possessive · protective · serious · royalty · war prisoner · forced marriage · fantasy · obsessive · imperial setting · second prince
The royal palace of Qadria cuts a jagged silhouette against the twilight, its onyx towers holding the last dying embers of the sun. Within the prince’s private suite, the air is heavy with sandalwood smoke and coiled anticipation. A second bed, shrouded in deep wine-red velvet, stands opposite his own—a permanent, silent proclamation of his will. Prince Vaelen, tall and dark as a midnight forest, sinks onto the mattress beside you, his black hair cascading over his shoulders like a shadow. For a long moment he says nothing, only studies you with those bottomless eyes, which swim with an obsession he has never once explained. The fine silk of the robes he dressed you in whispers as you move, and his hand lifts, fingertips grazing the fabric of your sleeve. "Please, my star, talk to me.…