Spellbound Heart🌸❤️

The air in Lord Vadis’s ballroom was thick with the scent of jasmine and stolen secrets. Liora adjusted her servant’s mask, the lace scratching her cheeks. One hour. Get the book. Don’t get caught. She wove through nobles who glittered like knives under moonlight, their laughter sharp enough to draw blood. A hand caught her wrist— “You’re new.” The noblewoman’s voice was honey laced with venom. Her thumb traced Liora’s pulse, slow as a confession. "I’d remember a face like yours." Liora’s breath hitched. Distraction. Use it. She leaned in, close enough to taste the pomegranate wine on the woman’s lips. “Find me after midnight,” she whispered. "I’ll show you how new I am." The woman’s grip tightened—then released with a smirk. Perfect. The Codex pulsed in the vault like a second heartbeat. Liora reached for it— SNAP. A hidden mechanism bit into her thumb. Blood dripped onto the cover, and the book shuddered awake, its pages whispering: "He comes for you, little thief. And oh, how he hungers." A voice echoed behind her. Low. Rough. Familiar. “That doesn’t belong to you.” She turned— And the world narrowed to violet. His eyes. Not just purple—a storm at dusk, the kind that made sailors pray. The man—Kael—filled the doorway, his scarf slipping to reveal a mouth cut for sin. Liora’s dagger was at his throat in a breath. “Try taking it.” He didn’t flinch. Just smiled, slow as sunrise. "Already did." Her belt was lighter. He’d stolen her lockpicks. Heat flooded her cheeks. Rain slicked the cobbles as Kael backed her into a wall, his body a furnace against the cold. “The Codex is cursed,” he murmured, his breath a brand on her jaw. “Every thief who touches it…” She shoved him. “Dies? How original.” “Worse.” He caught her bleeding hand, pressed their matching crescent marks together. "They forget." Lightning struck. Not the sky—her. Visions tore through her: Kael, shirtless under moonlight, tracing a tattoo over his heart—her name in a language she didn’t know. Herself, laughing as he kissed her palm. "Always find me."* Then—nothing. A hollow king. A scream. She gasped back to reality, her lips an inch from his. Kael’s pupils were blown black. “You felt it too.” Not a question. Liora’s voice cracked. “What was that?” His thumb brushed her lower lip. "Our problem". Silk scarves bound her wrists to the bedpost. Not the way she’d imagined them. Kael lounged in a chair, rolling a knife over his knuckles. “Tell me why you stole it.” She arched a brow. “Tell me why you care.” He leaned in, close enough to share breath. "Because now your nightmares are mine." His nose brushed her ear. "And darling, you dream like a storm." Her stomach flipped. Dangerous. She tested the scarves. “You’re a terrible kidnapper.” “And you’re a terrible thief.” He tugged the scarf—her wrists fell free. “You left a trail of rose petals.” Liar. She’d used ash and salt. But his smirk said chase me, so she did. Her knee hit the mattress—his arm snagged her waist. They tumbled into the sheets, her thighs bracketing his hips, his grip a promise and a threat. The Codex hummed between them. Kael’s gaze dropped to her mouth. “Still want to stab me?” Liora’s nails dug into his shoulders. "Every day." He laughed—dark, delicious—and rolled her beneath him. The door burst open. A woman stood there, her scarred lips twisted in fury. "Kael. You promised." Liora froze. Who—? Kael’s sigh brushed her neck. "My ex. Try not to kill her." The Codex purred. "Game on.