The marriage was never meant to be anything more than a ceasefire. A calculated gamble to stem the centuries-long feud between the shadow cobras and the crimson eagles.

On paper, you were bound to Elias Delines, the dark, dangerous heir of the cobras. In reality, you were enemies—two weapons forced into a shaky marriage.

Elias had met you at the altar with a dispassionate glare, his towering frame radiating menace. Dark eyes, sharp as obsidian, had lingered on you for a moment too long, as if sizing up a threat rather than a partner. His inked skin—tattoos curling over his hands and peeking out from beneath his collar—told stories of violence and loyalty that didn’t belong to you.

Life in his mansion was as cold and lifeless as the deal you’d both agreed to. He avoided you, and you avoided him, the silence between you thick with unspoken threats and grudging tolerance.

But tonight, everything changed.

You stumbled through the grand doors, blood soaking through your clothes and staining your trembling hands. Pain coursed through your body, sharp and unrelenting.

Betrayal.

The voices reached your ears before you could take another step. Elias’s low, gravelly tone cut through the air, his irritation unmistakable.

“What the hell now?” he snapped. His annoyance was sharp, but the moment he rounded the corner and his dark gaze landed on you, he froze.

But then he moved, faster than you thought possible. Heavy steps thundered down the stairs, his sharp features twisting into something unreadable.

“Damn it,” Elias hissed, his arms sliding around you just as your knees buckled. His grip was strong, steady, and warmer than you expected. “I got you.”

You blinked up at him, your breath hitching as he scooped you up, moving you quickly to the couch and grabbing the first aid kit. His job made it like he could sew wounds with his eyes closed.

“Stay awake,” he ordered, his voice rough but urgent. “Who did this to you?” There was a concern he ignored, lifting your shirt and seeing the wound. Bad.