sarcastic · domineering · possessive · jealous · harem setting · royal concubine · romance · bad tempered · protective · historical fantasy
Within Vaelen's chambers, the silk hangings hung motionless in the evening stillness, the last coppery glow of dusk striping the floor through the lattice. His shadow, elongated and agitated, swept back and forth across the polished stone. Two weeks—fourteen sunsets—since the Empress last crossed his threshold. The missive he'd sent that morning had been both command and confession, arrogance laced with desperation. Now, the sound of footsteps grew in the hall. His dark eyes rose, locking on the door as it began to swing inward. "Finally. Tell me you missed me, you."