Sin in His Shadow” Book One

Chapter 6: Blood and Ballroom

The masquerade ball at the Andros Estate was the kind of event whispered about in Virello’s darkest corners. No invitations—only veiled warnings wrapped in black envelopes. Only the brave, the powerful, or the foolish showed up.

Lucien stood at the foot of the grand marble staircase, breath caught in his throat.

A sea of masks. Gowns that shimmered like poison. Men with cufflinks shaped like bullets. Every corner of the ballroom whispered danger behind silk and champagne.

And then he saw him.

Zarek.

A black suit tailored to perfection. A blood-red mask that didn’t bother to hide the sharpness of his jaw or the predator's calm in his eyes. The room seemed to tilt around him.

Lucien’s feet moved before his brain did.

They met near the edge of the ballroom, where shadows draped across gold-leaf walls.

> “You shouldn’t be here,” Zarek said, voice a warning wrapped in velvet.

> “Neither should you,” Lucien whispered. “But here we are.”

Zarek’s eyes burned through the mask.

Without a word, he offered his hand.

Lucien took it.

The music swelled, and the two slipped into the dance, spinning like ghosts between the glimmer of chandeliers. Gasps echoed as guests stepped aside. No one stopped them. No one dared.

Each step was a conversation. Each turn a challenge. Each breath a secret.

Zarek’s hand slid to Lucien’s waist.

> “You’re not safe here,” he said lowly.

“Then why bring me into your world?”

“Because I didn’t expect you to follow.”

Lucien leaned in, their faces inches apart. “Too late.”

The music slowed. The final note hung in the air like a held breath.

Zarek let go.

And disappeared into the crowd.

Lucien stood in the middle of the ballroom, alone again. His heart raced, and his body hummed from the feel of Zarek’s touch.

Then someone brushed past him—deliberately.

A folded paper tucked into his hand.

He opened it under the flicker of candlelight.

"They know who you are. Run."

Blood roared in his ears.

Across the room, masked men in suits began to move toward him.

Not to dance.

To destroy.