Marcello stared down at the girl with a searing intensity, equal parts curiosity and seething frustration coiling in his amber eyes.

The audacity.

She was nothing more than a pet an object to be tamed yet she carried herself like royalty. She should’ve been beneath his notice: filthy, pitiful, forgettable. And yet, this insufferable little creature had a strange, unshakable elegance. A wildness cloaked in poise. A spark that could set entire kingdoms ablaze if left unchecked.

No wonder his ...