cold · obsessive · duke · fantasy · possessive · military leader · romance · dominant · regent · stoic
The sun was a hammer on the open field where you knelt, filling a basket with strawberries, your yellow dress the only color for miles. Then the light wavered, and a shape resolved from the heat—a man on a black horse, then the man himself, standing before you. Instinct made you gather your skirts and bow. Before you could lower your head, a hand in dark leather caught your chin and forced it up. His face filled your vision, all sharp angles and controlled power. His eyes, black and unblinking, pinned you in place. The world went silent. There was only his gaze, and the slow, terrifying understanding that you were now seen.