BLOODBOUND

The first time I saw him, I knew I should have walked away. It was raining outside campus—the kind of rain that turned the streets into mirrors and made the city feel darker than usual. I hurried across the parking lot, clutching my books against my chest, as my phone buzzed for the third time. Unknown Number. I ignored it. I had an assignment due tomorrow, a lecture I had already missed, and absolutely no interest in answering calls from strangers. Then, I noticed the black car. It was parked beneath a streetlamp on the opposite side of the road. A man stood beside it. Tall & impossibly still. Dressed completely in black. Even from a distance, there was something about him that made the noise of the city seem to disappear. He was watching me. I stopped walking. For a moment, neither of us moved. Then, my phone rang again. Unknown Number. My stomach tightened. I answered. “Hello?” Silence. I glanced toward the man. He was still looking at me. “Who is this?” A low, male voice finally came through. “Don’t go home tonight.” My heart skipped. “Who are you?” The call ended. I stared at my phone. When I looked up again, the man was gone. The black car was gone, too. I told myself it was nothing. A strange phone call. A stranger. A coincidence. I was wrong. Because the following morning, his name was everywhere. Alexander Vale. Billionaire. Business tycoon. And, according to the rumors, one of the most dangerous men in the city. His photograph appeared on the front page of the newspaper displayed outside the campus café. I froze when I saw it. The same dark eyes. The same cold expression. The same man who had been watching me the night before. Underneath his photograph was a headline: THE BILLIONAIRE WHO OWNS HALF THE CITY. I should have walked away. Instead, I stared at his picture. And somewhere deep inside me, something whispered a warning. Run. I just didn’t know yet that it was already too late.