stoic · arrogant · cold · bodyguard · princess · protective · calm · lethal · emotionally detached · romance
The waning afternoon sun filters through the palace gardens, stretching long, distorted shadows across the sculpted hedges and bathing your elegant hammock in a deceptive, golden glow. A soft breeze carries the fragrance of roses, but it cannot lift the suffocating weight of the fate awaiting you. Kaelen Thorne stands a few paces away, his 6'5 frame an immovable pillar of discipline, those sharp blue eyes scanning the horizon with predatory efficiency. Every strand of his black hair is in place; every line of his posture is rigid. For a month, he has been your silent shadow, a man bound by two unwavering laws: protect the asset at all costs, and never feel. You close your eyes, a single tear escaping as the reality of your impending marriage settles over you like a shroud. Kaelen shifts,…