Chapter 5 5

Rosalyn Ashbane:

I glanced at the clock again and sighed.

Two days. Two whole days in this place, and still-he hadn't killed me. Nor had he touched me. No chains, no threats. Just... silence. And gifts.

That's what worried me the most.

"My lady," Suzu called again, holding up yet another velvet box, "did Lord Valentino really send all of this?"

"For the millionth time, yes, Suzu," I muttered, rubbing my temple.

"Woah..." Her eyes sparkled as she admired the dresses, the jewels, the fine silks laid out like offerings to a queen. "I mean, maybe he's not that bad after all."

I turned sharply to her, voice flat. "You have to learn to look past masks."

Suzu blinked, confused.

"These gifts? They could be farewell tokens. Pretty distractions before death comes knocking. Don't forget who he is."

"But-"

"He's not a man. He's the devil dressed in skin. They say he gained his powers from a pact with the Devil himself. Some say... in his room, the Devil sleeps."

"His bedroom?" Suzu gasped, stepping back instinctively.

I nodded, lowering my voice as I placed a hand on her shoulder. "He sold his soul, Suzu. For power. For immortality. So don't let diamonds make you blind. He might be buying our souls next."

"My lady! You're scaring me-"

"Good. Be scared. Stay ten feet away from anything that shines."

She swallowed hard. "Okay."

A knock on the door cut through the room.

A maid entered, curt and calm. "Good afternoon, my lady. My Lord has summoned you. Please follow me."

I exchanged a look with Suzu and rose, nodding once. Suzu trailed behind as we followed the maid through the long, echoing halls of the estate until we stepped out into the field.

I stopped.

A crowd. A large one. Men and women circled what looked like a giant iron cage. Cheers. Laughter. Money exchanged in hush and excitement.

"What is this?" I whispered.

The maid led me forward, and I was guided up to a raised dais where he sat-Valentino Dante DeLuca.

The devil himself.

Expression unreadable. Power leaking from every inch of him. And of course-he looked sinfully perfect.

I sat beside him, stiff. His lips curled into a smirk.

"Begin!" a voice called.

A bell rang.

The gates to the cage opened.

And out walked a bloodied tiger.

My breath hitched. I shifted in my seat. Valentino leaned in slightly.

"Relax, dear wife," he murmured, voice like velvet and venom. "It's a lovely game."

I didn't answer.

The next moment, a man was thrown into the cage.

He was trembling. Clothes torn. You could smell the fear. He looked... ordinary. Low-born. Maybe even rogue. I glanced at the crowd-clapping, screaming, betting.

Then I looked at the man.

He was crying.

And behind the cage stood a woman clutching a child.

His family.

"What is this?" I hissed under my breath.

"A game," Valentino said casually, not even looking at me.

"What kind of game puts a man against a tiger?"

"The kind that entertains."

"He's just a poor man!" I snapped. "Look-he's sobbing. His child is watching. What kind of monster calls this a game?"

He turned to me, eyes dark.

"One that reminds people of their place," he said coldly. "Low-borns. Rogues. Weak bloodlines. They either die or fight. I just made it...interesting."

My skin crawled. I stared at him, barely blinking.

Then I spoke, quiet and sharp:

"My Lord... you do know I'm half low-born, right?"

His jaw clenched slightly. But he said nothing.

"Right?" I pushed.

"Aren't you?" he said finally.

"So then... would you kill me too? Toss me into your little game next?"

He looked straight at me. Calm. Icy.

"That depends."

My stomach turned.

I had no choice but to sit through it. One by one, more were thrown into the cage. Some died. Some bled. Some screamed and begged. I watched them all, numb, boiling with a hatred that threatened to burst through my ribs.

By the time it was over, I couldn't breathe right.

As I stood to leave, Suzu behind me, I bumped into someone at the edge of the path.

I looked up-

And froze.

He wasn't one of the guards. Not one of the nobles. There was something different about him. The way he carried himself. Calm. Controlled.

He met my gaze-eyes sharp like a secret blade.

He was... breathtaking.

Not just handsome-elegant. Sharp. Like a blade dressed in velvet.

"My lady, apologies," he said smoothly, stepping back with quiet grace.

I blinked, startled. "Oh-no need to apologize. I didn't see you there."

"Very well. Have a good day."

He bowed with a respectful nod and walked off, his cloak trailing behind him like shadow.

I stared after him, lips curving into a dry smile. "He's handsome."

"Oh! I was in the same carriage with him on your wedding day," Suzu said, catching up beside me. "That's Cassian Vale. Alpha Valentino's beta."

My smile vanished like a candle in the wind.

"Of course he is," I muttered. "The name Valentino alone makes my blood boil."

Before Suzu could reply, a cold voice slithered into the air behind me.

"Dear wife... how was the game?"

I turned. There he was-Valentino. Regal. Relaxed. Ruthless.

"I passed through so much stress to arrange your match viewing. And not even a comment?"

I forced a smile. "Digesting," I muttered to myself, then looked up at him. "It was... nice."

"I knew you'd love it," he said proudly. "It's an art, you know."

"Indeed," I said flatly. "An art."

I took a graceful step back. "I feel a little lightheaded, my Lord. I'll take my leave now."

With a tight smile and a slight bow, I walked away, biting my inner cheek to keep from screaming.

Once we were far enough, I turned to Suzu, hissing under my breath.

"Goodness. He's a psycho. Pure madness, Suzu!"

"My lady!" she gasped, gripping my sleeve. "Lower your voice. We're still in his territory. Do you want us to end up in the next 'game'?"

I sighed, glancing back as if his shadow would be trailing behind us. "We have to run. Tonight. Or at the latest-tomorrow."

"Huh?!" Suzu gasped as we entered the house again.

"Yes. You heard me."

"But-but my lady... your father-"

"Leave him. If he wanted to protect me, he wouldn't have married me off like a sacrificial lamb. I'm wolf-less, Suzu. You're an Omega. If we stay, we die."

She swallowed. Hard. "Okay... so... any plan?"

I turned to her, eyes burning with defiance. "We find the weakest point in this fortress, steal something useful, and vanish before dawn. I'd rather die running than live in the Devil's house."

"We vanish before dawn? My lady, with what? Fairy dust and prayer?"

I started pacing. "Okay, listen... Here's what we'll do."

That sentence alone made Suzu grab the wall for support.

"We wait until the last guard rotation at midnight. I noticed earlier-one of the guards by the west gate limps. He's slow. And he flirts. A lot. I can distract him."

Suzu's eyes widened. "With what? Your elbows?"

I ignored her. "Then we sneak past the stables, take two horses-quiet ones-and bolt. If we stay off the main road, we can reach the border village by sunrise."

"My lady," she said, raising a hand like she was in class. "We don't know how to ride."

"That's why we steal quiet horses, Suzu. Not the angry ones."

"Right." She exhaled. "So the plan is: distract a creepy guard, steal horses we can't ride, escape a fortress we know nothing about, and outrun a man rumored to have made a blood pact with Lucifer himself?"

"...Exactly."

She blinked. "We're going to die."

"No, Suzu. We're going to escape with flair. Or die fabulously trying."

She groaned. "Can't we bribe someone instead?"

"With what? Your broken shoes or my sarcasm?"

Suddenly, her face lit up. "Wait-I know where they keep the uniforms. If we can dress like maids, maybe we blend in!"

"See?" I grinned. "Now that's the spirit. Operation 'Blend, Bolt, and Beg God for Mercy' is officially in motion."

"Still sounds like a suicide mission."

"It is. But it's our suicide mission."

Suzu leaned against the wall, muttering under her breath, "I should've run the day you married that demon."

I smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Too late now. You're stuck with me, and I'm about to become your worst decision."

She grumbled, "You've already claimed that title, thank you."

I winked. "Then get some rest. Midnight, we move."

And as she flopped dramatically onto the bed, I looked out the window, toward the far end of the estate.

Toward the cage. Toward the Devil.

Valentino might have crafted a golden prison.

But even golden bars can be broken.