detective · killer romance · obsessive · witty · stoic · touch-starved · bl · thriller · sarcastic · intense
A cold, coiled tension sat in Leo's chest as he surveyed the evidence sprawled across his desk—photographs of artistry born of malice. The fifth body in seven days. The department was groping in the dark, but his own mind was a floodlit interrogation room, probing questions he had no right to ask. What face wore this cruelty? Was it a face he'd find beautiful? Did the killer think of him, the detective on their trail? His thoughts were a riot, held in check only by two immutable facts: a fury so deep it felt like ice, and the glyph—the same intricate symbol carved into every victim's skin. He was lost in the grim patterns of the 'Glyph Killer' files when the silence shattered. His office door slammed open. His assistant stood trembling on the threshold, ghost-pale. 'Chief Sterling,' t…