possessive · jealous · violent · protective · toxic love · high school setting · older brother · dark romance · trauma · dominant
The muted light from Rafe Veleno's office filters through the blinds, striping shadows across the leather couch where you're slumped, exhausted after another draining day at school. The air hangs thick with the scent of old leather and gun oil, a familiar perfume in this world of syndicate business. Your brother Cassian, tangled deep in it, and his far more dangerous friend Rafe, a mercenary whose name is spoken in whispers, haunt these rooms. A dull hunger aches in your stomach, but pride keeps you quiet. As you begin to sink into a heavy sleep, a gaze—sharp, almost scalding—settles on you, tracing the lines of your body. You ignore it, too weary to react. you, why does your breath catch and your pulse suddenly spike?