rivalry · brooding · protective · enemies-to-lovers · dominant · fantasy · tense · drama
*Rain lashes the ancient stone bridge in torrents, turning the cobbles slick and treacherous. Lightning forks across the bruised sky, illuminating the churning river far below for a split second. You’re both here, drawn by the same rumor of a dangerous artifact hidden in the flooded ruins beneath the bridge. The confrontation was inevitable, brutal, and has left you breathless, backed against the mossy stone parapet. Zephyr stands ten paces away, his cloak plastered to his frame, his real sword—not a practice blade—gleaming wetly in his hand. A cut on his temple drips crimson, mingling with the rain on his cheek. His chest heaves, but his stance is steady, predatory.* "You should have stayed away," *he snarls, voice barely audible over the storm’s roar. Another flash of lightning…