Six

Kahlan.

I tried going back into the hall, but Ryan shifted in front of me again, blocking the way.

It had been ten minutes since the dining hall was cleared. Hardly any students remained, but Derek was still inside.

“So you won’t let me go in?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“He said not to,” Ryan replied, calm but firm.

I opened my mouth, ready to fire back, when I heard my name.

“Kahlan…oh my God, you’re okay!”

Freya came running, throwing her arms around me. I hugged her back, relief washing through me. We’d lost each other in the chaos.

“And you? You’re good, right?” I asked, pulling back just enough to see her face. She nodded quickly.

My eyes drifted past her, and there he was. He stood behind her like some kind of bodyguard, unreadable, steady.

“Ignore Dylan,” Freya muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.

I almost laughed, but the sound never made it out. Because just beyond Dylan stood Soren.

He wasn’t looking at me. His entire focus was on the phone in his hand, expression carved in stone. But even like that—silent, distracted—he was impossible to ignore.

“Come on, I’ll drop you off,” Ryan said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Well… about that.” Freya’s voice cut in, her attention snapping back to me. “We can’t go back to our dorm just yet. Apparently, the poison spread from there.”

Her eyes searched mine, worry written all over her face. “Are you sure you’re okay? You had cereal this morning…with the water…”

“No, I didn’t.” The words slipped out too quickly, and suddenly every pair of eyes were on me. My throat tightened. “I just mixed the bowl, but I was already running late, so I left it. It’s still by the sink.”

Freya exhaled, like she’d been holding her breath. Then, almost too casually, she said, “Well then… since our dorm is closed off, we can spend the night at Soren’s place. They have a spare room we could use.”

From the little I’d picked up, Soren—and the other kids of clan leaders—didn’t live in the regular dorms like the rest of us, They had actual houses here on campus. Big ones. Pools, private gyms, the whole nine yards.

And now… I was supposed to stay at his place?

Great. Just great.

"it's only going to be for a week and oh bonus points you get to live with your trainer"

Freya said and before I could respond ... the hall doors Opened and well we all had to look down as professor Easton walked out with his cellphone at his ear 

Professor Easton was 3'5 feet tall, blond hair and a stumble 

"That will be 10 more coffins to my already existing order for 30"

Professor Easton said but he stopped talking when his eyes landed us

“Where is Principal Derek?” I asked, my voice low as I leaned to see past the door.

“Still inside,” Professor Easton answered, ending his phone call “He’ll see you tomorrow. You should all return to your dorms.”

“No way—” I started, but Freya tugged my arm, cutting me off with a small smile.

“We’ll come see him tomorrow. Plus, you have training. You need rest,” she said gently.

I swallowed hard. She was right, but that didn’t change the knot twisting in my stomach. Derek wasn’t leaving, and neither was I…not really. Tomorrow, I'll be back here.

I gave her a nod, and she pulled me away from the door.

“So… Soren’s place?” Freya asked, her grin wide and teasing.

I sighed, but nodded anyway.

I was worried about Derek, but that wasn’t all. I needed to talk to him. Because the truth was as simple as it was terrifying….

I did have breakfast this morning.

And like the other ten , I'm supposed to be dead right now.

~~~~~

 The house was by every standard amazing, perfect , Freya and I stumbled into the Mini cinema last night, the king sized bed in our room ...they even had a kitchen here ...I don't get why he came all the way to the hall to have dinner last night 

It's safe to say ,Freya and I were loving the space speaking of Freya when I woke up she wasn't in the room anymore 

But she left a note 

‘ I'm sorry I won't be able to drive you ..i have an early class but Dylan said your classes start around the same time with Soren's you can hop with him ...he said he would be leaving by 10:30'

My eyes went to the clock it was 9 o'clock 

I still had time ... I took a relaxing bath and made my way downstairs to the kitchen. There had to be something for breakfast.

The minute I stepped into the kitchen, my breath caught.

Soren was there…shirtless, his abs were on full display, a cigarette hanging lazy between his lips as he scrolled through his phone like it was the most ordinary thing in the world.

Shit.

I should’ve put on clothes. Instinctively, I clutched the towel tighter around me, heat rushing to my cheeks.

“Good morning,” I said, my voice quieter than I intended.

He turned his head, His green eyes, sharp, alive—dragged slowly down my body, then back up again. For the briefest moment, they burned gold. And just as quickly, it was gone, as if I’d imagined it.

“Well, um… thank you,” I added, my words small, fragile against the silence.

He raised an eyebrow at me, like he was confused.

“Um… for yesterday. At the field,” I said quickly. Whether I wanted to admit it or not—which I didn’t—I hadn’t died yesterday because of him.

“So, because you helped me stay alive, I’ll help you too. Smoking kills. Quit it.” I lifted my chin, trying to sound firm, and moved toward the cabinets.

“Does anyone even care about short people?” I muttered under my breath, stretching for the cereal box at the top shelf…standing on my toes my fingers brushed the edge of the box

Almost got it 

But then hands settled on my waist.

  Heat flooded through me, low and slow, like it was curling under my skin. I really should have put on clothes, but I don't think it would have made a difference 

  My hand hovered, frozen in the air.

  His scent wrapped around me again—leather, spice, something metallic and heady—and his body was right there. Close. Too close. I could feel him behind me, the heat of him, the weight of his presence sinking into me like gravity.

  His hand ghosted up my arm. My breath caught.

  He plucked the cereal box from the shelf with a maddening ease and placed it in front of me on the counter—then caged me in with one hand planted beside mine. He took a deep breath before his voice brushed my ear.

  “vanilla,” he said, the word soft, amused. Mocking.

  My breath hitched.

  “Khalan,” he murmured, “how do you feel this morning?”

  My thoughts were a scrambled mess.

  “Hot,” I whispered, before I could stop myself.

  His low chuckle vibrated against my spine.

  “That you are,” he said, voice slow, amused. “But then again—”

  His hand spun me around so fast, my heart jumped into my throat. And his eyes pinned me in place.

He lifted his hand again. Slowly. Deliberately. I flinched before I could stop myself.

He scoffed softly, almost a laugh, and instead tucked a strand of my damp hair behind my ear. His knuckles brushed my cheek, leaving fire in their wake.

“You threw out the cigarette,” I whispered, clinging to the words, anything to distract from the way his touch lingered.

“Pretty much.” His gaze locked on mine, steady and unshaken. “Someone has to teach you to stay alive. And since I can’t smoke…” His lips curved, not quite a smile, more dangerous than that. “…I’ll need something else to keep my hands and my mouth busy.”