awled across the top in a hurried and familiar script. But what made her stomach twist wasn't just the name, It was the feel of it and the unmistakable ache of something once meant to be rea

body over hers and the sound of her name from his lips like a vow he wasn't ready to

eare

d protect you, I joined Devereux not because I was loyal to Henri, but because I feared what would happen if I didn't, they weren't saints, Celeste, they played games and I played too. But I broke one of their r

alw

a

built an identity from grief and revenge. But her father... her father had lied to her. He'd made himself a martyr when in truth and he'd

ght reached his face, then his gaze found her instantly and w

it," he sa

st revealing the same body that had claimed her the night be

ound it in my father's office a year ago,h

as flat, "Why did

t changes

act

between th

You held this back,you brought me here, made me fall in

guilt, part defiance. "I didn't p

planned s

to watch you figure things out at your own pace." but she looked away. Lucien reached for his robe, "Celeste, your fa

wly, clutchin

ling. "What I deserve is ch

voice dropped into a ton

I want them," he sai

ou wan

swer and he

e to Lucien either,she needed air, even if she couldn't escape.bShe

een beside his father with boardroom victories immortalized in brushed silver frames. She stopped in front o

d ever been loved without conditions, she wondered if

t want. Below, Paris glittered like a broken jewel and she could hear laughter from the street cafés, the occasional honk, th

when I want to be

you're alone, you t

hollow,"May

r, not touching. "Th

d her head, "

, yo

een them like smoke,thick,tangled and unspoken

ething in me,"

e," he replied, and for

e, not the monster but just a man, wounded, scared, desperate to keep what little peace he had. Her

e me," sh

d then, in the faint glow of the city ligh

give you po

inked,

e them, you want to leave? I won't stop you,b

the trick, the trap, the catch, but al

I want everyth

so close she cou

l have me,

ody with a patience that made her ache. He lifted her into his arms, carrying her inside with care, this wasn't dominance, It was devotion. He laid her down on the bed, wor

pered as he entered h

o whispers of his name and slowly into desperate pleas for more. She held onto him like he was the only thing keeping her grounded, and when they both broke, it was together and his mouth on her neck,

d here?" she

r tried to sta

hed,"Ser

dramatic, I bled all

ad, "You're so f

urned to

are

passed,

thing true,"

n't he

before you walked

art sk

d you," she

kno

why ch

s voice

g worth having

reux world.At 3:43 a.m., the shrill ring of Lucien's private phone shattered the Silence and he answered groggy. T

the call and

it?" sh

at her as he

was a b

d chille

ve vault, my fath

"Why would

r files, someone know

piked, "You said

ght no

cked, "But some

his eyes dark and fu

to prote

stared

might be in danger, not just from Lucien, b