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 rising sun cast long shadows across the abandoned Ravenswood estate as I surveyed the crumbling manor from my vantage point in a small copse of trees. Despite the relative safety of my position—a hundred yards from where Alaric would confront Silas Blackwood—my heart hammered against my ribs.


"Your Grace should remain still," Cassian Vance murmured beside me. The King's most trusted guard had been assigned to protect me, much to my initial frustration. "Movement draws the eye."


I forced myself to stop fidgeting. "I know. I'm just..." I didn't complete the thought. Terrified? Angry? Both seemed inadequate.


Cassian nodded, his weathered face understanding. "The Duke can handle himself."


Chapter 131 - The Ambush and a Desperate Stand