HUNTED-Chapter 394: Searing Gaze

Due to the media and the turnout of Amerie’s fans, they returned later than planned. Keira’s luggage was placed in her room while she packed her saddle bag with books and her uniform. A firm rap on her doors paused Keira’s advances towards the balcony.

"Keira, I’ll be taking you to school today. I hear the crowds are back outside," Finn, her mum’s trusted guard, friend and the pack’s Delta, called from the other side of the doors.

"Thanks, Finn!" Keira called out, grimacing at the pang of guilt in her chest for what she was about to do. She didn’t care AS much when it was Rex trying to guard her, but Finn was like an uncle, family that she didn’t want to annoy or disappoint.

"I’ll grab Chloe and meet you in the foyer?" Finn called out.

"Okay. I’m just putting my boots on!" Keira replied, cringing as she opened the balcony doors and closed them quietly behind her. Holding her breath, she waited for Finn to discover her little plan and give her a disappointing head shake.

Not the Finn Head Shake!

Keira shook her own head, placed her hand on the balcony tile and jumped over it, landing two floors down elegantly. Nice and clean, and she was still yet to get her wolf.

Keira smirked, but it dropped when she saw the back of her eldest brother, Eamon, as he barked out orders to the warriors training early in the morning.

She snuck away quickly and quietly, rounding the mansion until she was in the underground garage. Flipping down the visor of her black helmet, matching her black leathers, she located her little 125cc Yama bike, hopped on, and kickstarted the engine.

She immediately exited the garage and zoomed—or zoomed as much as she could with this engine—along the path and towards one of the back exits of the pack community.

Keira glanced into the mirror, grimacing as Finn sprinted outside the door, holding Chloe on his arm and throwing a hand up before racing towards the car. He wouldn’t speed with her sister inside, even though he was well equipped too, but they were still on pack grounds. If she had her wolf, Finn definitely would have sent a mind-link to her.

Once past the back exit, Keira grinned as she sped past the fans still crowding the gates. They didn’t really give a second glance to a little bike but the black tinted SUV did stir them again, most likely wondering who was inside. Halfway through her little escapade, Finn still pretty much acted as her guard, just trailing a few paces behind her in the car.

They didn’t really use the back exit for fear of threats discovering it. But Amerie did get the front gate crowded, and Keira didn’t want to miss school. Besides, riding the bike eased some of the already building stress that had her shoulders tightening.

Keira pulled up into the academy’s parking lot, in the shaded area, away from prying eyes. Finn didn’t follow, but as she removed her helmet and left it with the bike as she swished her hair around, she could feel herself being watched. It wasn’t only her guard but another.

She was used to others watching her, but there was something different about the way their gaze roamed over her. Ice sliced through her spine. What was this feeling?

Keira paused on the path between the gardens leading to the institution named after her family. One set of eyes was a quick sweep, clinical, checking that she hadn’t injured herself on the ride over, and the other burned two holes into her side. She turned her head in that direction, and her eyebrows raised at the guy lurking under a tree, openly watching her.

Keira didn’t recognise the guy even though he wore the academy’s uniform-- well, he barely fit into it. Her lips parted as she felt his searing gaze heat her body and cause her to flush.

Nobody dared to trail their eyes across her body the way he did. And why were his sleeves rolled up, showing glimpses of tattoos, black bands, muscular, tanned forearms-

"Keira!" At the sound of her best friend’s familiar voice, Keira looked past the guy who she thought was hot but wasn’t close enough to show off any features and grinned, a genuine smile, at Rhea.

The glamorous, rebellious, vampire-werewolf hybrid, parked poorly in two parking spaces for her white convertible, hopped out of it and strutted toward Keira in her ridiculous red heels like a runway model. With wavy dark-brown locks, crystal blue eyes like her father’s and a petite body, she was beyond godly.

It was only up close, like right now, as her friend threw herself at Keira into a hug, that one could notice the odd red speck in her eyes. That’s right, her best friend was also royalty—a badass princess to the Vampire King Gabriel.

Rhea pulled back and frowned. "Why aren’t you in uniform? If I knew we were rebelling, I wouldn’t wear this awful outfit," Rhea huffed, tossing her hair behind her.

Keira followed the action, glancing toward the tree, but the tatted guy from before was gone. "So?" Rhea prompted. "I thought you hated attention? This…"

She pointed Keira up and down dramatically and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Will definitely get you unwanted attention…" She leaned to the side. "I mean, have you seen dat ass?! You look smoking in leathers!"

Keira snorted and swatted her friend, whose slightly posh accent turned comical. "I needed to get away from the paps and fans." She began walking down the path again, aware that Finn was already gone, taking Chloe to the separate school just down the road.

"Ah." Rhea nodded, taking her phone out of her designer handbag. "I saw. Amerie’s doing?"

"Who else?" Keira shook her head. "Anyway, I better change. I’ll meet you in class."

"No way!" Rhea clung to her arm and continued with Keira’s much longer strides. "I don’t mind being late with you."

That was because she didn’t care in general. Rhea was… well, she didn’t follow the rules much, unlike Keira, who had to all for her family’s reputation. Rhea’s family were more known for being cold-blooded badasses. So, if she was ever in the press, nobody batted an eye, much.

However, this wasn’t the case when Keira was involved. She was a Cross. Keira had only been caught in two of Rhea’s ’scandals’; fortunately, her features were well disguised, as per protocol, but everyone knew who Rhea Snow’s best friend was.

The pair waltzed past the grand doors of the academy, the front half of the buildings all black tinted windows and the remainder some fancy brickwork, all with luxurious interiors with everything polished and top of the range.

Cross Academy was for everyone, all supernatural kids of all kinds and of ages up until 24, oh and humans. Keira’s parents funded the academies, setting them up across the globe. During Eamon, Amerie and Cato’s school years, they were the guinea pigs for such a setup.

It was to get everyone interacting and mingling, changing stereotypes and opening everyone’s minds. Unlike most supernatural creatures, most humans readily agreed to the supernaturals living among them, embraced them, and were eager to attend a Cross Academy.

Only a few vampires joined. Unless they were hybrids, or of royal blood like Rhea and her brother, the vampires could only attend in the evening. Some were in the specialised dorms so they could attend earlier classes from 2pm onwards. The academy—or maybe it was only this academy—was predominantly made up of werewolves and humans.

The uniform was all about inclusion and levelling out everyone, regardless of their race and wealth. The only difference was that the girls wore ribbons around their collars compared to the guys wearing ties, and the different colour codes of the ribbons and ties showed what year they were in.

The bell was about to ring, so the lobby they passed through wasn’t busy. Only a few admin staff glanced up, frowning, intent on scolding the girls on the tip of their tongues until they saw whothe girls were. Inside the toilets, Keira swiftly got changed into her skirt, white shirt, and a thin blue ribbon tied up beneath the collar.

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The bell rang, indicating the start of lessons. Keira couldn’t pack her blazer for the ride over, but there was a spare one in her locker.

There was no time to grab it now; she dared not be late. Keira’s steps were quicker than her friend’s, who strolled behind her, unconcerned. Keira slowed her steps, looped her arm through Rhea’s and quickened the pace.

Rhea rolled her eyes. "You’re such a square sometimes," she snorted.

Keira bit her tongue, though her brows pinched together in annoyance. It wasn’t her fault that she was a known royal and had to follow the high standards her siblings set.

They stopped in front of the classroom; Keira raised her hand to rap on it and politely waited to come inside the room, but Rhea barged open the door, taking the ’fall’ for interrupting the teacher rudely by waltzing in without a care in the world. The teacher didn’t scold her, but her hardened look at Rhea showed her dissatisfaction.

Keira smiled, stepping in a little hesitantly. "Sorry, miss," she muttered, momentarily pausing after feeling someone’s weighted gaze.

She internally shook her head. She’d entered late; of course, everyone was watching them. Yet, this felt different, familiar to the heated, scornful gaze from earlier.

Keira ignored it. She was always in the spotlight, and not everyone liked the royal family. Facing the class, she located her seat. Each step felt heavier than before the longer that burning gaze continued to pierce through her. Still, her expression remained neutral, everyone’s faces blurring like usual as she followed the usual path to her seat.

Their seats were always free. Everybody knew where Rhea and Keira sat. It wasn’t a rule she’d set and ensured others followed, enabling them to always sit side by side, but nobody had ever sat in their chairs before.

Until now.

Keira and Rhea paused at the new students sitting in the last row. One of them opted for their usual table in the second from the last row by the window instead of the empty seat in the back row beside another student.

Keira’s attention flicked to the guy whose aura vibrated with power and irritation. Her lips parted slightly, meeting his two-coloured eyes of icy blue and green-brown. It was the tattooed guy from before.