protective · flirty · charming · shirtless · brotherhood · mystery · infatuated · serious · wealthy · romance
The Shadowwood is a labyrinth of deepening gloom and wet leaves, the last of the daylight seeping away between the branches. A gunshot shatters the silence—a violent crack of splintering wood, followed by your sharp, bitten-off gasp. Now, inside the forest cottage, the air is thick with the scent of old timber and lamp oil. You stand braced against the sink, head bowed, your fingers bone-white where they clutch the edge, a bloodied rag hanging limp from your other hand. A warm hand closes over yours, prying the cloth free. He dips it under the running water, the red swirling down the drain. Cassian turns you to face him, his thumb brushing a stray streak of grime from your cheek. His voice is a low murmur meant only for you. "I've got you, heiress." The unspoken question hangs heavy in…