Page 16 of Bound By Crimson
She tied the ribbon gently around Lyric’s neck, the satin cool against her skin. The bow rested at the nape of her neck like a secret only they shared.
“There,” Velora whispered. “Now you’re perfect.”
Lyric stepped out into the cool night air, her crimson gown glowing in the soft light.
As she walked toward the castle, she felt not just like someone new…
But like someone finally claiming her own story.
Chapter Four
The Masquerade
The castle loomed above her, more immense and haunting than she remembered from childhood.
Gargoyles crouched along the stone balustrades, their shadows twisting beneath the moonlight. Ivy coiled up the turrets like dark veins.
A deep red carpet stretched from the gravel drive to the towering front doors, its edges lined with black wrought-iron lanterns. Inside each, a single flickering flame glowed behind blood-red glass, casting an eerie light across the stone steps.
The air smelled of damp stone and woodsmoke.
For a moment, Lyric’s pulse stuttered.
She had imagined nights like this in vague, wild dreams—but none of them had prepared her for this one.
Standing here now, in her crimson gown and mask, it felt real. Overwhelming. A little terrifying.
But she didn’t turn back.
Her heels struck the red carpet with quiet, deliberate steps.
And as the grand doors swung open before her, revealing the golden light and the shadows within, she drew a breath and crossed the threshold.
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She stepped through the towering doors, her heels clicking against polished marble, the satin of her gown whispering with every step.
Candlelight danced along golden walls, and the ballroom pulsed with a slow, decadent rhythm. Strings played something deep and haunting. The scent of smoke, roses, and aged wine lingered in the air.
And then—she saw him.
Not just a man.
The man.
The one she had collided with days ago.
Even beneath the mask, even across the distance, there was no mistaking him.
The sharp lines of his jaw. The broad, commanding set of his shoulders. The dark intensity in his eyes that had haunted her thoughts ever since their first encounter.
Their eyes met.
Recognition struck like a match between them—swift, hot, undeniable.
And when his gaze locked with hers this time, she felt it not as surprise…
But as inevitability.
