Chapter 1: Moonlight and Masquerades
The night discuss was lively with enchantment, the full moon hanging moo in the sky like a silver light. I stood at the edge of the amazing assembly hall, looking over the ocean of conceal faces some time recently me. The yearly Tenebrous Disguise Ball was in full swing, with the city's first class assembled to see and be seen.
As the extremely rich person beneficiary to the Wynter fortune, I'd developed acclimated to these luxurious occasions. But this evening felt distinctive. Perhaps it was the way the moonlight spilling through the windows appeared to move over the floor, or the excite of plausibility that hung in the discuss like a challenge.
I balanced my veil, a fragile confection of silver and precious stones that shone in the light. My outfit, a custom-designed showstopper in silk and bind, gleamed with each development. I felt like a princess, or a goddess, prepared to take on the world.
"Aurora, sweetheart, you see staggering," my mother, the ruler, said, air-kissing my cheek. Her veil was a complicated work of craftsmanship, with quills and diamonds that coordinated the shimmer in her eyes. "I do trust you're having a great time."
"I am, Mother," I answered, grinning courteously. But my look was as of now meandering, looking for something – or somebody – more interesting.
That's when I saw him. A tall, brooding figure standing at the edge of the room, his eyes settled eagerness on me. His cover was straightforward, a dark domino that covered up his highlights, but there was something approximately him that drew me in.
"Who is that?" I inquired my mother, gesturing tactfully in his direction.
My mother taken after my look, her expression narrowing somewhat. "That, sweetheart, is Elijah Morano. A part of the Morano family."
I felt a shudder run down my spine. The Moranos were a equal mafia family, infamous for their heartless strategies and dull enchantment. But there was something around Elijah that didn't appear to fit that mold.
As I observed, he raised his glass in a noiseless toast, his eyes never clearing out mine. I felt a vacillate in my chest, a start of fascination that I couldn't ignore.
"Looks like you've caught someone's eye, Aurora," my mother said, her voice dribbling with beguilement. "But do be cautious. The Moranos are not to be trusted."
I grinned, playing it cool, but interior, I was as of now pondering what it would be like to move with Elijah Morano, to feel his hand on mine, to taste the taboo excite of his kiss.
Little did I know, that kiss would alter everything.
