“I think I'd miss you even if we’d never met,” Azrael whispered as his fingers trailed the side of her face, leaving an alluring warmth.
Anna’s throat became dry, “We shouldn’t have met then―”
“No,” he said, “Even if it means losing everything, I would rather have you.”
They were destined to fall from the start. A forsaken bond. A hopeless cause. And yet, in that stolen moment, Anna didn’t care anymore, neither did he.
* * * 
Anna is a human in a world where her kind is treated like dust, while Azrael is the demon duke infamous for his ruthlessness and bewitching looks.
On a fateful night, her life gets entangled with him. Azrael takes her as his fiance, however, theirs is a relationship formed over a contract; a marriage of convenience.
In a land where the hatred between humans and demons runs deeper than blood, she can not let her guard down. 
Anna harbors no feelings for the handsome duke, nor for his kind. Though that doesn’t stop her heart from stuttering whenever he’s near, nor the ghost of a familiar fear to surge at the sound of his voice.
But he’s always near.
Telling her what to do.
Making her feel warmer, hotter than he should.
* * * 
To yearn for someone who is forbidden to you is a terrifying feeling. To burn from desire and never speak of it, to have a secret that is horrible to almost everyone, to hide something that could ruin everything.
This is a story carved in hidden desires, inked in blood, and sealed with a fatal sin. Will Anna make it out alive? Or will her heart lead to her downfall?

The Duke's Secret Sin

Azrael's deep voice had a way of igniting her soul, and yet what he said caused a shiver to run down her spine. The subtle intimacy of what they recently shared, made his words even more threatening.


Anna didn't want to stay there any longer but could she afford to disobey him when he sounded so cold? She wanted to just leave, she would have done it, but she was struck silent. 


The next time it was a warning and when she turned back, she noticed how cold and dangerous his eyes looked. Had she done something wrong?


Azrael stood silently for a moment. Then she heard him laugh, it was the same as before but now it was tinged with cold amusement.


There were no explanations given, and Anna didn't dare to question him when her eyes met his gaze. The depths of those green eyes carried an inexplicable emotion but she could see a dark glimmer lingering there.


A Touch So Warm