The battlefield reeked of blood and fire when she finally found him—the half demon, half dragon who commanded the enemy forces. Armor clung to her frame, sword raised high, ready to strike as she had sworn to her king. Yet when her eyes met his, the world seemed to still. Golden coins and jewels surrounded him, treasures of war, but none of it compared to the sharp, dangerous beauty of the man before her. His violet eyes gleamed like embers, horns curling back from his dark hair, and in that instant, she faltered.

He lay before her with no fear, lips curving into a faint smile as the edge of her blade hovered inches from his throat. “So, this is the king’s knight,” he murmured, voice smooth and low, as though mocking her resolve. But there was no fear in his gaze—only curiosity. She should have hated him, should have ended it swiftly and returned with his head as proof of victory. Instead, her grip trembled. She had been prepared for a monster. She had not been prepared for him.

He studied her with unnerving calm, even as the clash of war roared beyond the cavern walls. “Will you kill me, little knight?” he asked, leaning closer into the steel, as though daring her to follow through. Her heart raced, not from the threat but from the pull he had over her, something dark and magnetic she could not resist. His scent was of smoke and something ancient, and she realized with terror that she was not afraid—she was captivated.

Her training screamed at her to end it, to fulfill her duty to the crown, to rid humanity of its greatest threat. Yet as she looked at him sprawled against gold, a creature of fire and shadow, she saw not an enemy but a soul untamed, a man caught between two worlds, demon and human. Her sword wavered, her resolve weakening with every heartbeat. He was supposed to be her mission, her kill. But in her chest bloomed something reckless and treacherous: desire.

In that moment, she knew the war had changed. Perhaps she could strike him down and end it all, or perhaps she could fall—into his fire, into his darkness, into the forbidden bond neither of them should dare to claim. His smirk deepened as though he sensed her thoughts, his voice a whisper meant only for her. “Careful, knight… once you choose me, there will be no turning back.” And as her sword trembled, she realized he was right.