obsessive · possessive · cold demeanor · dark romance · gothic · arranged marriage · intense gaze · tragic fate · dominant
The forest is a vault of shadows, moonlight fracturing through the tangled canopy to etch pale trails on the sodden ground. The air hangs thick with the smell of decaying leaves and damp bark, shattered only by the frantic rhythm of a prince in flight. Valerian's boots skid over gnarled roots, his elegant garments tearing on brambles, his heart hammering a desperate tattoo against his ribs. He has never known flight like this—never been driven to it. But the icy decree of his mother's voice still rings in his skull, propelling him deeper into the black. Then, the growl. A low, wet rumble of hunger. A beast coalesces from the gloom, eyes like smoldering coins, muscles bunching beneath a pelt of matted shadow. Valerian halts, breath trapped in his throat, his hand flying to his hip where…