There was a knock on my door early the next morning. Isabella hustled to get it. “Lady Eve.” My maid curtsied as Eve swept in, her uniform immaculately pressed.
I grinned. “You’re looking sharp.”
“Thank you.” Eve eyed my room with disdain. There were hair ties and makeup brushes all over the place, clear evidence that Isabella had been grooming me for the past hour. “Why, might I ask, are you having your hair and makeup done? Robert’s abandoned the camera for the moment.”
My cheeks heated as I smoothed my hot-pink silk gown. “His Highness is returning today. And he likes me in pink.”
Eve shook her head. “Again with the romance. Let’s focus on defending our country, shall we?”
“Yes, we shall. But first, back to the romance. What on earth do you think of this thing with Balkyn and Chase?”
She frowned, pacing my room as Beast watched from his spot underneath the table. “I spoke to him before I came to see you. He wasn’t happy that she’s in the dungeon.”
“Oh dear. He was upset? She wasn’t harmed.” I’d brought Chase down to the dungeon myself. I’d made sure that she had every comfort—a warm blanket, a clean cell, and plenty of food. I didn’t want to set her free, and I didn’t trust her, but I wasn’t trying to punish her. “I just think it’s safer like this.”
“I don’t think he disagrees—it wasn’t that.” Eve shrugged. “I think he wanted her gone, far away from here.”
“Can’t say I blame him.” I nodded. “It didn’t sound like a very nice breakup.”
She stopped at the window, her back to me, and stared out at the grounds below. “D’you think that’s why he abandoned the rebels and came here? Because of what she did?”
“No, I don’t. I believe he came here because he honestly believes that Austin and Dallas are good—worthy of his loyalty and defense—and because he owes all of you a debt for saving his life.”
Eve nodded.
“It was probably good timing,” I continued, “if you can have good timing for your girlfriend pulling a nutter.”
“How’s that?” she asked.
“His girlfriend betrayed him, and at the same time, he realized he needed to leave in order to support his beliefs.” I studied my friend’s back. “Has this got you upset, or something?”
“No.” She shrugged. “But she is pretty.”
“Pretty is as pretty does, as my mother used to say. And it doesn’t sound like what she did was very pretty at all.”
Eve didn’t turn around.
“It was nice that she came to warn him,” I said. “But it’s a bit like putting a Band-Aid on an amputation, isn’t it?”
“I suppose so.” She sounded glum.
“C’mon.” I hopped to my feet. I knew one way to cheer her up. “Let’s go meet with the sentinels and give them a list of assignments. We should enjoy running the place while we still can. Ooh, and then we can try combat training again.”
She groaned. “You’re already dressed. Plus, you’re hopeless at combat training.”
“We can simply do a walk-through, and then I won’t wrinkle my dress.” I linked my arm through hers. “If there’s anyone who can teach me, it’s you. Now, let’s not waste your God-given talents by sitting around here, sulking. She’s not a nice girl, Eve. She’s no competition for the likes of you.”
Later that morning, Eve and I met with Balkyn in the library. “I’m sorry I put Chase in the dungeon, but I didn’t think letting her go before Austin got back was appropriate.”
Balkyn nodded. He had dark circles under his eyes. “His Highness will want to question her. I agree that it’s the best course of action.”
“Would you like to see her?” Eve asked. “Blake made sure she had everything she needed, but perhaps there’s something else that would make her comfortable.”
“She doesn’t care about being comfortable. All she wants is a stake and a spike—one to put through your heart, and one to put your head on.” Balkyn leveled a stare at Eve. “She’s a bloody bigot. She hates the vampires. Didn’t you see how she would only address Blake last night? She wouldn’t even look at you.”
Eve nodded.
“That’s because she’d never deign to speak to you—she doesn’t believe that your kind deserve to dwell the earth,” Balkyn continued. “When I tried to tell her what I’d learned after you and Dallas saved me, she wouldn’t hear it. When I told her I was having second thoughts about waging war on the vampires, she left me for my friend. She thought I wasn’t ‘purist’ enough. She deserves to rot in the dungeon for all eternity for that sort of thinking, as far as I’m concerned.”
Eve looked pleased. “As you wish.”
A sentinel knocked, interrupting us. “His Highness has returned.”
I jumped up and ran for the door, not caring that Eve was probably rolling her eyes. Once I reached the steps, I saw several cars rolling into the drive. “Why are there so many of them?” I asked the sentinel on the stairs.
“They brought guests from the palace is what I heard.” He nodded. “Several humans and some of the vampires.”
“The king and queen?”
“No, my lady. They would not leave.”
One of the cars stopped, and Austin climbed out. He saw me and grinned. I didn’t care who was watching—I ran down the steps straight to him and into his arms. He lifted me up and kissed me. I couldn’t stop smiling even as we kissed.
I was breathless when we pulled apart. “You’re back!”
His grin widened. “And you’re still here.”
He was leaning down to kiss me again when someone nearby cleared her throat. We stopped, both looking to the right.
“Is that proper daytime etiquette?” There stood Tamara, her raven-dark waves tumbling over her shoulders. She had her hands on her hips, and her perfectly manicured eyebrows were arched higher than ever. “I mean, I didn’t realize tonsil hockey was a royally approved sport.”
“Tamara!” I released Austin, ran to my friend, and wrapped her in a tight hug. “I didn’t know you were coming!”
“It wasn’t exactly a scripted move.” Tamara fussily smoothed her lavender dress after I released her. “His Highness ordered us into the car. I wasn’t keen on leaving, especially to come to this uncivilized place—” she eyed the castle with vague disapproval—“but the king and queen assured me that the royal court needed me here. And then Lord Bryson agreed to make the journey, so of course, I couldn’t say no.”
“Ooh, Lord Bryson.” I looked around for the vampire, who I recalled as tall and particularly well-groomed. “Is he your next victim?”
“He’s the vampire, silly.” Tamara rolled her eyes prettily. “And I haven’t decided if I’m serious about him yet. I expect I need to see his homestead and his bank ledger. But he’ll do for now!”
I shook my head. “You’re terrible. Where is your polar opposite?”
She groaned. “You mean Miss Goody Two-Shoes from Settlement Twenty-Four? She’ll be along shortly.”
Shaye climbed out of one of the cars, a huge grin on her face. “Blake!” We ran to each other and hugged as Austin watched, amused.
“I’m so glad we’re back together. I’ve missed you!” I beamed at my friend when we parted. “You look lovely, of course.” Shaye’s thick tawny ringlets were loose, springing out in all their glory in every direction. Her burnished-copper skin gleamed with good health. A pale-yellow dress complemented her complexion perfectly.
“Thank you, my friend. You’re the one who looks lovely—you’re radiant.” She peered at my face. “I do suspect that it’s got something to do with that vampire. He’s still staring, I see.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Austin watching us. A hot blush crept up my cheeks. “Never mind about that! How was the journey? What news have you from the palace? And have you heard from Gwyneth?”
“Whoa, that’s a lot of questions. Let me take them one at a time. Yes, we’ve heard from Gwyneth and Dallas. They’ve been touring the settlements, doing outreach. She said their trip’s been magnificent so far. We don’t expect them back anytime soon.”
Unless Austin has them dragged back. I kept the thought to myself.
“The journey here was fine. They took every precaution.” Shaye bowed her head and moved closer so that she wouldn’t be overheard. “Is the North very dangerous? We had a lot of extra security. And there’ve been rumors flying about the castle ever since you left.”
“We’re safe.” I kept my voice low. “But there have certainly been some issues, and we have much to catch up on. Come—I’m sure Eve will be thrilled to see you.”
I linked my arm through Shaye’s as we headed up the drive. There were many things I needed to tell my friends about: Rose, Abigor, the werewolves, Balkyn… So much had happened in such a short amount of time.
I held Shaye close as we headed inside. I was thrilled they were here, but I worried about the road ahead. It was sure to be dangerous, and it approached too quickly.
Tamara, Shaye, Eve, and I all sat cross-legged on the floor of the library. Beast whizzed back and forth between us, stopping intermittently to pant and be petted.
“Who’d have thought a gnome would be so cute and fluffy?” Tamara scratched Beast’s head, and he blinked at her, his pink tongue lolling out. “I want one! He’d fit nicely in my tote. I daresay I’d get him a sweater or, better yet, a tiara.”
“You can’t put a bloody crown on a gnome.” Eve laughed. “Austin would have your head!”
“Speaking of Austin.” Tamara pursed her lips and turned her laser-like focus on me. “You look as if you’ve been snogged—repeatedly and well. I’d like details.”
I sighed. “We’ve been kissing, yes. Which is nothing to get your knickers in a twist about. It’s perfectly normal because Austin is my…”
The other girls leaned forward, waiting.
“Boyfriend.” The word still sounded funny coming out of my mouth.
“I told you, Shaye.” Tamara’s grin turned wicked. “Blake’s next.”
I scowled at her. “Next what?”
Austin stepped into the room, his face tense. “Eve, Blake—may I have a word?”
“Of course.” I hopped up, relieved to be out of the spotlight.
But the relief was short-lived. We followed Austin down the hall to the conference room. His shoulders were taut, his hands were clenched into fists. Gone was the happy smile from hours before when we’d first seen each other in the drive.
“What’s going on?” I whispered to Eve.
She shook her head as we entered the room. There was no one else inside. Austin turned to face us, frowning, and motioned for us to sit. I don’t know, but it doesn’t look good, she thought-spoke.
“Thank you for managing things while I was gone.” Austin’s tone was chilly.
“My lord?” Eve asked. “Is there some sort of problem?”
“Only that I have a human rebel in my dungeon, and neither of you bothered to tell me about her.”
Eve nodded. “We planned to just as soon as you finished your meeting.”
I raised my hand. “I can explain. She—the prisoner—is Balkyn’s ex-girlfriend. She left the rebels to follow him and warn him that the rebels planned to attack. I think she just wanted to see him, actually.” I shot a quick look at Eve, who frowned. “But he wants nothing to do with her. She hates vampires blindly. She left him for his best friend when he started expressing opinions different from hers.”
“Have you spoken to Balkyn about this, Your Highness?” Eve asked.
“Not yet.” His nostrils flared.
I peered at him. “Why do you seem as if you’re about to blow your stack?”
“Because one of my sentinels told me that you escorted the rebel to the dungeon.”
I nodded. “That’s right. I wanted to make sure she had what she needed. I felt responsible for her since I was the one who decided to lock her up.”
“Why didn’t you take sentinels with you?” Austin’s lips were set in a grim line.
“I didn’t think I needed to.” I hadn’t been afraid of Chase. “She’s quite small, Your Highness, and she didn’t put up any sort of a fight.”
Austin paced in front of us. “Lady Eve, why did you let Blake take the prisoner to the dungeon unaccompanied?”
Eve bowed her head. “I followed her, my lord, and made sure that no harm came to her.”
“You did?” I turned to Eve. “Why?”
She pointed at Austin. “D’you see how he’s acting? That’s why. And also, I don’t trust the rebel. I wanted to make sure she didn’t try to escape.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” It was embarrassing, really. I hadn’t realized I had an invisible chaperone.
Eve shrugged. “I didn’t want you to think I was trying to babysit you.”
“So you were stalking-slash-babysitting me instead.”
She shrugged again, but she didn’t look sorry.
The prince stopped pacing. “Thank you, Lady Eve. I appreciate what you did. I’m also impressed with your management of my men in my stead. They’ve nothing but high praise for you, which is quite something.” Finally, a smile ghosted his lips.
Eve beamed back. “Thank you, my lord.”
“Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have a word with Blake alone.”
“Oh, are you two done congratulating each other?” My voice rose to a high pitch. “Am I to be grounded now?”
Eve coughed as she sprang from her seat. With a brief curtsy, she was gone.
As soon as she’d left, I hopped to my own feet. “I’m sorry, but what’s this all about? Why’re you suddenly in such a foul mood? And why do I feel as though you’re about to send me to bed without my supper?”
He raked a hand over his head. “I don’t want you taking unnecessary risks.”
“I didn’t. I took a woman—a human woman six inches shorter than me, who probably weighs forty pounds less than I do—to a cell and locked her inside.”
“Why didn’t you bring a guard with you?”
“Honestly, the thought didn’t even occur to me.”
“That’s exactly the problem.” He sighed. “We are living in a very dangerous time. You can’t just act without thinking anymore.”
“I beg your pardon. You left me in charge. I made a decision while you were gone, and I followed through on it. That’s the end of the story—I certainly don’t need to be retroactively told what to do.”
He leveled a glare at me. “You do if you’re not making smart choices.”
“Oh, you did not just say that to me.” I stared back at him. “You may be my boyfriend, and you may be the prince, but there’s no reason to speak like that.”
Austin pinched the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache. “I respectfully disagree.” He didn’t sound respectful. He sounded pissed.
I squared my shoulders. “You left me in charge while you went to the settlements. I made choices while you were gone, and I took actions to support those choices. I did what I believed to be right. I won’t operate from a place of fear or worry about scrutiny. I will continue to conduct myself in such a manner as I see fit, and when I decide that it’s low-risk to escort a prisoner to a dungeon, I will bloody well rely on my own good judgment and do so.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Are you done?”
“Quite.” I curtsied. “Good day, my lord.”
I stormed out before he could say something further. I hurried to my room, needing to be alone and away from the very person I’d been so excited to see not so many hours earlier.