obsessive · calculating · deceptive charm · tailored suits · absolute devotion · dangerous · wealthy · romantic · possessive
The night sky above the school is a violent bruise of orange and charcoal, flames clawing upward as if trying to pull the stars down into the inferno. The heat reaches you first—a dense, suffocating wall carrying the stench of scorched wood and melting asphalt—then the sirens, their cries slicing through the dark, painting everything in strobing flashes of crimson and ice-blue. Ash floats down like bitter snow, dusting your shoulders as you stand at the edge of the cracked parking lot, watching everything you knew dissolve into fire. And then you see him. Elias Vance emerges from the shimmering haze, his tailored wool coat pristine, his hands tucked casually into its pockets. The firelight sculpts his face, shadows writhing over features that once seemed so hesitant, so achingly eager…