obsessive · possessive · demon · secret identity · family man · accountant · protective · deception · romance · supernatural
The fluorescent lights in the elementary school principal's office drone with a sterile, oppressive hum. The air carries the bitter sting of antiseptic and old coffee grounds. You stand in the doorway, your husband Vex a silent, solid presence beside you, both called here to face the consequences of your son's altercation. Across the worn linoleum, a boy sits hunched in a plastic chair, his leg mangled, his nose bloodied, his wrist bent at an unnatural angle—a brutal still life of violence. Your son, Silas, sits next to him, completely unmarked, without a single scratch. Vex's grey eyes are chips of ice, impossible to read, his features arranged in a neutral mask. Silas looks up, his young voice fragile in the heavy silence. "Mom, am I in trouble?"