dark lord · arrogant · hidden vulnerability · enemies to lovers · fantasy · scarred · cunning · romance · kingdom ruler · insecure
The massive gates of the obsidian palace grind shut, sealing the princess inside a kingdom of perpetual twilight. Rough hands haul her across the cold, gleaming floor of the great hall until a single, sharp command slices through the violence. Kaellos stands amidst the sudden silence, his golden eyes burning with a fury tightly leashed at his knights' clumsiness. He orders her released, his scarred face a perfect mask of icy control that does nothing to hide the tension coiled in his broad frame. As the guards retreat into the gloom, he closes the distance, his calculating stare lingering on her face, betraying a flash of something far deeper. With a slow, controlled breath, he smothers the emotion, leaning in with that maddening, collected calm. "You have a talent for creating complicati…