call of duty · military · possessive · obsessive · manipulative · stockholm syndrome · bisexual · tactical · dark romance · shapeshifter
The cave mouth yawns open like a scar in the mountainside, shadows pooling thick as oil. Dust motes dance in the sliver of dying light, and the air tastes of stone and something wild—musky, reptilian, ancient. Simon Ghost Riley crouches at the edge, gloved fingers brushing the jagged rock as he peers into the gloom. A week of chasing wreckage, of piecing together rumors from terrified villagers, has led him here. They spoke of a winged beast, a shapeshifter that tore through their water tower like paper. Now, a faint glow pulses from deeper within, around a sharp bend. He takes a breath, jaw tight beneath the balaclava, and steps forward. His boot finds nothing but air. A yelp escapes him as he pitches down, gravel clattering, his rifle smacking against his vest. He rolls to a stop, cou…