Adrian's chest tightened, but he didn't flinch. He cupped her face, forcing her to meet his storm-gray eyes "Wanting doesn't make you a monster. It makes you human. What you choose after—that is what defines you."
Her lips trembled "And if I choose wrong?"
"Then I'll choose with you," he swore, his voice rough but steady.
She closed her eyes, pressing her forehead to his again, letting his strength bleed into her.
For a long moment, they stayed that way—two broken souls in a clearing of the dead, holding each other as the world threatened to devour them whole.
From the shadows of the trees, unseen, a figure watched. Cloaked in the Order's crimson, his eyes gleamed with cold fire as he surveyed the fallen hunters.
He smiled faintly "So the Rose awakens."
Then he melted back into the forest, silent as smoke.
Neither Adrian nor Elena saw him go.
But the hunt had only begun.
By nightfall, Elena and Adrian reached the river. It wound through the forest like a black serpent, its surface catching starlight in fragments. Mist clung low, curling against their boots as they approached the old ferry dock.
"This is where?" Elena whispered, clutching the Codex beneath her cloak.
Adrian's gaze swept the fog "The River of Masks. There's a city hidden beyond it—one that doesn't take sides....At least, not openly."
Elena frowned "Neutral ground?"
He gave a humorless smile "There's no such thing but the masquerade city owes me a debt."
Before she could ask more, the sound of oars dipped into the water. A narrow skiff emerged from the mist, guided by a boatman cloaked in black. His face was hidden behind a smooth, silver mask with no mouth, no eyes—just blank silence.
Elena shivered.
The boatman said nothing as Adrian led her into the skiff. It rocked with their weight, water slapping against the wood. Without a word, the masked ferryman pushed them into the current.
The city revealed itself like a dream.
Stone bridges arched over canals lit by lanterns that burned with eerie blue fire. Every soul they passed wore a mask—elaborate, grotesque, beautiful. Some were feathered, some gilded, some painted with cruel smiles or eternal tears. Music drifted across the water, strange and haunting.
Elena gripped Adrian's arm "Why do they all wear masks?"
"To survive," he murmured. His eyes were sharp, restless, always scanning "No one here shows their true face.... Not to friends.... Not to lovers.... Not even to themselves."
Her gaze lingered on him "And you?"
He didn't answer.
The skiff docked at a marble landing. A masked attendant in crimson robes gestured them into the city, saying nothing. Adrian guided Elena through winding alleys, past taverns alive with laughter that didn't reach the eyes behind painted porcelain faces.
Everywhere, she felt watched.
They stopped before a grand building draped in silks and shadows. The entrance was flanked by two enormous statues—faceless figures holding masks in outstretched hands.
Adrian's jaw tightened "The House of Echoes. They'll give us shelter for a price."
Inside, chandeliers of black crystal bathed the hall in fractured light. Dancers in velvet spun to music played on strange, stringless instruments. Masks turned toward them as they entered, each pair of eyes glinting with secrets.
"Elena," Adrian murmured low, "stay close. Do not give them your name. Do not give them your truth."
Her heart raced "What if they ask?"
"Lie," he said simply.
Before she could respond, a figure descended the staircase.
A woman, tall and draped in silk the color of midnight. Her mask was carved of ivory, painted with crimson lips and hollow eyes nut her voice, when she spoke, was velvet and sharp.
"Adrian," she purred "The stray wolf returns."
Adrian bowed stiffly "Lady Seraphine."
Elena's pulse quickened at the recognition in the woman's tone.
"You owe me," Adrian said bluntly "A debt you swore."
Seraphine's laughter rang out like silver bell "And here you are to collect but you bring a gift with you, don't you?"
Her gaze slid to Elena hungry, curious.
Elena felt her stomach knot.
Seraphine offered a banquet in their honor—or perhaps in their warning. They dined among masked nobles draped in silks, who whispered behind fans and goblets. The food was spiced and rich but Elena tasted only unease.
Midway through, Seraphine rose and extended her hand.
"Elena, is it?" she asked sweetly "Dance with me."
Elena hesitated, but Adrian gave the faintest nod. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in Seraphine's.
The music swelled, slow and haunting. They moved across the black-marble floor, skirts brushing, masks reflecting candlelight.
"You carry something dangerous," Seraphine whispered near her ear.
Elena's heart skipped "I don't know what you mean."
Seraphine's laugh was soft, cruel "Child, everything here is a mask but power… power leaks through even the finest silk and yours shines like fire under glass."
Elena stiffened, fingers tightening on Seraphine's "I'm no one."
"Ah," Seraphine purred, circling her like a predator "Then why does Adrian guard you like treasure? Why do the Order hunt you like prey?"
Elena swallowed hard, forcing her voice steady "Maybe I'm both."
Seraphine's eyes glinted behind the mask "How delicious."
After the feast, Seraphine led them into a private chamber lined with mirrors.
"I will honor my debt," she said at last, lounging on a chaise "You may stay.... The Order will not touch you here—my walls are older than their hunger."
Adrian narrowed his eyes "What do you want in return?"
Her crimson lips curved "Everything has a price, darling wolf. For you, a memory. For her…" Her gaze slid to Elena "A truth"
Elena's breath caught.
Adrian stepped forward, fury in his voice "No."
Seraphine raised a hand, calm as water "Think carefully. Outside these walls, the Order waits. Inside, you are safe but nothing is free."
The mirrors shimmered faintly, as if alive. Elena's reflection blinked a beat too late, its eyes glowing crimson for a heartbeat.
The Codex pulsed under her cloak.
Seraphine smiled knowingly.
That night, alone in their chamber, Elena could not sleep. The city's music bled through the walls, low and sinister. She sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection in the darkened mirror.
Adrian moved behind her, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"You shouldn't let her into your head," he murmured.
Elena's voice tremble "What if she's right? What if I am both treasure and prey?"
Adrian turned her toward him, his touch firm but tender "Then let them hunt... Let them covet... I don't care... You are still you."
Her chest ached at the rawness in his tone "And if I lose myself?"
His storm-gray eyes softened, breaking for her. He cupped her face, lowering his forehead to hers "Then I'll find you again and again, as many times as it takes."
Her lips parted, trembling "Adrian…"
His mouth brushed hers, slow and fragile, a kiss laced with fear and promise. For a heartbeat, the Codex's whispers silenced.
But in the mirror behind them, her reflection smiled when she did not.
The city never slept. Even deep into the night, masked revelers filled the canals with music and laughter that sounded more like weeping. Elena watched from the balcony of their chamber, the Codex heavy in her lap, its pages restless with shifting symbols.
Adrian paced the room behind her, hand never far from his sword. His unease bled into the air.
"They're watching us," he muttered "Every shadow hides a listener."
Elena brushed her fingers over the Codex's glowing script "They're not just watching me. They're waiting."
Adrian stopped. His gaze cut to her, sharp as steel "For what?"
She met his eyes, the truth clawing up her throat "For me to become what they fear or what they want."
The Codex pulsed, and the mirrors lining the chamber flickered. For a heartbeat, she saw herself standing crowned in thorns, her eyes burning red, Adrian kneeling at her feet.
She gasped and shut the Codex, the vision vanishing.
Adrian was at her side in an instant, gripping her shoulders "What did you see?"
Her lips trembled "Nothing I want"
Morning bled through stained-glass windows when Lady Seraphine summoned them again.
She sat at the head of a long obsidian table, masked nobles arrayed like a court of phantoms. The air was thick with incense and unspoken menace.
"Last night, the Order moved closer," Seraphine said, her ivory mask gleaming. "Three of their hunters crossed the river. They wore no masks.... Fools."
A ripple of laughter broke among the nobles, cold and sharp.
Adrian's jaw tightened "They won't stop."
"No," Seraphine agreed. Her gaze slid to Elena "Not until they have you or what sleeps inside you."
Elena's heart stuttered "What does that mean?"
Seraphine tilted her head "The Rose doesn't bloom without reason. You think you were chosen? No, child.... You were forged."
Elena froze, words caught in her throat.
Adrian stepped forward, voice low and dangerous "Enough games."
But Seraphine only laughed softly, her crimson lips curling "Oh, wolf..... You want to keep her ignorant but ignorance is a mask too, and masks always crack."