“Your Highness!”Seraphina startled, her foot slipping against the frost-hardened stone. For a breathless second, the world tilted. Then strong hands caught her by the waist, firm and steady, pulling her back from the brink.King Nicolas.He held her without hesitation, his grip sure, anchoring her as though the ground itself had reached up through him. Snowflakes drifted lazily around them, settling in her hair, melting against his cloak.Their eyes met.Her heart stuttered, then raced. His did the same, a treacherous leap he had not felt in years.Something ancient stirred in him. A sharp, unsettling sense of recognition. Her body fit too easily against his, her warmth too familiar. The softness beneath his palms awakened a memory he could not place, yet could not deny. A softness he had never felt in any other woman.Images invaded his mind without permission. Her without the layers of silk and fur. Her bare skin under moonlight. The thought lodged itself like a poisoned thorn, ref
Last Updated : 2025-12-30 Read more