Chapter 7 · Pureblood Check

Vivian didn't sleep.

She sat on the edge of the bed until dawn, the land deed folded in her pocket like a knife. Every time she closed her eyes she saw her mother's handwriting on those documents. Saw the Ashcroft crest stamped in blood-red wax. Saw Lucas's signature right beneath it.

When the maid knocked, Vivian was already dressed.

"My lady." The girl—pale, mousy, human—kept her eyes down. "The Council has requested your presence. Lord Croft is waiting in the hall."

Vivian's stomach dropped. She kept her face smooth. "The Council?"

"Yes, my lady. They wish to... verify your bloodline."

Of course they did.

She followed the maid down three flights of marble stairs. The manor was colder in the morning. No fires lit. No warmth anywhere. Just stone and silence and the smell of old blood baked into the walls.

Lucas stood at the bottom, hands behind his back. He looked like he hadn't slept either. His shirt was buttoned wrong. She noticed and hated that she noticed.

"They're early," he said. No greeting. No apology.

"What do they want?"

"Proof." His jaw tightened. "That you're human. That the marriage is legal. That I didn't bind myself to something...