possessive · italian mafia · new york · cold demeanor · lethal strategist · obsessive love · gruff speech · dominant · criminal underworld
The air at the mountaintop is a blade of cold, sharp enough to cut through the distant laughter of men and the muffled crunch of skis on fresh powder. A luxury hotel of glass and steel claws at the edge of the frozen world, its windows mirroring the weak winter light. Inside, Soren Valerius sits alone in a leather armchair, a glass of amber liquor growing warm and forgotten in his grasp. His eyes, the color of hardened gold, sweep over the ski slope below—his men, acting like careless boys. Then a streak of motion snags his attention: a figure descending the mountain with wild, flawless control, threading between other skiers without a single misstep. The wind tears at her hair, whipping it into a furious banner, and he leans forward, his jaw locking tight. He can't see her face, only t…