CHAPTER THREE: THE FORBIDDEN CONNECTION
1273 Words
The bell rang.
Students immediately began gathering their books, but Evelyn remained seated.
Her eyes were fixed on her palm.
The crescent mark had disappeared again.
Just like that.
No pain.
No glow.
Nothing.
As if it had never existed.
Yet she knew what she had seen.
And more importantly—
Kael had seen it too.
She looked across the room.
He was standing near the doorway, speaking quietly with Dorian.
But his attention wasn’t on the conversation.
It was on her.
Their eyes met.
Kael’s expression remained unreadable.
Then Dorian followed his gaze.
A slow grin appeared on his face.
“Oh.”
Kael looked at him.
“What?”
Dorian’s grin widened.
“Nothing.”
“Then stop smiling.”
“I can’t.”
Kael sighed.
Evelyn watched them from a distance.
There was something strange about the friendship between those two.
Dorian seemed completely unafraid of Kael.
Everyone else treated Kael like he was one wrong word away from tearing the academy apart.
Dorian treated him like an annoying brother.
It was oddly comforting.
“Evelyn?”
She looked up.
Seraphine was standing beside her desk.
“You coming?”
“Yeah.”
Evelyn grabbed her books.
But before she could leave—
Kael appeared in front of her.
She stopped.
The students around them immediately became quieter.
Kael looked at her.
“Walk with me.”
Evelyn blinked.
“Where?”
“My next class.”
She frowned.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
“I do.”
“Then why are you asking me to walk with you?”
His lips curved faintly.
“Because I want you with me.”
Her heart skipped.
Dorian made a choking sound behind him.
Kael turned.
“Dorian.”
“I said nothing.”
“You were about to.”
“I was about to say how touching this is.”
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
Dorian laughed.
Evelyn couldn’t help smiling.
Kael looked back at her.
For a moment, the rest of the academy disappeared.
There was only that strange pull between them.
Then Evelyn heard a whisper from somewhere behind her.
“She’s getting too comfortable.”
Another voice answered.
“She won’t be for long.”
Evelyn turned.
A group of students immediately looked away.
Her smile faded.
Kael noticed.
His expression darkened.
“Ignore them.”
“I’m trying.”
“They’ll stop.”
“You sound very confident.”
“I am.”
“Why?”
Kael stepped slightly closer.
“Because eventually they’ll learn that I don’t care what they think.”
The words were simple.
But Evelyn felt something behind them.
A promise.
⸻
They walked through the academy together.
Students moved aside whenever Kael approached.
Evelyn noticed.
“You really scare everyone.”
Kael glanced at her.
“Does that bother you?”
She thought about it.
“No.”
His eyebrows lifted.
“No?”
“I think you’re less frightening when you’re not glaring at everyone.”
A faint smile appeared.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“And what am I when I’m with you?”
Evelyn looked at him.
She hadn’t expected the question.
“Different.”
Kael’s smile disappeared.
“Different how?”
“Like you’re not trying so hard to be someone everyone fears.”
Silence.
His expression changed.
For the first time, Evelyn wondered if she’d said too much.
Then Kael looked ahead.
“You notice too much.”
She smiled.
“So I’ve been told.”
They reached the training courtyard.
Kael stopped.
“I’ll see you after class.”
Evelyn nodded.
Then she noticed something.
A thin silver line had appeared around his wrist.
The same color as the mark that had appeared on her palm.
Her smile disappeared.
“Kael.”
He looked at her.
“Your wrist.”
He immediately pulled his sleeve down.
Too quickly.
Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
“What was that?”
“Nothing.”
“You just did exactly what you told me not to do.”
His expression softened.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I am worried.”
Kael stepped closer.
“Evelyn…”
Something about his voice made her stop.
There was warning in it.
But also fear.
He didn’t want her asking questions.
Not yet.
Before she could press him—
A voice interrupted.
“Kael.”
They turned.
A beautiful vampire stood several feet away.
Long dark hair.
Pale skin.
Elegant black uniform.
And a smile that seemed perfectly practiced.
Her eyes immediately moved to Evelyn.
Then back to Kael.
“You’re finally back.”
Kael’s expression became colder.
“Valeria.”
The girl’s smile widened.
“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten me.”
Evelyn felt something strange tighten inside her chest.
She didn’t know why.
She simply didn’t like the way Valeria looked at Kael.
And judging by the sudden silence beside her—
Kael didn’t like the situation either.
Valeria walked closer.
“I heard you’ve been busy.”
Her gaze shifted deliberately toward Evelyn.
“Very busy.”
Evelyn crossed her arms.
“And you are?”
Valeria smiled.
“Someone who has known Kael for a very long time.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“Valeria.”
She ignored him.
“We grew up together.”
Evelyn felt an unfamiliar emotion flicker through the bond.
Kael’s discomfort.
Not attraction.
Not affection.
Something closer to irritation.
That helped.
A little.
Valeria stepped closer to Kael.
“Surely you remember our arrangement.”
Evelyn’s eyes widened slightly.
Kael’s expression hardened.
“There was never an arrangement.”
Valeria’s smile faltered.
“Not officially.”
Dorian suddenly appeared behind them.
“Oh, this is getting good.”
Kael closed his eyes briefly.
“Dorian.”
“What? I’m just passing by.”
“You’ve been passing by for the last five minutes.”
Dorian smiled.
“Coincidence.”
Valeria ignored him.
Her eyes remained fixed on Evelyn.
“So you’re the girl everyone is talking about.”
Evelyn held her gaze.
“Apparently.”
Valeria smiled.
“Interesting.”
Then she looked at Kael.
“You’ve certainly changed.”
Kael’s voice became cold.
“People change.”
“Not you.”
She stepped closer.
“At least, you never used to.”
Evelyn felt the tension between them.
History.
Something existed between these two.
Something she didn’t understand.
And suddenly—
For the first time since arriving at Noctis—
Evelyn felt jealous.
She hated it.
Absolutely hated it.
Because she had no right.
She barely knew Kael.
Yet seeing another woman stand so comfortably beside him made something inside her burn.
Kael noticed.
His eyes flickered toward her.
A tiny smile appeared.
Evelyn immediately frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You smiled.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
Kael leaned slightly closer.
“You’re jealous.”
Her eyes widened.
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m absolutely not.”
Dorian burst out laughing.
Valeria’s expression darkened.
Kael’s smile widened.
For the first time that day—
He looked genuinely happy.
And Evelyn realized something that frightened her more than the mark ever had.
She wasn’t simply curious about Kael anymore.
She was beginning to care.
And judging by the way he was looking at her—
He already did too.
Neither of them noticed the figure watching from the upper balcony.
A pair of crimson eyes followed them silently.
Then the figure turned away.
A quiet voice whispered into the darkness:
“Let them fall in love.”
A pause.
“That will make breaking them much easier.”
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