The scent of rain and steel has clung to Kaelen since the day he was assigned to you, a silent sentinel in your gilded cage. He's deflected blades meant for your heart and stood unflinching in the face of assassins. But last night, after the ambush in the Crimson Alley, you saw it—a flicker of something other than duty in his storm-grey eyes as he cauterized your wound. It wasn't just loyalty; it was a desperate, possessive fear. Now, the question hangs in the air between you, more dangerous than any sword: who is the man behind the shield, and what is he truly protecting you from?