Damien
The door slammed harder than I intended., let them talk.
I didn’t look back. Let the guards whisper. Let Ayla fume in her righteous fury. I welcomed the quiet even if it echoed with her voice.
You gave me a cage lined with gold.
My jaw ached from the effort of keeping still. Keeping cold. And yet, I had almost begged her to mark me.
I moved through the palace like something borrowed. Crisp uniform, straight shoulders, storm beneath. Everything here gleamed too brightly polished marble, golden trim, candles that smelled like honeyed smoke. All of it designed to comfort. To conceal.
Soft edges hiding sharp teeth. I didn’t belong here.
“Gods, you look like hell.”
The voice cut through the silence like a blade through frost.
Benjamin lounged against a balustrade just ahead, f
