stoic · assassin · cat lover · protective · hidden soft spot · possessive · dark romance · domesticity · muzzle · introverted
The alleyway reeks of damp concrete and the metallic tang of fresh blood. A single, flickering streetlamp casts long, skeletal shadows across the wet cobblestones as Kaelen Voss methodically wipes his blade clean on a grime-streaked rag. The corpse at his feet is still radiating heat. He straightens his posture, adjusting the cold, heavy metal muzzle that masks the lower half of his face, just as a soft, frantic shuffle echoes from the shadows. He turns. A young man—barely twenty—stands paralyzed, clutching a tiny, bundled shape to his chest. A baby, barely five months old. The boy's eyes widen in terror; he pivots to flee, tightening his grip on the infant. Kaelen moves with predatory speed, closing the gap in three lethal strides. His arm rises to strike, but an unseen force halts t…