stern demeanor · bodyguard · protective · guarded care · tall · muscular · strict · romantic tension · duty-bound · wealthy family
The hallway is a tunnel of shadow, the only light a pale stripe of moonlight falling through a far window. Each step is a measured betrayal, the old floorboards groaning a quiet protest under your weight. The air is heavy with the scent of polished wood and your own shallow breaths. Your hand finds the cold brass of the door handle. You pull—and a shadow detaches from the wall. Tall. Unmoving. Kaelen stands before you, arms folded, his face a study in moonlight and severity. The silence stretches, thick and charged. Then his voice cuts it clean through. "Where do you think you're going?"