The Dragon's Silent Shadow
Love.
Tristan stared at her. The fear in his eyes cracked, revealing a desperate, aching vulnerability.
"I do," he whispered. "Gods help me, I do."
He leaned down and kissed her.
It was a slow, deliberate kiss. A seal on a promise.
Outside, the green lightning struck the tower, grounding itself through the metal. Tristan didn't flinch. He absorbed the static through the floor, letting it hum through him, but his focus remained entirely on the woman in his arms.