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

"I'm talking about my light," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.


The crackling fire was the only sound breaking the silence that followed my words. Alaric's eyes, usually so certain and commanding, now held confusion and growing dread.


"Your light? Isabella, I don't understand."


I moved to the window, watching the stars glimmer above us. Two nights gone. One remaining. My fingers trembled as I touched the mark on my forehead, feeling its pulse like a second heartbeat.


"The Sleeper spoke of sacrifice. What is the most precious thing I possess? Not wealth or titles." I turned to face Alaric, my heart breaking with every word. "It's my capacity for happiness, for love, for physical pleasure. The light within me that you awakened."


Understanding dawned in Alaric's eyes, followed immediately by horror. "No."


Chapter 127 - A Sacrifice of Light