Page 49 of What Whispers in the Dark (Promises of the Marked)

T hey must’ve been a spectacle to see. A thing of ice and snow and frost draped on an Elysian nightmare. Light and darkness. Shadow and starfire. Perfectly flattering each other as they ambled around the ballroom.

Alora couldn’t stop staring at Garrik. Couldn’t stop feeling his lips on hers. How his hands had greedily palmed her flesh, claiming her as if she were worth more than his crown and kingdom.

Stars, gazing at him … though everyone else saw the gray-haired demon prowling, prepared to deliver ruination at the simplest offense, somehow, she saw the real and honest smile behind those razor-tipped teeth. The one he never showed anyone but her.

Until the moment those names were called …

Announced in ceremony but spoken like a poisonous vapor …

As if the ground had dissolved like sand from underneath them, Alora snapped her attention to the gilded doors.

Those vile creatures strolled inside like polished gold but corrosive as rusting iron, and the very air around them filled with her promised threat to carve out their hearts before they so much as touched Garrik again.

This deleted scene is settled between Alora and Garrik on the dragon throne making a mockery of Ladomyr and the firework display on the balcony where Garrik forced Erissa and her cronies to bow before Alora in Chapter Fifty.

It is rumored the royal family made memorable appearances at the masquerades; this one is truly unforgettable.

There are trigger warnings for this chapter.