“You brought my dinner yesterday.”

The sterile, concrete walls of the holding cell felt miles away from the gilded ceilings of the mansion above. Sabrina stared up at Blaine, the absolute certainty of her impending doom finally breaking through her aristocratic arrogance.

"It was just a mistake, Blaine!" Sabrina shrieked, grasping at the hem of his tailored trousers. "I just wanted you to need me! I didn't want him to die, I was feeding him! I just needed time for you to rely on me!"

"Do you expect me to believe you were innocent when you actively paid to hide the only heir to my bloodline?" Blaine asked, stepping back to avoid her touch as if she were diseased. "Did you not orchestrate the torture of a child to secure your own position as my wife?"

"I loved you!" Sabrina sobbed, real tears of panic finally spilling over her cheeks. "I wanted us to be a family! I couldn't let some needy brat ruin our future!"

"Is my son a brat, or is he the true heart of this empire?" Blaine asked, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that vibrated through the concrete.

He didn't wait for her to answer. He turned his broad shoulders, looking at Marcus, who was standing like a shadow just outside the cell door.

"Will you ensure she is transported to the council holding facility immediately?" Blaine asked quietly. "Shall we let the commission deal with the woman who nearly brought down the eastern seaboard over a lie?"

"With pleasure, Boss," Marcus growled, stepping into the cell and grabbing Sabrina roughly by the arms, hauling her to her feet.

"No! Blaine, please! They will kill me!" Sabrina screamed as Marcus dragged her toward the door. "You can't do this!"

"Do you truly believe you will find mercy among the wolves you fed?" Blaine asked, turning his back on her completely.

Sabrina’s panicked shrieks echoed down the long, concrete hallway until the heavy doors slammed shut, sealing her fate in the subterranean dark of the criminal underworld.

Blaine stood in the quiet cell for a long moment, the tension slowly bleeding out of his muscular frame. He took a deep breath, the exhaustion of the night finally showing in the lines of his angular face. He turned his head, looking at Annelise, who was still standing near the wall, her hands trembling.

"Are you harmed by the truth, Annelise?" Blaine asked gently, stepping closer to her.

"I... I always knew this world was dangerous," Annelise whispered, looking up into his watchful eyes. "But I never understood the depths of the cruelty until I saw what she did to him."

"Do you understand why I had to burn the alliance to the ground to keep him safe?" Blaine inquired, his tattooed hand gently cupping the side of her face. His thumb brushed lightly over her delicate cheekbone, wiping away a smear of dirt.

"You risked everything," Annelise said, her voice cracking.

"Did you think I would allow the woman who saved my son to serve drinks in my home?" Blaine asked, a flicker of profound, protective warmth entering his cold eyes. "Are you ready to leave this uniform behind?"

Annelise looked down at her black maid dress, the white apron stained and ruined from the siege. She looked back up at the towering, terrifying man who was offering her a place in his dangerous, blood-soaked world.