Chapter 191: The Reckless Fire
Kieran:
I didn’t move until I was sure the footsteps outside had disappeared.
Only then did I tighten my hold on her wrist and tug gently. "Come on," I whispered.
She didn’t protest, didn’t even hesitate... just followed. Her feet was light and careful against the cold stone floor. We passed through the hidden latch and descended into the narrow tunnel that ran beneath the Academy buildings.
The space was damp and silent, lined with old stone and scattered with faint traces of dust and spiderwebs. Even the smallest sound was echoing like a whisper of ghosts.
I felt her pulse hammering through the fragile bones of her wrist. It was fast. Wild.
Was it from the cold or the fear?
Her fingers were trembling slightly in my grip. She must have been freezing. The temperature in these tunnels was always lower than anywhere else on campus. And she wasn’t even wearing proper clothes to keep her warm, just a sweater and a cloak too thin for the biting wind outside.
Dammit, Evaline.
I didn’t say it aloud. Not yet. I kept walking, guiding her through the darkness with the ease of someone who had memorized every turn, every crack. I had used these tunnels too many times to count. But the further we walked, the more the questions inside me burned.
What was she even thinking?
Sneaking out this late. Eavesdropping on that group. She had no wolf. No backup. Not even the sense to call someone for help.