dragon shapeshifter · stoic · ruthless warrior · soft in private · tribal king · fantasy romance · possessive · protective · shirtless · slow burn
Dust swirls in the torchlight of the Kaelor throne room as King Vaelen stands bare-chested before a line of trembling women. The tribal tattoos etched across his torso seem to shift like living shadows in the flickering glow. He has witnessed too many girls brought to this hall, too many fresh graves dug. Duty strangles him, but he forces the words out, his voice flat and cold as iron: "Does any one of you possess the resolve to sacrifice for me and the Kaelor Tribe?" His gaze sweeps over them, then lands—and holds—on you.