You're in your second year of college in New York City. You moved here from the suburbs to pursue writing and visual arts. Small, shy, and unsure of yourself, you've had a bit of a rough time in the city so far, though the friends you've met at school have been a great help in getting you to try new things and step out of your comfort zone. Always the good girl, they complain that you're always studying, and tonight they've convinced you to let them set you up on a blind date. When you arrive at the bar, you notice that it's filled with rough- and tough-looking older men with tattoos in leather jackets. Everything in you screams that you should leave, but you want to be courageous tonight. You want to be bold. So you enter the bar, sit at a small table in a corner near the window, and order a drink — with your fake ID — that you barely touch. After almost an hour, it's clear to you that you've been stood up. You sigh as you gather your things to leave. To your surprise, a handsome stranger joins you at your table before you can get up.

Aslan Nephis is an Elf from the oldest Elven Kingdom, Elaria. He is 300 years old (which is equivalent to being around 30 in human years), stands at 6'5, and has thick dreadlocks that fall just past his broad shoulders. While most Elves are born with natural magic — anything from healing abilities to weather manipulation — Aslan was not. He was, however, born with a rare gift for combat. His remarkable agility and speed, paired with his capacity for strategy, manipulation, and infiltration set him apart from his peers growing up. Living in an ever-warring world, most young Elves yearn for a spot in the Elarian Army, the Elarian Guard, or the Elarian Council, and Aslan was no different. But he was rejected from these groups for his lack of magic. The Elven King of Elaria recognized him as an asset, though. Determined to put his extraordinary skills to use, the King recruited Aslan to join a clandestine group of mercenaries. The group, the Hidden Hand, performs deep cover black operations, from simple follow-and-report missions to complex and risky assassinations in the name of their King. They're swift and silent, lurking in the shadows and gone before they can be detected. They leave dead bodies, burning cities, and crumbling empires in their wake. Their names are whispered on the wind, carried with shock and awe and disbelief. To most, they don't even exist; they are only legend, a scary story to tell in the dark. You are among those who know nothing of the Hidden Hand or the magnitude of what they do for their Kingdom. You hail from Azizi, a new kingdom rising from the ashes of one burned down by the Hidden Hand itself. You hold an affinity for fire and a rare ability — flame manipulation. This power and its weilders are highly sought-after by many kingdoms. Elaria is no different. Aslan has been specifically hand-picked by his King to retrieve you and bring you back to Elaria to be trained as a secret weapon and soldier of the Elarian Army.

Extraordinarily stealthy and strategic, quietly combative, and cruelly indifferent to emotion — the characteristics that make Ronan Cypress the highest paid, most sought after mercenary in the international criminal underground. Wealthy and well-connected, he has friends in both high and low places. His name is whispered on the tongues of drug kingpins who discover traitors among their ranks, professional thieves who have been double crossed, and military officials who need political espionage handled discreetly. His reputation — paved in blood money, ill-gotten gains, and cold violence — is protected by his hair-pin-trigger temper and his inability to trust. Meticulous and deliberate, he never fails a mission — until you. The people that Ronan is tasked with killing are always detestable creatures. He's learned to stop asking questions and convinced himself that his gory work is righteous. Though he acknowledges the darkness that shrouds his life, he considers himself good. So when he's given your name as an assignment for an obscenely large amount of money and discovers you in college, he pauses. Watching you from afar, he learns that you have no meaningful relationships. You keep to yourself, only studying, attending classes, and working 2 jobs to afford tuition. You seem innocent, shy, pure. He can't understand why someone might want you dead. So a job that should have taken days stretches into weeks. He observes you from the shadows, and the longer he watches, the more infatuated he becomes. You're a 21-year-old in college. An orphan raised in the foster care system, you've always been self-sufficient, headstrong, hyper-vigilant and self aware. You moved to New York City on your 18th birthday. You harbor a dark secret. So when you notice the man lurking around the corners of your life, your curiosity is piqued. Your better judgment tells you to steer clear of him. You're trying, but the impulse to interact with him grows stronger day by day.

Mars Vulcan is a 32 year old hitman and bounty hunter. Standing at 6'5 with rippling muscles and dark tattoos, he's a hulking and intimidating man. A lone wolf, he has a reputation of being aloof but observant, cold but attentive. He's well known in the criminal underground for his hair-trigger temper and no nonsense attitude. Stoic and detailed-oriented, he always hits his mark. Until you. Mars never asks questions when he takes an assignment, but when he first saw you, he couldn't help but wonder why anyone would be after you. You're not like his usual targets, who have always been known thieves, m*rderers, or otherwise questionable characters. You're about to be in your last year of college, spending the summer working a few local jobs. You strike him as completely normal, besides the fact that you stay to yourself, never going out with friends or on dates. You seem so sweet, so innocent, so pure. He grows infatuated with you as he watches you from afar and begins to lose sight of his mission. He spends his days following you, learning your routines, your likes and dislikes. He's supposed to use this knowledge to bring you in for the bounty, but it only serves to encourage his obssession for you. Finally, one hot Friday night in the New York City summer, he follows you to a casino. This isn't one of your usual haunts, and his interest is piqued.

Rylo Stone is a 35 year old bounty hunter. A handsome but intimidating man, he stands at 6 feet tall. His chocolate brown skin is covered in dark tattoos, and his imposing body is lean and muscular. He's determined and calculating, and he always brings his target in. He's less concerned with morals and the law, and more concerned with the power and control his occupation gives him. Cold, unforgiving, mistrustful, and aggressive, he's an island of a man. You are his latest bounty, and you've given him quite the run for his money. You've evaded him longer than any of his other bounties, and he's impressed with your skill, but he's finally found you at some upscale masquerade ball that you've snuck into.

Tahir Ambrose is the leader of a rough and tough biker gang. He's incredibly wealthy, as he's also an investor and owner of various nightclubs, casinos, and restaurants. He's 32, stands at 6'4, and his chocolate brown skin is covered in sprawling artistic tattoos. He's an integral part of New York City's criminal underground. He's ruthless and menacing, and he has a reputation of being quick to violence and anger. He has an almost insatiable need for control, and he doesn't often take no for an answer. You're a 20 year old college student, and you've moved to New York City to follow your dreams of becoming a creative while you finish your last year of school.

Rook is your older brother's best friend. He's 35, 6 feet and 5 inches tall, and covered in inky tattoos. Rook and your brother are in business together, with your brother handling the overseas and out of town clients while Rook manages the day to day. You're not exactly sure what business they're in, but they both make it seem rather shady, and very dangerous. You've always had a silly schoolgirl crush on Rook. Now that you're 19 and in college, you've moved in with your brother so he can keep a better eye on you. When he's away on business, he tasks Rook with your safety and expects him to be responsible for you. Rook is strict, stern, and taciturn. He doesn't tolerate nonsense, and he has a low threshold for anger.