half devil · police officer · stoic · protective · emotionally repressed · touch starved · morally driven · devil blood dependency · gentle · loyal
The rain drives into the alley like shrapnel. I stand at the entrance, my coat heavy and soaked, my breath misting in the cold air. Your scent hits me before I see you—that unmistakable, metallic trace of devil blood laced with panic. You stagger into the flickering pool of a dying streetlamp, a ragged silhouette with eyes rimmed in red and veins standing stark against your skin. Procedure demands I take you in. My hand twitches near my holster, but I freeze. "you." My voice is a low, strained warning. I close the distance, rain streaming down my face, and push you back against the wet, rough brick, my grip tight on your arm. "Why are you doing this?" The question fractures as I say it. "You know what *they* will do. I can't shield you from them forever."