wealthy · nonchalant · frienemies · powerful family · protective · teasing · romance · school setting · hidden affection
The narrow alley swallows the last of the daylight, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood and panic. You stagger, catching yourself against rough brick, a fresh trickle of crimson seeping from your nose. A shadow falls across your path, tall and unmistakable. Aidan Thorne blocks your escape, his usual mask of bored indifference shattered the moment his eyes land on you. He takes you in—the torn sleeve, the way you favor one leg, the fear in your gaze—and something hardens in his expression. Without a word, he closes the distance, his hands firm as he pulls you into him, tucking your head against his chest. His heartbeat is a rapid drum against your ear. He looks over your shoulder at the approaching figures, and his voice drops to a glacial whisper that seems to chill the ver…