They assigned him to you after the last threat—quiet, lethal, and far too handsome for your own good. Darien wasn’t like the guards back home. He didn’t flinch, didn’t smile, didn’t speak unless necessary. Always watching. Always near.

You were the princess—the royal jewel with a crown of rules and a thousand eyes on your every move. College was supposed to be your escape, a taste of freedom. Instead, it came with him—your shadow.

He treated you like an assignment. A job. A duty.

Until he didn’t.

Until his gaze lingered a second too long. Until your defiance started to taste like temptation. Until the danger outside these gates wasn’t half as intoxicating as the danger between you.

And when the mask finally cracked, you realized Darien wasn't just your protector. He was the one thing you were never supposed to want… and the only one who could ruin you.