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

Lord Alistair Blackwood's face froze in a mask of shock. My counter-bargain had clearly caught him off guard, and for the first time since we'd entered this cursed place, I saw uncertainty flicker in those ancient, obsidian eyes.


"Isabella, no!" Alaric surged forward, his fingers digging into my arm. "You don't understand what you're offering!"


I silenced him with a single look. This was my battle now.


"Well?" I challenged Blackwood. "Does my offer not satisfy the ancient laws you claim to uphold? A willing sacrifice, freely given, to settle both debts at once?"


The temperature in the chamber dropped suddenly. The air shimmered between us, taking on a strange, ethereal quality. Alaric's grip on my arm tightened, but I didn't break my stare with Blackwood.


"Something's happening," Alaric whispered.


Chapter 140 - The Raven's Judgment, A Pact Broken