Everyone stayed silent as we climbed a staircase that swept up with ornate carved banisters and gold carpet stitched with the Hawk emblem.

“This way, please.” The butler continued down yet another corridor, past floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking an impressive orchard and manicured hedgerow maze, past wooden doors and nooks with wingbacks and stained-glass lamps to read by. At the end of the long corridor, the butler stopped and opened another large door, stepping aside with a stiff bow. “Your quarters for the duration of your stay at Hawksridge.”

Eleanor smiled politely, slipping past him, gasping at the splendour.

“Thank you.” I shook the man’s hand as he placed our bag on the floor and scooted from the room. With a tight smile, he shut the door, leaving Eleanor and me alone in a bedroom almost the same size as our entire villa back on Batari.

“Wow.” Eleanor drifted forward. We’d been given a room along the side of the huge hall, granting us impressive quarters.

A small kitchenette was tucked by the entrance, a doorway led to a luxurious black marble bathroom and a claw-foot tub big enough for four waited for use. Pacing deeper into the space, I skimmed the maroon velvet sitting area complete with chaise lounge down the east end, a small library with towering bookcases filled with classics in the middle, and a four-poster bed with a mattress you needed a ladder to climb into waited with fresh white sheets and rich crimson coverlets toward the west.

The scent of jasmine wafted in the space, and what was left of the afternoon sun spilled into the entire length of the room, thanks to the ten huge windows giving us a view of the meadows toward the stone stables in the distance.

Eleanor stopped by one of the large windows, drinking in the view. “Well, it’s not the sea, but the vista is spectacular.”

I wrapped my arms around her from behind, pulling her close. “It’s impressive.”

“Wonder if the stables are used or—” Her hand swooped up, pointing at a sudden movement within the willows beyond. “Horses.”

Three horses, to be exact.

Two adults and one child cantered from the treeline, all competent and carefree. The man rode a black horse, leading the way, a woman followed on a dapple grey with a small toddler sitting in front of her, and a tiny boy charged ahead on a fat little pony.

I smiled. “I’m guessing that’s our host and hostess.”

“The Hawks?” Eleanor tracked them as the family swept up the meadow and over the ridge beyond in a flurry of hooves. “They ride?”

“I think Jethro even plays polo. While we were trialling certain drugs, he admitted that being on horseback was the only relief he could find before his wife came along.”

“How did they meet?” Eleanor twisted in my embrace, standing on her tiptoes to kiss me. “Do they have a story like ours? A kidnapping turned fairy-tale? Or perhaps an arranged marriage turned into love? Or even a forbidden romance where they had to overcome so many things?”

I smirked, kissing her back. I’d never asked Jethro point-blank about the rumours I’d read online. After all, I had my own fair share of gossip and slander painting me as a murderer and ruthless bastard. And where rumours existed, truth was never far away.

Therefore, the whispers surrounding the firstborn Hawk son had a grain of honesty.

“They say that Jethro was given Nila as a present on his birthday.”

Eleanor wrinkled her nose. “She’s a person, not a gift.”

“Oh, it wasn’t a gift. More like a test.” I let Eleanor go and strode toward the garment bags waiting to be unzipped on the back of the couch. “If she’s wearing a diamond collar tonight, I’m guessing there’s more truth to the tale than I thought.”

“What tale? What collar?” Eleanor came up beside me, staying close as I unzipped the largest of the bags.

“Tale of debts, diamonds, and death.” Pushing aside the black covering, I revealed a ball gown. And not just any ball gown...a dress fit for the most regal of queens.

“Oh, my God.” Eleanor reached out to touch the exquisite creation. “Where on earth did this come from? I’ve never seen anything so...gorgeous.”

“Jethro’s wife is a seamstress.” I held up the hanger, slipping off the rest of the garment bag.

I grew hard the longer I stared.

My lust ignited just imagining Eleanor in this dress. She wouldn’t just be irresistible to me; she’d be the most stunning creature at the masquerade.

And she’s mine.

Plucking a matching mask from the bag, she murmured, “She isn’t just a seamstress; she’s a magician.”

“She’s made it impossible for me to keep my hands to myself tonight.” I swallowed back a growl full of possession and need. “If any other man looks at you, I can’t promise I won’t drag you into the nearest closet and tear that thing off you.”

She fluttered her eyelashes. “I doubt there are closets in this place, my love. More like dungeons.”

“A dungeon will do.”

“You’ve got that look in your eyes again.”

“What look?”

“The one that says you own me and want to show me in every explicit detail how much.”

I licked my lips. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No problem.” She laughed. “In fact, I’ll keep a lookout for a dungeon, just so you can have your wicked way with me.”

I grinned. “And that is why I love you, Eleanor Jinx Sinclair. You’re as obsessed as I am.”

“Forever obsessed.” She raked her hands through my hair, pulling me down for a vicious kiss.

Grabbing her around the waist, I dragged her toward the bathroom. I needed her naked. Now. “Guess we better get ready for the ball, wife. After all, the sooner we mingle, the sooner we can be alone.”

Chapter Five

THE HEAVY WEIGHT OF my ball gown swished and clung to me.

Every layer and detail gave me power and mystery, ensuring I became unrecognisable. My mask hid my forehead and eyes, the cut so perfect it looked as if it was a part of me and not a disguise.

To be honest, I felt freer than I’d ever been and also terribly lost. I liked the sensation of wearing a dress designed for a princess, but I also scrambled to remember the simple girl within me. The girl who could spend an entire week wearing different coloured gemstone bikinis and nothing else. The girl who drank coconut water straight from the nut and frequently had dirt under her fingernails from helping in the vegetable gardens on Lebah.

As much as Sully’s wealth allowed us to live a life of utmost luxury, we were simple in our tastes. The money we spent was on animal welfare, medicine, and rehoming.

As long as we were safe on our island together, that was all we ever needed.

And this? This gown made me look as if I’d stepped from one Eden into another. One full of decadence and danger.

Sully strode beside me, his arm looped with mine, his back straight beneath the smoky grey tux that shimmered silver in lamplight and unforgiving metallic in the darkness. I studied him out of the corner of my eye. His mask covered his entire head, leaving only his nose and jaw exposed. His blue eyes glowed behind the grey disguise, harsh and delicious.

White beads decorated where his eyebrows would be, twining in a complex design up and over his skull, leading to two horns that were ridged like a goat’s.