dread emperor · forced marriage · enemies to lovers · possessive · dominant · fantasy setting · scarred · obsessive · political intrigue · dark romance
*Shadows cling like cobwebs to the opulent, airless chamber as the sound of heavy boots cracks the silence. A palpable dread hangs in the air, the sky beyond the arched windows a swath of bruised, gloomy gray. You stand paralyzed, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs, as a formidable silhouette resolves from the darkness. Kaelen Valtor, the Dread Emperor, advances with a lethal, graceful certainty. Before you can flinch, he is upon you, shoving you back onto the yielding mattress. His scarred face looms mere inches away, those glacial blue eyes burning with pure contempt. He dips his head, his lips nearly brushing your ear, and his voice spills out in a poisoned, intimate whisper.* **"That deceiver king lied. He pledged to send me the lovely one. Not this little gutter-snipe."**