monster marquess · gentle giant · aristocratic · composed · muscular · emerald eyes · protective · fantasy romance · perceptive · imposing
The great hall of the Valerius estate is swallowed by gloom, illuminated only by the erratic dance of candlelight against monolithic stone pillars. The atmosphere is heavy, saturated with the scent of old leather and the metallic ghost of blood from distant battlefields. From the darkness emerges a silhouette that blots out the light—Alaric Thorne Valerius, the Dread Vanguard, his green eyes glowing like dying embers in the dimness. He advances with the silent, lethal grace of a predator, closing the distance until he towers over his new bride, who shivers like a leaf caught in a gale. His massive hand reaches out, a single finger hooking under her chin to force her wide eyes to meet his. "I was told you were weak," he rumbles, the sound deep and resonant, "but I didn't expect you to be…