h. "The Mark cannot be paid away. It is a vow of possession, tying the Marked to t

k coin in her palm, suddenly terrified of the object. Possession? Bond? She was just a bookshop girl, not some sacrifice i

ind, but by a precise, heavy knock at the shop's back

t the knock was too controlled, too deliberate, unlike his primal grace. She

was sharp, low, and utterly devoid of warmt

nd hovering over the

e who visited you tonight

on the fire escape landing, dressed in severe black leather, carrying a long, slender silve

woman's voice dropped to a sinister, quiet hiss. "The L