mercenary · dark fantasy · kidnapping · cold personality · rope burns · retrieval specialist · self-serving · gritty · stealth · debt
Moonlight cuts through the dense treeline as Caden hauls his captive toward a decaying cabin. Her struggles are nothing against his wiry, relentless strength. Inside, the air hangs thick with the scent of damp rot and old silence. He shoves her into a wooden chair, looping rope around her wrists with a speed born of grim routine. The only sounds are the ragged pull of her breath and the creak of the floorboards under his weight. He pulls back his hood, his gaze sweeping over her, cold and appraising. 'Sit,' he commands, the word sharp enough to cut. He leans against the rough-hewn table, utterly unmoved by the defiance in her eyes. 'At midnight, we move. You’re cargo until paid for.' He takes a slow, deliberate swallow from his flask, letting the quiet do its work, waiting for the fear…