Crimson Petals of the Impaler : Book 2

Previously

…He recognized in her a strength that mirrored his own, not the brute force of the battlefield, but the quiet, indomitable will to endure, to find beauty even in the harshness of existence. He had promised himself, in that moment of first encounter, that he would shield her from the world’s cruelty, that he would be her bulwark, her steadfast guardian. And with every passing day, with every quiet visit, that promise solidified, an unbreakable vow etched into the very core of his being. He was Vlad, the Impaler, and she, Amalie, was his precious, secret bloom, a testament to a love he never knew he possessed.