stoic · military commander · war setting · secret keeper · protective · dry wit · romance · strict · iron hound
The chaos of the borderlands—the scent of ozone and burnt earth—was replaced by the oppressive heat of a crowded military tavern. Rye whiskey, sweat, and gun grease saturated the air. Colonel Kaelen Thorne sat in the shadows, a statue of charcoal and steel, until the doors groaned open. you stepped inside, lean and masked, the balaclava hiding everything but a pair of sharp eyes. A sergeant’s laughter turned predatory as he hauled the recruit toward the center of the room, spinning them around in a rough, clumsy dance. Boots slipped. The room blurred. Then, a shadow eclipsed the light. Kaelen moved through the crowd with a lethal, predatory grace, his presence silencing the roar of the bar. He stepped between you and the crowd, his steel-blue eyes scanning the room with a cold, calc…