The first time Elliot saw Lucian, blood stained the marble floors of Blackthorn University's grand library. It wasn't his blood. Not yet.
Lucian Valenti stood over the writhing body of a senior student, his face devoid of emotion as the flickering chandelier lights cast shadows over his sharp, aristocratic features. A single drop of crimson slid down the edge of his gloved hand, and for a moment, Elliot forgot how to breathe.
"This is what happens to those who ask too many questions," Lucian murmured, his voice eerily soft as he met Elliot's gaze. "Do you understand?"
Elliot should have nodded. He should have run.
Instead, he smirked.
"Not really."
And just like that, his fate was sealed.
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Chapter One: Enter the Lion's Den
Blackthorn University wasn't just a school. It was a battlefield, an empire, a place where only the strongest survived. On the surface, it was an elite institution, training the next generation of leaders, but beneath its pristine façade, an unseen war raged.
The Obsidian Syndicate—an underground mafia woven into the very foundation of the university—controlled everything: politics, power, and even life itself. Students who walked these halls either served the Syndicate or stayed out of its way.
Elliot Graves, a transfer student with nothing but a mysterious past and a reckless smirk, had no intention of playing by anyone's rules. But when he starts digging into the disappearance of his older brother, the university's dark secrets pull him in deeper than he ever intended.
And at the center of it all is Lucian Valenti—the Syndicate's ruthless leader, the heir to a family that has ruled the underworld for generations.
Lucian is everything Elliot despises: privileged, calculating, and dangerously untouchable. But from the moment their paths cross, an undeniable tension sparks between them. It's a game of power, one neither of them can afford to lose.
Lucian and Elliot's Relationship is Not What It Seems – Love and hate intertwine as Elliot gets closer to the truth behind his brother's vanishing act. Is Lucian protecting him or leading him into a trap?
A Secret Within a Secret – The Obsidian Syndicate hides something even darker within its ranks—something that could destroy not just Blackthorn University, but the entire underworld.
Betrayal at Every Turn – Elliot isn't just searching for his brother. He's uncovering a conspiracy that rewrites everything he thought he knew about himself.
A Love That Shouldn't Exist – Mafia heirs aren't supposed to fall for their enemies. Lucian has a duty, and Elliot is a wildcard. But when their attraction turns into something neither can control, who will betray whom first?
The Ending No One Expects – Happy endings don't exist in a world built on blood. Or do they?
A Love That Shouldn't Exist
The first time Elliot and Lucian kissed, it wasn't out of love. It was out of defiance.
The air in Lucian's private suite at Blackthorn University was thick with tension, a storm brewing between them. Outside, the city lights flickered beyond the towering windows, but inside, it was just them—two men caught in a web of secrets, neither willing to step back.
Lucian, dressed in his usual black silk shirt, leaned against his desk, watching Elliot with that unreadable expression. A game of control. A battle neither of them had fully won yet.
"You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into," Lucian murmured, his voice low, dangerous.
Elliot smirked, stepping closer, the distance between them narrowing to a breath. "Then enlighten me."
Lucian's hand shot out, fingers wrapping around Elliot's wrist—not rough, not gentle. Just enough force to make a point. Elliot could feel his pulse against his skin, steady, unshaken. Unlike his own.
"I should break you," Lucian whispered, his gaze burning into Elliot's. "I should let them bury you before you get in too deep."
Elliot's heartbeat slammed against his ribs, but he didn't flinch. "Then why don't you?"
For a moment, silence.
Then Lucian moved—swift, precise. One hand slid to the back of Elliot's neck, fingers threading through his hair, and before Elliot could think, their lips crashed together.
It was violent. Unforgiving. Teeth scraping, tongues clashing, as if both were trying to consume the other. Heat surged between them, drowning out the danger, the power struggle, the unspoken warnings.
Elliot dug his fingers into Lucian's shirt, pulling him closer, refusing to be the one to back down. But then Lucian bit down on his lower lip, hard enough to make him gasp, and in that split second of weakness, Lucian flipped them.
Now Elliot was the one trapped—pinned against the cold mahogany desk, Lucian's body pressing into him, his scent intoxicating.
Lucian's lips traced a slow, burning path along his jawline, down to his throat. "You think you can play this game, Graves?" he murmured against his skin. "But you don't even know the rules."
Elliot tilted his head back, eyes dark with something neither of them were ready to name. "Then teach me."
Lucian stilled. Just for a second. Just long enough for Elliot to see something flicker in those ice-blue eyes.
A warning. A promise. A danger far greater than the mafia itself.
And then Lucian kissed him again—slower this time, deeper, as if sealing their fate with every touch.
Neither of them knew if it was love.
But they both knew it was too late to stop.
Poisoned Devotion
The taste of wine lingered on Elliot's lips, but something was wrong.
The warmth that had spread through his body after the first sip was unnatural—too fast, too heavy. A slow, creeping numbness crawled up his spine, and the realization hit him too late.
Lucian, seated across from him in the dimly lit lounge of his private estate, watched him with an unsettling calmness. The crystal glass in his own hand remained untouched.
"You drugged me," Elliot rasped, his fingers gripping the edge of the velvet chair, his body refusing to obey him.
Lucian stood, his movements as fluid as a predator closing in on its prey. "Poison is such an ugly word," he murmured, setting his glass down with deliberate precision. "But let's call it what it is—control."
Elliot's vision blurred at the edges, the chandelier lights above twisting into something surreal. His heartbeat pounded against his ribs, uneven, frantic. He tried to stand, but Lucian was already there, pushing him back down, strong hands gripping his shoulders.
"You knew," Lucian whispered against his ear, his voice dangerously soft. "You knew I couldn't let you walk away, Elliot."
Rage flared in Elliot's darkening eyes. "You think this will stop me?" His voice was hoarse, but his defiance remained unbroken.
Lucian exhaled a quiet laugh, his lips brushing against Elliot's temple. "No. But it will remind you that you belong to me."
Elliot's breath hitched. The world tilted. The poison wasn't meant to kill—it was meant to keep him in this moment, vulnerable, his body betraying him while Lucian held all the power.
Lucian pressed a hand against Elliot's racing heart. "Do you feel that?" His tone shifted—dangerous, possessive. "It's mine now."
Elliot's fingers curled weakly into Lucian's shirt, his pulse thrumming wildly beneath the man's touch. The heat between them was suffocating, laced with something darker, something Elliot should have feared.
But when Lucian leaned in, his breath warm against Elliot's parted lips, something inside him burned instead.
"You'll learn, Elliot," Lucian murmured before their mouths met in a slow, intoxicating kiss. "You'll learn that love is just another kind of poison."
And Elliot… Elliot wasn't sure he ever wanted the antidote.
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