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Prologue

Four months ago

The room pulses with shadows and champagne-soaked laughter, but I have a burning feeling in my soul like a hand around my throat, restricting my air and lighting my lungs on fire. It feels like someone is watching me. This isn’t the first time I have felt this unusual sensation. I’ve been feeling it for months.

Everyone thinks I’m soft. Sweet. The kind of girl who gets scared of thunderstorms— but there is a part of me that’s always been drawn to the monsters that live in the dark.

I don’t drink to loosen up. I drink to silence the part of me that likes being looked at as prey. I didn’t come to the club to dance. I came to feel the burn of curiosity flickering behind my ribs. That’s the part I don’t let people see. That’s the part that wonders what it would be like to be possessed by something wicked.

The moment I saw him, I knew I’d be asking for it.

I turn and lock eyes with what appears to be a looming, inescapable figure. I can’t see the face beneath the mask. He tilts his head to the side, and every instinct is screaming to run, but the tingling in my chest dares me to move closer.

My heels click loudly against the marble, in sync with the club music. As the space closes between us, I can’t help the feeling that the air has thickened around us. I keep my head low as I approach the intriguing stranger.

Why does the powerful figure captivate me so easily? I neveract on the urges that lurk beneath the surface, so why now?

I stop inches before him, as if an imaginary shield surrounds him. He takes two strides forward, eating the distance between us. He has clouded my vision and my thoughts. His mask is matte black, covering the entirety of his face, allowing me to see only his eyes through the narrow openings. His voice, low and edged with something dangerous, crawls across my skin, and his words cut through the dense air, leaving me breathless.

“Careful, little princess, you don’t want to make a deal with the devil.”

An alarm blares in my mind, warning me that these are the kind of men who will beat you and bury you in a shallow grave. I ignore my survival instincts and slowly lift my eyes to meet his.

“Maybe I do…” The words escape my mouth before I can stop them. My tone is breathy and full of desire. The champagne is clouding my judgment.

He tilts his head to the side.

“You should have stayed home tonight, princess. You had every chance to run, yet here you are.” He tucks a stray hair behind my ear, and my breathing ceases.

His eyes are dark like a sea of black abyss. There is no bottom, just blackness. My mind panics, but I also don’t want this moment to end. He makes me feel something when all I’ve ever felt is nothing.

1

Evelyn

4 Months Later

Dammit. I’m late again.

I rush to my closet to pick out something to wear to my friend’s birthday dinner. Astra Monroe is going to be twenty-two, and she is the kind of friend who expects everyone to go all-out for her.

Our parents have been best friends since we were children, and we have remained good friends. One thing about Astra— she has a dark side. While she won’t tell me herself— I know that she has seen some twisted shit. Granted, she has been admitted to rehab in the past for drug use, but I still love her.

She has a thing for this guy, Lucien Crowe. Rumor has it that he is smooth, dangerous, and sadistic. Astra will never learn.

I, on the other hand, prefer a classy, proper gentleman—one who is sweet, kind, and gentle.No, you don’t.The voice in my head reminds me of my darkest desires. I shove the thought away before I start to spiral.

I find a dress that I know Astra will love—it’s a black velvet dress with a deep-V cutout. I can pair it with my gold heels, which she got me formy twenty-first birthday. I slip the dress on, fasten my heels, and make my way to my en-suite bathroom.

I still live in my parents’ home, but it’s massive. You rarely run into anyone here, even though the only people residing here are my mother, father, Sergio, and me. I enjoy not having siblings. I don’t ever feel like I am being compared to someone else. I know Astra has always felt that way with her older sister, Amara. I suppose that would make me act out and be rebellious, too.

Amara has always been a big sister to me as well, but I don’t have to compete with her. She is 25, just three years older than Astra, but they have entirely different interests. While Astra loves to go out and party, Amara has always been a lone wolf. I know one day she will find her prince charming, and Astra will find her bad boy. I hope to God it’s not Lucien.

I apply my make-up, going a bit more dramatic than usual. I’m creating a dark, smoky eye and pairing it with my matte red lipstick. It complements my soft green eyes and dark brown hair best. My hair is in loose cascading curls because I know damn well that Astra is going to take about a thousand pictures tonight for her Instagram.

Once I am ready, I grab my clutch and phone from my nightstand, but something stops me.

A note on my bedside table. I didn’t notice it earlier, and no one has been in my room. Have they? God, I’m such a heavy sleeper. I pick up the note. Folded perfectly, and the paper feels smooth and firm. I open it and it reads: