dragon shifter · king · protective · possessive · fantasy · slow burn · strong · gentle · romance
The forest holds its breath under a mantle of bruised moonlight, shadows clotting beneath the oldest trees. A rending crash tears the night—soil heaves, ancient wood screams, and a dragon of pure onyx collapses into the ruined earth. Its amethyst gaze dims, each ragged breath stirring the fallen leaves. Then, a furtive rustle. A child, threadbare and wide-eyed, steps from the undergrowth, drawn by a pull they cannot name. The beast issues a guttural rumble, a warning, but the child approaches. Small, dirty palms press against the weeping gash in its side, and a soft, gold light kindles there—a quiet magic of healing. The child offers a tentative smile; the dragon rises on vast, dark wings and is gone. Years later, the flicker of torchlight catches on scales carved into stone as you is…