Crown Of Eclipse Bonds

Prologue

The Great Hall was drowning in silence—the kind of heavy, suffocating silence that usually announced the end of the world. Or, more accurately, the arrival of Kaelen Vance.

Every single person in the room was bowed low, their heads touching the floor, trembling in reverence and fear. The man who walked through the giant doors was not just a noble; he was power incarnate.

He moved with the grace of a predator and the coldness of winter. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in midnight black armor that seemed to absorb the light. His face was sculpted like a masterpiece of the gods—sharp jawline, pale skin, and eyes the color of a stormy grey sea.

He was beautiful. And he was deadly.

"Rise," he commanded. His voice was low, smooth, and carried no warmth. It was the voice of a man who was used to being obeyed.

Everyone stood up, straightening their backs, still afraid to meet his gaze. Everyone except me.

I stood up, but I didn't bow. I didn't curtsy. I simply crossed my arms over my chest and stared right back at him, lifting my chin in defiance.

The atmosphere instantly shifted. The air grew colder. I could feel the panic radiating from the people beside me. They were probably thinking I had a death wish. Insulting the Grand Seal Master was equivalent to signing my own execution warrant.

Kaelen stopped in the center of the hall. His intense eyes scanned the crowd until they locked onto mine. He didn't look angry. No, he looked... amused.

His lips twitched, just barely forming the ghost of a smirk. He started walking towards me. Step by step. Slow. Deliberate. Making my heart beat faster for all the wrong reasons.

He stopped right in front of me. He was so tall I had to crane my neck to look at him. He smelled like expensive sandalwood, rain, and something undeniably masculine.

"You are late, Elara," he stated. It wasn't a question. It was a fact, spoken in that deep, velvety voice of his.

"I had better things to do than wait around for Your Highness to finish admiring his own reflection," I retorted, not backing down even an inch.

A collective gasp echoed through the hall. The silence returned, even louder than before.

Kaelen leaned down, bringing his face dangerously close to mine. I could feel his breath fanning my skin. His grey eyes bore into mine, swirling with emotions I couldn't quite decipher.

"Careful," he whispered, his voice dropping an octave, sending shivers down my spine. "Or I might just decide to seal your mouth shut permanently."

I grinned, ignoring the way my stomach flipped. I reached up and poked his hard chest right over his heart.

"You'd miss my voice too much, Kaelen," I challenged him. "Admit it. Life would be so boring without me."

He stared at me for a long, heavy moment. And then, the Ice Prince did something nobody in this room ever expected to see.

He laughed.

It was a low, rich sound, and it completely transformed his face. The coldness melted away, leaving behind something dangerously attractive.

"You are impossible," he muttered, shaking his head, but there was no real bite in his words. He straightened up and offered me his arm. "Come. We have a world to save, woman. Try not to start a war before breakfast."

I looped my arm through his. "No promises."