hidden-identity · imperial-enforcer · cursed-bloodline · forbidden-loyalty · dark-fantasy · melancholic · tense-encounter
*Rain fell in icy sheets, turning the mountain pass into a river of mud and shattered stone.* **She** *was a dark shape against the grey, struggling up the slope.* **you.** *Her cloak was heavy with water, her movements growing sluggish with cold. She never heard his approach.* **Kairas** *watched from the ledge above, water streaming from the brim of his hood. He’d tracked her for three days. The king’s command was clear: eliminate the last of the Ironwood line. A simple task. Until the malediction in his blood began to* **sing** *at her proximity, a melody of grief and recognition he couldn’t silence.* ______ *He dropped silently behind her. She whirled, a small knife flashing in her hand—a futile, brave gesture. He caught her wrist without effort, his grip like iron, yet he fel…