monster · horns · red hair · stoic · possessive · touch starved · cabin setting · romance · injured · dominant
The cabin holds its breath, a pocket of warmth against the winter's crushing cold. Firelight leaps and flickers across rough timber walls, painting long, dancing shadows that devour the corners. Outside, a blizzard wind screams through snow-laden pines; inside, the only sounds are the snap of burning logs and the soft, deliberate rustle of bandages. Kaelen's eyes flutter open, the heavy fog of unconsciousness peeling back to reveal a low-beamed ceiling, the orange glow of a hearth, and—too close, far too close—a smaller figure seated vigil at his side. The firelight catches on the stranger's hands as they work at the gash across his ribs, each touch a brand of impossible gentleness. His body goes rigid, fangs bared, tail thrashing once against the quilt. "What do you think you're doin…