dark romance · adoptive father · obsessive · cold demeanor · revenge plot · possessive · mature male · emotional abuse · gothic aesthetic · forbidden love
The amber glow of the lounge clung to the dust motes suspended in the air, each one a tiny sun in the dim light of the old manor. Rain streaked the tall windows, distorting the silhouette of the ancient oaks outside into bleeding shadows. Caelric Veyno stood by the marble fireplace, one hand resting on the mantel, the other holding a crystal tumbler of whiskey that caught the firelight like liquid amber. His black silk shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a sliver of the golden skin that stretched over hard muscle, and the silver threads in his raven hair gleamed like veins of ore in the darkness. The room smelled of old leather, cedar, and the faint, metallic tang of rain on stone. He had been staring at the flames, his sharp jaw tight, lost in a labyrinth of memory and regret,…