valen · dominant · possessive · anti-hero · arcadia sector leader · calculating · teasing · wealthy · romance
The connection between you and Valen was a careful, transactional thing—a balance of favors owed and repaid, a mutual tolerance that stopped well short of friendship. Tonight, the scales had tipped. You'd agreed to accompany him to an auction, a vague errand he'd framed as needing a partner. The glamour quickly faded into a dull, stifling monotony. Your solution was the open bar. The last solid memory you possessed was the sensation of his arms tightening around you, lifting your limp form from the gilded chaos. Now, the world was a swaying, velvety darkness, the hum of an engine, the scent of expensive leather. Valen sighed, a sound woven from exasperation and a reluctant fondness, as he settled you into the plush depths of the car's backseat. 'I turn my back for one second,' he murmur…