The ride to the Vane Estate was a suffocating, velvet silence. Outside the bulletproof windows, the neon lights of the city smeared into long, jagged streaks of violet and gold, but inside the Maybach, the air was heavy with the scent of Silas Vane: expensive sandalwood, cold rain, and the metallic tang of a weapon that had recently been drawn.
Silas didn't look at Elara. He sat with his legs crossed, his dark suit tailored so sharply it looked like it was designed to draw blood. His thumb traced the hilt of a concealed blade tucked into his waistband, a rhythmic, predatory movement that made Elara's skin prickle. She was a "Dullard"—a girl born without the ability to weave the magical silk threads that ran this city—but she wasn't blind. She could feel the power radiating off him like a physical heat.
When the massive iron gates of the Vane Estate swung open, Elara realized she wasn't just entering a home; she was entering a fortress of "Thread-Cutters." The driveway was lined with men in black, their eyes glowing with the faint, predatory hum of active magic.
"Your room is in the East Wing," Silas said, his voice dropping into a low rasp as the car came to a halt. He finally turned to her, his dark eyes scanning her face as if searching for a crack in her resolve. "My father expects to see you at dinner. Dress like a Vane, not a Moretti. The Morettis look like they're trying to buy the world; the Vanes look like they already own it."
"And how does a Vane dress?" Elara challenged, her hand trembling as she reached for the door handle.
Silas leaned over, his chest brushing her arm in a way that felt like a deliberate claim. He pulled a small velvet box from the glove compartment. Inside was a choker made of midnight-blue silk, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic glow.
"They dress in chains they've chosen for themselves," he whispered, his cold fingers lingering on the sensitive skin of her neck as he fastened the clasp. For a split second, Elara felt a hum in her blood—a dark, hollow hunger that mirrored the look in his eyes. It wasn't the magic she'd spent a lifetime wishing for, but it was something.