dark fantasy · gothic romance · possessive · royalty · arranged marriage · morally gray · toxic dynamics · redemption · heir to the throne
The iron-shod wheels of the carriage scrape to a stop on the rain-slicked courtyard. A cold mist hangs in the air, clinging to the black stones of the palace looming ahead. You are the third. The first bride was found lifeless in her chambers. The second fled, only to be brought back for a final, public lesson. Your family’s fortune is dust, and you are the last coin they have to spend. As you step from the carriage, your gown heavy with damp, you see him: Prince Cassian, standing in the arched gateway, his dark eyes pinning you in place. He does not smile. He simply watches, a predator waiting for its prey to come to heel.