A ravenous fire engulfed her.
Orange flames licked upwards, swallowing everything in their path. Heat stroked her skin as smoke and ash curled through the atmosphere. An inferno—incinerating, consuming, destroying.
In the heart of it, stood Rook.
Her flesh scorched as she looked upon him. The skin on the left side of her face smoldered. A scream tore from deep within her, the pain unbearable.
Rook reached for her, his expression twisted with remorse. He pulled her close, into his fiery embrace. Hunger clawed through her veins as he held her.
Without thought, she sank her teeth into his neck. The blood that flowed over her tongue tasted like fire. It flooded her, filling the emptiness inside her with a savage power.
She drank from him. Frantic, desperate for more.
His body tensed against hers, a strangled groan escaping him. He shoved her away, but the taste of his blood still burned her tongue.
“You—” his voice cracked as he clutched his neck.
The world around them spun.
Everything blurred into nothing.
***
Lumi jolted awake.
Disoriented, she blinked her eyes open. Darkness pressed around her, broken only by the faint flicker of candlelight.
The remnants of a dream lingered at the edges of her mind, an unfinished scream caught in her throat. It felt important, vital even. But she couldn’t grasp onto it. The details slipped away, like sand between her fingers.
Awareness gripped her. Her surroundings smelled of saltwater and damp wood. The surface she laid upon swayed.
A ship.
She was on a ship. Not just any ship. His ship. The emperor’s.
Reality struck her like a blow to the chest. The mangled bodies, the crimson-soaked boards, the bloodthirsty gleam reflected in those sable eyes. He killed those people, torn their bodies apart in the most brutal of ways. And now she was here—in his bed.
The room bled into focus. It was sparsely furnished. Curved walls, the timber dark and weathered. A battered table stood against one wall, cluttered with maps and parchments. A single candle burned low. The bed beneath her was rough—linens stretched over a thin mattress.
Every detail in the room spoke of function over comfort, of a man who lived by necessity, not indulgence. The stark simplicity gave Lumi pause.
She jumped at the sound of footsteps approaching. Instinct kicked in, and her hand went to her thigh, but her dagger was gone.
Panic flooded her.
Then she saw it, resting on the nightstand. Within arm’s reach. Why would he leave it there?
She snatched it without thought, hiding the blade behind her back as the door creaked open. The tension in the room thickened as Rook stepped inside.
Lumi’s mouth went dry.
Shirtless.
He was shirtless.
The faint light skimmed over the hard planes of his chest. The ridges of old scars crisscrossed his flesh like a map of past violence. Dark hair dusted his pectorals, trailing down his abdomen and vanishing into the waistband of his slacks.
Lumi’s blood ran cold. Not because of the scars, or the blood still marring his golden complexion. No, what made her blanch was what was missing.
His left arm.
The limb was torn off, replaced by a jagged stump just below his shoulder. It was grotesque. Rough and uneven, as if the wound had been sealed in the heat of battle.
There was an odd power in his mutilation. It made little sense to her. Losing a limb only sharpened the edges of the man who stood before her. The absence made him appear more dangerous, more terrifying.
Goosebumps prickled her flesh.
He’d fought three with one arm and still came out victorious. Not just victorious, he’d walked away unscathed, not a scratch on him.
Lumi swallowed, her throat raw.
“You’re awake,” his voice was a low rumble. His dark gaze swept over her as he crossed the room in long strides. He sat on the edge of the bed, the mattress sagging beneath his weight.
Lumi pressed herself against the headboard, increasing the distance between them, tightening her grip around the hilt of her blade.
Rook’s gaze flicked to the nightstand where the weapon had rested moments ago, then back to her.
He knew.
Of course, he did.
And yet, his features lacked any hint of concern. He did not appear the slightest bit fazed by what she held in her hand.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Did he think she couldn’t do it? She could. The thought of driving her blade into his chest and silencing that infuriating calm was tempting.
Too tempting.
Last night she had been caught up in the heat of the moment. And tonight? Tonight she needed him breathing, needed him talking. Information was worth more than vengeance. At least, for now.
“I advise against trying to kill me.” He reached out with unsettling ease, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. His fingers lingered there, thumb delicately tracing the curve of her cartilage. “It didn’t end well for the others.”
The gesture was intimate. Tender. It set her nerves aflame, an unwelcome fire sparking deep inside her. A shiver racked her spine, impossible to suppress.
“Are you afraid of me?” his voice was low, rough.
A bitter laugh rose from her throat,“I’m not afraid. I’m repulsed. You killed them.”
“I did.”
He was so nonchalant about the whole thing. No apology. No explanation. Utterly devoid of guilt or sorrow. As if murder was just another chore.
“You don’t sound sorry,” she bit out.
“That’s because I’m not.”
Her jaw tightened as she snapped her gaze away, teeth grinding against the words she longed to hurl at him. He gave her no reprieve. His thumb traced the sharp line of her jaw, firm yet unhurried. He lifted her chin, leaving her no choice but to meet his harsh stare.
“Don’t be naive, Lumi. It’s unbecoming.”
“They didn’t deserve to die.”
“They came to kill me,” he said in a matter-of-fact way, “Instead, I killed them. This world doesn’t care about what anyone deserves. It’s kill or be killed.”
“You tore them apart,” she shot back, the memory of dismembered limbs flashing before her eyes.
“And that surprises you?” His lips curved into a smirk, more predator than man, “Don’t tell me I’ve ruined your image of me.”
She stiffened. He was right, of course. When they met, he’d been claiming a bounty. The decapitated head of some unfortunate soul dangled in his hand like an afterthought. He’d never pretended to be anything but ruthless.
Still, the weight in her chest was undeniable, “You didn’t have to be so…”
“So what?” He leaned closer, amusement dancing in his eyes, “Brutal? Did you expect me to kill them politely.”
His brows arched, daring her to answer. She didn’t.
“I’m not sorry I killed them, but I am sorry you had to see it.” His knuckles brushed over her cheek, the gesture disarmingly tender, “You took quite a fall. Are you feeling alright.”
“I’m fine.”
“When was the last time you ate something?”
As if on cue, her stomach betrayed her with an audible growl. Heat crawled up her neck as she admitted, “It’s been a while.”
Rook rose without a word, disappearing into the shadows. Lumi’s grip on her dagger tightened. Her knuckles ached, her pulse pounding against her ribs. The silence stretched, broken only by the distant groan of the ship’s timbers and the muffled howl of wind clawing at the hull.
When he returned, he carried a tray crafted from polished wood. On it lay a modest spread—a steaming bowl of stew and a slab of bread.
He set the tray down on the bed beside her, “Eat.”
Lumi hesitated, her pride warring with the gnawing ache in her stomach. The stew’s aroma curled through the air, making her resolve falter.
The first spoonful burned her tongue, but she didn’t care. She ate in silence, devoured the meal within minutes. The ache in her belly dulled with each bite, but the emptiness inside her remained.
Every now and then, Rook reached out—a fleeting caress over her knee, a brief touch to her wrist, a drag of his knuckles along her collarbone in a slow arc that set her skin ablaze.
It unsettled her, the way he loomed, the way he studied her. But with her hunger taken care of, she could think more clearly. She had a mission. She needed to learn everything she could about him and report back to Lady Sol. Nothing else mattered.
“They say you’re an emperor,” her voice cut through the stillness.
His lips curved—not quite a smile, more a twitch of amusement. “And?”
“You don’t seem like one.”
“Don’t I?” A challenge wrapped in indifference.
“No. You don’t.”
“Tell me, Lumi. What makes one seem like an emperor?”
“An emperor has riches beyond measure,” she began, setting her spoon down on the platter, “They sail on magnificent ships, explore lands most can’t even name. They never dirty their hands, they have people for that. They don’t play assassin for the kingdom, and they certainly don’t flinch at the loss of thirty thousand gem. To an emperor, that’s pocket change.”
His eyes glinted, catching a flicker of candlelight, “Is that so?”
“Am I wrong?” she challenged.
His stare was unnerving, “You’ve thought about this a great deal, haven’t you?”
“That’s not an answer.”
Rook’s gaze never left hers, but those dark orbs suddenly seemed eons away, “I’m an emperor by blood, not by choice.”
“Meaning?”
“My father was an emperor,” his words were clipped, as if each syllable cost him something. “When he…” A muscle in his jaw tightened. “When he passed, the title fell to me.”
“How convenient.”
His brows furrowed, a shadow passing over his face, “I wouldn’t call it that.”
“You don’t want it?”
“I don’t care for it.” His tone was heavy with something—resentment, perhaps. Or regret?
“Then why keep it?”
He met her gaze, unflinching, “I have my reasons.”
Lumi leaned forward, unwilling to let him slip through her grasp, “You could sit on your throne and let others do the work. Why dirty your hands at all? Why play assassin?”
“I don’t much like to sit.”
“And the gem? You’re killing pirates for the royal kingdom, collecting their bounties like a common mercenary. Why?”
“I have my reasons.”
“That, too, is not an answer.” Lumi’s patient thinned but she swallowed her irritation and tried a different angle, “What brings you here? To Port Bram?”
“I came to meet with General Sivan,” he said, then added, “But you already knew that.”
“That was two days ago.”
“Yes, well, I’ve extended my visit.”
“Why?”
A pause, then, “Curiosity.”
“About…?”
“Enlighten me, Lumi.” He tilted his head, studying her with an intensity that made her stomach tighten. “Why do you think I’m here?”
She fought the instinct to look away. “I haven’t the faintest idea.”
His lips curled into a lazy smirk, like he didn’t quite believe her. He leaned closer, voice low, “You.”
“Me?” The words came out sharper than intended, defensive.
“Yes, you.”
It was absurd. Unheard of. A man like him, lingering on this forgotten speck of land in the middle of the sea, for her? She swallowed hard, keeping her face neutral. “Why me?”
“I find you…” His gaze flickered over her, dark and unrelenting, “Intriguing.”
She scoffed at him, “Is that supposed to make me feel special?”
He considered her question with maddening calm, “How does it make you feel?”
“Disturbed.”
He chuckled, a low, dark sound that sent a shiver up her spine.
Her eyes betrayed her, flicking down to his exposed torso. The blood smeared across his skin clung to him like war paint, a grotesque emblem of the life he lived. It marked him as a man who took what he wanted, who left ruin in his wake. A hideous testament to his ruthlessness.
And yet, she couldn’t look away.
Taut muscle coiled beneath scarred skin, each line and ridge carved by brutality. Every inch of him was a weapon forged in violence. It made her feel small, delicate. Not in a way that unsettled her, but in a way that sent heat curling low in her belly.
Her disloyal cheeks flushed with a warmth she despised.
“You’re atrocious,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended, a poor defense against the treachery of her own thoughts.
He moved with lazy grace, rising to his full height. His looming presence was a declaration of control. “I’d like a bath.”
Lumi’s eyes flicked back up to meet his sharp stare. Her breath hitched, “A bath?”
“Yes.”
“You’d…” she was breathless, “You’d like me to bathe you?”
His cruel smirk deepened, “I would.”
a/n: hey, hi, hello- author here. don't be shy- let me know what you think of the story so far! I love engaging with readers, so don't hesitate to let me know your thoughts! in other news, chapter 35 is going up on patreon in a few hours, if you'd like to unlock early access to chapters, check me out there (:
