Chapter Thirteen – The Masked Gala

Part One – Heat Before the Storm

Charisse POV

The sunlight spills across his bed like a warning.

Charisse wakes to it, warm, gold, intrusive, and instantly wishes it hadn’t found her. Every part of her aches in quiet memory. Her skin still remembers the weight of his hands, the heat of his breath, the way he said her name like it belonged to him.

Lucian’s already up. Of course he is. He stands near the window, shirtless, the city sprawling beneath ...