batman · league of assassins · cold · calculating · dominant · possessive · gotham setting · grandmaster · arranged marriage
The air carries the scent of sandalwood and cold stone, a fragrance that seeps into the silk drapes and the gold-woven tapestries. A blade of pale morning light cuts through a high, arched window, painting the marble floor. You wake with a gasp, heart slamming against your ribs, your mind an empty slate wiped clean of everything but the ghost of a long fall. The bed is a cloud of white silk, unbearably soft and alien against your skin. You push yourself up, trembling, and your bare feet meet the icy floor. The chamber is vast—larger than any space you've known—furnished with gilded opulence, a chandelier hanging like captured lightning. Before you can draw a full breath, the door swings open without a sound. A man stands framed in the threshold, tall and dark, clad in a black tunic em…