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🕷️ KIERAN 🕷️
Kieran had been standing in the director's office for almost twenty minutes. He stood with his hands in his pockets, his expression flat.
Adrian and Marcus stood besides him, still trying to take in the situation.
"You expect me to believe," Sebastian said slowly, "that you had nothing to do with this?"
"If I had, I wouldn't deny it."
Outside, students were still whispering. News had already spread across Ravencrest Academy that a body had been found that morning.
"Three students weeks ago, Kieran. Three. And you left every single body where it could be found."
"Different circumstances," Kieran replied.
"You think this is a joke?"
"I think you're not doing what you should be doing, Sebastian."
"There's a clear puncture wound on her neck," Sebastian continued. "If human authorities conduct an autopsy, they will see it."
Marcus finally spoke. "And if the humans decide to investigate, we can't interfere without drawing attention."
Sebastian exhaled slowly. "Students found her this morning. The entire campus is talking. If this reaches outside the school-"
"I didn't kill her." Sebastian stared at him for a long moment. Trying to read him.
Sebastian finally looked at Adrian. "Call a meeting. High-class dorm only. Now."
When Kieran stepped into the hallway, the noise hit him immediately. Humans moved in clusters now. He walked through them like he didn't see them.
Then he saw her. Lyra stood a few feet away with her friend, her bag slung over her shoulder like she'd just arrived back from break. She looked confused, trying to understand what had happened.
Then her eyes met his and they widened in shock and confusion.
Her friend nudged her. "Lyra, I'm telling you-" she said, trying to drag her attention back.
Lyra blinked quickly and looked away. Kieran's expression didn't change, but something in his jaw tightened.
—
The meeting was held in the underground hall beneath the high-class dorm. The room was dim, stone walls cold and echoing. No human would ever accidentally wander down there.
Sebastian stood at the front, furious. Adrian and Marcus stood behind him. And Kieran stood slightly to the side, leaning against a pillar.
"There are rules," Sebastian said sharply. "Rules that exist for a reason. We do not feed recklessly. We do not leave evidence. And we do not kill students without cause. Who did it?" Sebastian demanded. "Who killed the girl?"
Murmurs rippled through the room, some appeared affected by the news and some just didn't care.
"If this reaches human authorities," he continued, "we are looking at full-scale investigation. Police, autopsy, forensics. Once they confirm a bite, it'll become a problem none of you can fix."
Kieran's eyes moved slowly across the faces in front of him. Fear. Annoyance. Indifference.
One stood near the middle row, hands loosely in his pockets. He was smiling, not wide but obvious.
A quirky vampire who was eerily quiet. Damon.
Kieran's lips curved slightly in response. Damon caught the smile and quickly wiped his own away.
"If you think killing a human girl in the middle of campus is entertainment-"
Kieran pushed off the pillar and started walking through the middle of the gathered vampires. They parted without being asked.
Damon straightened when Kieran stood before him.
"Why are you looking at me like-" Kieran grabbed Damon by the collar and yanked him forward.
"Was it you?" Kieran asked quietly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Was it you?" he repeated, his hand tightening around his collar.
"You think I'm stupid enough to kill a girl on campus-" The punch landed before the sentence fully left Damon's mouth.
The crack echoed in the hall. Damon's head snapped to the side. He barely had time to recover before Kieran grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back into the wall.
Damon growled and tried to shove him off. His fist drove into Damon's jaw again. Blood split across Damon's lip.
Sebastian shouted, "Kieran!"
Damon swung back, trying to land a punch but earned another in his ribs.
"I don't like unnecessary drama," Kieran said coldly between blows. "It irritates me."
"You're insane!" Damon tried to knee him. Kieran blocked it and slammed him harder against the wall. The plaster cracked behind Damon's head.
Blood stained Damon's shirt. He grabbed Kieran's wrist, trying to twist free. Kieran broke the hold and hit him again, harder this time.
The room was frozen, no one tried or dared to step in.
Damon tried to throw him off balance. Kieran shifted his weight and drove his fist into Damon's face again, splitting the skin above his eyebrow. Blood ran down into Damon's eye.
Sebastian's voice cut through the room. "Adrian. Marcus."
They moved forward quickly. Kieran landed two more punches before Adrian grabbed his arm and Marcus pulled him back.
Damon slid down the wall, breathing hard, face swollen and bleeding. Blood ran from his nose and eyebrow, down his chin. He wiped at it clumsily, glaring up.
Kieran stood still between Adrian and Marcus. His knuckles were red, smeared with blood that wasn't his.
Sebastian stepped forward, eyes locked on Damon. "Where were you that night?"
Damon laughed once, weak and short, then winced because it hurt. He tried to push himself up but stayed half-slumped against the wall.
"In my room," he said, breath catching slightly. He swallowed. "I was in my room."
"With?"
"I was alone. Fuck, you're just looking for someone to blame." Damon wiped more blood from his mouth.
"Until I verify your movements, you'll be under strict observation. If I find out you stepped outside that night-"
"I didn't," Damon cut in, breathing heavier than before.
Sebastian ignored the interruption. "And if I discover you are lying, you will wish Kieran had not stopped. Meeting dismissed."
The vampires began to disperse slowly. Damon remained on the floor long after most of them had left.
He pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek and winced faintly. Then he laughed.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. When he pulled it away, his knuckles were stained red. He stared at it for a second and licked his lips.
He tasted copper, his own blood. His head tilted slightly to the side and his gaze lifted toward the direction Kieran had walked out.
—
Up above ground, life pretended to continue normally. Lectures resumed.
Kieran sat in the back row of his afternoon class. Adrian sat to his right and Marcus to his left.
The lecturer was talking about historical governance systems. His voice droned out, words blending into one long, forgettable stream.
Kieran hadn't looked at the board once. He sat back in his chair, elbow resting on the armrest, fingers brushing lightly against his lower lip.
Adrian's jaw had been tight since the meeting ended. Marcus was spinning his pen between his fingers with lazy skill.
None of them were listening. The room was full of humans. Breathing, fragile and unaware.
Marcus's pen stopped spinning. He turned his head slightly toward the window, then he leaned back a little farther in his chair.
"Well," he murmured quietly, eyes still outside, "looks like the jerk found a new target."
"What?" Adrian muttered. Marcus tilted his chin toward the window and Adrian leaned slightly to see past Marcus.
Damon stood beneath one of the large oak trees. His bruises were faint now. Vampiric healing had done its work quickly, only the slightest discoloration remained near his eyebrow.
And standing in front of him was Lyra, holding a white handkerchief out to him.
Damon accepted it slowly. Lyra said something and then she stepped back. She gave a polite nod and turned to leave.
But Damon didn't look away. His gaze followed her till she was probably out of sight.
"That bastard," Adrian muttered under his breath. "He wouldn't dare."
Marcus stopped spinning the pen entirely now. Kieran watched the scene without much of a reaction.
Damon remained standing there, still looking in the direction she'd gone. Then very slowly, he lifted the handkerchief to his face.
Adrian pushed back slightly in his seat. "I'll kill him." He looked back out the window again, agitation simmering just beneath his skin.
"Sit down. You're in class, show some decency." Kieran said dismissively.
"Since when did you care about lectures?" Adrian inquired.
"Since when did you care about humans?" Adrian's fist loosened at his sides. "Why? Do you know her?"
"We've talked a few times," Adrian stared at Marcus, and then at Kieran. "She's a friend."
"You? Befriend a human? What are the odds of that happening?" Marcus scoffed. "She was the one in the photo with Xavier, right? Wow, she really doesn't know who she's getting mixed up with."
"Damon is up to something. If he really was the one who left that body, then...what if he goes after her?"
"When was the last time I've seen you so worked up? Do you...fancy her?" Marcus leaned in. Kieran turned to stare at Adrian.
"Damn you." Adrian stood up and left. The lecturer stared at the door and then at Kieran.
"Let's continue."