The moon over Velbrith was swollen and low, a blood-orange eye watching silently as the city dared to dance with darkness. Its light splashed across the rooftops in thick ribbons of fire, casting elongated shadows that twitched like restless ghosts. Thiana stood on the balcony of Lord Ravien's manor, arms bare to the chill, fingers curled tightly around the obsidian railing that overlooked the valley below. She was no longer just the curious healer's apprentice. She was something else now branded by sin, stitched with secrets, and watched by forces she hadn't yet begun to understand.
A faint wind stirred her hair, trailing strands over her neck like a lover's caress. But she knew better than to believe in softness tonight. There would be no mercy in what was to come.
Behind her, the manor was alive with music and masquerade. Velvet laughter. Clinking chalices. Rich men pretending to be beasts, and beasts pretending they could be men. It was Lord Ravien's annual Eclipse Ball a gathering of noble blood and dark ambition. Thiana had watched it from the outside in years past, curiosity flickering beneath caution. Tonight, she would be one of them.
She turned and walked slowly into the manor's gilded foyer, where the walls pulsed with candlelight and the air buzzed with unspoken deals. She wore the mask Ravien had chosen for her a porcelain wolf, etched with veins of crimson and the dress she hadn't dared to admire in the mirror: black lace threaded with silver thorns that bit into her thighs when she moved. His mark was on her neck still, hidden beneath an onyx choker, and no perfume could disguise the memory of what they'd shared in the shadows of his chamber.
They said Ravien never danced. But when he stepped into the ballroom, the music bent to him.
"I knew you'd come," he said, his voice as velvet as the wine he offered her. "You don't flinch from fire anymore."
Thiana took the glass, letting the wine stain her lips. "Because I'm learning to breathe smoke."
He laughed softly, a sound like silk sliding across steel. "Tonight, you'll do more than breathe it. You'll offer it to someone who deserves to choke."
Thiana moved through the ballroom like a whisper made flesh. Everywhere she turned, eyes followed. Not just the usual gazes the longing looks, the quiet envy but deeper, more dangerous stares. Men who didn't blink. Women who didn't smile. Lords who wanted more than coins and allies they wanted secrets. They could smell her uncertainty beneath the perfume. They knew she was marked.
Ravien's fingers brushed her waist.
"Stay close," he murmured.
Thiana nodded, even though every instinct told her to run.
She had learned that surviving in court was a game of masks. And tonight, hers was slipping.
A cluster of noblemen approached the Marquess of Salien, Lady Veera of Thornkeep, and Lord Damion Vale. Old money. Older vendettas.
"She's the one," Lady Veera said, sipping wine laced with something darker. "The healer who bound the beast."
Thiana felt her throat tighten.
Damion Vale didn't bother with pleasantries. "Lord Ravien speaks highly of you. Says your talents go beyond herbs and kindness."
"I listen," Thiana said quietly. "And people tell me things."
"So you're dangerous," Salien said, eyes glinting.
"She's mine," Ravien said smoothly, "and her loyalty's been tested. You'll find no cracks in her armor."
Thiana nearly flinched at that. Because cracks existed. And loyalty… loyalty had a price she hadn't yet calculated.
The clock neared midnight.
A hush fell across the ballroom as the Eclipse neared its zenith. Tradition dictated a dance the Binding Waltz performed only by those who had forged unbreakable contracts.
Ravien extended a hand toward her.
Thiana hesitated.
He leaned close. "Dance with me. And you'll never walk alone in this world again."
She placed her hand in his, fingers trembling.
The music began.