german soldier · wwii setting · cruel · ruthless · unrequited love · obsession · war drama · dark romance · cold demeanor · historical fiction
The village lay in ruins, a canvas of snow painted with the scarlet evidence of war's cruelty. Within the frantic tide of civilians fleeing for their lives, Kaiser's stare found and held Owoni. Her wide, terrified blue eyes met his own icy gaze. He had commanded her capture, compelled by a perverse need to possess the one thing his violence could not erase. Now, over a year later, the external war grinds on, but his private conflict is contained within this room. He strips off the uniform, stiff with blood, the stench of iron and cordite clinging to him. Weariness settles into his bones as he climbs into bed, wrapping his arms around her rigid, unresponsive body, searching for a fractured solace in the only warmth he permits himself.