Lion’s Den

... The carriage rattled to a halt, jolting Seraphina awake....

...She blinked, disoriented for a moment by the heavy velvet darkness, until the scent of leather and winter pine grounded her. She was warm. Unbelievably warm. She realized with a start that her cheek was pressed against a solid, rhythmic weight....

...Valerius’s chest....

...He was awake. He sat stiffly, staring straight ahead, his arm still wrapped protectively around her shoulders. He hadn't moved an inch, likely for hours, terrified of disturbing her sleep....

..."We have arrived," he murmured, his voice rumbling through his chest and into her ear. "Blackwood Keep."...

...Seraphina sat up, smoothing her hair. "Home sweet home."...

...Valerius grimaced. "It is no home. It is a fortress. And the people inside... they are not used to softness, Seraphina. Stay close to me."...

..."I intend to," she replied, checking her reflection in the darkened window. She looked disheveled—lips swollen from sleep, hair wild. It was perfect. She looked like a woman who had been thoroughly ravaged by her lover, not a pristine noblewoman....

...The footman opened the door. A blast of chilly night air rushed in....

...Seraphina stepped out, Valerius’s hand firmly gripping her elbow. They stood in the courtyard of the Ducal estate. It was massive, built of black stone that seemed to drink the moonlight. Gargoyles perched on the high towers, staring down with hollow eyes....

...In her first life, Seraphina had entered through the side door, ashamed and unnoticed....

...Tonight, the main double doors were thrown open. Two lines of servants, dressed in severe black and silver livery, stood at attention. They bowed as the Duke approached, but Seraphina saw the ripples of shock pass through them. Their eyes darted from the Duke’s unbuttoned coat to the woman clinging to his arm in a scandalous red dress....

...An older man with greying hair and a monocle stepped forward. Silas, the steward. A man who had looked at her with pity in the first timeline....

..."Your Grace," Silas said, bowing low. "We did not expect... company. Nor did we expect your return so soon."...

..."Plans have changed," Valerius barked. He sounded like the Commander again—cold, distant. "This is Lady Seraphina Vance. My betrothed. My wife."...

...Silas blinked, his monocle nearly falling out. "Wife? Your Grace, surely the engagement was to be annul—"...

..."Silas," Valerius warned, his tone dropping a dangerous octave....

..."Understood," Silas recovered quickly, though his eyes lingered on Seraphina with suspicion. "I shall have the East Wing prepared for Her Ladyship immediately. The fires will need to be lit, and the linens—"...

..."No," Seraphina interrupted....

...Her voice was soft, like a bell chime in the heavy silence, but it carried authority....

...Silas froze. Valerius looked down at her, panic flaring in his eyes....

..."The East Wing is too far," Seraphina said, smiling sweetly at the steward. "And it is so cold in this drafty castle. My husband and I will be sharing the Master Suite."...

...A collective gasp went through the line of servants. The Master Suite? The Iron Duke slept there alone. Rumor had it he slept with a sword under his pillow and that shadows moved in his room at night. No maid dared enter past dusk....

..."Seraphina," Valerius hissed, leaning down. "We discussed this, but consider the reality. I have night terrors. I toss and turn. My magic... it leaks when I dream. I could hurt you."...

..."I am a light sleeper," she whispered back, her hand sliding up his arm to squeeze his bicep. "And I am not afraid of your magic, Valerius. I am only afraid of sleeping alone."...

...She turned back to Silas. "Take my trunk to the Duke's chambers. That will be all."...

...Valerius stared at her, his jaw working. He looked like a man standing on a precipice, deciding whether to jump or retreat. Finally, he let out a long, defeated sigh....

..."Do as she says, Silas."...

...The Master Bedroom was vast....

...A fire roared in the hearth, casting flickering shadows against the dark mahogany walls. The bed was enormous, a four-poster beast draped in midnight-blue velvet. There were weapons everywhere—a broadsword mounted above the mantle, daggers on the side table. It smelled of him....

...As soon as the servants left and the heavy oak door clicked shut, Valerius put distance between them. He walked to the window, turning his back to her....

..."You are making a mistake," he said quietly. "You should not be in here."...

...Seraphina ignored him. She walked to the vanity and began to unpin her hair, letting the golden waves fall completely loose. "Help me with my laces, Valerius."...

...He froze. "What?"...

..."My dress. It laces up the back. I cannot reach it." She looked at him through the mirror. "Unless you want me to sleep in a corset?"...

...Valerius turned slowly. His face was pale. He walked toward her as if marching to his execution. He stood behind her, his large frame engulfing hers. She could feel the heat radiating off him....

...His hands, usually steady with a blade, trembled as they touched the red silk of her bodice....

..."This is torture," he muttered....

..."This is marriage," she corrected....

...He pulled the laces. The dress loosened. He paused as his fingertips grazed the bare skin of her back. His touch was rough, calloused, but incredibly gentle. He traced the line of her spine, and Seraphina shivered—not from cold, but from the electric jolt of it....

...In her first life, he had never touched her. Not once....

..."Valerius," she breathed....

...He pulled his hands away as if burned. "Done. You are free."...

...He retreated to the far side of the room, stripping off his coat and cravat with hasty, jerky movements. He blew out the candles, leaving only the dying firelight....

..."I will take the chaise," he said, gesturing to a velvet couch near the fireplace. "You take the bed."...

..."Valerius Thorne."...

...Seraphina stood in her white shift, looking like a wraith in the gloom. She walked over to the bed and climbed in, pulling the heavy furs up to her chin. She patted the empty space beside her....

..."If you sleep on that couch, the servants will know by morning. They check the linens, you know. If the pillow beside me is unused, they will know our marriage is a sham. And if they know, the Church will know."...

..."You are a devil," Valerius groaned, rubbing his face with his hands....

..."I am your wife. Get in."...

...Valerius stripped down to his shirt and breeches. He approached the bed warily. He sat on the edge, the mattress dipping under his weight. He lay down on the very edge, as far away from her as possible without falling off, his back stiff as a board....

..."Goodnight, Seraphina," he said tightly....

...Seraphina waited. She listened to his breathing. It was shallow, jagged. He was terrified to sleep....

...She scooted across the vast expanse of the mattress....

...Valerius flinched when he felt her warmth against his back. "Seraphina, don't—"...

...She wrapped an arm around his waist and pressed her face between his shoulder blades. He was solid, tense, a wall of muscle....

..."Relax," she whispered against his shirt. " The monsters can't get you here. I'll fight them off."...

..."You have no weapon," he whispered back, his voice strained....

..."I have you."...

...Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the tension began to bleed out of him. The exhaustion of the journey, the shock of the day, and the strange, intoxicating comfort of her presence weighed him down....

..."If I hurt you..." he mumbled, his words slurring as sleep claimed him. "If I... hurt you..."...

..."Shhh." She stroked his chest with her hand....

...For the first time in twenty years, the Iron Duke did not need a sleeping drought to close his eyes. He fell asleep to the rhythm of her breathing, anchored by the small, fragile woman who had claimed his bed as her own....

...Seraphina lay awake for a long time, watching the fire die down. She had conquered the bedroom. Tomorrow, she would have to conquer the household. And soon, the High Priest would come knocking....

...She tightened her hold on Valerius....

...Let them come, she thought. This time, the Iron Duke is mine....

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