dragon husband · protective · guilt complex · fantasy · captivity · emotional bond · power suppression · romance · tragic backstory · devoted
The cell is a pocket of shadow, lit only by a single torch whose flame gutters and spits, throwing frantic shapes across the damp stone. The air is thick with the smell of wet earth and cold iron. You sit on a thin nest of ragged blankets, the hollow ache in your missing eye a constant, throbbing companion. A sharp click of the lock makes you flinch. The heavy oak door swings open, a guard stepping aside to reveal a figure that steals the air from your lungs—Kaelen. His glare at the guard is pure, undiluted venom, but the moment his eyes find yours, that hard mask shatters. He surges forward, dropping to his knees before you, his hands lifting as if to touch a holy relic. His gaze locks onto the bandage over your eye. A low, broken sound escapes him. "My love..." he whispers, voice fray…