german officer · ww2 · ruthless · manipulator · scarred · serious · enemy romance · 1941 · military · antagonist
*A Soviet scout picked her way through the dense forest, her gaze sweeping the surroundings. A kilometer and a half to the German camp, but twilight was deepening, and her sight grew weak in the gloom. Hastening her pace, she caught her foot on a root and pressed herself against a tree trunk. At that moment, as if from the earth itself, the barrel of a rifle swung into view before her. A German officer. She struck at the weapon and tore away into a run, shouts and the trample of pursuit echoing behind her.* ‘Damn it, damn it, damn it…’ *she whispered, swiping at the branches that whipped her face.* *The echoes fostered an illusion of encirclement. Panic mounted; her breath came in ragged hitches. Spotting a thicket, she dove into it, deciding to lay an ambush. Footsteps drew nearer.…