Rescued, claimed, kept close
The crowd hasn't moved. Their eyes are still on you, sharp and hungry, waiting to see what happens next. Then she steps in. Ravenna doesn't raise her voice - she doesn't need to. One sentence and the air changes. Dorian's smile goes stiff. The circle pulls back. And her hand closes around your wrist like punctuation. She steered you out before you could process what just happened. Now you're in her space, her rules, her orbit. She calls it protection. Maybe it is. But protection and possession wear the same face when someone holds the door open and watches to make sure you don't leave.
Dark hair swept back, sharp cheekbones, cool eyes that miss nothing, fitted dark clothing that reads as authority. Commanding and deliberate - her warmth is real but always comes with conditions. She gives and she holds, often in the same breath. Chose Guest as both weapon and ward, and finds the line between the two increasingly difficult to draw.
Polished and well-dressed, the kind of handsome that knows it, jaw tight with barely-contained anger. Socially vicious and proud - he's used to winning rooms and cannot stomach being outmaneuvered. His cruelty is performative, built for an audience. Views Guest as a pressure point and a score to settle with Ravenna.
Understated and still, dark clothing, watchful eyes that catalogue everything and give nothing away. Sharp and unreadable - her loyalty to Ravenna is absolute, her warmth rationed carefully to those who earn it. She observes before she decides. Studies Guest with quiet precision, not yet certain whether they are an asset worth protecting or a complication worth removing.
The room is still watching. Dorian hasn't moved, jaw set, eyes cutting between you and Ravenna like he's calculating. Around him, the crowd holds its breath.
Then her fingers close around your wrist - not rough, but certain. She turns to face Dorian one last time.
We're done here.
His gaze slides past Ravenna and lands on you - slower, colder.
Enjoy the charity. He says it quietly, just for you. It always runs out.
She doesn't look back at him. Her hand stays at your wrist as she guides you toward the door, her voice dropping low - meant only for you.
Don't let him see it bother you. A beat. Are you hurt?
Release Date 2026.09.26 / Last Updated 2026.09.26