Exits.
There wasn’t a corridor in this place I hadn’t mapped in my head. I never entered a building without knowing exactly how to burn it down from the inside if I had to. My steps echoed softly as I cut through the east corridor, past a series of heavy portraits different than the others I’d seen earlier. Every one of them waspainted in the same palette of dominance—men in tailored suits, women posed like accessories.
I made my way to where Selene was, and beyond a set of glass doors, I saw her. She stood by the window, the moonlight making her reflection against the glass like something between tragedy and goddess.
For once, I caught her with her mask off—no practiced angle of her neck, no careful arrangement of limbs. Just her, existing in a rare moment of privacy. In this mausoleum of rehearsed performances, she stood like the only living thing among wax figures.
I lingered back, watching. Her dress followed the truth of her body, both delicate and dangerous. Whatever fragility her father had tried to cultivate in her had failed; beneath that expensive fabric was something forged rather than folded.
Dinner had proven what I’d suspected from the start: Selene Darzi wasn’t just another hollow piece in this game. And for the first time in years, I found myself wanting something that had nothing to do with empire-building or the Dominion’s expectations.
I wanted her.
I let a few seconds stretch, then stepped forward just enough for the floor to catch my weight, enough sound to announce I was there.
She didn’t startle, but I saw the shift in her reflection, the quick flicker of awareness before she turned her head slightly as I approached, calm on the surface.
“It’s done,” I announced.
Her brow knit slightly. “What’s done?”
“Your father and I have come to an understanding.” I watched her closely. “You’re mine. Effective immediately.”
She inhaled softly, but her face remained composed—a mask that didn't slip. The discipline impressed me.
"One of my most trusted men will be stationed near you," I continued. "He'll ensure your safety when I’m not with you."
Her eyes widened slightly, the only crack in her armor. "With me how?"
“I’ll be taking you out, leading up to the wedding,” I explained. “I don’t bring strangers into my home, and something tells me you’d rather know more about the man you’re marrying before you live under his roof.”
A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "Presumptuous of you.”
Then something shifted in her eyes—remembering her place, perhaps—and her spine went rigid. "I apologize, that was—"
"No," I said, my voice low enough that only she could hear it. "Never apologize for showing me who you really are. I need to see it. Being my wife won’t be easy.”
She didn’t flinch. “Nothing worth surviving ever is.”
That one hit deeper than she probably meant it to. I studied her for a moment, then said, “I’ll contact you directly from now on.”
“Did my father allow that?” she asked, too careful.
“Your father doesn’t allow anything anymore.”
That earned me silence—and a slow, almost imperceptible nod.
“We’ll talk about the date and the rings later,” I added as I stepped closer. I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my fingers linger against her skin. The contact was brief, but I felt her pulse quicken beneath my touch.
“You’re not what I expected,” I said.
Her eyes met mine, defiant and curious all at once. “What did you expect?”
“Something broken for starters.”
She didn’t move away from me, though everything in her posture suggested she wanted to. That restraint—the constant battle between what she felt and what she showed—fascinatedme. I’d seen countless women trained into submission, their spirits crushed until nothing remained but empty vessels fulfilling their duties. Selene was different. The fire in her hadn’t been extinguished, but I knew Darius believed otherwise.
There was a lot more I wanted to say, and I could see all the questions she didn’t dare ask. Good. Questions meant curiosity, and curiosity meant she wasn’t as resigned to her fate as her father believed. I wouldn’t be diving deeper into any of that until we were away from this house.