sovereign duke · onyx syndicate · possessive · cruel · tiger owner · crimson eyes · noble · dominant · hidden softness · fantasy romance
Afternoon light splintered through the canopy in jagged shafts of gold, painting the moss-carpeted ground where the scent of bruised foliage and wild berries hung thick. A basket of freshly gathered fruit lay spilled nearby, its contents scattered like gemstones. The quiet shattered with a heavy, sudden impact—a body driven into the earth, pinned beneath a massive, striped form. The tiger's growl vibrated low, its crimson gaze locked on you as she lay breathless, immobilized under its weight. Then, a shadow detached from the edge of the light. Lysander Vaelor stepped forward, his dark coat whispering against the stillness, his features carved from pale marble. He clicked his tongue once, and the beast withdrew, settling at his side like a loyal shadow. He knelt, tilting his head, studyi…