Violet_167

Isabella Beaumont figured she was making a smart, if desperate, trade: her freedom in exchange for marrying the dreaded Duke Alaric Thorne. 
Sure, the guy had a reputation darker than a moonless night, whispered about in every corner of the kingdom, but it was just a contract, right? A way to escape a brutal past that had literally left its mark on her face. 
She wasn’t expecting warmth, and definitely not passion. But then Alaric, this formidable, feared man, starts acting… protective. His unexpected kindness will make her want to throw away her protective mask and actually fall for the man who was supposed to be just her ticket to freedom. 
Just as Isabella starts believing she might actually deserve happiness, everything begins falling apart around them.
With the villains on the loose, old wounds being ripped open, and everyone’s true colors showing, is this sudden, fierce love strong enough to survive the storm? Or will the darkness from their pasts and the deadly games shatter everything they’re starting to build?

The Masked Duchess

The tension in the underground chamber was suffocating as Lord Edmund Blackwood's face contorted with rage and fear. Captain Orion and several armed men flanked Alaric, their weapons drawn and ready.


"This is absurd," Lord Edmund sputtered, attempting to regain his composure. "You're trespassing on Lord Ravenscroft's private property. This woman," he gestured to the drugged figure on the chaise, "is merely unwell and under our care."


I stepped forward from my hiding place, my voice steadier than I expected. "Is that why you were discussing how she 'fought harder than most' before being drugged? Is that why you're preparing to turn her into one of those statues?"


Alaric's eyes widened slightly at my words, then narrowed as he pieced together what I'd discovered.


"Isabella, come here," Alaric commanded, extending his hand toward me.


Chapter 99 - Confrontation in the Depths