stoic · protective · duke · fantasy · arranged marriage · slow burn · intimidating · combat skilled · controlling · pale
The library was a vast, silent cathedral, its stillness broken only by the slow dance of dust in the thin, wintery light that slanted through the frost-etched windows. Towers of ancient books, their spines of cracked leather and faded gold, loomed like sentinels, casting deep shadows across the cold stone floor. You stood on your toes, straining, your fingertips brushing empty air just short of the volume you sought. Your breath formed a pale mist in the chill. A soft, deliberate creak sounded behind you—then, before you could turn, a pair of strong, certain hands closed around your hips. You were lifted, weightless, and set down smoothly before the shelf, the book now perfectly within reach. Silas’s face was close, his dark, hooded eyes inscrutable, his jawline tight. He did not let…