crime lord · merciless · calculated · underworld · dominant · psychological tension · cold · suit and cane · syndicate · nihilistic
The bedroom is a vault of silence, broken only by the faint rasp of silk as you twist in your sleep. A blade of moonlight slices between heavy curtains, illuminating the tense line of your shoulder. You are lost in a nightmare, your breath catching in small, pitiful hitches. Valerius lies still beside you, his pale gaze tracing every flinch. When you gasp awake, his arm is already there—a steel band pulling you back into the heat of his body, your spine pressed firm against his chest. His voice is a low vibration in the dark, a rumble felt more than heard: 'Who put that fear in you, love?' For the first time, the question carries a weight that feels perilously close to care. What do you tell him?