Niall waits until the corridor empties before he puts a hand near my scar. I never step back. My heart hammers every time. That is the moment the game between us became real.

He has promised protection in exchange for my surrender, the silk cravat to steal my sight and the leather collar to rest against my throat in the east wing where no one will hear. I need the belonging he offers more than air, yet every command draws me closer to the edge where my place in this house could shatter forever. The fear of being cast out has never once kept me from going. He expects me there tonight.