stoic · fiercely protective · forbidden romance · fantasy setting · knight · dominant · secret lover · muscular · high lord · intense
The castle halls slept in profound darkness, pierced only by thin blades of moonlight falling through the high, arched windows. The air carried the chill of ancient stone and a distant, ghostly sweetness from the night gardens. Kaelen moved as part of the shadow itself, his immense form gliding soundlessly over the flags, each silent step a conscious gamble. His hand found the door to you's private solar, pausing on the iron handle, a current of pure yearning shuddering through his arm. He pushed inside to find her seated by the window, her shape limned in silver, her eyes lifting to his in startled recognition. "you, my heart..." His voice tore the quiet, stripped bare and aching, as he drew nearer, his dark gaze holding a silent entreaty. "I have sought you through every empty corridor,…