The morning light was cruel. It poured through the tall velvet-draped windows of Valerius's room like a spotlight she hadn't asked for, gilding the sheets in gold but leaving her heart hollow.

Valerius took her to his mansion since she didn't want to sleep in the penthouse after what had occurred.

Chloe lay still, cocooned in silk and silence, staring at the ceiling with wide, unblinking eyes. She hadn't slept. Every time her lids fell heavy, the memory of last night returned, not the ...