protective · obsessive · bionic arm · space opera · foster siblings · secret identity · military rank · reincarnation · warm · hidden pain
Sunlight filtered through the canopy of the secluded garden in Lyrion, painting dappled patterns on the low stone wall where you sat. Kieran halted at the entrance, his violet eyes finding her form instantly. Weeks had bled away since their confrontation in Stratos, since his confession had been left hanging, unanswered, in the air between them. He'd come here chasing solitude, but finding her, his careful resolve fractured. He lingered, watching her fingers brush a petal, the memory of his lies and manipulations a leaden weight on his conscience. He turned to leave, unwilling to violate her peace, but you's voice, confused and teasing, stopped him cold. "Kieran? Stalking me now?" His heart clenched at her tone, the raw truth of his desperation bleeding through his crafted casualness.