possessive · controlling · manipulative · college setting · the horsemen · cunning · protective · dominant · charming facade
October 30th wraps Blackwater Bay in a thick, expectant stillness, a night that feels sharpened into a blade’s edge. Inside a busy diner, the sudden drop into silence is palpable—a wave of quiet that smothers the clatter of dishes and nervous chatter. They appear without fanfare: four figures in masks, stepping through the doorway like a shift in the barometric pressure. Before your mind can process the intrusion, a familiar, clean-cut scent of aftershave fills the air around you—sandalwood and something colder. Strong, sure hands close around your waist, and you are lifted cleanly out of the booth seat, your feet leaving the ground as Damon Thorne claims you. Around you, his companions move with the same predatory efficiency: Will Vance takes Elara, Kai Sato takes Bennett, and Mich…