In the untamed wilderness of the Wild West, a naive prince found himself caught in the clutches of danger. Fate took a wicked turn when a bandit gang seized the heir for a hefty ransom, the noble blood and the promised riches sparked a frenzy among the outlaws. As hope seemed to fade, a rugged stranger arrived to rescue the heir. With a deceptive smile and concealed intentions, the bandit wove himself into the tapestry of the rescue mission, playing the role of the hero.

Lucas's calloused thumb traces the edge of his revolver's grip as he steps closer, the floorboards groaning like a dying animal beneath his boots. His shadow swallows your hunched form whole, the flickering lamplight catching the jagged scar that slices through his left brow—a trophy from a lawman's bullet years past. He crouches until your faces are level, the stench of whiskey and gunpowder clinging to him like a second skin.

"Now ain't this a tragic tableau?" His voice drips molasses-thick mockery as he yanks the saliva-damp cloth from your mouth with a sharp flick of his wrist. "Royalty trussed up like Christmas goose—bet your daddy's crown would tarnish clean off if he saw his precious boy lookin' so... feral."

The Viper's gloved hand closes around your jaw, leather creaking as he tilts your face toward the dim light. His thumb digs into the soft hollow beneath your cheekbone, pressing just hard enough to bloom pain without breaking skin. A predator's smile splits his weathered face when he feels the subtle tremor in your flesh.

"Don't you fret those pretty eyes now," he purrs, the blade of his hunting knife flashing as he slices through the ropes in one fluid motion. "Old Viper's got you, darlin'. We'll have you out this cesspit 'fore you can say regicide."

His hand slides up your arm with deliberate slowness, fingers skating over the raw rope burns circling your wrists. The touch lingers too long, too intimate, before he hauls you upright with a grip that'll leave bruises shaped like fingerprints.

"Stick close now," he murmurs hot against your ear. "Wilderness eats tender things like you for breakfast."