CHAPTER 454: THE HOLLOWING STILLNESS

Evaline:

Before I could push myself any further, Draven’s hand came up, warm and firm, covering mine. His fingers gently stilled my trembling ones.

"Eva," he said quietly, his voice calm but weighted. "Hey... look at me."

I lifted my gaze to his, and the steady intensity there almost undid me. For once, he wasn’t smirking or brushing my worry away with that careless charm. He looked serious.

"You need to calm down," he said softly. "You are shaking."

"I can’t," I whispered, my chest tight. "Draven, something’s wrong. My power... it’s not reacting. I just can’t shake this weird feeling off."

He squeezed my hand. "I know. And I promise, we will tell my brothers about this once we are home later today. Let’s decide what to do about this... mark... then."

His tone was calm, steady, meant to ground me, but the promise didn’t soothe the storm raging inside me.

"Later?" I repeated. "You want to wait until later to tell them? What if it gets worse by then, Draven? What if-"

He sighed, brushing a thumb across my cheek. "Eva, I can’t go to Kieran right now. I have to give my friend a ride home. He’s waiting for me downstairs."

I wanted to argue, to drag him out by the hand and straight to Kieran’s office. Every instinct in me screamed that we shouldn’t wait, that whatever this black marking was... it wasn’t something that could be ignored.

As if sensing my thoughts, he added quickly, "I’m not dismissing it anymore, alright? I can tell it’s not normal."

His eyes softened as he spoke. "But I also don’t want you worrying yourself sick before we even know what it is. I’ll drop him home, come straight back, and then we’ll talk to Kieran and others. I promise."

There was something in his tone, something that told me he really meant it this time. Whether because he too could feel that wrongness beneath his skin... or because he simply didn’t want to see me fall apart with worry, I wasn’t sure.

But when he cupped my face, his touch gentle and grounding, I found myself nodding.

"Alright," I murmured, though the words tasted hollow.

He smiled faintly, the tension in his shoulders easing. "That’s my girl."

Even then, a pit remained in my stomach. Every minute that passed without doing something felt like a risk I couldn’t name. But before I could try again to convince him, his phone buzzed on the desk.

He glanced at the screen and exhaled. "That’s him. He must already be heading downstairs."

Of course he was.

Draven silenced the call, then turned back to me. "I have to go."

I wanted to say Don’t. I wanted to grab his wrist and not let him leave until Kieran saw those marks. But instead, all that came out was a faint, "Be careful."

He smiled softly... almost tenderly. "Always."

And then, instead of turning toward the door, he took one step closer. His hand found my waist, the other sliding up to the back of my neck, and before I could even blink, his lips were on mine.

It wasn’t like the playful kisses he often stole in quiet hallways or the teasing ones that made me roll my eyes. This one was slow, deep... achingly full of something unspoken. The kind of kiss that left me dizzy, his taste and warmth wrapping around me like a promise and a plea all at once.

My hands fisted in his t-shirt, clutching him closer. For a moment, time didn’t matter. The quiet of the dorm, the muted hum of the Academy outside... it all faded until there was only him.

When we finally pulled apart, I was breathless, my lips tingling, my heart caught somewhere between warmth and dread.

He pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before pulling me into his arms again.

"I love you," I whispered against his chest, clutching him tightly.

His arms tightened around me. "I know," he murmured, his voice low. "I love you too."

And then... he let go.

I stood there, frozen in the doorway, watching him walk away down the corridor until he disappeared around the corner. Only when I could no longer sense his presence clearly did I realize I was still holding my breath.

- - -

Kieran arrived an hour later, exactly as he had said.

I had spent most of that hour pacing, sitting, standing, pacing again - every tick of the clock scraping against my nerves. Rowan, bless him, had stayed with me, pretending not to notice how many times I glanced at my phone or stared at the door like Draven might suddenly reappear.

When Kieran finally arrived, he apologized immediately for being late.

"I know you have been waiting," he said as he helped me carry my suitcase down the hall. "There were too many last-minute things to wrap up before we close the Academy for the break."

"It’s alright," I said, managing a small smile. "You don’t need to apologize. I wasn’t bored."

Rowan gave a little snort. "That’s because I was here."

I laughed softly. "That’s true."

We stopped by the front gates, where Kieran’s car was already waiting. He gave Rowan a nod of acknowledgment as we loaded my bags.

"Lakeshire first, right?" Kieran asked.

Rowan nodded. "Yeah, my bike’s parked near the Pink Bloom inn."

The drive was quiet but peaceful. The air outside shimmered faintly with summer warmth, the trees arching along the road like a painted canopy of green. For a while, I almost managed to forget the weight in my chest. Almost.

After dropping Rowan off in town, Kieran and I continued toward the Thorne estate.

He spoke now and then - mostly about plans for the holiday - but I wasn’t really listening. My thoughts kept drifting back to Draven.

Had he reached safely?

Did he notice any change?

Were the veins spreading?

I stared down at my phone more times than I could count, but it stayed stubbornly dark until five minutes before we reached home.

Then, finally, it buzzed.

Draven: On my way back. Should be there soon.

I exhaled, tension melting from my shoulders as I read the message. I typed a quick reply - Okay. Drive safe. - and pressed send.

He was fine. Everything was fine. It had to be.

But the unease didn’t fade.

The Thorne estate came into view soon after. Kieran parked in front of the porch, and we stepped out together. The late afternoon sun glinted off the windows, bathing the mansion in gold.

As I followed Kieran up the front steps, my mind was still half elsewhere. Maybe he noticed it... he always did... because he glanced at me and asked, "You have been quiet since I picked you up."

I forced a small smile. "Just tired."

He hummed in response, clearly unconvinced.

We reached the front doors, and he paused before stepping inside. His turned to face me, his eyes scanning my face carefully.

"You are not upset that I was late," he said slowly. "This is something else."

I froze.

He always had a way of seeing right through me. And for a moment, I debated brushing it off... just saying I was fine. But the worry I had been bottling up since last evening was pressing too hard against my chest to ignore anymore.

"I need to tell you something," I began, my voice quiet but firm. "It’s about Draven. I think-"

But the words never finished.

Because before I could even draw another breath, it happened.

A sudden rush... like a wave of cold air slamming through me from the inside out. It wasn’t just painful, it was extremely wrong. Like someone had just reached into my chest and pulled my very soul out of me.

My knees went weak. The world tilted, colors blurring into shadow.

Kieran’s startled voice echoed faintly through the ringing in my ears. "Evaline!"

I tried to look up at him, tried to say something... anything... but the words never came.

Then everything went black.