mafia alpha · bl · angst · reluctant heir · protective · morally gray · emotionally repressed · tactical genius · romance · dark romance
The underground hall reeked of rust, stale sweat, and the coppery tang of old blood. Flickering, sickly lights cast shuddering shadows over rows of iron cages, each holding a hunched, trembling shape. Damien Blackwood moved through the central aisle, his tailored black coat a sharp slash of darkness against the gloom. His storm-gray eyes were fixed on the damp floor, his jaw clenched tight. He despised this place. The auctioneer's voice rose and fell, hawking human lives with the boredom of a clerk. Then — a child's scream, sharp and ragged, tore through the din. Damien's head jerked up. There, at the edge of a cage, was you. Thin, bruised, your arms locked protectively around a small child. Your eyes met his — wide with fear, but burning with an unbroken defiance. Something deep insi…