Chapter 1
The corridor outside the classroom echoed with laughter as a group of girls hurried toward the staircase.
“Come on, just one class,” one of them whispered dramatically. “Live a little.”
“I don’t know…” Addie murmured softly, her knuckles turning white as she tightened her grip on the strap of her bag. “What if someone finds out?”
“You worry too much.”
Her friends dragged her along, their rowdy laughter swallowing the rest of her protest. Before she could breathe, they pulled her out past the elite foundation gates and into the crowded street.
And then—
She collided with someone.
The sudden impact made her stumble backward, but a firm hand closed around her forearm, steadying her before she could hit the pavement.
For a second, the roar of the city street cut out entirely.
He looked down at her.
Inky black hair.
Sharp, unreadable features.
A white formal shirt with the first few buttons undone. Expensive cologne cut through the street air, sharp and out of place.
A cold, commanding presence that hung heavy over the noisy crowd.
And as she looked up—
The midday sun hit her eyes and he saw it—soft, gold-flecked brown, completely unaware.
His dark gaze locked onto them, remaining fixed for a beat longer than it should have. He didn’t let go of her arm.
“S-sorry…” she whispered quickly, her voice barely audible as a rush of heat hit her cheeks.
She tore her arm from his grip, stepping away in embarrassment, and disappeared with her friends into the shifting crowd.
But he remained standing there in the middle of the pavement.
Watching.
The gold in her eyes still seared behind his lids.
Possessed.
