Chapter 1

The Grand Ballroom of the De Luca estate was a palace of lies,blazing with crystal chandeliers that didn't cast enough light to hide the rot beneath.

I stood in the center,my knees trembling,forced to hold a silver chalice filled with a viscous,dark-red liquid.It was'The Vow of Silence'—the Syndicate’s most poetic execution method.It wouldn't kill you instantly;it would burn your voice and rot your insides until you were nothing but a living ghost.

The men ordering me to swallow my own death were the De Luca twins:Killian and Cassian.The two men I once believed would be my armor.

"Drink it,Elara,"Killian’s voice was like a winter blade,cold and unyielding."Father needs to know if the blood of a traitor truly runs through your veins."

I looked at the girl clinging to Cassian’s arm.Sienna Thorne.She looked perfect in her blush-pink silk dress,her eyes shimmering with fake tears,though her lips curved in a smug,microscopic smile that only I could see.

"I didn't push her,"I rasped,my throat already dry from fear."I know the Syndicate needs her father’s smuggling routes.I’m not a fool.Sienna tripped on her own shadow."

Cassian finally looked at me,but he didn't see the woman he’d spent ten years protecting.He saw a liability.He reached out,gently patting Sienna’s hand."Sienna says you cornered her on the terrace.Jealousy is a dangerous disease,Elara.You tried to sabotage the De Luca legacy tonight."

"She’s lying!"I whispered,but my words were swallowed by the opulence of the room.

Half an hour ago,on the terrace,Sienna had tried to slap me.I had simply stepped aside.She lost her balance and hit the stones.Now,according to her,I was the jealous foster-sister who wanted her dead.

"This is a test of loyalty,"Killian said,taking two other glasses from a server.They were filled with the same crimson liquid."Cassian and I will drink the diluted version.If our intentions for the family are pure,the wine is harmless."

He tilted his head back,draining the cup.Cassian followed suit.Neither flinched.

"See?"Sienna purred,her voice sweet as hemlock."As long as you have nothing to hide,Elara,there’s nothing to fear.Unless...you really are like your parents."

I wanted to scream.I knew their glasses were filled with vintage Cabernet,not poison.I had seen them use this theatrical execution on'rats'a dozen times.

"I won't play this game,"I said,setting the glass on the velvet-covered table."If you want me dead,kill me like a De Luca.Not like a coward."

Killian’s jaw tightened.The air in the room turned arctic.

Suddenly,two guards lunged forward,slamming me down to my knees.The cold marble bit into my skin.

"Killian,wait..."Cassian’s voice held a fleeting trace of hesitation,but it vanished as soon as his gaze drifted to the balcony.

The Don,Silas De Luca,stood there like a grim god,watching the spectacle.

Killian crouched in front of me,his shadow devouring me.He picked up the poisoned chalice and pressed the cold rim against my lips."This is your last chance,"he growled low,for only my ears."Apologize to Sienna.Admit you pushed her.I can make this go away."

I looked into the eyes of the man I had once loved and saw a stranger."And then what,Killian?Tomorrow she’ll frame me for something else,and you’ll be right back here,holding the cup."

His fingers gripped my jaw,bruising and hard."Sienna’s father controls the routes for the next three years.We need this alliance.And Sienna...she needs to feel safe.She needs to see that you are beneath her."

"So,I’m your sacrificial lamb?"I choked out."A toy for her to break whenever she feels insecure?"

"You'll survive,"Killian hissed,his eyes pleading in a way that made me sick."We have the antidote ready.You’ll be sick for three days,that’s all.It gives Sienna the'justice'she wants and satisfies Father’s need for a trial.It’s a win-win."

I felt a hollow laugh tear through my chest."A win-win?You want me to be grateful for a staged death?To be your perfectly broken,obedient dog?"

Killian went silent.And in that silence,I found the truth.

This wasn't just about Sienna.This was about breaking me until I had nothing left but them.They wanted to be the ones who poisoned me,and the ones who'saved'me.

They wanted to own my very breath.