His Mortal Sin

5

KIANNA POV

I didn't know what got on my nerves more than the fact that I forgot my laptop on my desk.

All that hard work gone in vain, just because I got distracted.

From who exactly? Funny question.

Zane.

I stood beside Elliot, my study partner, while I muttered my grievances. But just like everyone else… he was interested in another thing.

Distracted rather. By whom?

Zane. My bodyguard.

I clenched my fists together, trying hard not to go over to where he was and punch the living hell out of him.

Ever since he entered my life, I haven't been able to concentrate. Especially when he's doing nothing.

Just standing there… looking perfect.

“I don't understand why everyone is obsessed with him,” I mumbled incoherently.

Elliot turned, his face contorted in disgust. “I don't understand why you brought him with you.”

I furrowed my brows. “You don't like him?”

“That's not the point,” he gritted, running his hand through his hair.

My brow arched in confusion. “He's my bodyguard. I didn't have any choice.”

“If you needed a bodyguard, I'm fully capable, Kianna.”

A laugh bubbled up before I could stop it. “You can't be serious.”

He blinked, eyes hard. “Do I look unserious?”

I paused, studying him. His eyes were dangerously filled with rage, his jaw clenched.

I held his gaze a second longer, unsure whether to laugh or step back. Elliot had never spoken to me like that before — sharp, cold, territorial.

What was that supposed to mean anyway? Fully capable? Of what, exactly?

Before I could ask, a familiar presence sent a chill through me.

Zane.

Even without turning, I could tell he was there. It was the way the air seemed to shift….thick and heavy. Like he carried silence with him wherever he went.

His voice came from behind me, calm and low. “You forgot this.”

I turned, and there he was …. holding my laptop.

Of course.

Of course he noticed before I did.

“Thanks,” I muttered, taking it from him, though my fingers brushed his accidentally. His skin was warm… too warm… and it startled me more than I wanted to admit.

Zane didn’t react. He just stood there, broad shoulders straight, eyes steady. That usual unreadable expression on his face.

But Elliot’s glare could’ve burned through steel, and this time Zane gave him a look twice as hard.

Goosebumps broke out on my skin, and I couldn't understand whether it was the tension or the weather.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me… particularly on Zane and Elliot.

I swallowed before taking Elliot's arm in mine. “Well then, let's head off before we end up late.”

He broke eye contact, his gaze not softening. Then he grumbled, “Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

Slowly, I pulled Elliot with me, but I could still feel Zane's eyes on my back. I should hate it.

Yet I swayed my hips, creating more attention for his eyes.

My lips curved inwardly, yet all I could think about was how thick-skinned Elliot was becoming because of him.

The moment we sat in the lecture hall, as per usual, everyone's eyes were on us — mostly Elliot.

“I didn't think you were thick-skinned up until now,” I muttered softly, trying hard not to attract more attention.

“That's because you don't know me,” he said flatly… almost close to how Zane talks.

“Okay…” I mumbled, unsure whether to be happy or sad. I really thought of him as a new friend… guess I was desperate.

“No… Kianna, it came out the wrong way,” Elliot added quickly, his voice softer now.

I glanced at him, trying to read his face, but he’d already turned away. He looked… guilty. Maybe even a little scared. Of what, though?

“Forget it,” I said, opening my laptop to distract myself. “Let’s just go through the notes before class starts.”

But I wasn’t really looking at the screen.

I could feel Zane.

From where I sat, I didn’t have to look far… he was outside, leaning casually against the glass wall near the hall’s entrance. His dark jacket contrasted sharply with the morning light.

He wasn’t even pretending to hide that he was watching me.

And somehow… I didn’t mind.

I hated that.

My chest tightened, and I quickly lowered my gaze.

“Let's begin!” the lecturer began. That, at least, kept my attention from the person who was staring at me outside the hall.

A few minutes into the teaching, I could feel another pair of eyes on me. I turned — my eyes locked on a pair of blue ones.

I blinked as a sweet smile formed on his face.

“Ms. Rue,” the lecturer’s voice snapped me out of my daze.

Everyone turned.

Oh God.

I straightened immediately, realizing I’d been staring….not at the board, not even at the lecturer ….. but at him. The guy with the blue eyes.

“Pay attention, please,” the lecturer said curtly.

“Y-yes, ma’am.” My voice came out smaller than I wanted.

I heard a quiet chuckle from somewhere behind me.

Blue-eyes guy.

When I dared another glance, he was still watching me …. his chin resting lazily on his palm, that same soft grin on his face.

Something about it was off. Too calm. Too confident. Like he knew something I didn’t.

I swallowed hard and looked away, pretending to focus on the slide in front of me.

But my thoughts were a tangled mess.

Elliot was silent beside me, his mood unreadable.

Zane was outside. Watching. Always watching.

And now this stranger…..this… whoever-he-was … was smiling at me like we shared a secret.

By the time the lecture ended, my nerves were fried.

“Who’s that guy?” I asked quietly as we packed up.

Elliot followed my gaze, his expression darkening instantly. “Don’t talk to him.”

“What?”

“Just don’t,” he said, voice low. “He’s trouble.”

Before I could respond, movement by the door caught my eye.

Zane.

And for the first time… his expression wasn’t unreadable.

It was dangerous.

His jaw tightened, and those cold eyes of his locked not on me … but on the blue-eyed boy who was now heading our way.

The air shifted again.

That same heavy, electric tension.

“It’s time to go home, Kianna,” Zane practically growled under his breath.

Elliot stood in front of me, shielding me from him. “If she doesn't want to, are you going to do vamp—”

“Get the f**k out of my sight,” Zane sneered.

I blinked, not knowing what was happening. That’s when my attention caught the blue-eyed boy again.

He stood a near distance from me… but the expression on his face was just like mine.

Confused.

I avoided whatever man-struggle was happening between my bodyguard and my friend and went to meet him. And the moment I stood near, his attention was solely on me.

“How did you get into such a situation?” he asked softly, catching me off guard for a moment.

Reason? I didn't know.

I shrugged. “Who knows?”

A smile curved on his lips. “Says the girl whom two men are fighting over.”

“They're not fighting over me, they're just, you know…”

He raised a brow. “Know what?”

“Men,” I stated smoothly … like it wasn’t meant for anyone else to hear.

“Men,” he repeated, amusement flickering in those piercing blue eyes. “Right. That explains everything.”

I frowned, crossing my arms. “You sound like you’re mocking me.”

“Not at all.” He tilted his head slightly, his smile fading into something gentler. “Just… observing.”

“Observing what?”

“You.”

The word slipped out of his mouth so easily that for a second, I thought I’d imagined it. My throat went dry.

Before I could say anything, Zane’s shadow loomed behind me.

“Step away from her,” his voice was sharp — no, venomous.

Blue-eyes guy …. whoever he was — didn’t even flinch. He just gave Zane a lazy glance and smirked, as if the warning was a joke.

“Relax, bodyguard,” he said coolly. “We’re just talking.”

Zane moved closer, close enough that the space between them was nothing but a breath of air and my pounding heartbeat.

“Then stop talking.”

I could feel the tension roll off Zane in waves, cold and suffocating. The hallway around us went quiet.. students whispering, staring, sensing something they didn’t understand.

“Zane—” I started, placing a hand on his arm. His muscles were taut beneath his jacket, solid and hot to the touch. “Please. Let’s just go.”

He didn’t look at me. His eyes stayed locked on the other guy, like he was waiting for an excuse ….any excuse …. to make a move.

The blue-eyed boy finally broke the stare-off with a sigh. “Fine,” he said, lifting his hands slightly in mock surrender. “Wouldn’t want to upset the guard dog.”

“Watch it,” Zane growled.

But the boy only smiled … that same knowing smile that sent a strange shiver down my spine. “See you around, Kianna.”

And just like that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd.

Zane’s jaw was still tight as he muttered, “You shouldn’t talk to him.”

“Why?” I shot back, my nerves finally catching up. “You can’t just show up and order me around like that!”

His eyes darkened. “Because he’s not what he seems.”

I blinked, thrown by the sudden seriousness in his tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Zane’s gaze flickered past me , scanning, calculating ….before settling back on me. “Let’s go home,” he said firmly, avoiding the question altogether.

Elliot stood a few steps away, watching us with a mix of concern and irritation. “She said she’s not—”

“Stay out of this,” Zane snapped.

Elliot’s fists clenched, but he didn’t move closer. He just gave me a look ….one that said, We’ll talk later.

I sighed, feeling like I was being pulled in three different directions. “Fine,” I muttered, glaring at both of them. “But this conversation isn’t over.”

As Zane guided me toward the car, I couldn’t stop my mind from replaying that moment …. the boy’s eyes, his strange calmness, the way Zane reacted like he knew him.

And maybe he did.