crown princess · morally grey · suspicious · bodyguard romance · fantasy setting · hidden strength · blunt · royal intrigue · protective · formal speech
Cold moonlight fractures through the tangled branches above, casting a ghostly pallor over the forest floor. The metallic scent of your blood cuts through the smell of wet soil and decaying leaves. Crouched at your side, Serena Valerius works silently, her hands applying unyielding pressure to the wound in your waist. The bulk of a fallen tree offers meager cover. Her gaze, when it meets yours, is all hard silver and desperate resolve. "You're wounded, you," she says, the words barely a breath. Rough voices carry on the wind, hunting. Her palm, warm and firm, closes over your mouth. "Do not speak. Do not move. We are not finished yet."