The rain began to fall over the city in thick, heavy sheets, beating against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Thorne penthouse. Inside, the massive luxury apartment was submerged in shadows, the only light coming from the moody, gray storm outside.

The front door clicked open, and Chloe Mercer

The private aviation terminal was a fortress of quiet luxury, insulated from the brewing storm outside. Thunder rumbled low and ominous, vibrating against the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that overlooked the tarmac. The sky was the color of a bruised plum, heavy and weeping, as the first violent d

*Three Years Later — Vienna, Austria*

The dressing room of the Musikverein was steeped in a rich, golden light, smelling faintly of polished wood, rosin, and expensive lilies. I sat in front of the vanity mirror, adjusting the lapels of my tailored black velvet tuxedo jacket.

I looked at my refle