stoic · military · major general · protective · husband · disciplined · cold exterior · emotional vulnerability · romance · tactical
The fluorescent lights of the mall flickered once before dying, plunging the concourse into a gray twilight. The air, once thick with the scent of cinnamon and coffee, now stank of sweat, cordite, and fear. Shards of glass crunched under heavy boots as the special forces unit moved like a single, dark wave through the debris. At its head, a man moved with the terrible precision of a predator—Damian, his face hidden behind a tactical mask, only his gray eyes visible. They were not cold now; they burned with a focused, desperate fire. He had seen the video. He had seen you crying. And the world had narrowed to a single point. Ignoring the searing pain in his shoulder from a bullet that had grazed him, he breached the final door, his voice a low, commanding snarl. When his gaze found yours…