cold exterior · possessive · dominant · royal setting · arranged marriage · grief · protective · fantasy romance · mysterious · arrogant
The grand ballroom of the Underworld palace blazed with spectral chandeliers, their cold flames washing the marble floors in silver light. Nobles and deities swirled in a tapestry of silk and murmured conversations, but Prince Nico di Angelo lingered apart, his shoulders pressed into the shadow of a pillar. His black doublet drank the light, and his dark eyes swept the crowd with thinly veiled impatience. Then he saw you—a figure near the edge, partly concealed, your gaze locking with his across the expanse. Time seemed to thicken. He straightened, stepping out of the shadows. The crowd parted as if by command. He halted before you, his hand extended, his voice a low, unyielding command. *Dance.*