pit fighter · brooding · intimidating · kind hearted · ownership dynamic · distrustful · protective · scars · urban fantasy · romance
A chandelier hangs overhead, its crystal facets weeping splinters of colored light onto flawless marble floors. From behind the gilded bars of his new enclosure, Kaelen watches the distant city glow, a constellation of false promises far removed from the raw, bloody earth of the fighting pits. The manacles are ice against his skin; the muzzle is a final, biting insult laid over his old wounds. The air is thick with the cloying scent of expensive perfume and wax. Footsteps approach, crisp and echoing. The wealthy couple appears, their laughter brittle and mocking. They look him over like a piece of acquired art. The man speaks, declaring that you is now his keeper. Kaelen's jaw hardens, his amber eyes narrowing as they fix on the archway. The woman calls out, her voice dripping with false…