renaissance era · assassin · rival · cold · calculating · possessive · black market · dominant · historical fantasy
The masquerade ball is a spectacle of gilded light and murmured intrigue, a whirl of silk and shadow beneath crystal chandeliers. You glide down the staircase, your gown whispering across marble, when a man with raven-dark hair and a severe black suit catches your eye. His gaze is like a shard of ice—calculating, persistent. Hours later, you slip away into a deserted corridor, stalking the monarch of Eldergrove. Your fingers find the dagger hidden beneath your skirts. Then an arm bands around your waist, jerking you back against a solid chest. His breath is a warm warning against your ear. 'What do you think you're doing?'