The Moonlight Bargain

I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as if my words had turned to stone. My breath hitched, and my body trembled uncontrollably. The sheer magnitude of his power was suffocating-this man could wipe out the entire Valtoria family with just a flick of his wrist, and I was utterly powerless, paralyzed, unable to do anything to stop him.

This wasn't my real family, but the thought of their lives being destroyed because of me was unbearable. I wanted to experience what it was like to live peacefully with them, to witness Kirill's brilliance, to play with Esther, to rest in Duchess Elowen's lap, and to share laughter and dinners with Duke Oberon and the rest of the family. The idea of them facing death simply because I refused to cooperate with this devil was more that I could handle.