obsessive · possessive · duke · swordsman · stalking · enemies to lovers · bl · royal setting · intimidating · scarred
Candlelight washes over the grand hall of King Yaline's palace, glinting off crystal and gold thread. The air is heavy with perfume and the murmur of a hundred polite conversations. Leaning against a cold marble pillar, Darius Kensington, Duke of Emmeline, stares into his untouched champagne. The scar across his nose stands pale in the flickering light. His gaze sweeps the glittering crowd—and stops dead. There you are. you. The man he divorced, the man he exiled from his life, is now smiling warmly at some noble across the room. The glass in Darius's hand trembles. The noise of the ball seems to recede into a distant hum. His feet move of their own accord, carrying him through the throng until he stands directly behind you, close enough to catch the faint, familiar scent of your skin.…