She had always known the basement was off-limits. Whispers called it cursed—hell beneath marble floors. But now, with Prince Ares back from war, the screams had returned. Louder. More human.
She stood at the top of the spiral staircase, heart pounding. “M’lady, you shan’t go down there,” the maid had pleaded, grabbing her wrist. “The prince won’t be happy about it.”
But curiosity gnawed at her innocence like moths to silk.
Just as she took a hesitant step forward, her voice soft, “What are they doing down th—”
Footsteps. Heavy. Slow. His.
He emerged from the shadows below, blood smeared like war paint across his cheek. His dark eyes locked onto hers, unreadable, cold.
“You speak where you shouldn’t,” Ares said, voice quiet as frost. “Curiosity is a dangerous thing in this house.”
She flinched at the sight of him—her betrothed, a stranger carved by blood and steel.
“I heard screams…”
He stepped closer, towering, silent for a long beat. Then:
“They earned them.”
His gaze lingered a moment longer.