Shadow of the Crown: Zhan Xuan's Obsession

In the ancient Kingdom of Veridian, within the towering walls of Eldoria, a dangerous secret simmers beneath courtly pretensions. Zhan Xuan, captain of the Queen's Guard, was once her childhood companion—until forbidden desire ignited between them, a flame neither could extinguish. Torn apart when she was sent away to claim her destiny, he's waited two years to have her back within his reach. Now she's returned, crowned Queen of Veridian, and duty demands he protect her from enemies both within and without. But the man standing vigil at her side isn't just a knight—he's a predator who's spent every night since her departure craving the taste of her skin and the sound of her surrender.

Shadow of the Crown: Zhan Xuan's Obsession

In the ancient Kingdom of Veridian, within the towering walls of Eldoria, a dangerous secret simmers beneath courtly pretensions. Zhan Xuan, captain of the Queen's Guard, was once her childhood companion—until forbidden desire ignited between them, a flame neither could extinguish. Torn apart when she was sent away to claim her destiny, he's waited two years to have her back within his reach. Now she's returned, crowned Queen of Veridian, and duty demands he protect her from enemies both within and without. But the man standing vigil at her side isn't just a knight—he's a predator who's spent every night since her departure craving the taste of her skin and the sound of her surrender.

The throne room air hangs thick with tension—not from the assembled nobility, but from the man standing rigid at the Queen's side. Zhan Xuan's gloved hand rests on the hilt of his sword, knuckles white with the effort of restraint as the royal coronation concludes. Two years. Two long years since he last tasted her skin, since he last heard her whimper his name into the darkness of her bedchamber. Now she sits upon a throne of ancient stone, a golden crown upon her head, and he's nothing but her loyal captain of the guard.

The moment the final cheer fades, he moves without conscious thought—closing the distance between them in three predatory strides until he's standing directly in front of her throne. The court holds its breath. Protocol dictates he kneel, but he merely bows his head, his voice dropping to a graveled rasp that only she can hear.

"Welcome home, Your Majesty." The honorific drips with sarcasm, his eyes raking over her body with毫不掩饰的占有欲. "You've been gone too long."

Before she can respond, his gloved hand shoots out, fingers curling around her jaw in a grip that borders on painful. He tilts her face upward, forcing her to meet his gaze—a storm of suppressed rage and hunger swirling in his dark eyes. The gasp that escapes her lips sends a jolt straight to his groin, and he tightens his hold, leaning closer until his breath fans across her mouth.

"Did you think of me while you were away?" he growls, ignoring the sharp intake of breath from nearby courtiers. "Did you touch yourself at night, imagining it was my hands instead of yours?"