The bell above the door chimed as Lumi slipped inside. Outside, sunlight poured over the dilapidated streets, but inside the pawnshop, the atmosphere seemed to wither. The powdery smell of old scrolls and heirlooms hit her first. Dust clung to the stale air, and the dim interior bore the weight of years. At the back of the room, a single bulb flickered, casting shadows over the shopkeeper who sat beneath it.

  He was gaunt, grey hair thinning, face carved with deep lines. From behind half-moon spectacles, he eyed Lumi. His pale eyes lingered on her for a beat too long before drifting back to the yellowed pages of the tome in his hands.

  Lumi held herself with practiced composure. Shoulders squared, spine taut. If only posture alone could shield her unease.

  No pawnshop ever saw her twice in quick successions. She made certain to rotate between the many establishments scattered across Port Bram. To linger too long or return too often was to invite scrutiny. Or worse, discovery.

  She marched to the back of the shop and dropped the compass and the map on the countertop.

  “I’d like to know the value for these.”

  Lumi had doubted they would fetch any price at all, but if they belonged to an Emperor of the Seas surely they held some worth.

  The broker looked upon her again, then peered down at the objects she placed before him. His bony fingers descended upon the compass first, lifting it with the care of someone accustomed to handling other people’s treasures. He turned it over, the tarnished brass catching the faint flicker of the overhead bulb. He flicked it open, and frowned.

  “Old,” he murmured, more to himself than to her. He ran a thumb over the casing, tracing the faded symbols that circled its rim. “But perhaps, not without value.”

  He set it down and reached for the scroll. Unrolling it revealed brittle edges that threatened to crumble beneath his touch. His sharp eyes scanned the map, and Lumi did not miss the way they widened. His body went stiff as a board, as though recognizing something.

  When the shopkeeper’s gaze returned to her, it was tinged with something that sent dread down her spine. Startled disbelief, as though the items she’d laid before him were more than mere trinkets.

  “Where,” he cleared the rasp from his throat, “Where did you find this.” His eyes shone with something dark—something between dread and fascination.

  “Why do you ask?” Lumi kept cautious.

  “This map…I believe it is—” He went silent when the bell chimed. His eyes travelled past her, to the person who had entered the shop. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

  “What about the map?” Lumi demanded.

  This was taking far too long.

  When his eyes met hers again, they were full of terror. The air in the room thickened, pressing in around her like a tightening noose.

  The hairs on the back of her neck stood upright. A sharp instinct told her someone was standing just behind her, watching, waiting. And when she felt that sweltering heat—the same one she had felt the night before, she knew she was in trouble.

  Lumi jumped forward and grabbed the stolen goods. She made a run for it, but he was faster. Before she could get the door open, he had her in his clutches. Her front pressed up against the rickety door, her back enveloped by him.

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  “You stole from me last night.” His words brushed over her, his mouth a breath from her ear. Every syllable was harsh, yet intimate.

  It was him, alright. Rook. The Emperor. She would not forget that voice so soon. Or the oppressive heat that seemed to cling to him.

  Sweat beaded on her brow, trickling down her spine. Her underarms grew damp. The heat pressed in around her. It was suffocating, and she could feel her composure slipping away.

  “Get off me.”

  “You’re hardly in a position to be making demands.” His voice was a low growl, a mixture of anger and something else. “Did nobody ever teach you not to take what isn’t yours?”

  “I won’t be lectured by a killer.” Lumi tried to yank out of his grip, but he didn’t budge, his presence firm and unyielding.

  “But you’ll steal from one?” He laughed, the sound making her shiver. She could feel his tormenting smile press into her hair as he said, “You’re not very bright, are you?”

  Lumi elbowed him, and managed to spin around, but it did nothing to better her circumstance. Now she was face to face with the cold-blooded killer. And there was no space between them.

  He loomed over her, their height difference impossible to ignore. She stood no chance against this mammoth of a man. Black curls framed his face as he gazed down at her, his eyes deep and endless as night. As he watched her, the furrow in his brow deepened.

  “Mugwort,” he said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You smell of mugwort.” There was accusation in his eyes, “Why?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Lumi recalled her master’s reaction to seeing him in her memories. Sol had never shown fear—not in Lumi’s presence, at least—but this morning she had.

  Despite the sweltering heat, something icy coiled in Lumi’s gut. She was tangled in something far darker than she had anticipated when she first set her sights on him the night before.

  The Emperor’s jaw tensed, “Give me what is mine.”

  He spoke with such authority, his words cutting through the air with ease. The room shrunk under the force of his command. All at once, it clicked. The way he moved, the way he carried himself—effortlessly, like he belonged everywhere he set foot. The world bent itself to accommodate him.

  And why shouldn’t it. In a way, he was on top of the world.

  It was so bloody unfair.

  Lumi had to claw her way through every inch of her existence, fight tooth and nail to gain even the smallest semblance of control.

  But him? He stood there, radiating confidence and power, as though it had all been handed to him on a silver platter.

  “If I return your items, you’ll leave me be?”

  He considered that, “I haven’t decided, yet.”

  “I don’t have your gem,” she said, “Just a broken compass and a map of the Kingdom of Dracule.”

  She braced herself, expecting the worst—rage, swearing, perhaps even a slap to the face—but instead he stood frozen, blinking down at her, his lips parted in disbelief.

  “How do you know it’s a map of Dracule?”

  Lumi crinkled her brows, “It’s written at the top.”

  “You’re able to read the Draculian dialect?” He stared down at her as if she had three heads.

  Gods, she should have kept her mouth shut.

  She hadn’t realized it was written in any specific language. She had assumed it was written in Senkese.

  “I…” she didn’t know what to say, “I have to go.”

  “My belongings.” He commanded.

  Lumi slipped the compass and the map into his pocket.

  “And my gem?”

  “I already told you, I don’t—”

  “If you can’t return my money,” His hand grabbed her waist and squeezed, making her legs tremble and the spot between her legs pulse, “I’m willing to accept other forms of payment.”

  She blushed. “You’re depraved.”

  “I’m just a man.”

  “I’m already booked for tonight,” she spat, “Your friend has paid for my services.”

  She watched as his black eyes darkened further. A nerve in his jaw ticked, “Sivan?”

  “That’s right.” She pressed both hands into his chest and pushed him off. This time he budged, finally giving her some space to breathe.

  “I want my gem back,” he grumbled, voice low and dangerous.

  “Well, you can’t have it.” Her words were steady, but her heart pounded like a drum. She knew she was in treacherous waters, but she couldn’t let her fear show.

  He stepped back, glaring at her with a quiet fury, “You’re free to leave. But remember, I always get what I want.”

  Lumi stalked out of the shop, her mind racing with the implication of his words. His promise followed her as she disappeared into a crowd of people.

  I always get what I want.

  Lumi couldn’t shake the feeling that this was only the beginning.