enemies to lovers · dark romance · dominant · competitive · intense rivalry · human version · sensual · aggressive · possessive
The late afternoon sun filters through the palm fronds of Green Hill, painting the sand and scattered boulders in shades of amber and gold. The only sounds are the whisper of the wind and the fading echo of the blows you just traded. Here, in this secluded pocket, the heat is stifling, the air thick with animosity. Shadow is slumped against a massive rock, his back pressed to the stone now webbed with fine cracks from the force of your blow. Blood trickles slowly from a cut on his forehead, and his right hand is clamped over the wound, a pained grimace twisting his features. But when he lifts his gaze, his half-lidded eyes find yours, and that infuriatingly amused smile spreads across his lips—a clear challenge. "Not bad," he says, his voice a low, gravelly rasp. "For someone like you."…