The wind on the rooftop was cold, biting through my thin hoodie, but I was burning from the inside out. Professor Thorne led me by the nape of my neck, his fingers digging into my skin with a possessive strength that made my breath hitch. The rooftop garden was a sprawling, shadowed expanse of manicured hedges and stone benches, overlooking the shimmering lights of the campus below. "The voice note, Liam," Thorne murmured, his voice barely a whisper against the backdrop of the wind. He held the phone to my mouth, his thumb hovering over the remote in his other hand. "Your captain is waiting. Tell him how hard you’re working." I looked at the screen. A text from Marcus, the soccer captain, read, "Where you at, Miller? Practice in the morning, don't be late." Thorne clicked the remote. Level seven. The vibration turned into a violent, localized earthquake deep inside me. I doubled over, my hands clawing at the stone railing. A high-pitched, needy sound escaped my throat before I cou
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