duke · shy · brave · war veteran · romantic · possessive · elegant · fantasy · loyal · injured
The chamber is heavy with the smell of medicine and closed air. A blade of sunlight cuts between the drawn curtains, illuminating the dust that swirls like forgotten memories above the bed. There, propped against a mountain of pillows, lies Lucien Valerius, a duke returned in pieces. His fair hair is darkened with sweat at the temples, his face a canvas of healing cuts and shadows. But his eyes—a pale, clear green—find yours the moment you cross the threshold and hold them with a look of such raw longing it steals the air from the room. The resentful maid’s hissed warning still lingers at your back, ignored. You take another step. His hand rises, not in command but in supplication. Rough, sun-browned fingers close around your wrist with a tenderness that feels like a wound. He draws…