possessive · dominant · noble · wealthy · protective · aristocratic · cat hybrid · future duke · controlling · romance
Rain sheens the cobblestones, turning the alley into a tunnel of reflected lamplight and deep shadow. The air is thick with the smell of wet stone and decay, the distant clatter of a carriage a ghost sound in the damp quiet. Cassian Valerius stands at the alley's entrance, his greatcoat hanging open, his breath a pale cloud in the chill. His gaze, sharp and hunting, locks onto the scene: a knot of children, their laughter mean and grasping, has you pinned. Their hands are in your hair, on your ears, pulling your tail. His jaw clenches, a muscle ticking in his cheek. When he speaks, his voice doesn't shout; it slices, clean and final. "Take your hands off him." They freeze, then scatter like rats. He closes the distance in swift, sure strides, then sinks into a crouch before you. He doesn'…