Beneath his veil

Rain splintered against the tinted windows of the black Royce, each drop echoed silence that covered Alara winslow's mind... The city outside was a mirror of its own despair.. glass towers pulling at the sky.. neon lights smearing color through the thick fog as tires kept screeching against the wey floor.. It was 11:47 pm, Alara was late... Time had never felt as slow as it did tonight. She clutched her phone like it held the last threads of her life, her thumb hovering over the last message Cassian Vale had sent.. "come before I find you".. not a request .. Cassian never begged. A shiver crawled down her spine, it wasn't fear but something darker.. deeper. The anticipation that came with the awareness that your every move was being watched... By a predator cloaked in shimmering silk in silence. The driver didn't speak. There was no need to, Alara knew this ride was the same old ritual... A slow descent into his world of one red light at a time. The car pulled up before the wrought iron gates of Vale estate, her pulse quickened.. The mansion rose out of the mist like a wound stitched in the stone, cold yet beautiful with a bleeding history. It sat on the hill like it ruled the city below. She stepped out, her stilettos loudly clicking against the marble as two guards opened the doors. Inside was all shadows and scent.. old books... Leather.. suddenly the air felt sharper.. Thickened as if the house itself knew her. She saw him.. Cassian Vale. Draped in black nothing welcoming about his expression. He stood near the fireplace , hands tucked behind his back, posture exact . Sharp cheekbones, midnight hair perfectly swept back and eyes so dark the light in the room seemed dimmer. Turning slowly he said "you're late" his voice was low, danger wearing charm like a perfume. Lifting her chin to meet his gaze.. Alara responded "had things to finish" as her knees weakened.. He moved towards her like gravity itself bent to accommodate him. His presence, stripping her down to bone and breath. "You don't get to finish anything without me" he murmured lifting a gloved hand to brush away wet hair from her cheek. With so very gentle precision, she pushed his hand away.. whispering "You don't own me". He smiled , a smile so thin... "No but I own the nights you can't sleep. The thoughts that haunt you.. the ache in your throat when you say my name in the dark" he continued applying pressure to her lower chin with a smirk.. Her breath itched . He felt it, leaned closer with his voice barely audible "Tell me why you really came back" She didn't answer, couldn't.. not with his scent filling her nostrils making her numb, not when his presence wrapped her throat. Cassian stepped back, letting silence stretch "You're here because you missed the monster". He said finally.. voice thunderous yet calm "And you've always been curious enough to crawl beneath the veil" Alara flinched. The rain had come to an end casting a blur on the windows as the cab pulled up to the estate's gate. Alara stepped out, her hills sinking slightly into the muddy gravel. The security light blinked overhead as her presence was registered and the gates creaked open. Hesitating for but a second.. the manor beyond was vast, cold and watching. Her aunt , Magdalene was already waiting at the door. Her greying hair pulling tight in an unforgiving bun. No warmth in her gaze only the same old silent judgement Alara recognized since childhood.. "Late again" Magdalene said stepping aside.. Muttering an apology Alara moved past her, the scent of sandalwood and citrus trailing behind.. "Well your job begins tomorrow.. trust you won't once again disappoint" Magdalene called after her. Playing deaf Alara climbed the stairs to the guest room she'd occupy, the furniture seemed colder than memory. She hated to be here but needed the job... Needed the money.. Unfortunately Magdalene had connections The man she would be working for.. Cassian Vale was Magdalene's associate. Wealthy, reclusive, dangerous.. if the whispers were true The next day Alara stood in the Vale industries lobby, her nerves pulling tight beneath her calm facade. The building rising like a blade into the sky . She was ushered to the top floor "Wait here" the assistant said, leaving her alone in the hallway.. chaos barely concealed beneath the glossy frames of the abstract paintings lined on the wall . The wall to the devil's office opened with a whisper, She saw him.. Cassian Vale.. Tall, devastating.. Dressed in a dark suit matching his eyes that seemed not to blink as they locked into hers. He studied her the way the wolf studies a weaker animal before deciding whether to kill or keep. Alara couldn't breathe.. "You're Magdalene's niece" he finally let out.. Uhmmm "Yes Mr Vale" She hesitated.. Call me Cassian . Mr Vale sounds performative he said curling his lips faintly.. She nodded, throat dry.. He stepped closer.. Too close, his cologne intoxicating. Alara held her ground even as her pulse betrayed her "You'll be working as my assistant" he said. "But make no mistake, Miss Winslow.... This isn't a job for the faint hearted" He turned back walking towards his desk, but his presence lingered like a heat on skin.. And just before she could respond. He added, his back facing her "You should tell your aunt not to send me pawns when I ask for partners" Alara flinched.. this man didn't just yield power.. he bent it.. broke it.. burnt it... His body, his stare.. and for the first time in her Life, Alara felt like she had walked into a game where the rules were written in invisible ink visible to only the devil.. The manor felt unusually colder that night.. Alara sat in the dinning room.. lit as dimly as her current predicament poking at the untouched pasta on her plate. The air was dense with silence. Magdalene sat across from her , sipping red wine with grace that always felt rehearsed .. "You met him" her aunt spoke.. not bothering to ask if the meeting went well. "Yes". Magdalene's lips twitched into something that could have been mistaken for a smile if it weren't so void of warmth... And? She set her wine glass down with a soft clink. "Cassian is a man with vision. A man who sees everything, even what you try to hide.. if you lie to him... He'll know.. if you falter.. he'll exploit it" Alara stiffened "why then did you send me there?" Magdalene leaned forward.. "because you need to grow up". You've drifted long enough, making a mess of everything I handed to you.. You survive him.. you'll survive anywhere...