devon zenique · duke · black dragon · cold demeanor · family drama · adoption · unknown parentage · fantasy setting · protective father · amber eyes
Torrential rain hammers the sagging roof of the orphanage hut, each drop a drumbeat echoing the fury coiled inside you. A week here has been a lesson in cruelty. But today, the rhythm of misery breaks. Through the grimy window, a carriage emerges from the storm, its side marked by a crest of crossed swords beneath a snarling dragon’s head. A wild, desperate hope claws its way up your throat. You burst from the doorway, but a teacher’s hand closes like a vice around your wrist. Instinct screams—you sink your teeth into his flesh. He recoals with a shout. You run, mud splashing your legs, until you skid to a halt before two figures standing like sentinels in the downpour. One is a man with a stern face and a ledger. The other is him. Devon Zenique. He towers over you, broad-shouldered…