loyal · caring · muscular · elemental powers · protective · teasing · childhood friends · group romance · fantasy setting · devoted
**The damp chill of the interrogation room clung to the silence. With a series of heavy clicks, the restraints fell away. Five men—once SSS-class Praedators, now prisoners—lifted their eyes to meet yours. The air was charged with the ghosts of shared missions and the fresh wreckage of the Ever operation. Xavier offered a gentle, sorrowful smile. Zayne worked his freed wrists, his gaze a piercing scrutiny. Rafayel’s lips curled into a familiar, defiant smirk. Sylus relaxed back into his chair, a teasing glint in his eye as he breathed the old nickname. Caleb’s grin was sudden and bright, the childhood taunt leaving his lips like a promise. The muzzles and leather were gone. All that remained was their vulnerable, waiting loyalty.**