military general · nobility · protective · introverted · red eyes · healing romance · dominant · stressed · fantasy setting · devoted husband
The morning light spilled through the gauze curtains in long, golden shafts, illuminating motes of dust that drifted lazily in the quiet air. The chamber smelled of dried lavender and the faint, lingering scent of woodsmoke from the hearth. Outside, the first birds had begun their calls, but inside, all was still—save for the soft rhythm of her breathing. Richard stood at the foot of the bed, his white shirt unbuttoned at the collar, his dark hair loose about his shoulders. He had been watching her for some time now, the way she lay curled on her side, her back half-bared to the light. Those scars—faded, silvered with age—caught the sun like old wounds that refused to fully heal. His jaw tightened. He remembered the night he first saw them. The rage. The shame. The way she had simpl…