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As I made my way through the winding alleys, I allowed myself a small smile. Life in Sungard was harsh, but I had learned to survive. I had to. There was no other choice for someone like me, a girl with nothing but her wits and the clothes on her back.
Tonight, at least, I wouldn’t go to bed hungry.
I turned a corner, my mind consumed by thoughts of the warm food I would buy in just a little while. The mere idea of sinking my teeth into something to eat made my stomach growl louder, the hunger pangs almost unbearable. Distracted, I didn’t notice the figure looming ahead of me until it was far too late.
I collided with something incredibly solid. Stumbling back, I looked up and found myself staring into the eyes of a man cloaked in a purple so dark that it almost bordered on black. His eyes were an intense, piercing violet that seemed to see straight through me, and I swallowed hard, taken aback by nothing more than his gaze.
For a moment, time stood still. A thunderous boom echoed throughout the realm, a sound that reverberated deep within my bones, shaking the very air around us.
What the fuck was that?
Startled, I took a step back, my heart racing. The man’s gaze held mine, and I felt a strange, magical pull that I couldn’t explain.His hand shot out and grabbed my wrist, his grip firm and unyielding.
“Who are you? Tell me your name,” he demanded, his voice low and commanding.
I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. Panic surged through me, and I glanced around, hoping someone might help me, but the alleyway was empty, the bustling market square now feeling a million miles away.
“Let go of me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
He didn’t release me. Instead, he leaned closer, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not just any street urchin, are you?” he murmured, more to himself than to me. I tried to look away, but his gaze was locked with mine like it held a gravity all of its own.
My mind raced. Who was this man? What did he want with me? Why wouldn’t he let me go?
“Please,” I whispered, trying one last time to free myself.
“Be careful, little thief,” he said, his voice still tinged with that unsettling authority. “The world is not always as it seems.” With his other hand, he pushed back the hood of his cloak, allowing me my first good look at him.
The dim light of the alley caught his features, revealing a face that was both striking and dangerous. His hair was dark and silky, falling in loose waves around high cheekbones that gave him an almost regal appearance. But it was his eyes that captivated me the most—violet, intense, and filled with a mesmerizing quality that felt both dangerous and mystical and maybe even magical.
For a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. I wanted to run, every instinct screaming at me to flee, but something about him drew me in, making it impossible to look away even though all I wanted was my freedom.
“Who are you?” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
His lips curled into a small, enigmatic smile. “Names are powerful things, little thief,” he replied, his voice smooth and velvety, with a hint of amusement.
He took a step closer, and I instinctively took a step backwards, my back pressing against the rough stone wall of the alley. The air around him seemed to shimmer, an aura of power and mystery that both terrified and somehow intrigued me.
I swallowed again, my throat dry. “What do you want?”
His smile widened, revealing perfect white teeth. “To help you, perhaps. Or to use you. Maybe both.”
My gaze struck by those amethyst irises once again, I tugged my hand away from him, but his hold was firm, and he pulled me in closer toward him instead. Without meaning to, my hand brushed against the hilt of a dagger. Carefully, I curled my fingers around the jeweled end and pulled. It was loose.
I could take it.
Right here. Right now.
Maybe I could even kill him before he decided to drag me off and rape me, or worse, kill me himself.
“You don’t know me, sir. I’m nobody,” I blurted out.
“I don’t believe that for a second. You’re someone,” he murmured, his gravelly voice trailing across my skin like silk. A chill ran through me.
Something about this man, the intensity of his gaze, the way he seemed to see right through me, the raw power that seemed to radiate from him, terrified me, but also pulled me in toward him. There was so much tension between us that I could feel it vibrating the very marrow of my bones.
I don’t know what came over me then. Maybe it was curiosity, maybe it was destiny, or maybe it was fate, but I slipped the dagger free from its hilt. With a flourish, I slipped it behind my back and took a step back, yanking my trapped arm hard enough to finally break free. A shiver ran down my spine at the narrowing of his eyes, but he didn’t reach for me.
I took a step back. Another, and then another, until there was at least a foot of space between us before I turned around and fled, his dagger digging into my back, the change purse bouncing in my pocket. I looked back to see him watching me for the briefest of moments before he took off after me.
