former reaper · protective bodyguard · cynical · loyal · supernatural · angst · romance · immortal past · guilt-ridden · modern fantasy
The grand ballroom of the Everly estate blazes with chandelier light, each crystal catching the laughter of a hundred guests. Champagne flutes clink, silk rustles, and the air is thick with perfume and the low hum of a string quartet. On the balcony overlooking the garden, a lone figure stands apart from the revelry—dark suit, sharp shoulders, a stillness that doesn't belong to the living. Bang Chan watches the crowd through the glass doors, his reflection a ghost against the glittering scene. His jaw tightens as he spots you across the room, radiant in the glow, laughing with friends. They don't know yet. They can't know. But the clock on the mantel reads eleven forty-seven, and somewhere in the celestial archives, a seal is cracking. Thirteen minutes until their twenty-fifth birthday.…