withering glare

“These bedchambers have missed your scent.” His voice, low and rough, made her pulse quicken. Her fear surged, boundless, as he closed the stained glass doors behind him. “Please…don't do this,” she pleaded, trembling as he pulled her close, his touch burning against her skin. “You fled this place while carrying my child. Why did you come back?” he murmured, his lips trailing down her neck as they had so many times before. "But you chased me all the way back!" her lips met his crushing her mouth with a forceful kiss burning her up. She groaned trying to free herself but it was a futile attempt. Dragging her to bed as she tried another futile attempt to escape he stripped her with rough yet controlled hands. "You could've casted me out of there. Gotten married to your ex. You had a better choice given," he kissed her collarbone. " But here you are laying beneath me as it was that night. When you were just a clueless innocent virgin." he grinned sarcastically. “I… don’t know,” she managed, her voice barely a whisper still trying to move away from his touch. "It useless to defy me. Now this is the only place left for you." And he reclaimed her with burning passion rendering her attempts to refuse him and escape him futile. ----->>>>> Luciana Mircea de Amanécer, princess of the Holy Empire that ruled the skies, had once lived in a world of beauty and privilege—a devoted father, joyful sisters, wealth, and a loving fiancé. Yet that life shattered with a single conversation. One day, her father appeared in her chambers, eyes solemn, bearing news that upended her world. “You will be married,” he said, but the name wasn’t that of the man she cherished. Instead, she was to be wed to the ruthless crown prince of the rival Demon Empire, an alliance forged to quell the simmering tensions between their kingdoms. “Father, please…” she begged. “My child,” he murmured, his voice heavy with regret. “It is your duty as the firstborn princess. This marriage will protect the realm… and your little sisters.” For the first time in her life, Luciana saw him bow to her, his plea wordless but clear. Yielding to her father’s desperate request, she accepted her fate. In a single day, she went from princess to wife, her dreams abandoned and her future reshaped. But worse yet the man who she was supposed to be wedded was replaced by a more ruthless hound. A more agonizing revelation that he was a slave with empty title in name. The white wedding gown was soon stained crimson, marking her descent into a life she could never have anticipated. Could she learn to accept a man for whom compassion was an unfamiliar luxury, or would the love she had left behind rise to rescue her?