A DUKE'S CRIMSON SCANDAL

Lucien's control was fraying. He watched Elian's shoulders shake, watched fat tears roll down those flushed cheeks as the younger man tried—and failed—to hold back broken sobs. The sight should have disgusted him. Instead, it ignited something feral in his chest. "Be quiet, Elian," Lucien warned, voice low and strained. Elian's head snapped up, eyes blazing through the tears. "No! I will not be quiet!" His voice cracked, raw and defiant. "I demand you let me go. Set me—ah!" Lucien moved before he could think. In one brutal motion, he slammed Elian against the nearest wall, the impact knocking the breath from both of them. Elian's back hit stone with a dull thud, his wrists pinned above his head by one of Lucien's large hands. "Be quiet," Lucien hissed again, forehead pressed against Elian's, their breaths mingling hot and desperate. Elian whimpered, twisting uselessly in his grip. "You monster… you—" Lucien's mouth crashed down on his. It wasn't gentle. It wasn't a kiss—it was a claim. Hard, punishing, devouring. Elian gasped into it, the sound swallowed instantly as Lucien pressed closer, body caging him completely against the cold wall. The taste of salt from Elian's tears mixed with something sweeter, something that made Lucien's blood roar. Elian struggled for half a second… then his lips parted on a broken moan. Lucien pulled back just enough to growl against his mouth, "I said be quiet." But Elian—trembling, furious, aching—only whispered back, voice wrecked: "Make me." **** Some truths are worth killing for. ​Elian Morel was a ghost—until his father's execution dragged him into the light. Now a servant to Duke Lucien Valemont, the realm's most ruthless noble, Elian has one goal: Revenge. ​The Duke is cold, untouchable, and betrothed to a princess. Elian should hate him. He does. But when their bare hands finally meet, the air shatters. ​Lucien is hiding a monstrous secret. And so is Elian. ​As a royal wedding looms and treason whispers through the court, a forbidden desire ignites between master and servant. The Duke needs Elian's soul; Elian wants the Duke's blood. ​But in a kingdom built on lies, the truth is only a touch away. And when Elian's eyes turn crimson, no one—not even the King—is safe.