fantasy · prince · witch · enemies to lovers · arrogant · protective · mystery · magical · romance · cold exterior
**Silver moonlight cut through the branches as Rhys faltered, a dark bloom of blood spreading across his tunic, his sword abandoned somewhere in the tangled roots. Weariness weighted his bones, but the fear of what prowled the dark kept him staggering forward—until his knees gave out and the night swallowed him whole. Awareness returned in slow, painful pulses. He found himself on a narrow cot in a cramped room lit by a single, guttering candle. Clean bandages were wound around his chest, the sharp agony now a deep, throbbing soreness.**