His Shield, Her Secret Empire

Ericks

mmate, insisted. "It's romantic, Holly! You need to put yourself out there!" She didn't know I already had. My heart

iet girl in oversized clothes, barely a footnote in the vibrant tapestry of campus life. He was pursued by the most stunning, most popular girls, all vying for his attention. He never stayed with any of the

I couldn't live with the "what if." So, I took a deep breath, clutching the small, carefully folded note in my hand.

of my chest. He was talking to a group of his friends, his head thrown back in laughter, looki

barely a whisper, s

His expression was unreadable. "Holly? What do you w

ething," I started, my voice t

g over my hastily scrawled words. A long moment of silence stretched between us, the blaring music suddenly s

n eyes locking onto mine. "You

, unable

n, a ghost of a smile touched his lips. "Alright,

I stared at him, bewi

n shifted, turning strangely serious. His eyes bored into mine, holding a cryptic warning. "But

ular guy on campus? I brushed it off, chalking it up to his dramatic flair, or maybe

e shift in his eyes, the almost imperceptible flicker of something calculating hidden beneath the charm. I was too busy being overwhelmed by pure, un

by the symphony of my own ecstatic heartbeat. I convinced myself it was a test of my lov

ade's legion of admirers. Notes appeared in my locker, cruel messages scrawled on bathroom stalls, my books "accidentally" knocked to the floor. Anonymous social media accounts posted unflatterin

s. It won't be easy. This was it, I told myself. This was the test. If I could weather t

ng back from the library, I was grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over my mouth. I fought, my self-defense training kicking in, but there were too man

ust as quickly as it started, it ended. The van screeched to a halt, the door flung open, and I was unceremoniously dum

g. He knelt beside me, pulling me into a fiercely protective hug. "Holly,"

linging to him. "Th

the general location. He stayed with me all night, comforting me, holding my hand. His presence, his genuine concern, erased all the fear, a

as also painfully fragile-or so everyone said. She suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks, making her a vulnerable target. Kade had told me once, his voice heavy with concern,

t aiming for Dani, but the sudden noise, the shattering glass, sent her into a full-blown pani

to his stepsister. He scooped Dani into his arms, his face etched with pure terror and fierce protectiveness. He

dumped by Kade a few months ago, and rumor had it, she hadn't taken it well. Now, she stood there, a malicious glint in her eyes, pointing and laughi

ooked at Amelia, and then, his gaze swept over the crowd, landing on me. There was something in his eyes-a desperation, a cold calcu

t to hide her from the world, Dani turned her head slightly. Through the curtain of her hair, her tear-filled eyes lo

im, leaving his security detail to handle the aftermath. He didn'

r comfort, but Kade's friends, always quick to anticipate his needs, blocked my path. "He needs

he stage being cleared, the hushed whispers of the crowd, the flashing cameras

s earlier warning:

t just for me. It was for them. And I wa

f he was just worried about his sister. But the image of Dani's smirk, that posse

. I felt a growing unease, a gnawing suspicion that something was funda