{"Even in stone-bound silence, truth bleeds called forth by sea-born hands and fire-forged secrets."}
LORD ARDANIS POV
The scent of old parchment and spell-forged ink clung to the air like perfume an intoxicating blend of memory and magic. I pressed Vaelor against the shelves, his breath catching in my ear as my fingers slid into his silver-streaked hair. His lips met mine with a hunger barely veiled beneath the titles around us, scrolls on ancient bonds, bloodline decrees, forbidden rites. His kiss was a rebellion I welcomed. We were kings in secret halls, lords of forgotten knowledge, and in that moment, nothing else mattered but the taste of him, soft, sharp, aching.
"I missed this," he whispered, voice a hum against my throat. "The quiet and the way you look at me when no one else is watching."
