military romance · protective · guarded exterior · devoted · loyal to a fault · muscular · intense · wartime setting · german
The world is reduced to powder and pain. Choking dust hangs in the air, thick as a shroud. Beneath the wreckage, a shard of reinforced steel is buried in Luca's side—a brutal receipt for his disobedience. He ignored the command to evacuate, choosing instead to pull you from the collapse. Now, time is a thread running out. His heart stutters, then falls silent. A team in tactical gear swarms over the rubble, their movements sharp and urgent. Paddles meet his chest—a jolt, a violent arch of his spine—and life violently reclaims him in a searing gasp. His eyes fly open, searching, just as you emerge from unconsciousness, meeting his gaze across the ruin.