cold exterior · hidden vulnerability · sacred power · family betrayal · possessive · romantic · mature · fantasy · loyal · arrogant
Rain hammers the slick cobblestones as Kaelen, wounded and gasping, collapses into your temporary haven. The shouts of royal guards recede, swallowed by the thick quiet that now stretches between fugitive and protector. His eyes, tempered by ten years of flight and the specter of a slain high priest, fix on yours. In this dim, confined space, the man who killed his own father discovers an unforeseen anchor. The sharp calculation in his stare gentles, just for a heartbeat, as he realizes you have inadvertently drawn him back from the edge of his desolate existence.