All Chapters of Keane: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Dense, eerie fog rolled over the top of the water, haunting the air with a brisk chill that wouldn’t seem to fade. I pulled my jacket tighter around my neck and shivered, the chill seeping deep into my bones.“Oh, this must be it,” my mother said from her position next to me, popping up on her tiptoes as a small ferry boat pulled slowly up to the port, horn blaring. In the sky, thunder cracked, threatening an imminent storm. I shivered, clutching the single duffel bag I’d been allowed to pack close to my body. Back home, my stepfather was probably burning the rest of my belongings in a barrel. Everything. My whole life.“Chin up,” Mother said, shooting a look at me as the boat docked. A shock of sudden fear slithered up my spine, and I took a single step back, all the hidden emotions I’d been shoving down rising to the surface. Three large, burly men stepped off the deck and onto the dock, spotting us a second before heading in our direction.“Evelina Bloom?” the largest of the three

A shuddering chill climbed up my spine as I was pulled, still cuffed, up the wooded pathway from the dock. We were here, on the island, and it was just as bitterly cold and depressing as I had expected. Even the looming academy itself looked more like an insane asylum than it did a private school. Faded red brick made up the building, and long, twisting ivy snaked up and down the walls. It looked like it hadn’t been updated in years, and it reminded me of when Mother told me the school was first opened in 1915 for people just like me.“Welcome to your new home, kiddo,” the guard who had a hold of me said.I rolled my eyes, resisting the urge to correct him. I didn’t belong here, and everyone knew it. I wouldn’t be stuck here long.I stayed silent to avoid trouble and allowed the guard to lead me up the gardened path toward the academy. A few people were outside, men and women around my age, and everyone stopped to stare at the new intake. Some staff members were outside, too—professor

“A bonfire?” I repeated. “You guys can do that here?” “No,” said Kacey with a grin. “But we do anyway. There’s a private spot just in the woods. If we leave after the count, we can sneak out. I just heard the announcement in the cafeteria.” “Who will be there?” “Whoever wants to be.” “The Rogues?” “Probably. They’re the ones who throw it.” A slither of apprehension crawled up my spine, and I sighed. A bonfire sounded like a blast, but crossing Keane again didn’t sound like much of a good time. The guy terrified me in the best of ways, but he seemed dangerous. Unhinged. I didn’t plan on being there long enough to get involved with that drama in any form. “It’ll be okay,” Kasey said, sensing my hesitation. “If you don’t come, they might be pissed.” “Why?” “They see it as a sign of disrespect,” she explained. “The party happens when a new intake comes in. If the intake refuses, shit might go down.” “Sounds like a great time,” I muttered, feeling chilled suddenly. “Are they going

“Do you want it?” Teague whispered, his fingers lifting Eve’s chin to look at him. “Do you want to suck my cock, sweet girl?”Eve said nothing to this, only continued to stare boldly at him, her expression never wavering. Damn, this girl was a firecracker. Keane had force-fed her our blood in the wine bottle, but she’d spat most of it out into his face the first opportunity she had. Now, she was on her feet, trapped between Keane and Teague, but she hadn’t even come close to cracking.Yet.“I’d rather choke on bile,” she said finally. The response was so unexpected that I laughed out loud, pulling an irritated glance from Teague as he dropped Eve’s chin and shook his head.“You have a smart mouth,” he said to Eve with a wink. “Maybe your brain should catch up.”“Fuck you.”“Don’t tempt me with a good time.”Eve recoiled as Teague reached out for her again, trapped in place by Keane. As I watched her, an overwhelming sensation of want and desire crawled up my throat. I wanted to tangle