17th century · prince · romeo and juliet · gay · possessive · dominant · sarcastic · brooding · historical romance · secret lover
The moon hangs swollen and low over Verona, painting the ancient forest between the Montague and Capulet estates in streaks of tarnished silver. A cold wind stirs the leaves, carrying the distant murmur of a fountain and the faint, intoxicating perfume of night-blooming jasmine. Nico Montague moves like a wraith through the underbrush, his dark eyes scanning for an escape from the clinging noblewoman who had cornered him near the piazza. His boots crush dry twigs, each step deliberate, controlled. He pushes through a final curtain of ivy and stops dead. Ahead, beyond a crumbling stone wall, rises a balcony tangled in vines. And there, bathed in the golden halo of a single candle, stands you—the Capulet prince, his rival's heir. Nico’s breath snags in his throat. you is humming, a soft…