Evaline:
By the ti the sun rose on Friday, it felt like the entire Academy had sohow found a new reason to whisper again - and, of course, I was that reason.
Draven’s little display in the dining hall the night before - the one where he made it kind of clear that I was off-limits - had two very different consequences.
First, it worked.
No one approached anymore. Not a single overly confident senior, not a group of curious second years, and definitely not that pastry-offering senior who had made it a habit of showing up during al tis. The air around was now clear of awkward approaches, nervous stamrs, and random smiles.
It was... peaceful.
I could finally breathe without soone calling my na or tripping over their words to talk to .
But of course, nothing good ever ca without a price in this place.
Because the second thing Draven’s stunt accomplished was turning Sylvia Grand - Nadine’s best friend and Draven’s number one admirer - into an even bigger nightmare than before.
She had always been cranky where I was concerned, her bitterness sharpened since last Sunday when I ca back to the Academy... with Draven.
That alone had made her glare daggers at every ti we crossed paths, but now? After his public interference at dinner? She looked ready to murder .
I had spotted her twice already this morning, both tis with her arms folded across her chest, whispering furiously with Nadine. Their eyes kept darting toward as if I were so kind of forbidden secret they couldn’t stop poking at.
Honestly, I didn’t even care anymore.
If glaring and whispering behind my back made them feel better, so be it.
At least no one was asking for my number.
So yes, maybe I had been furious with Draven the previous night for ambushing in the tunnel - along with his brothers - and driving half-insane with frustration and heat... but now? I couldn’t even bring myself to stay mad.
He had made my life easier, even if his thod was ridiculously possessive.
Though, I couldn’t say the sa about the curious gazes still following everywhere I went.
The stares hadn’t stopped. If anything, they had gotten worse.
Students were whispering more than ever, their interest reignited after the dining hall incident. Apparently, having a Thorne brother rescue from an innocent conversation had elevated back to being the Academy’s favorite gossip topic.
Blessing and curse, that’s what Draven’s ddling did.
At least at ho last night, things hadn’t spiraled further.
When Kieran, Oscar, and Draven had taken back to the house after that whole... tunnel incident, I had honestly thought I was done for. But to my surprise, the mont we had crossed the threshold, they had acted like nothing had happened.
They hadn’t even ntioned it.
No smug comnts. No teasing. Not even a knowing look.
With River away for the night because of work, the other three just went about their night as if making nearly collapse under their combined jealousy in a secret tunnel was nothing more than my dream.
By morning, they were all normal again.
Breakfast had been filled with casual chatter. No one brought up what had happened underground.
It was as if I had imagined the whole thing.
Which... I didn’t know how to feel about.
Relieved? Maybe.
Annoyed? Definitely.
I sighed, tapping my pen against my notebook as my thoughts circled endlessly.
I didn’t even realize I had been zoning out until a sharp knock jolted .
My eyes flew up... and I froze when I saw Kieran standing right next to my desk.
He wasn’t smiling. He never did when he was teaching. But right now, his eyes were especially sharp.
"Miss Evaline," he said, his voice cutting through the quiet room like a blade. "Would you like to share your thoughts with the class, or are they more interesting than my lesson?"
My heart dropped.
Every head turned toward .
Nadine snickered, and a few others joined her, trying (and failing) to hide their laughter behind their hands.
I blinked rapidly, trying to piece together what I had missed. "I-I’m sorry," I stamred. "I was just-"
"Zoning out," he finished for . His tone didn’t rise, but there was a distinct edge of authority in it that made my stomach twist.
I nodded quickly, my cheeks burning. "It won’t happen again, Professor."
"See that it doesn’t."
And just when I thought that was the end of it, he added calmly, "Find in my office after your last class of the day."
The room went dead silent.
Even Nadine’s laughter stopped.
I blinked at him, stunned. "Sir-"
He turned back toward the board before I could even finish. "That will be all," he said, resuming his lecture like nothing had happened.
I sank into my seat, wishing the ground would swallow whole.
Mallory, sitting to my right, leaned over and whispered, "What was that about?"
I shook my head, still mortified. "I don’t know."
Next to her, Kyros raised an eyebrow. "You must have done sothing to annoy him."
"I didn’t!" I whispered fiercely, though even I didn’t sound convinced.
The rest of the class passed painfully slowly, every tick of the clock echoing like a countdown to my doom.
By the ti the final bell rang for the last class and everyone began packing up, I could feel my nerves eating away at . I gathered my things in a daze, ignoring the curious looks from my classmates.
Ria gave my shoulder a quick squeeze before leaving. "Good luck," she whispered, half teasing, half sympathetic.
Thanks, I thought bitterly. I’ll need it.
- - -
I stood outside his door, taking a deep breath to steady myself before knocking.
"Co in," ca his calm, unmistakable voice.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The room was neat, as always. Kieran sat behind his desk, glancing up as I entered. His expression was unreadable.
"Close the door, Evaline."
I did.
Then I stood there awkwardly, clutching the hem of my uniform blazer like a shield. "I-I wanted to apologize for earlier," I said quickly. "I really didn’t an to-"
He held up a hand, silencing .
"I’m not planning to lecture you," he said simply. "At least, not right now."
I blinked, confused. "...You are not?"
He shook his head, standing up and walking around the desk until he was right in front of . He stopped close enough that I could feel the faint hum of our bond between us - a quiet, steady heartbeat that made my chest tighten.
"No," he said. "You are coming with ."
I frowned. "Coming with you? Where?"
His lips quirked slightly, the faintest trace of amusent flickering through his otherwise calm face.
"You’ll see."
And before I could ask another question, he picked up his suit coat, gestured toward the door, and said, "Let’s go."
I blinked, completely thrown off. "Wait-what about my apology? The class-"
"Forget it."
"Kieran-"
He turned just enough for our eyes to et, his gaze softening in that subtle, unreadable way that only he could manage. "Just follow , love."
I stared at him, my confusion lting into reluctant curiosity.
Sowhere deep down, I knew arguing wouldn’t work. Not with him.
So I sighed, and nodded my head.
And with that, he pushed the door open, holding it for .
Whatever this was, I had a feeling my evening was about to get a lot more interesting than I had planned.
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