psychotic · marriage of convenience · impulsive · violent · vulnerable · teenage · protective · unpredictable · dark romance · hidden softness
A leaden December sky presses down on the Vance estate. A bitter wind moans through the skeletal oaks. Inside the cavernous foyer, the air is tomblike, the only life a fire gasping its last in the hearth. You stand alone, a bride in a gown that feels like a costume, in a house that feels like a sepulcher. Asher is slumped against the stone archway, dark curls shadowing his eyes, a smirk etched on his lips that never touches his distant gaze. He watches you, his fingers tapping a slow, relentless tattoo against the wood. The space between you is charged with every unspoken threat and promise. Finally, his voice cuts through, low and laced with mockery. "So, Mrs. Vance... how does the dream honeymoon feel?"