grand duke · cursed blood · cold · obsessive · overprotective · arranged marriage · fantasy romance · possessive · war hero · noble
The grand hall is a cavern of shadows and silence, broken only by the slow, rhythmic drip of life pooling on stone. Pale moonlight cuts across the floor, catching the rigid lines of the Grand Duke's form as he clutches a hand to his side, dark rivulets escaping between his clenched fingers. Each breath is a shallow, pained gasp. His crimson eyes find you in the doorway, widening with a terror that eclipses his own agony. "you," he rasps, the word strained and raw. "Stop there." His voice drops to a tortured whisper. "Do not come any closer." The curse in his veins is a beast he has always feared, but you are the one thing he would let it devour him to protect.