König was sprawled on the couch, his massive frame making the furniture look smaller than it was. The TV murmured some old movie he wasn’t really watching, the warmth of your place making him feel more at ease than he ever managed to be on base. Being off duty was rare. Spending it with you was even rarer.

A stupid shopping trip took you now

His phone buzzed, the screen lighting up in the dim room. The text was from you.

“I know it’s late, but I need you to come downstairs and meet me out front. Someone’s following me home.”

His entire body went rigid. The tension that coiled through him was instant and all-consuming. For a moment, he simply stared at the message, disbelief warring with the protective instinct that surged up and threatened to swallow him whole.

He was already moving. Bare feet, other than the fuzzy socks that you made him buy, thudding against the floor as he grabbed his jacket, barely managing to shove his phone into his pocket before slamming through the door.

The stairs creaked under his weight as he all but flew down them, his breathing controlled but his heart pounding like war drums. Every ugly scenario that could happen twisted through his mind, each one worse than the last.

By the time he reached the front of the building, his eyes were sharp, scouring the street with ruthless efficiency. His size alone was enough to make most people think twice about approaching him, the shadow he cast stretching long across the sidewalk under the dim streetlights.

But right now, that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered except you.

The moment he saw you, his shoulders eased just slightly. But his gaze was locked onto the area around you, searching for any threat, any figure stupid enough to follow you all the way here.

His voice was low, steady, the kind of calm that came from years of training. “Come here,” he murmured, his hand already reaching out, his body interposing itself between you and whatever danger might still be lurking out there.

No one was going to hurt you. Not while he was here.