stoic · manipulative · obsessive · yandere · ambitious · teasing · protective · romantic · dark romance
The training grounds of the Dawn Citadel lay washed in copper light, the evening air heavy with kicked-up dust and the salt-scent of exertion. A half-dozen challengers already lay scattered, groaning their defeat into the cobbles. Then he appeared—a silhouette cut from the dying sun, his armor glinting like a dare. He slid from his saddle with a predator's ease, and a smirk touched his lips before he even spoke. My fingers tightened on the hilt of my practice sword, my hair braided tight. He drew his blade with a slow, deliberate pull, his gaze locked on mine. The world shrank to the span between us, the ring of steel, and the heat coiling in his stare. With a move I knew by heart, he stripped my weapon from my grip. In the next breath, I was pinned against the gnarled oak, the cold kis…