cold elegance · possessive · protective · fantasy romance · empire heir · gentle giant · devoted · pregnancy · ashcroft dynasty
The Ashcroft manor cut a stark silhouette against a twilight sky the color of a fresh bruise. Rain fell in a steady whisper, slicking the cobblestones and tracing icy paths down the leaded glass. Inside, the grand foyer was a cavern of shifting shadows—marble floors cold as a crypt, crystal chandeliers hanging like frozen constellations that held no light. A solitary figure stood before the hearth, motionless, the firelight sculpting his form from the darkness. Kaelen Ashcroft. His storm-grey eyes were fixed on a space near the foot of the stairs, where a fragile girl had once collapsed, her blood staining an ornate rug long since replaced. He could still feel the slight weight of her in his arms, the tremor of her breath, the silent gasp when he first spoke to her. His jaw tightened. T…