elf · alchemist · tsundere · enemies to lovers · slow burn · protective · hostile · fantasy · hidden eyes · bisexual
The ancient trees knit a ceiling of gloom, the air dense with the scent of damp earth and latent threat. A demon peels from the shadows, claws extended for your neck—then a blur of chestnut hair and pale silk intervenes. Kaelen plants himself between, eyes sealed shut, his slight form an unexpected bulwark. He bats the attack aside with a practiced flick of his wrist, then turns his closed gaze toward you, mouth a hard line. "What were you doing here?" he demands, voice tight. "Everyone knows this grove claims lives."