Y/N's fingers trembled as she gripped the edge of the chair. The room was dim, shadows curling around the corners like waiting predators.
-A soft laugh broke the silence.
"Why so tense?"
The voice was silk and danger, wrapping around her chest, squeezing just enough to make her shiver...
*KADE VEYRON* leaned against the doorway, one hand in his pocket, the other casually brushing the frame. His presence was magnetic and suffocating at the same time.
Y/N's~ heart pounded. Safe, yet terrified. She didn't understand why she felt both.
"I—I'm not tense," she stammered, though her voice betrayed her.
He stepped closer, slow, deliberate. "Not tense?" His gaze drilled into hers. "You think I can't see through you?"
Y/N swallowed. "I… I don't know what you mean."
Kade smirked, a dangerous curve of his lips. "You do. Every flicker of fear, every hesitation. I can feel it in your pulse."
She wanted to look away. Wanted to flee. But something… something inside her clung to him.
"You feel safe with me, don't you?" he whispered, tilting his head. "Even though I terrify you."
Y/N froze. How does he know?
"I… I don't know," she admitted, voice barely audible.
He stepped closer, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. "That's the truth, isn't it?" His fingers grazed her hand—not touching fully, just enough to leave a spark. "You're scared… but you trust me. Deep down, you do."
Her chest tightened. I shouldn't… I can't… But she couldn't deny it.
"Why?" she asked, her whisper trembling. "Why do I feel that way?"
Kade's smirk softened just a fraction. "Because you're fractured, Y/N. Pieces scattered and jagged. And I… I like shattered things."
Her breath caught. Shattered things? That's me…
He crouched slightly, bringing his face closer to hers, eyes glinting with obsession. "But here's the twist. Even broken, even terrified… you're mine. Do you understand?"
Y/N's knees went weak. "I… I don't—"
"You do," Kade interrupted, firm, almost gentle. "I can see every secret corner of your mind. And every corner belongs to me now."
A wave of fear and safety collided in her chest. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… somehow, with him, she felt alive.
"You think you can control me," she whispered, a tremor in her voice.
He laughed softly, low, cruel—and magnetic. "Oh, I don't think, Y/N. I know. But I also protect. I protect what's mine."
Y/N's hands clenched into fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I… don't know if I hate you or…"
"Or love me?" Kade finished for her, eyes dark and glinting. "Exactly. That's the beauty of it. Confusion, fear, longing—all tangled up. That's the prison of your mind, and I… I am the warden."
Her chest burned. Her mind screamed. And yet, part of her leaned closer.
"You're… dangerous," she whispered.
"And you," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "are deliciously fragile. Perfectly broken. And I will never let anyone else touch what's mine."
Y/N's knees almost gave way. She wanted to step back—but a deeper, darker part of her didn't want to.
Safe, yet terrified. Loved, yet trapped. Belonging to him… even when she shouldn't.
Kade tilted his head, smirk playing on his lips. "Rest now, Y/N. You'll need your strength. I have plans for you… for us."
And as he walked away, the shadows seemed to follow him, curling around her like chains she didn't want to escape.
Her mind whispered: I hate him… I need him…
AND THE PRISON HAD ONLY JUST BEGUN!