“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

Effie paused when she heard the soft thud and glanced back with a worried look in her eyes. 


Anna forced a smile. "I am fine, you can go ahead!" 


The young girl didn't want to rush in. However, when she saw Anna urging her to go to the citruses first even after falling in a funny manner, Effie concluded that those must be her favorites. 


She nodded with a bright smile and left. If she got the fruits for Anna, then her injury would hurt less, right? 


Emma did a poor job of holding back her laughter as Anna muttered a curse under her breath. Her gowns had to be one of the toughest rivals she could imagine to face. 


"How do they even live in these?" Anna complained as Emma brushed the grass from her skirts. 


"The ladies who wear them don't run," Emma gave her a pointed look, "or jump from windows." 


Anna's lips curved into a frown, her eyes were very thoughtful as she concluded, "How inconvenient." 


"I suppose Miss Merida would have to start a new class soon-" 


Path of A Lady