All Chapters of The Blood Opera: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

The first thing I felt when I woke up was a thrum of anticipation. It wasn’t the cold, the unfamiliar mattress beneath me, or even the distant hum of morning rehearsals vibrating faintly through the walls.For several drowsy seconds, I lay still, unsure if I was still dreaming. The cracked ceiling above me could have belonged to any cheap room I’d stayed in over the years. I had woken up beneath ceilings like this my entire life—low, peeling, indifferent. Just another reminder that the world rose above me in ways I had never been able to reach.But then the faint scent of beeswax and roses slipped under the door, soft as a whispered promise, and memory flooded back. The Blood Opera House. The stage. The masked man in the shadows. 'She is mine.'My hand flew to the choker. The roses were black metal, cool and smooth against my fingertips. The stone at the center—deep crimson like a droplet of wine—had cooled overnight. Yet when I pressed it, my pulse raced against it like a trapped bir

Madame Elladine’s expression grew sharper as she studied me."Well?” she pressed. “What did he do?”I gathered what was left of my composure. “He adjusted my breathing.” The second part of the sentence stuck in my throat. "And... my bodice.”Her brows shot up. “Of course he did.” She let out a sharp sigh and turned down the corridor. “Come. We have ensemble rehearsal in twenty minutes. We'll pretend you're ready.”I followed her, though my legs felt unsteady, as if Avel's presence wrapped around them like dark silk.As if his voice still brushed against my ear.'You are here to obey me.'Heat rippled down my spine, both unwelcome and intoxicating.The theatre buzzed with morning chaos. Sopranos warmed up with scales, dancers stretched their limbs in long, deliberate arcs, and stagehands shouted instructions as set pieces rolled across the floor. The noise was dizzying.I felt raw.More alive than I’d ever felt.More vulnerable than I’d ever been.The main rehearsal hall opened before

The corridor outside felt colder than before. Maybe I was just overheated from what had just happened. The sound of his breath in the dark, the way he said "Your voice will ruin me," and the unsettling truth that I wanted to ruin him all lingered in my mind.I pressed my back to the door after it closed. I needed something solid to keep me upright.His voice had been low enough to feel against my skin. His hand had hovered close enough to spark every nerve in my body.He hadn’t kissed me. He hadn’t even touched me properly, but it felt like he had touched me everywhere.I forced myself to walk. I started slowly, then moved faster, hoping that distance might help steady my breath. My chest still rose too quickly, too shallowly, as if my body hadn’t caught up to what had happened or what almost did."Before I take more than your voice tonight."His warning came as a threat wrapped in velvet.A promise wrapped in danger.I reached the landing of the east stairwell when someone stepped fr

Rehearsal after rehearsal blurred into breath, pitch, and quiet comments I pretended not to notice. But the day did not pass quietly.Not with Avel standing close enough that his presence felt heavy in the air. Not with Silas watching him watch me. Not with Marienne Roux sharpening her jealousy like a blade.By late afternoon, I felt stretched thin, like a violin string wound too tightly, ready to snap at the slightest touch.“Miss Wynn,” Avel said softly, “you will attend a second rehearsal tonight.”Every conversation in the hall stopped. Silas tensed. Marienne nearly choked on her breath. Brenton’s jaw dropped like a hinge set loose.“Tonight?” I echoed.“Yes.” Avel’s mask shifted, subtly assessing. "You will return to the private salon at nine.”Heat surged beneath my ribs, though my voice stayed steady.“As you wish, My Lord.”Avel nodded slightly. Then he walked away without another word.Silas stood rigid, his jaw clenched, a muscle twitching at the edge. Marienne caught my eye

The whispers didn’t come back after Avel left, but their absence felt louder than the sound had. It felt like something had been scared away. Like it had been warned.I lay awake in bed until the pale light of morning crept through the window. Then I dragged myself to the wash basin and put on my rehearsal dress.My reflection in the cracked mirror looked both exhausted and somehow illuminated. Something restless glowed beneath my skin.---Rehearsal was chaos, as always. Dancers stretched like pale ribbons. Singers complained. Brenton paced. Marienne practiced a smile that could cut. But when I walked into the hall, the attention shifted. Whispers flickered between performers like candle smoke.“She’s the patron’s new favorite.”“No wonder he excuses her from ensemble.”“He doesn’t look at anyone else like that.”Heat crawled up my neck. I took my place in the back row, trying to ignore it until I felt him.Avel wasn’t in the room, yet the air changed. It was as if he had just passed