Chapter 3

The air in the grand hall had grown thick, heavy with the scent of beeswax, old velvet, and the cloying sweetness of expensive perfume mixed with the sharp tang of spilled champagne. The chandeliers overhead were monstrous things, cascading crystals that caught the candlelight and fractured it into a thousand dizzying stars, but I couldn’t focus on the beauty of it. My head was still spinning from the previous night, from the way his voice had dropped an octave, from the commanding weight of his gaze when he looked at me. I had spent the day in the opulent suite overlooking the lagoon, trying to wash off the feeling of being claimed, but the residue remained, clinging to my skin like a second layer of silk. Now, back in the palace, the masquerade continued its languid dance. The walls were lined with mirrors that multiplied our reflections, creating an infinite corridor of gold and black. I felt exposed, even with the half-mask covering the upper half of my face. I had chosen a simple black veil for my costume, keeping the focus on my eyes, on the way I could watch him watch me. And he was there. I saw