Chapter 7 Ambushed

Ambushed

ELARA

I gulped, getting up sluggishly as beads of sweat formed circles on my forehead.

Suddenly, I felt warmth circling my arm. I tilted my head to the side as silence fell upon the classroom.

Kael.

His hand wrapped around my arm while he remained seated.

Mrs. Sarah adjusted her glasses.

“What do you think you’re doing, Mr. Draven?” Her cold voice rang out.

Kael grinned, slowly letting his hand slip away from my arm.

His expression suddenly stiffened.

“Let’s just move on with the class,” his cold voice commanded.

Mrs. Sarah shifted uncomfortably and cleared her throat, gesturing for me to sit.

I nodded, slowly touching the spot where Kael had held me just moments ago.

I sat down with mixed feelings, carefully darting my eyes to my books to avoid the prying gazes of my classmates.

From the corner of my eye, I could see them—killer looks, wide sneers, and sly glares that threatened to make my knees wobble.

I forced my gaze back to the book in front of me.

“Thank you,” I muttered to Kael, who was nearby and still focused on the teacher.

“She wasn’t about to mess with what’s mine,” he growled softly.

I shivered at the sound of his voice.

Mrs. Sarah continued with the lesson while I kept the note I had written for Sophie safely tucked in my book.

I tilted my head at intervals, feeling the heavy stares piercing through me.

Goodness!

I couldn’t tell if it was about me sitting close to Kael or the incident that had happened earlier.

The stares made me uncomfortable, slowly shifting my attention from the class to my own self-consciousness.

I often found my gaze wandering to my fingers, absentmindedly playing with them.

The classroom was silent except for Mrs. Sarah’s cold, soulless voice.

But I was sure half the class was more focused on me than on her.

In another attempt to distract myself, I looked to my fingers again, only to feel his palm slide under the table, clutching my tiny, trembling fingers.

My eyes darted to his, and my lips parted, though no words came out.

He intertwined his fingers with mine, his face rigid and cold as I struggled to keep my emotions in check.

Heat crept up my neck, making the room feel hot amidst the cold winter breeze.

Leaning closer, he whispered, “Are you on heat, my lady?”

He smiled while I tried to free my hand from his grasp, but he held on tightly.

His expression shifted again, becoming serious.

“You better stay calm if you don’t want me to do more than hold hands,” he grinned.

I swallowed hard, my heart racing and stomach forming a tight knot.

I used my free hand to keep busy with my book while trying to focus on the class.

Avoiding Kael's gaze, my eyes landed on Luca’s.

His stormy gray eyes locked onto mine for a second before he looked away.

He had been staring.

I bit my lower lip.

“Luca has been staring,” I whispered to Kael.

He furrowed his brow.

“What should I do with this piece of information?” he replied, his voice flat.

My heart thudded against my chest.

“Can you please just let go? I feel uncomfortable,” I begged.

“You better stay still if you don’t want us holding hands in the hallway after class,” he threatened.

Oh, wow! He’s stubborn; and I’m screwed.

“That will be all for today’s class, and don’t forget to choose your partners for the group project before your next lesson. See you all in the next class,” Mrs. Sarah reminded us, carefully ending her gruesome teaching session.

Kael released my hand, allowing me to arrange my books, and I let out the breath I had been holding.

The classroom erupted as soon as Mrs. Sarah walked out.

“Yay! That was one hell of a class!” Sonia shrieked.

I turned to see her behind me, with Sophie looking apologetic.

Sophie gently pulled Sonia to the side and approached me.

“Sorry about earlier,” she said.

I shook my head while arranging my books in my bag.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I replied with a grin.

Sonia stared at us, confusion etched on her face.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

Sophie rolled her eyes.

“Nothing you should know about,” she snapped.

Kael stood up behind me. “Be careful not to get her into trouble,” he warned.

Sophie turned to him. “I didn’t mean to.”

Jace jumped onto the table in front of us. “I bet you were scared as hell. I could literally feel you shaking from where I sat,” he laughed.

“And you did nothing to help,” Rowan scolded.

Jace threw his hands in the air, and they shook hands, erupting into fits of laughter.

I caught a glimpse of Luca leaving from the corner of my eye.

“Didn’t you hear Mrs. Sarah asking us to choose our partners?” Kael called out to him.

Luca sighed and turned to meet our prying eyes.

His expression was cold. “And since when have you ever been interested in homework?” he grunted.

“Since forever. You just didn’t know it,” Kael replied grimly.

“I bet he didn’t,” Jace chuckled.

“I’m out of here,” Sophie said as she turned to leave.

“Not you too,” I called out, stopping her.

She turned back, and I smiled.

“I would accept your apology if you partner with me for the project,” I offered.

She lifted her gaze to meet mine.

"Then I guess you don't want an apology," she said before walking away.

"That’s cold-blooded," Jace rasped.

"My sister has always been that way," Sonia shrugged.

"Feisty. I like it," Rowan smirked.

"Good riddance. I don't want her putting you in more danger anyway," Kael hissed.

I glared at him.

"She wasn't putting me in danger. We were just... talking."

Kael nodded.

"Oh yeah? I could see where that almost landed you."

Luca groaned and walked away as well.

Rowan clicked his tongue. "I guess it’s just us then."

"I'll try to convince Sophie when I get back to the dorm," I said.

Kael placed his hands in his pockets.

"Suit yourself." He extended one hand and pulled me up, leading me out of the classroom.

TBC