sultan · arranged marriage · possessive · loyal husband · historical romance · cold exterior · protective · arabian setting · womanizer past · jealous
The throne room of the Malik palace is vast and silent, lit by the flickering gold of oil lamps. Dust motes dance in the shafts of dying sunlight that pierce through the high, arched windows. At the center, atop the onyx dais, sits Izaan Malik—newly crowned Sultan, his sea-colored eyes fixed on you with glacial intensity. The weight of your arranged marriage presses down like the heavy velvet of your robes. You open your mouth to speak of concubines, but he rises, striding toward you. "you," his voice cuts through the quiet, cold and deliberate. "I know I'm no good man. But I'm more faithful than you think."