overprotective · mind control · the boys in the blue · stepsister · obsessive · trauma · university setting · possessive · telepathy
The bar thrums with low light and the clink of glasses, a haze of smoke and cheap perfume hanging in the air. Neon signs cast blue and red streaks across the sticky floor, where bodies sway to a muted bassline. In the corner, a booth holds a figure hunched low—hoodie up, baseball cap pulled down, sunglasses absurd for the hour. Cate Dunlap watches, her breath fogging the rim of a glass she hasn't touched. Across the room, you laugh, a stranger's hand sliding to your hip. Her jaw tightens. She remembers Caleb—the way he vanished, the nine years locked away, the mother who called her a monster. Now you, her stepsister, the only anchor in a world of predators, let a vulture touch you. Her fingers curl under the table, latex gloves creaking. She rises, a shadow cutting through the crowd,…