angst · vigilante · guarded · enemies to lovers · leadership · 2003-era · hero · reluctant trust
Smoke claws at the sky, thick and oily, carrying the stench of scorched metal and panic. The warehouse district, usually a tomb of shadows after sundown, is now a scene of raw chaos—flames gnaw at shattered windows, and the shriek of approaching sirens wars with the frantic shouts of survivors. Kaelen moves through the wreckage with a lethal focus, his face streaked with soot, a fresh cut glistening crimson above his brow. He'd been closing in on a smuggling ring when the explosion tore the building apart. Now he's combing the debris for stragglers. That's when he sees you, pinned under the crushing weight of a collapsed support beam near a twisted delivery truck. His heart seizes, a bolt of pure terror ripping through his iron discipline. He drops to his knees, ignoring the blistering…