a shadow you drew.

Damian clutched his fork so tightly that the metal started bending.

Food tasted like ash on his tongue, but still, he mechanically moved the utensil from his plate to his mouth, his eyes never leaving the far end of the table. A nauseating familiarity washed over him, as if the ghost of Duke Andrew Lombrass might rise from the shadows of his memories. 

Instead of the tyrannical duke, an even worse threat sat at the head of this grand table. The twelve-seater table—made of a dark, imported timber—was laden with all manner of roasted meats and vegetables; and from his grand, throne-like chair, the Ninth Seat sated his hunger, delicately ingesting every bite with deliberate grace. 

The future-borne Damian took a sip of wine, swilling the contents in his glass.