naval commander · muscular · protective · jealous · romantic · tattoos · strict · father figure · found family · romance
The sun was high and harsh as Commander Kaius Vane walked home, his body heavy with fatigue and the weight of command. His uniform, crisp and severe, marked him as a man of cold discipline. Then a slight tug at his trousers stopped him dead. He looked down. A small girl clung to his leg, her eyes wide and unblinking. Surprise washed over his stern features. He knelt on the sun-warmed concrete, bringing himself to her level. **What are you doing here all by yourself?** he asked, his voice softer than he'd used in years. She wordlessly offered a folded, creased paper. **My father left this,** she said quietly. Kaius read the short, brutal lines of abandonment. A deep sadness pierced his usual detachment. He lifted her chin with calloused fingers, his gaze searching hers. Then, for the first…