Damien's Masked mate

The evening sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows across the grounds as Cora and Amelia wandered through the sprawling campus. Every corner of the university seemed designed to impress, from the intricate carvings on the buildings to the manicured gardens dotted with marble fountains. Yet, beneath the surface beauty, Cora couldn't shake the unease coiling in her chest.

"This place is ridiculously over the top," Amelia said, snapping a quick selfie in front of a towering gargoyle statue. "It's like a billionaire threw a Halloween party and forgot to take the decorations down."

"Or like they wanted to intimidate us," Cora murmured, her gaze lingering on the darkened windows of the West Wing in the distance.

Amelia nudged her. "Relax. No one intimidates you while I'm around. Now, where should we explore first? Library? Dining hall? Or maybe that creepy West Wing they told us to avoid?"

Cora smirked despite herself. "You'd get us expelled on the first day."

"Expelled? Please. Rules are just suggestions. Besides, how often do you get to live in a place like this?"

They wandered toward the heart of the campus, where a massive clocktower rose against the darkening sky. Its hands were frozen at an odd time, 11:58, the symbolism tugging at the edge of Cora's mind.

Amelia tilted her head. "Guess they don't believe in maintenance."

"It feels deliberate," Cora said, narrowing her eyes. "Like it's meant to remind us of something."

"Yeah, to stay inside before midnight," Amelia joked, but her tone lacked its usual bravado.

As the sky deepened into twilight, the pair found themselves near the edge of the campus, where the cliffs dropped sharply into the sea. The waves below roared with relentless intensity, their sound blending with the whispers of the wind.

"Talk about a view," Amelia said, stepping closer to the railing. "Imagine sneaking out here for a midnight rendezvous. So romantic."

Cora wasn't paying attention. Her eyes were drawn to the river that ran just below the cliffs. At first, she couldn't make out much—just a few silhouettes standing together at the shore, their figures shadowed by the gathering darkness.

But then, like a magnet, her gaze was drawn to one of them.

He stood apart from the other two, his tall frame outlined by the fading light of the setting sun. He wore a tailored black jacket, a stark contrast to the softer hues of the evening sky, and his posture was confident, almost regal. His hair, dark and thick, was styled effortlessly, falling just short of his brow. There was a hardness to his jawline, sharp and unforgiving, that hinted at a man who carried himself with authority.

But it was his eyes that made Cora's breath catch—dark, like the river that swirled beneath the cliffs, and endless, as if they held stories she'd never be able to comprehend.

He was speaking to the two men beside him, but Cora couldn't make out their words. His presence was overwhelming—intoxicating. It was like the space around him warped with his intensity, pulling everything toward him. His mere existence made the landscape around him seem more alive, more vivid.

Amelia, who had been snapping photos of the view, suddenly froze, her camera forgotten in her hand. She followed Cora's gaze.

"Who is that?" she whispered, her voice unusually soft.

Before Cora could answer, the man's eyes flickered toward her. Their gazes locked across the distance, and it was as though the world paused.

There was a moment of stillness, an electric charge in the air that neither of them could deny. For Cora, it was as if a weight had settled on her chest, the intensity of his gaze pulling her in, drawing her closer despite the distance between them. His eyes softened for a fraction of a second, almost as if he recognized her, but it was gone before she could process it fully.

Amelia, too, couldn't seem to look away. The way the man stood—so commanding, yet somehow so alluring—captivated her in a way Cora hadn't seen before.

The other two men beside him seemed to notice the change in the atmosphere. One of them, a tall figure with a rugged demeanor, clapped the man on the back, snapping him out of his trance. But the man with the intense gaze never broke eye contact with Cora.

For a brief moment, it felt as though time had stopped, and the entire world had folded in on that one exchange.

Then, just as quickly as the moment had begun, he turned away, his figure vanishing into the shadows of the trees.

Amelia blinked, as if waking from a dream. "Well, that was… something."

Cora stood frozen, her heart racing in her chest. She didn't know what it was about him, but something told her that this encounter was far from ordinary.

And somewhere, just beyond the reach of the campus, Damien smirked as he disappeared into the night.

"She looks different this time," he whispered to himself. "Even more beautiful."