Betrothed to the Devil

nto contract, Gold woke up to the sc

y came crashing back. The marble hallway. Nicolas's voice like fr

phone was gone. Her past, her name, her life-all str

Duvall, heiress of a de

e fiancée of Ni

vil in

pped again

aced h

hite blouse entered. Her hair was pulled back

Devereux asked me to assist

ion?" Go

in two days. A private dinner with members of the Devereux b

ghtened. "They'll

"Let's help you mak

ind of fittings, briefings

ociety crowd, but Nicolas's world wasn't high

sharper. The expe

r into a sleek black cocktail dress,

this?" G

ara said. "He wanted yo

ind. They were cut like shards of starlight, glittering with quiet menac

t touch it

collar?" sh

ightly. "He said it be

still

xpected, personal-made the ne

, gently, and let Clara

settled just

e, where the ocean kissed the stone walls. The table was

who-true to form-offered no a

dn't n

like armor, the nec

h the room as they sat.

ning," some

ng," ano

woman with wine-red li

glancing her way. "You wanted a queen

laughed-some amu

aid no

s met the w

assed silentl

s Elise Graves. She was once engaged t

d her head

easure's mine. I do hope you

sweetly. "I

le went

ly looked at

swore sh

omething behind

sem

rov

sp

idn't

ave her

that flanked the estate. The moonlight poured dow

eeded

eded s

, he fo

las said behind her, his foot

rying to im

kno

rned s

king too calm for a man who had just weapon

esting you

d y

you," he said. "I alre

brow. "And

rvi

nticize it. I'm just good at keepi

a step

act

hanged be

ier. But not

y. "Out of everyone. There are dozens of w

didn't," he

blin

tinued. "You came with fire in your eyes. You want

back to the sea. "H

e said, "they're

he garden with the wind in her hair, Gold sat by

she didn't

lt wat

ng inside he

t drownin

as fl

wait

ought he was playing a game with a p

n the t

't just su

d beat h