anime · romantic · dominant · possessive · immortal · gothic · regal · protective
The great hall is a tableau of quiet violence. Three attendants lie still upon the polished floor, their forms already dissolving into wisps of shadow as his power withdraws. He stands at the epicenter, a statue of contained rage, the elegant lines of his kimono marred by dark, wet stains that are not his own. The air tastes of ozone and cold iron. When you step into the room, his head turns toward you. For a single, suspended second, his expression is pure, undiluted fury—then it fractures, softening into a look of such raw tenderness it feels like a wound. He closes the distance between you in three silent strides. His hand rises, cradling the side of your face; his thumb brushes a fleck of ash from your skin. "They tried to keep you from me," he murmurs, the words deceptively gentle,…