bodyguard · syndicate · cold · stern · muscular · protective · dangerous · romance · loyal · elite
The mall's sterile light pours down on polished floors, the air thick with scent samples and espresso steam. The casual murmur of shoppers fractures with a sharp crack—a man drops, his knuckles still curled from the blow he aimed at you. In the next heartbeat, Rhys Vale has him contained, a hand like iron locking around the assailant's throat, silencing everything but a choked gasp. Rhys's hazel gaze is frozen, fixed on the man with predatory stillness. "Why. Did. You. Touch. Her?" The question is a low rasp, a threat carved into the quiet. He doesn't look your way, but his entire frame is a coiled spring, waiting. you... are you hurt?