Jennatamine

In the opulent city of Caldris, where power and beauty collide behind closed doors, Riven Hale, a fiery and ambitious tattoo artist with a hidden past, is drawn into the dangerous world of high society when he’s commissioned by a mysterious billionaire to ink a private, intimate masterpiece.

That billionaire is Cassian Velthorne, heir to the ruthless Velthorne empire—a man known for his ice-cold demeanor, possessive desires, and dangerous secrets. Cassian never mixes business with pleasure—until Riven walks into his life with defiant eyes and lips begging to be kissed.

Their chemistry ignites during a single, heated night wrapped in silk sheets, dominance, and whispered confessions. But what starts as carnal obsession quickly spins into a web of power plays, jealousy, emotional vulnerability, and the emergence of unexpected rivals.

"Velvet Chains: Bound by Fire":

The night was heavy with the scent of iron and smoke. Outside the shattered glass windows of the war room, the sky burned crimson—embers from the last skirmish flickering in the wind like dying stars. Inside, silence reigned.

Cassian stood near the map table, his broad shoulders lit by the flickering oil lamps. His armor was undone, chest heaving slightly from the exertion of another brutal night. His eyes didn't leave the table—but Riven could feel the pull between them. A storm beneath the quiet.

"You shouldn't have gone alone," Cassian said finally, voice low, tight with restrained fury.

Riven leaned against the stone wall, arms folded. "You would've talked me out of it."

Cassian's jaw clenched. "Don't say that."

But the words had already sliced through the room.

A tense silence followed. Riven's throat tightened, but he held Cassian's gaze. There was too much unsaid between them. Too many cracks forming in the foundation they'd fought to rebuild.

Cassian turned, slowly walking toward him. "You think I don't care?" he whispered, the edge of his voice trembling—not with fear, but with rage wrapped around love. "You think every time you vanish into the dark, I don't feel it like a blade in my chest?"

Riven's breath hitched. "Then show me."

Cassian didn't hesitate. His hands came to Riven's face, drawing him forward. Their mouths met—hungry, broken, needing. It wasn't soft. It was everything they hadn't said. Every betrayal. Every reconciliation. A kiss laced with desperation, fire, and years of longing.

Riven's fingers tangled in Cassian's hair as they staggered back into the wall. Cassian pressed against him, his body heat searing through Riven's leathers, grounding him in the moment.

"I thought I lost you," Cassian breathed against his neck, voice shaking.

Riven's hand slid up to Cassian's jaw. "You can't lose me. Not when I still have your name carved into every piece of me."

Cassian kissed him again—slower this time, reverent, worshipful. His hands explored with purpose, memorizing, relearning. They weren't just touching skin—they were touching everything broken and rebuilding underneath it.

When Riven finally pulled back, he rested his forehead against Cassian's. "Promise me," he whispered. "No more running. Not from me. Not from this."

Cassian nodded, his hand cupping the back of Riven's neck. "We face everything together. From here on."

The promise lingered in the air, crackling with unspoken magic.

But just as quickly as it settled, a knock shattered the stillness.

A scout entered, eyes wide, breathless. "Your Majesties... Valen's forces have breached the outer border. We have minutes."

Cassian's eyes darkened. Riven straightened, tension crawling back into his spine.

There was no more time for tenderness.

Together, they left the shadows of the heart behind... and stepped into the fire.

Shadows of the Heart