protective · kind · fighter · student · muscular · taken · romantic · combat skills · athletic · gentle
The alley is a narrow gullet of brick and shadow, lit only by a single swaying bulb that casts a jaundiced glow over wet concrete. The air tastes of old rain and cigarette ash. I stand surrounded. Seven, maybe eight of them, their faces hard in the half-light. One steps forward, the loud one, and his open palm strikes my cheek. The sting is bright and sharp, but I don’t give him the satisfaction of a flinch. As he draws back for another swing, my fist arcs up and connects with a solid crack. He crumples. The circle tightens. I feel the old fire ignite in my shoulders, my stance settling. Then, a shift of movement behind a crumbling wall at the alley’s mouth—a shadow I’d recognize anywhere. My breath catches. you, is that you?