parasites."
Marcus sipped from the glass in his hand. "We are parasites."
Adrian turned on him instantly. "Whose side are you on?"
"I don't have sides," Marcus replied smoothly. "I just love entertainment."
"I swear, one day he's going to push too far."
"And then what?" Marcus asked, lifting a brow. "You'll glare at him aggressively?"
Adrian threw a cushion at him. Marcus caught it without even looking and tossed it back.
Marcus smirked. "You just don't like that he doesn't worship the ground we walk on."
Adrian looked offended. "No one worships you."
"They should," Marcus said thoughtfully. "I'm delightful. You're not actually worried about him, are you?"
"He's human enough to be reckless," Adrian shrugged. "And vampire enough to be dangerous."
Marcus hummed. "Ah. So we're in the 'monitor him closely' phase."
Adrian straightened. "Or the 'remove him quietly' phase."
Marcus grinned. "You just want an excuse." Adrian didn't deny it.
"No one touches him," he said evenly. Both of them looked at him.
Adrian blinked. "Since when?"
"Since I said so."
Adrian frowned. "Why?"
Kieran's gaze flicked toward the dark window overlooking the academy grounds.
Adrian huffed. "Fine. But when he inevitably says or does something stupid again, I reserve the right to enjoy it."
Marcus clinked his glass against Adrian's arm. "You always do."
Adrian leaned back, folding his arms. "He's going to cause problems again. After Eloise-"
Adrian's voice cut off the moment he realized what he'd said.
Marcus's easy smirk dropped instantly. He shot Adrian a sharp look, a clear shut up without saying it.
Kieran didn't move, he didn't have to. The air in the lounge shifted.
Kieran leaned back slowly in his seat, fingers steepled beneath his chin. His expression was calm. Almost bored.
Adrian cleared his throat and stood up abruptly. "I'm going to get another bag," he muttered, already backing away.
Marcus watched him go, then glanced at Kieran cautiously. "He tends to talk too much when he's annoyed."
Kieran's gaze remained on the fireplace. "Yes," he said quietly. "He does."
Kieran's eyes finally lifted from the fire and drifted toward the tall windows overlooking the academy grounds.
Eloise.