Dirty Christmas
I stood in the dimly lit hallway of the old Victorian mansion, the air thick with the scent of pine and cinnamon from the massive Christmas tree in the foyer. Snowflakes danced outside the frosted windows, but inside, my heart hammered like a drum.
At 22, I'd spent months chasing rumors about the Veil Society, a secret brotherhood of influential men who pulled strings in the shadows of our city. They were legends, powerful, enigmatic, and utterly forbidden. And tonight, on Christmas Eve, I'd begged for an audience to prove I belonged.