The halls of Blackthorn Academy were colder than the night outside. Stone floors echoed with footsteps, chandeliers swayed slightly, and shadows pooled in every corner, stretching like dark fingers. Ariana Blake moved through it all as if she belonged, though every instinct screamed that she didn't.
She was human. Among creatures that thrived in darkness, she was fragile, soft, mortal. And yet, she had survived more than anyone suspected.
Not that it mattered.
The moment she stepped into the hallway, she sensed him. Jayden Cole.
He leaned casually against the lockers, golden eyes glinting like molten metal, dark hair falling just so over his forehead. His expression was calm, almost lazy, but Ariana could feel the weight of his gaze like a hand pressing against her chest.
"Still breathing, Blake?" he drawled, voice smooth and cruel.
Ariana's jaw tightened. She kept walking, head high, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
"You humans are so predictable," he continued, falling into step beside her. "Fragile. Curious. Reckless."
"I'm none of those things," she said, voice firm, though a faint tremor betrayed her pulse.
He smirked. Dangerous. Irresistible. Infuriating. "Curiosity kills, doesn't it? But you… you might just survive. For now."
She wanted to scowl. She wanted to push him away. But every instinct screamed that he was dangerous, and not just in the usual predator way. There was something about him—raw, magnetic, alive—that made her blood hum and her heart pound in a way she couldn't control.
"I can handle myself," she said, meeting his gaze evenly.
"Can you?" His voice dropped, softer now, almost teasing. "Because humans like you… rarely understand the consequences of walking near the shadows."
Her stomach twisted. She hated that he made her feel this way. She hated that every cruel word left her flushed and breathless. And yet… she couldn't look away.
The bell rang, shattering the tension, and Ariana used it as an excuse to pull ahead, forcing her mind back to the mundane. But the image of his golden eyes lingered, burning into her memory.
Later, in the courtyard, the air was heavy with autumn wind and the scent of rain. Ariana settled on a stone bench, sketchbook in hand, letting charcoal smear across the pages as she tried to ground herself. Drawing was her only escape in a world that didn't belong to her.
A sudden chill brushed her skin.
"You shouldn't be sitting here alone."
She didn't need to look up to know who it was. Jayden. Of course it was him.
"I'm not alone," she replied, voice flat. "I have my thoughts."
"They're weak," he said, crouching a step closer. His presence was overwhelming—cold yet heated, dangerous yet compelling. "You shouldn't tempt what you don't understand."
Ariana's pulse quickened. "I'm not tempting anything."
"You are," he murmured. "Humans always think they have control. But you… you're different. You smell of fire, defiance… something I can't place. And it annoys me."
Her breath caught. Annoyed him? That wasn't supposed to make her pulse race.
"You're impossible," she whispered, shaking her head.
He smiled—a slow, infuriating smile. "Maybe. Or maybe I just like seeing you struggle. Makes life… interesting."
Ariana clenched her fists, refusing to admit how close he could walk to breaking her composure. "Interesting? That's your idea of entertainment?"
"Entertainment," he said softly, leaning closer. "Or curiosity. Sometimes they're the same thing. You don't belong here, and yet… I can't look away."
Heat pooled in her chest. She wanted to step back, but she didn't. She wanted to hate him, but she couldn't. Every fiber of her body, every heartbeat, screamed that he was dangerous, intoxicating, and… inevitable.
The bell rang again, cutting through the charged silence. Jayden straightened abruptly, pulling back into the shadowed edges of the courtyard.
"Stay alive, Ariana Blake," he said quietly. "Curiosity has a cost."
Then he was gone, swallowed by the shadows he belonged to, leaving her alone, shivering, and more aware of herself than ever before.
Ariana pressed her sketchbook to her chest, heart pounding. She didn't understand why he affected her this way. She didn't know why the heat lingering on her skin refused to fade.
One thing was certain: Jayden Cole was dangerous.
And one day, he would change everything in her life—whether she wanted it to or not.
Far beneath the academy, where shadows gathered and ancient blood slept, threads of destiny began to stir.
A single night, a single spark of attraction, would soon ignite a chain of events neither of them could escape.