Page 36 of Goldrage
I frown but I know he’s right.Damnit.Another performance to give, another deception to maintain. Every lie takes a piece of my soul, but what choice do I have? Adrian’s life hangs in the balance. My fake pregnancy is our only shield.
I nod slowly, feeling the weight of chains I can’t see but definitely feel. “I understand.”
“Besides,” the mischief returns to his eyes, “maybe there’s an opportunity here to gain more allies in our fight. Eleanora has some ideas about that too. She’s quite the strategist.”
We continue walking in silence, the night wrapping around us like a cloak. Above us, the estate looms against the stars, blocking most of them. Somewhere in that maze of rooms, Adrian is chained and wounded. Somewhere, Julian plots with the mother who’s destroyed them both. And Valentine stands guard over all of it.
Whose side is he on now, though?
And how many more lies will I have to tell before this nightmare ends? How many more pieces of myself will I sacrifice on the altar of survival?
I think of my mother in these samegardens, young and terrified, carrying me while carrying the weight of Lucian’s obsession. Did she walk these same paths? Did she look up at these same stars and wonder if her daughter would ever see freedom?
The estate’s silhouette cuts into the sky like a wound that won’t heal. But wounds can become weapons, if you know how to use them. And I’m learning.
God help me, I’m learning.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
AURELIA
The chandeliers overhead fracture light into a thousand pieces, each crystal shard catching fire as I stand in the center of this damn ballroom at the Harrow estate. I squirm beneath the cream silk that clings to my curves. The gown’s high collar presses against my throat, right where Julian’s knife left its mark, and I fight the urge to claw at the fabric.
Here I am, being “presented” for the Consortium.
I’m on a small, circular platform that raises me a few feet in the air while Lady Harrow circles, giving a speech for the audience. Animal heads watch from the walls, probably the only creatures who understand my pain. A stag’s frozen snarl mirrors the expression I’m desperately holding back. Every gaze in this ballroom feels like fingers tracing the outline of my flat stomach, already claiming ownership of something that only exists in forged documents.
Lady Harrow’s voice carries across the room. “Thefuture of our family will be here in just a few short months. We’ll be looking toward the future and molding the next generation to take us all to new heights.”
I stop paying attention, dropping my gaze to the floor. My legs itch to run out of this madness, but I force them to remain still under the silk.
Play nice.Lorenzo’s words echo in my skull.Make them believe you want to stay, that you’ll do anything to remain with your child.
Lady Harrow says something that makes the crowd clap, so I touch my stomach like I’m soothing my baby.
I can play nice for now, but soon I’ll be releasing hell on all of them.
After a few more minutes, the spectacle ends and I’m helped off the platform. I flee into the crowd, ignoring anyone trying to talk to me. I don’t stop moving until I find Lorenzo.
He pulls me into a hug and I’m thankful for the warmth. “You were wonderful, cugina.” He holds my chin so I can look at him. “See? It was over quickly.”
I sigh and step back. With his midnight blue suit, he looks like he stepped out of a different world. One where people don’t display pregnant women like prize cattle at auction. His arm extends toward me, steady and sure, and I grip it.
“It wasn’t painless though,” I say, letting him guide me toward the edge of the ballroom. We stroll next to the massive six foot tall vases with black flowers that line this space. My side throbs where Julian’s bullet tore through me, but I keep my spine straight, my expression serene. “I’d rather be anywhere else.”
Lorenzo’s mouth turns up and the unlit cigarette dangling from the corner bounces as he speaks. “Patience. I need more time to map the estate properly.” The words are barely audible, meant only for me. “It’s been slow with all the guards.”
My grip around his arm tightens. God, I know he’s right. But knowing Adrian is somewhere in this mansion, chained and suffering while I play dress-up for his captors… my entire body feels like it’s slowly dissolving in acid. Every second we wait is another second they can use to break and reshape him into whatever weapon they need.
I glance over as Eleanora glides through the crowd. She came as Lorenzo’s date—not sure how he convinced her to do that—and even in this nest of vipers, she commands the room. Deep purple silk pours over her curves like liquid, the color so perfectly her that it makes me remember the days when choosing between two nail polish shades seemed to be her biggest concern. It’s heartbreaking—how life used to be simpler.
I glance at her hip. No gun tonight because the security at the door was thorough. But the way she moves, the subtle shift of fabric against her legs... I bet there’s some weapon hidden on that body. My friend has become someone I barely recognize, and yet, despite her secrets, I trust her more now than ever.
“My lovely fiancée,” Lorenzo says with a pride that seems too genuine to be entirely fake.
Eleanora’s eye roll could power half of Seattle, but she doesn’t pull away when he extends his hand. “Someone has to make sure you don’t do anything stupid,” she mutters.
“Shall we show them how to really dance?”
