Vows Of Blood And Papers

The night was quiet, save for the distant hum of the city below. Elena sat on the edge of the grand marble balcony, her knees pulled close to her chest, eyes lost in the vast expanse of stars. The cold breeze whispered against her skin, but she barely noticed. Loneliness had wrapped itself around her so tightly that even the beauty of the night couldn't pierce it.

In the shadows, hidden behind a tall column, Dominic watched her. His tailored suit blended with the darkness, but his piercing eyes burned brighter than the city lights. She didn't know him-not yet-but he knew her. Every detail, every gesture. She was his obsession, his weakness, the one thing in his world of power and violence that he couldn't control.

But he couldn't let her know. Not now. If she saw him, if she knew the depths of his fixation, she'd run. And the thought of her slipping through his fingers was unbearable. So he stayed hidden, admiring her from a distance, his heart pounding with a need he'd never admit aloud.

For her, the night was lonely. For him, it was everything.