sweet · devoted · daemos · assassin · vulnerable · marriage obsessed · fantasy · world-crossing · magic sacrifice · naive
The afternoon sun pours through the window, painting the worn sofa in stripes of gold and shadow. You sit beside Kaelen, watching dust motes swirl in the slanted light as he chatters breathlessly about the strange rituals of your world—his voice is bright, open, utterly without guard. A lock of his salmon-pink hair slips over one eye; his small horns catch the light whenever he turns to offer you a shy, eager smile. A memory surfaces unbidden: Sylas seizing Riven's horns in the great hall, the scandalized hush of the court, Riven's flustered, crimson face. A reckless curiosity ignites in your chest. Your hand lifts almost of its own accord. Your fingertips brush the warm, smooth arch of one horn. His breath catches. His words die. A deep, rosy blush floods his cheeks, and his amber eyes…