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August 24 - September 28, 2025
“Love is immortal. Death can neither touch nor steal it. Especially when it’s true.
“Promise me to wake each day and find joy wherever you can, no matter how small it may be. There will always be hard times and trying times and times for sorrow, but we won’t let those days destroy the here and now. Because right now? I’m here.” He kissed the top of my head. “And you’re here.” He pressed his lips to my ...
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“How have you not figured out a formula for love yet?” I teased. “Have you no faith in my mighty brain? Of course I’ve worked out an equation only for us.” Thomas smiled. “My love for you will be a constant in a sea of unknown variables. We may fight or be cross with each other, but our love will never fade or wilt. Trust in that. Trust in us. Forget the future. Forget worry. The only thing that terrifies me is the possibility of living with regret. I don’t ever want to wake and wonder what life coul...
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“Do you remember when I teased you about getting you to church?” I nodded, thinking back to our first case together. He smiled, that boyish, vulnerable smile. “After I said it, I’d never hoped for something more.”
A lovely dream began—a preview of our upcoming nuptials. I was dressed in my wedding gown, my veil trailing like a cloud behind me. The young man waiting at the altar was dressed in black. From his midnight suit to his shadowy form. Even up to the tips of his twisted horns, gleaming like twin obsidian blades. My blood prickled. That wasn’t… I thrashed about, trying to wake myself. The man waiting for me had no face, no discernible features other than the horns on his head. In my dream I began trembling, the bouquet of roses I held pricking my hands. Blood dripped on my dress and onto the
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I wanted one day free from death. I longed to think only of life as we celebrated our union. Now I could hardly think of anything else with the article glaring at me.
It was finally time to meet my husband at the altar. Neither the devil, nor a nightmare, nor any other nefarious thing would ruin our day.
“There’s a carriage waiting in the alley in case you’ve changed your mind. I’ll take care of the details.”
He’d take me from this chapel at once, no questions or judgment, should I choose a different fate. And I loved him for it. I tried not to focus on the sudden overwhelming sadness of closing one chapter and stepping into a new one. No matter how much I’d longed for freedom, it was a strange sort of thing to no longer be under my father’s roof.
“I scarcely know why I’m crying,” I said, unable to stop the flow of tears that had begun. Aunt Amelia would definitely murder me if she wasn’t preoccupied with last-minute arrangements. “I want this. More than anything. It’s… everything is going to be different now, is all.” “Ah.” Father gently took the handkerchief from me and tucked it back into his pocket. “Part of growing older means letting go. You can’t move forward if you never take those first few steps onto new ground. Now’s the time to be brave, Daughter. Walking into the future means trusting in yourself even when you can’t see
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I hoped there was an ever after, and that my mother and brother were both smiling down upon me now. I certainly missed them and all the memories we never had the chance to make.
My dark prince.
It did not escape my notice that he appeared to be the heir to a dynasty.
Surely he had to be an angel sent directly from Heaven.
His grin was so radiant, he practically beamed. The priest cleared his throat, holding his prayer book up, likely reminding us we were in a house of God and were not yet married. If he was that put out by our appreciative glances, he’d likely go up in fire and brimstone if he knew we’d already consummated our marriage. Three times last night. And once this morning.
FOUR TIMES UNDERC 24 HOURS??
“Will you, Thomas James Dorin cel Rău Cresswell, take Audrey Rose Aadhira Wadsworth to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?” Thomas gently ran his thumb over my knuckles. “I will.” The priest nodded. “Very good. Audrey—” “I will love and honor you every second, every minute, every hour of the day,” Thomas continued, stepping closer. “I vow to seek your counsel on all matters, both big and small, and to cherish you with each breath in my lungs. I
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We’d chosen matching bands—two serpents entwined in an infinity symbol. And if someone knew to look carefully enough, they’d recognize they were actually dragons, symbolic of his mother’s lineage.
“I will.” I pulled him nearer still, ignoring the disapproving grunt from the priest. “I promise to love and challenge you, to remind you to don warmth as much as you wear that cool, scientific exterior I adore so much. I vow to always remain the woman you fell in love with. I will honor you by never being afraid to express my opinion, to love you without limits, and to tell you each day of our lives how incredible you are. How kind and gentle and intelligent. I promise to love you with every part of me now until our next lifetime. I love you, Thomas James Dorin cel Rău Cresswell, now and
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Footsteps sounded behind us, but I didn’t quite care who we’d offended with our proclamations. Let them leave. This moment was ours. Despite the enchanted forest setting, standing here, in front of Thomas, it was the simple wedding we’d wished for all along—a day where we could speak to each other from our hearts as if it were just the two of us.
Perhaps he thought this was some dream. Or a nightmare, given the way he’d stopped breathing.
It sounded as if she’d said she was betrothed to Thomas. My Thomas. The man I gave myself to last night. The man who—moments ago—swore to love me forever. The man I’d just exchanged rings with. Well, almost. I could still faintly pick out the sound of the gold band as it rolled to a stop. It was odd, hearing something so insignificant while my heart cracked wide open.
“I-I’m sorry.” The priest shook his head, glancing from the letter to us. “This is postmarked the first week of December. I do not have the legal authority to marry you today.” He swallowed hard, and I saw true regret enter his eyes. “Nor ever, if this remains a binding agreement.”
Until this morning, I’d never heard her name uttered. Not once. I’d looked to Thomas for answers, but he’d donned that icy exterior, permitting no one a glimpse into his heartbreak. The absolute elation I’d seen in his eyes had disappeared, gone so quickly it was as if it never existed. The young man standing at that altar no longer resembled the affectionate, loving man I’d shared my heart—and body—with. This Thomas was remote and cold. Something I recognized as his emotional shield, though it didn’t stop the sting of him leaving me to deal with my devastation alone.
Society never condemned men for their part in untoward romantic encounters. Women were harlots and upstarts while men were experienced and savvy. Oh, how I loathed the world.
It seemed a cruel twist of fate, that something born of love could evoke such hatred.
couldn’t retain anything anyone said after that declaration. Betrothals were so rarely created out of love; they were business maneuvers, and as such there were many rules and regulations once one had entered into them.
Miss Whitehall was not a direction. She was a living, breathing reminder that Thomas and I had known each other for only a few months. There was much about him that I still didn’t know. I almost cringed at the thought of what other secrets he’d yet to reveal.
I ought to have known better. Fairy tales don’t end well for the imposter princess. No amount of artistry or cunningly placed pieces of moss and flowers could make my enchanted forest a reality. I was a damned thing. I might as well be the devil’s heir. At least then I wouldn’t have to hide who or what I was.
I laughed, the sound hysterical to my own ears. Of course. I’d be the one who’d planned a wedding but ended up with a funeral. I was the queen of death. A princess of corpses. Everything I touched decayed.
I wondered how red my eyes were. How beaten I must look. There was no pretending, no mask to hide behind. My heart was wholly broken.
Our wedding was a mockery. I was losing him. I couldn’t breathe.
Understand? And, in case you’ve forgotten, your Mr. Cresswell is one of the best at solving mysteries. Do you truly believe he’ll let this stand? He seemed ready to unleash Hell upon the world. Satan himself would tremble. Have heart, Cousin. All will be well.”
She’d suggested sitting in my room eating chocolate and drinking champagne, but I’d begged her to go downstairs and keep everyone away, unable to deal with their pity. Or their words of hope. I wasn’t sure which stung more. Their belief that all would be well, or my grappling with the truth that it would not.
It was especially calming as I sat in the center of my own disaster. My wedding gown lay discarded beside me, a heap of tulle and petals and whimsy. Which was a contrast to my reading material. Nathaniel’s journals lay strewn across what should have been my marital bed, his notes scattered and dismal like my current thoughts. I glanced at the pile and winced. I’d accidentally smudged ink on my wedding gown. It was one more loss to add to the day’s tally. I shook my head. Death invaded even the most sacred of spaces in my life.
If it was intent on joining me in my darkest hours, I might as well welcome it.
After his initial inspection of me, he wouldn’t meet my gaze. How different it was from this morning, when he’d stared unabashedly into my eyes, our bodies melded into one. A thousand images fought their way into my mind—his hands in my hair, his lips on my throat, my fingers on his back, our hips pressed together. It had all been so wonderful, and now…
If I’d learned anything from our time with the carnival, it was the power of sharing the parts of myself I worried might scare him away.
“I do not regret sharing a bed with you. Not now or ever. I-I’m uncomfortable not knowing what comes next. What if you must wed Miss Whitehall? What happens then?” I took a steadying breath. “If you share her bed, I cannot be your mistress, Thomas. I will not do that to myself, no matter how much of my heart you possess.”
The dangerous calm of his tone sent gooseflesh racing along my spine. Liza was right. I’d never seen this side of Thomas. I didn’t fear him; I feared the war he might wage for me. Thomas was a young man who’d found happiness, and he’d clutch at it until his body turned to dust. “What are the terms of the betrothal?” “None that cannot be broken,”
“You’re not the only one who our dear father wrote to.” She clutched a letter in her fist, holding it up for us to see. “He’s threatened me.” “Don’t be absurd.” Thomas’s light tone did not match the fearful look in his eyes. I imagined another stone falling from the avalanche his father had started. “You underestimate our father.” A tear slid down Daciana’s cheek. “If you do not agree to his terms, I will be married to that old, rotten friend of his immediately.” I glanced between them, noticing the remaining color drain from Thomas’s face. “Who?” he asked, his voice already laced with dread.
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“Did you say she’s a Hohenzollern?” I nearly pitched forward. I’d known Ileana was a member of the Romanian nobility, but I hadn’t a clue how far up the ranks her family was. She was a princess of Romania. Our situation had gone from bad to passable back to hopeless in a few breaths. What his father was doing was deplorable.
If this were a game, his father had successfully outmaneuvered him. There were no other cards for us to pull, no tricks we could use to wriggle out of this mess. Thomas would marry Miss Whitehall, or everyone he loved—aside from me—would be ruined. I was only ruined in a different way. It was an impossible position. If he picked me, he was damning his sister and her beloved and losing both of his ancestral homes. He’d also lose his title. And he’d lose his future. If he did as his father commanded, he’d break my heart and his own. There were no winners in this game. Except his father and Miss
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I ought to feel better, knowing Miss Whitehall was only after a marriage of convenience. That his father didn’t dislike me, but longed for status more than his son’s happiness. Neither of those realizations dulled the growing ache.
“There’s no way around this. If only Ileana and I had been more discreet—” Thomas was before his sister at once, expression fierce. He gently clutched her wrists, drawing them away from her tearstained face. “Do not ever blame yourself or Ileana. You have every right to love each other as freely as anyone else. He’s playing this game as filthily as possible because he has no options left. If he did, he’d have saved these threats for some other terrible scheme. Father is twisted and brutal and this is his issue, not yours. Agreed?”
Liza had been correct—he’d never stop trying to unravel this puzzle until he found a way to solve it. He’d run himself through before he gave up.
We were the only two people in the entire world he could be himself around.
“The reason you have to marry Miss Whitehall is the very same reason I must decline your offer. No matter how much I wish not to. I cannot curse my family any more than you can curse yours. I am many things, but to be that selfish? It’s inconceivable.”
These were only a few of the things I’d miss terribly once they were gone. But they must be cut away, sliced like a tumor before it could grow. Though it killed me, I had to push him away. For both of our sakes. If not, we’d both travel down a path of hurting the ones we loved. I would not let him turn into a devil, no more than I’d allow my own darkness to take control.
“I will love you until the world stops spinning or my heart ceases to beat, Thomas Cresswell. Even then I’m not sure my love will ever be content to leave you. But I won’t ever share a bed with someone who belongs to another. No matter how much I long to. Please do not ask that of me.”
It was the hardest, most treacherous act I’d ever been forced to commit. Though in truth I had not done this to him. That blame rested solely on his father.
