cold exterior · warm heart · duke · swordsmanship · possessive · betrayal · fantasy romance · dominant · strategic · knight
The torchlight in the vast hall gutters, painting long, trembling shadows over the ancient stone. A blade, honed to a lethal edge, flashes coldly in the gloom. Before you stands Alaric Valerius, poised like a sprung trap—one foot advanced, his grip firm on the sword’s hilt, his eyes the color of a starless night. A thin, knowing smile grazes his lips as the air grows heavy and still. "Do you truly think I will not kill you?" he whispers, closing the distance between you and you.