Shadow Play: A Game

Lily's POV

Though everything was painted in gold by the morning sun peeking through the penthouse windows, all I felt was increasing fear. Though I was surrounded in darkness—that of secrets, dishonesty, and the unstable arrangement I had agreed upon with Damien Blackwood—the landscape around me was brilliant and magnificent.

Seated at the far end of the great dining table, he was focused on his tablet, with a straight and demanding stance. A part of me wanted to shake him, to insist he tell me all I was getting into. Rather, I sat down and poured myself coffee, attempting to fit into the shadow of his life.

Not bothered to search, he said, "Good morning, Mrs. Blackwood."

I stammered at the title, still alien and weighty. "Morning," I said, keeping my voice level even though my heart was racing.

"I hope you slept well."

Though there was a secret edge to it, the query was basic and nearly benign. I looked for any trace of warmth on his face, but his stare was like staring into a frozen lake.

"Fine," I shot a quick reply. "Though the new lodgings startled me." The words came out before I could stop them, and I instantly felt bad.

He looked up, a modestly amused eyebrow-raising. "It can be difficult to adjust to luxury, can't it?"

I wanted to snap back and tell him that "luxury" was the last thing I thought about. But I bit my tongue, not ready to provide him the gratification of seeing me shaken. Rather, I sipped my coffee slowly, thinking it would help the anxieties biting at my stomach relax.

"We have a full day ahead," he murmured, placing his tablet down and watching me with his sharp eye. "A charity daytime function and tonight...” His lips curved slightly toward a smile. "Dinner with my family.

My stomach contracted. "Your family"? I said, unable to keep the trembling out of my voice.

"Yes." You will be my wife, and I expect you to do the part exactly. Your tone is chilly and forceful. " Nobody knows this is anything but a marriage for love and stability."

And concerning your sister? Remembering the cautionary text I had gotten last night, I ventured carefully. "Is she scheduled to be there?

The only sign that my query had struck a nerve was a little quiver in his jaw. His voice sharpened, "Eliza will be there, yes," he said. But I will deal with her.

Something in his eyes cautioned me to be silent even though I wanted to press him and find out why he didn't trust his sister. Whatever disagreement existed between him and Eliza, it was a minefield I wasn't ready to go across.

That afternoon's charitable event was a swirl of smiles, introductions, and brief chats all mixed into one demanding cycle. Playing the faithful, enthralled wife, I was on Damien's arm and every time he leaned in to murmur a sweet comment or plant a gentle kiss on my forehead, I felt the line separating truth from lies erased.

"You're doing well," he said in my ear, his hand resting possessively on my lower back. "They are making purchases from it."

I forced a smile, trying not to taste bitterness in my mouth. "Good to know I live up to your expectations.

He grinned and tightened his fingers just a little. Just keep in mind, Lily—appearances count most of all. You have to act if you are hoping for the benefits.

Though I choked back my response, concentrating on the room full of finely dressed people all too eager to applaud our "perfect" marriage, the remarks stung.

But when I looked across the room, my skin crawled from a man staring at us with such intensity. His dark, deliberate stare was set on Damien, and I sensed an odd foreboding sweep over me.

"Who is that?" Whispering, I nodded toward the man.

Damien turned to follow my stare, his face stiffening. “Victor Hargrave," he muttered with contempt in his voice. "A rival whose mission in life is to see me fail."

"Why?."

"That's a story for another time," he said, his darkening eyes. But keep close if he comes up to you. A viper, Hargrave, will strike without notice.

I nodded, as the weight of Damien's words dropped over me. But just as I was ready to turn away, Hargrave looked at me. His mouth opened to a slow, mocking smile, and I shivered down my spine.

"Careful, Mrs. Blackwood," Damien said, his hand pushing against my back to steer me away. Curiosity can be lethal in this world.

Later that evening, Damien and I arrived at his family's estate, a vast and magnificent but also horrifying property. A woman with stunning emerald eyes and obvious confidence walked up to us as we entered, her smile faintly kind.

She gave him a quick, fake embrace, "Damien." "So very nice to see you. And this has to be Lily as well.

"Eliza," Damien said, his grip on my hand tightening. Curtly.

Eliza's eyes flicked to me, evaluating, her smile broad in a way that was everything from pleasant. "Hi Lily, welcome to the family. I want you ready for everything it calls for.

"Thank you," I said, trying to match her stare without straying. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Are you?" she asked softly, her smile intensifying. You have to be more robust than you seem.

I laughed forcedly, not wanting her to know how terrified I was. But as we descended into the room mingling with other Damien family members, I couldn't get rid of the sensation that I was under constant observation from all directions.

Dinner was a strained event with polite chatter that hardly covered the underlying conflict. Although Damien's family was courteous enough, their words and looks suggested that they were waiting for me to fall back and expose the truth about our arrangement.

Eliza leaned over midway through the dinner, her voice low enough only I could hear. "So Lily, how do you find it? To be wed to a man who regards you as only a tool for achieving a goal?

I stiffened, my fork clattering on my dish. "I have no idea what you mean."

"Oh, but I think you do," she said, her smile chilly and deliberate. "You cannot fool me; you might fool the rest of them."

Though I bit my tongue to force myself to smile as though her comments hadn't cut through every insecurity I had, the need to snap back was intense.

Damien and I discovered ourselves alone on the balcony of the mansion after supper; the cool night air provided comfort from the sweltering within. Leaning against the railing, he looked far out over the estate.

What, then, did Eliza say to you? His tone was laid back, but I could feel the strain under it.

My voice tight, I said, "Nothing I could handle." She seems to me, nonetheless, not to approve of this arrangement.

"She doesn't," he said, looking at me fluttering. But that is not her decision to make.

I hesitated, the words flying before I could stop them. " Why do you hate her so much?"

For a long period, he was quiet, his eyes turning frigid. "Eliza and I... have a convoluted background. She did things I cannot pardon. Things were not worth worrying about.

But she's your sister, so I pressed, unable to hold back the irritation in my voice. Shouldn't there be anything in between you?

His eyes intensified, and beneath the steel, I noticed for the first time a flutter of fragility. "Lily, family is not always defined by blood. Often, the individuals closest to you are the ones most likely to turn on you.

I was startled by his harshness in voice and reached out, my fingers brushing across his. "I understand that. That feels like.

He peered down at my hand, his face incomprehensible. Then he leaned in, his lips brushing against mine before I could register what was happening. It was a hesitant, unanticipated kiss, delicate but tinged with an intensity that left me gasping.

But he retreated, his face hardening as he straightened, just as fast as it started. "Lily, don't confuse this for anything more than it is."

Though I felt a stinging of shame, I pushed myself to meet his eye. "Believe me, I know just exactly what this is."

His posture was tight as he turned to go, but his phone buzzed. He peered down at the screen, his expression deepening as he read the message.

“What is it?” I asked, tummy full of fear.

"Hargrave," he said, his jaw tight. "He is moving now.

The color came out of my face. " What do you mean?"

He looked at me, his icy, focused eyes "He's hunting after all I have created. And should I fail to stop him, everything—including you—could be collateral damage.

He was already moving before I could respond; his manner changed to become

e something menacing, relentless. And my heart thumping, I was left on the balcony alone as he vanished into the darkness.