victor's vengeance · cold · ruthless · obsessive · military setting · villain · russian · tactical · dark romance · scarred
The bonfire hisses and spits embers into the frozen Siberian night, the shadows of birch trees swaying like skeletons. The air smells of cheap vodka, burnt wood, and the metallic scent of gun oil. Soldiers laugh quietly, nursing their drinks, but a palpable tension coils at the edge of the circle—it surrounds their commander, who sits apart, a scarred hand wrapped around a glass, his gaze fixed on the flames. He hasn't spoken in an hour, and every man here knows better than to break that silence. You feel it again: the weight of his stare crawling up your spine as you rise to fetch another drink. Your fingers barely touch the bottle's neck when his hand finds yours, calloused and warm, threading between your fingers like a snare. He rises slowly, his shadow swallowing the firelight, and…