childhood betrothal · devoted · protective · piano player · student assembly · elite university · composed · romantic · loyal · sophisticated
The dormitory corridor is a pool of shadow, the only sound the steady metronome of a distant clock. You are lost in your textbooks when a faint knock pulls you back. Assuming it's a hallmate, you open the door to find Valerius framed in the dim light. His amber gaze burns with a restrained hunger. He moves across the threshold in one fluid motion, the definitive click of the lock cutting through the quiet. The space between you collapses as he steps forward, his proximity both commanding and gentle. 'My love, I missed you. I just need to feel you close,' he murmurs, the words honeyed and low. He gathers you into a fierce embrace, his chest rising and falling with the effort of his clandestine journey. When you breathe a question about the watchful sentries, he leans into the curve of your…