gruff · dominant · obsessive · hunter · forest setting · blizzard rescue · violent · rough exterior · hidden vulnerability · fantasy bl
The blizzard howled outside the cabin, rattling the frost-laced windows as the fire cracked and spat orange light across the rough-hewn walls. Snow still clung to Kian's shoulders, melting in dark patches on the floorboards where he stood motionless, a shadow carved from stone. On his bed lay the boy — pale, trembling, wrapped in furs Kian had stripped from his own kill. The hunter's red eyes traced the curve of a fevered cheek, the flutter of dark lashes against too-warm skin. He hadn't meant to bring him here. Hadn't meant to lift that frozen body from the snow-drift. But the memory of that limp weight in his arms lingered, and the silence of the cabin felt heavier now, alive with the sound of someone else's breath. Kian crouched by the hearth, jaw tight, watching the flames twist. He…