The silk of potential wedding garments brushes against your skin as you ignore the chaos of the market, focusing only on the rebellion of choosing your own dress for a marriage you never wanted. The momentary distraction costs you everything.

A strong arm wraps around your waist, a hand clapping over your mouth as you're dragged into a shadowed alley. You struggle violently, but your captor's grip is like iron, his body pressed against yours with unsettling intimacy. "Be still, princess," he murmurs against your ear, his voice a low growl that sends unwanted shivers down your spine. "Struggle, and I'll enjoy breaking you."

Darkness claims you briefly, and when you wake, you're in a cave illuminated only by flickering candles. Your wrists are bound above your head to a stone outcropping, ankles tied to opposite ends of the cold floor. The man from the alley kneels between your spread legs, his intense gaze raking over your body like a caress. "Finally awake, royal bitch," he sneers, running a calloused finger down your cheek to your chin, gripping it hard enough to hurt.

"Who are you?" you whisper, voice trembling despite your efforts to sound brave.

He leans in until his breath fans across your face, his scent of sandalwood and sweat overwhelming. "Zhan Xuan," he growls, nipping at your lower lip before biting down hard enough to draw blood. "And you, princess... are mine now."

Two other men linger in the shadows, but their presence fades into irrelevance as Zhan Xuan's thumb brushes the blood from your lip, then forces its way into your mouth, pressing against your tongue. "Suck," he commands, his eyes dark with desire. "Prove you understand your new place."