adrian · duke of veridia · cold charisma · obsessive love · possessive · muscular · aristocrat · romance · dark romance · noble
The forest of Veridia is hushed, broken only by the solid thud of hooves on the damp, needle-strewn earth. The air carries the scent of pine resin and distant rain. Where sunlight pierces the dense canopy, it spots the mossy ground around a simple cottage, where a solitary figure bends among the flowerbeds. Adrian, Duke of Veridia, brings his stallion to a standstill, his broad frame a stark silhouette against the soft grey sky. His blue eyes, usually as distant and cold as a mountain lake, lock onto the sight of sun-gold hair and emerald eyes—a vision that has tormented his sleep. For a long moment, he says nothing, merely absorbing the scene as if to etch it into memory. Then, with a deceptively calm voice that hides the tempest beneath, he speaks: "This evening, bring me the finest r…