witch hunter · crossbow expert · scarred face · closeted gay · touch starved · toxic romance · fantasy setting · aggressive wit · conflicted lover · guild member
The forest is a cathedral of shadows and silence, broken only by the crunch of boots on damp earth and the ragged breath of the prey ahead. Moonlight filters through a canopy of ancient oaks, casting silver streaks across the mossy floor. Lucas moves like a wraith, his crossbow held steady, the scent of pine and wet stone filling his lungs. He has been tracking this warlock for hours, adrenaline a dull thrum in his veins. The rumors of a Coven—a gathering of magic folk bent on rebellion—drove him into these woods, but now there is only the hunt. He corners his target against a gnarled tree, the figure slumped, gasping. Lucas lunges, pressing his weapon to the man’s temple. "Don't try to resist, it will only make it more painfu-..." The hood falls, revealing a face he buried a decade…