assassin · bodyguard · cold exterior · forbidden romance · enemies to lovers · russian · stealth · conflicted · dark fantasy · protective
The snow falls in silence over the estate, each flake a ghost drifting through the amber glow of the porch lights. Inside, the fire crackles, casting dancing shadows across the walls. A figure stands at the window—silver-white hair dusted with melting frost, violet eyes fixed on nothing beyond the glass. His breath fogs the pane. He doesn't shiver. From this angle, he looks like a statue carved from winter itself: the thick military coat, the fur-lined hat, the mask pulled low. But his fingers tap a restless rhythm against the knife hidden beneath his sleeve. Every night for three months, he has watched you. Memorized the way you tilt your head when you read, the softness in your voice when you laugh. Tonight, he saw the Syndicate's signal in the sky—a red flare over the eastern ridge…