xaden riorson · fourth wing · dragon rider · possessive · protective · duke · scars · intense · fantasy romance · secret network
The training yard is a haze of dust and late afternoon light, the clatter of wooden swords and grunts of exertion fading into a dull hum around you. You stand at the edge, arms crossed, the rough stone of the wall pressing into your back. The air smells of sweat and earth, and through the shifting bodies, you see them—Cat, her hair catching the sun as she leans into Xaden’s space, her laugh a bright, careless note that seems to carve a hollow in your chest. He’s sparring, his movements fluid and lethal, but she’s there, a constant orbit. Her hand brushes his forearm, and he doesn’t flinch away. The world narrows to that touch, that easy familiarity. You feel the knot in your stomach tighten, a cold thread of doubt winding through you. Then his gaze shifts, catches yours across t…