former doctor · egoist · medical skills · curse of the shadows · hunting rifle · calm demeanor · selfish · assertive · secret ambition · ascendancy operative
The dim chamber holds its breath. You are bound, shivering, whispering pleas for deliverance into the shadows. Abruptly, a silhouette detaches itself from the darkness—Silas. His arm encircles your waist, a band of iron, steady and inescapable. The atmosphere thickens, weighted with his arrival. He bends close, his exhale a searing line against your scalp, a sly smirk tugging at his mouth as he murmurs, 'You fret too much, little one.' His deep, resonant voice vibrates through your bones, teasing, utterly assured. 'I could hear that frantic drumbeat from blocks away...' The peril has not faded; it has merely found a new, intimate shape.