“What do we have here?”

The jolt of darting from one side of the room to the other left Lumi’s stomach churning. She gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to hurl all over the plush, maroon carpet. Thoughts tumbled through her head in a chaotic stream. She couldn’t make sense of them. She needed a reason, an excuse for why she’d been lurking in the shadows.

Think, Lumi! Think!

But the harder she tried, the emptier her mind became.

“Don’t be shy,” the general tightened his grip on her forearm, “Let us see your face.”

Before she could react, he yanked her hood down in one swoop. Lumi’s hair spilled out in white-blonde tendrils. Her first instinct was to lower her face to the ground, to hide so they would not see. She resisted the urge, meeting the general’s cold stare.

Crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, gray wisps creeping at his temples—he was older than the other man by a few decades. Still, he was in fine shape. Lumi could tell by the way his uniform pulled taut over muscle, by the way he carried himself, by the way he held her in his bruising grip. Age did not smooth his rough edges.

She had encountered plenty of men like him at Lady Sol’s pleasurehouse over the years. Sinful men who cared only for their own desires. And like all those men, one look at her had his features twisting in disgust.

Lumi kept her head held high, challenging his stare with her own. She would not cower, would not be made to feel like trash by him or anyone else. She was no beauty, but she didn’t need to be. She was proud of the way she looked.

The scar marring the left side of her face made her who she was. It proved she had been through something in her life—even if she could not remember.

“Who are you?” A scowl settled over the general’s face, his patience gone. “Speak. Now. Or this will get ugly.”

“I’m one of Lady Sol’s pleasuremaidens.”

The lie fell from her tongue effortlessly. She had no time to think it through. It was the closest thing to the truth she could manage. She did belong to Lady Sol, after all. Just not in that way.

“A pleasuremaiden?” An amused glint flickered through his eyes, “Not quite as advertised, are you? Lady Sol is said to have the finest talent in town. But you…” He looked her over, making her skin crawl, “You’re just a broken little thing.”

“I haven’t gotten any complaints, so far,” she spat through clenched teeth.

“Don’t misunderstand me,” a wicked smile graced his lips, “You would be lovely…if it wasn’t for that hideous blemish.”

Red, hot wrath swept through her. He should pay for insulting her so callously. But what could she do? He was an officer of the royal navy, and she belonged to the streets. She knew her place, ever if she did not like it.

Before s retort that would surely get her in trouble could slip from her tongue, the other man stood. Lumi forgot he was still in the room with them. She kept her sights locked on the general as he joined them.

“Let’s not be hasty, Sivan,” he said, “She’s here on my account.”

On his account?

Lumi’s gaze snapped to the one she came to rob. He stood close. Close enough that their garments brushed—his silken finery whispering against her tattered rags.

Only then did she comprehend his full stature. A monolith of flesh and shadow. She had to tip her head back to meet his onyx stare. Eyes the color of midnight, and tragedy, and death. She forgot herself for a moment, lost to their void.

“Is that so?” Sivan chuckled, “Doesn’t seem your usual type, Rook. I didn’t know you still indulged in such distractions.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Rook turned the full weight of his stare upon the general, “You don’t know me as well as you think.”

The general seemed to thoroughly enjoy this development. He blinked back to Lumi with a conniving grin, “A pleasuremaiden, huh? Then perhaps you wouldn’t mind proving your skills?”

“I aim to please, sir,” she said, with a fake smile, “but only for the one who paid for my time.”

“She’s mine for the night.” A muscle in Rook’s jaw flexed as he eyed the place where the general still clutched her in his punishing hold, “And I’d prefer her unscathed.”

“Very well,” Sivan released her, “I wouldn’t want to keep you from your…activities.”

A grin lingered on his lips as he resumed his spot on the settee. He downed the remainder of his drink in one gulp, never taking his eyes off of them, “Always a pleasure doing business with you, Rook. Truly.”

The unexpected heat of Rook’s palm on her lower back was impossible to ignore. The subtle pressure coaxed her forward. “After you.”

The general’s gaze clung to her like smoke as they slipped behind the curtain. It was a silent promise—of what, she could not say, but she felt the weight of it as they walked through the lounge. It wasn’t until they emerged into the night that she remembered how to breathe.

A sweltering humidity draped over Port Bram like a thick duvet. Lumi wiped at the sweat gathering on her brow and turned to face the man who had pulled her from the jaws of peril.

Why did he bother? What did he stand to gain?

Suspicion coiled within her.

One things was certain—this was no act of kindness. No one in these slums dealt in such currency. Lumi learned that lesson long ago, through pain and betrayal. Everyone played for their own gain, and this man was no exception.

Whatever his reasons, they mattered not. She could not allow any distractions. Not when her past, present, and future were on the line.

The cobbles beneath their feet shimmered with spilled ale and lantern light. A drunk man staggered by, his face flushed with joy, two busty women flanking him like prized trophies. A scrawny mutt darted between them, scavenging for scraps in the gutter.

Lumi studied the man before her, and he studied her right back. A furrow marked his brow, as if something bothered him. The tension she had felt inside was still present, but now there was a different edge to it.

The silence expanded and swelled, until he spoke.

“Who are you?”

Lumi’s lips parted, “I told you, I’m—”

“What is your name.”

“My name is none of your concern.”

“Have we met before?”

His question gave her pause. She didn’t recognize him—not in any way that felt certain. And his face…well, it was not one easily forgotten. Then again, a large chunk of her life was lost to her. Who’s to say they hadn’t met before? She certainly could not.

“I don’t believe we have.”

He did not appear convinced. He continued to stare down at her, like if he focused hard enough he would find the answers he was searching for.

“Are you certain?”

Lumi narrowed her eyes, “Do you know me?”

The question hung between them. Something flickered through his features. Doubt? Recognition? Something darker?

“That scar.” He gestured to her face, “Where did you get it?”

An inferno swept over the left side of her face, as if her skin still remembered what she had long forgotten. Lumi was used to the looks, the whispers, the mockery. Her scar was either ridiculed or ignored, but never questioned so directly.

It caught her off guard, then a sharp fury followed. How dare he ask? What right did he have to pry into something so personal?

She forced herself to remain calm, composed. She could not let the wrath consume her. Not yet.

“Accident,” she said through gritted teeth.

“What kind of accident.”

“I appreciate your help,” her voice came out high-pitched and slightly crazed, “I’ll be on my way now.”

She made to side-step him, and as she expected, he moved to block her path. She bit back a smile. So predictable, like the rest of them.

Without breaking stride, she collided into him. The heat he radiated seeped into her, and for a fleeting moment she was lost in it.

“Your name,” he drawled, “What is it?”

Lumi snapped from her momentary haze. She did not move, keeping her body pressed into his. She blinked up at him, and met his glare with one of her own, “None of your business.”

Her sly fingers slipped into his suit and easily found the pouch of gem. She took hold of it, the rough weave biting into her palm. As she slid it up her sleeve, her fingers brushed over a round, metallic object. She took that too. And finally, a scroll.

“You…” He frowned as the furrow in his brow deepened, “You remind me of someone. Something—”

A loud crash echoed from a nearby tavern. A burst of laughter and bellowing followed. Glass shattered, and the clatter of boots against wooden planks filled the air. A brawl had broken out.

Rook’s attention snapped to the noise, and Lumi seized the opportunity. She broke away from him and scurried away. She didn’t stop to glance back. Her pulse hammered in her ears as she darted into a maze of alleyways. She took random turns, swiveling right, then left, then left again. Only when she herself did not know where she was did she start to breathe again.