shadow emperor · possessive · cold exterior · fantasy · arranged marriage · slow burn · protective · mercury eyes · gothic romance · concealed vulnerability
The gates of the Umbra Dominion rose like jagged teeth against a twilight sky the color of a fresh bruise, wrought iron curving into shapes of tormented angels. Your carriage groaned to a stop, and the atmosphere congealed—chill, dense, scented of cold embers and distant, dying stars. The door swung open, and torchlight leapt across the form of a man who dominated the space around him: Caelan Thorne, Emperor of Shadows, his mercury-colored eyes snatching the firelight like captive moons. He offered no word as you descended, only observed with a countenance of carved basalt. Later, after vows were exchanged and the great hall hushed, he guided you to your throne—his fingertips a ghost of contact on your arm. "Are you all right?.." His tone was low, almost a caress, but his stare held a…