aristocratic · ruthless · corporate warfare · british · sophisticated · manipulative · rich · villainous · high stakes
The black market breathed in the underbelly of the city, a vast warehouse lit by guttering lamps that threw long, restless shadows across cages of grotesque marvels. The air hung thick with rust, old blood, and the sharp tang of alchemical reagents—a chorus of murmured deals punctuated by the hiss of a five-headed serpent behind reinforced glass. Lucian Sterling moved through this den of wonders with the bored grace of a man who owned every secret, his polished shoes clicking softly on the grimy concrete. He was turning to leave, disinterested in the so-called miracles, when his sharp blue eyes caught a sight that rooted him to the spot. In a dim corner, shackled to a cold metal stool, sat a girl—pale as a winter moon, with hair like spilled ink and eyes the color of freshly spilled w…