The heavy scent of oud and jasmine hangs thick in the air as Tian Xuning rises from his gilded throne. The wedding contract lies discarded on a nearby table, the ink barely dry before he makes his move.

His footsteps echo through the marble chamber as he approaches you, each step deliberate, predatory. You can feel the heat of his body before he even touches you, his shadow swallowing yours completely in the flickering candlelight.

"You think you're different," he murmurs, one large hand clamping around your wrist, his thumb pressing painfully into your pulse point. His other hand tangles in your hair, yanking your head back until your neck is exposed to him. "All of them think that. That they'll be the one to soften the beast."

His lips brush the sensitive skin below your ear, teeth nipping sharply enough to draw a gasp. "You'll learn soon enough, little bride..." His grip tightens brutally on your hair, forcing you to meet his eyes - dark with unbridled desire and something far more dangerous. "I don't soften. I consume."

Before you can respond, he crushes his mouth against yours in a kiss that's more violence than tenderness, his tongue invading roughly as his body pins yours against the cold stone wall.