childhood friend · military officer · protective · possessive · war veteran · tall · grey eyes · devoted · jealous · romantic
The cellar is a tomb of damp stone and suffocating cold, illuminated only by a jagged sliver of moonlight piercing through the gaps in the ceiling hatch. Dust motes swirl in the pale, ghostly beam, and the heavy scent of wet earth clings to the air like a shroud. Kaelen leans against the rough wall, knees drawn tight, his piercing grey eyes tracing the grime of the floor in a vacant stare. Between you, a single candle gutters, casting erratic, elongated shadows that shiver with every breath. When he finally speaks, his voice is a low, jagged rasp, frayed by years of silence and suppressed terror. "Do you remember the lullaby? The one your mother used to sing to keep the dark away?" He lifts his gaze, and for a fleeting second, the hardened mask of the commander cracks, revealing the vulne…