“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

Anna staggered down on her knees and panted heavily. Her heart raced like a wild sparrow whose chirps echoed across the forests and no one knew whether they were cheerful or frightened; a reflection of Anna’s current state. 


Earlier that day, Anna had gazed outside the window of her study and she happened to catch a glimpse of possible footholds that were present in the walls below. 


Being a human in the outskirts demanded her to be swift and sturdy, and those were skills Anna was proud of. 


As soon as the chance presented itself, she sneaked out of the windows. She had done similar things many times but while forming her plans, Anna forgot one important difference between her from the past and her from the present. 


She was no longer wearing those normal thin gowns that reached a little above her ankle. Her new attire included an aristocratic layered gown worn above several layers of skirts and petticoats, topped off with an insanely restrictive corset. 


Whisper Sweet Nothings