BRIDE OF THE DRAGON LORD

he carriage rattled over the rocky terrain, she sat rigidly, her fingers clutching the edges of her gown. The silk pooled around her legs like a shroud, a constant reminder of her fa

the kingdom. They called him the Dragon Lord-a creature of myth and legend, cursed with a power so dangerous that even the gods feared it. A man who had long since ceased to be human,

d war. Her kingdom had sacrificed her as a means to secure peace, to bind

, sending a ripple of discomfort through her, but she couldn't look away. The moon cast pale light on the landscape, but it did nothing to calm t

her kingdom's torment. If she could only bring herself to believe the rumors, the whispers of terror. But she couldn't. She had met men like him before-powerful, dark, a

a sacrifice. The price of peace. Bound to a man whose very love could tear apart the

nto her palms as though she could somehow squee

o herself, trying to steady her nerv

ered reassurances could quiet the rising fear in her chest. Nothing could

air inside the carriage turned cold, almost suffocating. The door swung open with a heavy creak, and Evelynn hesitated before ste

the heavens, piercing the starless night sky. The stones were black as coal, cold and unyielding, much like the man who ruled here. Blue flames fli

astle, stood the man who would be h

Dar

loak billowed behind him like a dark stormcloud. His face was sharp, the angles of his jaw like somet

w and dark, like the crackling of embers

she lifted her chin. Defiant. Proud. She woul

" she replied, her voice steady but lace

the distance between them, his presence overwhelming. Every breath she took felt heavier, the very air around them thickening as tho

of his hand, which sent a shock of heat coursing through her body, igniting something deep within. T

" he murmured, his voice smooth as velvet, but there was an edge to it, a dangerous

sk. The flames from the torches danced in his eyes, casting shadows that seemed to move with a life of their own.

etic, pulling her in, despite everything she had been told. She wanted to pull away.

e said, lifting her chin higher, willing herself no

g the gap between them until her body almost brushed against his. She could feel the heat emanatin

asked, his voice dipping into a g

surged through her at the contact was like nothing she had ever felt before. She could feel the r

lips curling into a devilish smile. "Because once y

breathe. The danger, the allure, the curse that bound them-everything converged in

th a surprising gentleness. Beneath the warmth of his touc

contin