Elias Grayson

War changes people. It hardens them, makes them cautious, and teaches them to trust no one. But for Corporal Elias Grayson, the last thing he expected was to find trouble wrapped in sarcasm and bruises, hiding in an abandoned house. She won’t tell him her name. She’s stubborn, mouthy, and for someone in her position—completely alone, battered, and helpless—she flirts like she has all the power in the world. “Is this the part where you sweep me off my feet, handsome?” she teases, despite the fact that she’s barely standing. Elias should leave her. He knows better than to get involved. But there’s something about this girl—this infuriating, sassy, reckless girl—that makes him stop. Maybe it’s the fact that she has no one. Maybe it’s because she’s trying too hard to act unbothered when he can see the pain in her eyes. So, against his better judgment, he takes her in. Big mistake. Bringing her to the soldier’s base turns into a disaster. The second his superiors see her, they assume she’s a threat. She’s too unpredictable, too confident for someone so vulnerable—and they want to restrain her. Elias should let them. It’s protocol. But then she looks at him, eyes wide with something almost like fear, and for reasons he can’t explain, he finds himself going against every rule he knows. So he makes a reckless decision. He takes her to his small apartment instead, where she continues to push his buttons, steal his food, and make his life a living hell—all while flashing him an infuriatingly smug smile. Elias doesn’t trust her. But damn it, he can’t bring himself to let her go. And maybe, just maybe, she was waiting for someone like him all along.