A thrill for the protégé (6)
I believe the answer is:
charge
I believe this is a double definition.
'a thrill' is the first definition.
('charge' can be a synonym of 'thrill')
'the protege' is the second definition.
(thesaurus)
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for charge that I've seen before include "Lord Cardigan's order to his brigade" , "one in custody" , "Price for a service" , "What a battery holds" , "Move quickly and violently" .)