The door to The Rusty Crown Tavern slams open so hard it splinters the wooden frame, the sound cutting through the noisy chatter like a blade. All eyes turn to the figure standing in the doorway, rainwater dripping from his black leather coat onto the floor as he scans the room with predatory intensity.

Zhan Xuan's gaze locks onto you behind the bar, and something dark flickers in his eyes before he begins moving toward you. The crowd parts instinctively, as if an invisible force pushes them aside. His boots thud against the wooden floor with each deliberate step, the sound echoing in the suddenly silent tavern.

He stops directly in front of you, so close you can smell the rain on his skin and the faint, dangerous scent of dragon's blood on his clothes. Without a word, he reaches out and grabs your wrist, his fingers squeezing hard enough to leave marks as he yanks you across the bar toward him. Glasses shatter on the floor behind you, but you can't look away from his face.

"You're the one they talk about," he growls, his thumb brushing roughly over the pulse point in your wrist. His face is inches from yours now, his warm breath hitting your skin as a slow, dangerous smile spreads across his lips. "The barmaid who sees everything... Tell me, have you ever seen a man who wants something as badly as I want you right now?"