Chapter 7 – Masquerade of Shadows
979 Words
The ballroom pulsed with haunting music.
Crystal chandeliers dripped golden light over the masked crowd, each student a beautiful lie wrapped in silk and secrets. Laughter echoed, but Aria heard none of it. Her eyes were locked on the man at the staircase.
A mirror image of Lucien.
Only crueler.
Darker.
He didn’t wear a mask, and that made it worse.
He didn’t need one.
He was the mask.
“Lucien,” Aria whispered, gripping his arm tighter.
“I see him,” Lucien murmured, voice like ice. “Stay close.”
Across the room, Cassian was already in motion. He disappeared into the crowd like a shadow on a mission.
But Ronan Vale didn’t move.
He just watched.
And smiled.
Aria’s skin prickled as he slowly descended the marble steps, his hands in his pockets like he had all the time in the world.
Lucien’s grip on her waist tightened.
“You said he wouldn’t come out in the open,” she muttered.
“I said he wouldn’t attack in the open,” Lucien corrected. “But he came to be seen.”
“And?”
Lucien’s jaw flexed. “He wants me to know he’s not hiding anymore.”
Ronan Vale crossed the floor like a king surveying his kingdom.
Some students looked twice, confused by the resemblance. Others assumed it was Lucien himself until they saw Lucien still dancing with Aria.
The music swelled as if sensing the tension.
Ronan stopped just a few feet away.
“Little brother,” he said, voice velvet-wrapped poison. “You clean up well.”
Lucien stepped forward, placing himself between Aria and Ronan. “You don’t belong here.”
Ronan smiled wider. “Neither do you.”
Aria peeked around Lucien’s shoulder. Ronan’s gaze snapped to her.
“Hello, Aria,” he said.
The way he said her name like he owned it, sent chills through her.
“You’ve been watching me,” she said quietly.
“For longer than you know,” Ronan answered. “But this is the first time we’ve officially met.”
Cassian appeared behind him like a ghost. “You’re not welcome here.”
Ronan’s eyes flicked to him. “You’re still following Lucien’s leash? That’s disappointing. You used to be interesting.”
“I’m still interesting,” Cassian said coolly. “You just stopped being human.”
Ronan laughed. “I’m the only one in this room who’s telling the truth.”
He looked around, then back at Lucien. “You wear the mask, but I became it.”
Aria dared a step forward. “What do you want?”
Ronan tilted his head. “I want what’s mine. The legacy. The Vault. You.”
Lucien’s body went rigid.
“You don’t get any of it,” he said.
Ronan smiled again, and this time it wasn’t charming—it was wicked.
“We’ll see.”
With that, Ronan turned and vanished into the crowd.
Aria let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “That’s it?”
Lucien’s hand remained at her back, firm. “That was the warning.”
Cassian ran a hand through his hair. “He came to be seen. To make us nervous. He’ll strike next when no one’s watching.”
“He wants the Vault,” Aria murmured. “Why? What’s in it?”
Lucien hesitated.
“It’s not gold or jewels,” he finally said. “It’s power. Secrets. Documents that could destroy the entire Vale bloodline—and the Winters, too.”
“Then why not destroy them?” Aria asked.
Lucien’s voice dropped. “Because some secrets… keep worse monsters locked away.”
Later that night, Lucien led Aria to the rooftop of the East Tower.
The city lights stretched into the distance like a bed of stars. Cold wind kissed her skin as Lucien stood beside her, his black coat billowing behind him.
He looked… tired. Haunted.
“You didn’t tell me you had a brother,” she said softly.
“I didn’t know,” he admitted. “Or maybe… I didn’t want to.”
“Is he really cursed?”
Lucien didn’t answer right away.
“When we were young, my father would disappear for days. Sometimes weeks. He said it was business. But now… I wonder if he was visiting Ronan. Keeping him locked up. Feeding him lies.”
Aria touched his arm. “You’re nothing like him.”
Lucien turned to her. “I’m afraid I am.”
“You wear a mask,” she said. “But I see what’s underneath.”
He swallowed hard. “And what do you see?”
Aria stepped closer. “Someone afraid of being loved… because he’s never been safe.”
His throat bobbed. “I don’t know how to love someone the right way.”
“Then don’t,” she whispered. “Love me in your way. Just don’t shut me out.”
Lucien’s eyes burned. “Aria”
She kissed him.
It wasn’t gentle. It wasn’t soft.
It was desperate. Hungry. Real.
He pulled her close, hands gripping her waist like he was afraid she’d vanish. His lips claimed hers, all tension and fire.
When they pulled apart, breathless, Lucien leaned his forehead against hers.
“I’ll protect you,” he whispered. “From him. From me. From everything.”
“I don’t want to be protected,” she said. “I want to stand with you.”
He closed his eyes. “Then don’t let go.”
But in the shadows below the tower, a figure watched.
His eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight.
Ronan Vale smiled and turned away, whispering into a hidden earpiece.
“Plan A failed. She’s too close to him.”
A voice crackled on the other end.
“Proceed to Phase Two.”
And just like that—
Everything was about to change.
- Writer
