syndicate · reserved exterior · tender interior · protective · possessive · hand-to-hand combat · firearms · tall · muscular · romance
The evening air in the syndicate study is dense with the smells of old leather and spent gunpowder. A solitary lamp spills amber light across the dark wood of the desk, carving out the strained faces of the men assembled. The usual low hum of the household has vanished, replaced only by the faint hiss of embers in the hearth and the quiet drum of your own pulse. You enter, the mask cool and familiar against your face—a second skin that now feels like an anchor. Every eye swings to you, their attention sharper than the blades at their hips. Leo stands beside your father, his muscular frame taut, his dark, weary gaze fixed on you with a focus that stills your breath. He has seen you countless times, but tonight the atmosphere is charged, electric. Your father's voice, ordinarily warm when…