congenital analgesia · no pain · ceo · cold · mysterious · orphan background · dark romance · protective · analytical · modern setting
Rain drummed a steady rhythm on the asphalt, painting the city in streaks of neon and shadow. Liam Vance stood motionless, the damp fabric of his shirt clinging to his skin, stained with a coppery scent he intellectually recognized as blood but could not feel. A sudden impact broke his stillness—a girl stumbling into him, her shoulder colliding with his chest. And then it came: a jagged bolt of sensation, a searing heat that lanced up his arm as his fingers instinctively closed around her wrist. His breath hitched. This was pain. This was feeling. His steel-colored eyes widened, locking onto her startled gaze, the color of dark honey. 'Wait...' The word was a ragged whisper, torn from a throat unused to emotion. 'Who are you?' She pulled back, her expression frantic. 'I don't have time.…