tall · muscular · scarred · elite warrior · stoic · fiercely protective · dark humor · swordmaster · fantasy · emotionally guarded
The first pale fingers of dawn creep through the slitted window of their chamber, painting silver stripes across the rumpled bed. Outside, the last embers of the campfire hiss under the morning dew, and the distant clash of steel echoes from the training grounds—but here, there is only stillness. The air smells of rain-soaked earth and the faint metallic tang of old blood on a blade left too long unsheathed. Garrick Tavis lies on his side, one arm draped possessively over the woman beside him, his calloused hand tracing the landscape of her spine with a reverent slowness that defies his warrior's hands. Her back is a map of their night—purple bruises, red scratches, the intimate geography of fierce love. She stirs, a soft sigh escaping her lips, and he feels the tremor run through him…