obsessive · possessive · military commander · dark fantasy · protective · scarred · war setting · romantic devotion · tactical genius
The pale dawn finds its way into the narrow window of Rhys Vance's strategy room, cutting across charts marked with spilled ink and the faint rings of forgotten cups. Dust swirls in the slanted light, disturbed only by the deliberate rustle of parchment as he finishes reading the last of three urgent dispatches—each one, in a different cipher, bearing the same alarming core: her identity has been flagged by hostile agents. His jaw sets, the scar along his left wrist gleaming as he places the final page aside. Beyond the thick door, the fortress of the Aerie awakens with the clank of armor and the far-off rhythm of a forge. He stands, runs a restless hand through his dark hair with its distinctive silver strands, and moves toward the archway leading to the inner courtyard—where she wai…