The waitress tells Poppy to go upstairs and that Poppy will find sanctuary behind the sixth door on the left. Although Poppy fears that the waitress will report this incident to the Duke and Duchess, the woman indicates to Poppy that she will keep Poppy's secret because “everyone should be able to live a little, even for a few hours.” A few moments later, Vikter, one of Poppy’s personal guards, enters the Red Pearl. The waitress recognizes Poppy as the Chosen, the Maiden.

A waitress stops Poppy from entering a room where a man and woman are dancing and enjoying intimacy. After losing a few hands in a row, Poppy rises from the table and wanders around The Red Pearl.

Airrick predicts that there will be a Craven attack soon. One of the guards, Airrick, discusses that Finley's mangled body had been discovered. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.ĭonning a white mask and a 'borrowed' cloak from the servant Britta, Penellaphe 'Poppy' Balfour plays cards with a few members of the Royal Guard at the Red Pearl, a brothel. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.įorsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own.

Cursed by jennifer l armentrout