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She had been the same when I was all but kidnapped from my bed at the princess’s request.

Or maybe she just hadn’t wanted to get involved.

The path up to the princess’s room was a different thing, though.

It wasn’t just the guards sent by the prince—the family also had their own guards patrolling. After all, the guards were a show. Fresh blood. They hadn’t actually put them in any position of importance.

And luckily for me, because of my new role at the princess’s side, I had been taken off the nightly patrol schedule.

But that didn’t mean I hadn’t memorized it. Cedar had caught me when I was reading it in the dead of night once, when she woke up to go to the bathroom, but never said anything. Instead, she just gave me that irritating, all-knowing look.

I paused as I shut the door behind me, her snores darting out through the closed door. It was late enough at night that most who were asleep were in deep, and hopefully the vampires had their own priorities to take care of.

This time, I made sure not to forget my sword.

When I was sure it was clear, I silently walked down the stone hallway before pausing at the end of the corridor. Taking a breath and counting to twenty in my head, I peeked around the corner just in time to catch the back of the guard rounding the long corner past the stairs.

I need to work quickly to climb the stairs before he turns back around.

My heart was pumping wildly, fear gripping my chest. This was it. Everything that I had been working toward down to these few moments.

I forced one foot in front of the other, cursing when one of my steps sounded a bit too loud against the stone. The boots were too thick for something like this. Instead of letting it deter me, I forced myself to work faster. I slipped around the railing and pulled myself up just as the guard’s footsteps sounded throughout the hallway.

I waited again. Forcing myself to hold my breath for fear I would be caught.

No one can see me. At least not one of the guards. Not if I want any chance of getting out of here alive.

Waitstaff and the feeders were different—they would mind their business. But the guards would be forced to report anyone they saw walking the halls. Even one of their own.

When he finally turned the corner again, I pushed myself up the stairs. The flight I had chosen was for those who wished not to be seen. Mostly people like myself and feeders. The higher floors weren’t guarded all that well, so as I ascended, the weight on my chest got lighter.

By the time I reached the fifth floor and home of the princess, I had seen only one other soul. A feeder who had looked far worse for wear and probably was too out of it to even look twice at me.

Easy.

Besides the princess sticking her fangs in my neck and the tantrums…the whole job had beeneasy—textbook perfect. I had done the hours,yearsof prep, and mixed with a little luck, I got to where I wanted to be on the first day.

Maybe it was all luck.Maybe all the time and effort I had put into it didn’t mean anything as soon as I stepped through the palace doors.

Why had I caught her eye?It had been my goal all along, but I couldn’t understand it.

The unknown answer was making my skin itch. She treated me with a passive-aggressive disdain mixed with playful curiosity, as some sort of pet she could play with, and pouted whenever I didn’t play nice with her.

Yet she didn’t get rid of me the moment I rejected her…So what gives?

Images of her writhing against the couch, her eyes hooded and her lips open flashed across my mind. Seeing my own blood coating her mouth should have disgusted me. It usually would have. But when I was there between her legs, making her feel the things she assured me I never could…it felt more like a claim.

I shook the thoughts from my head and looked out at the rows of windows overlooking the palace grounds. A dark, inkysky was beyond, but the stars and moon were so bright even to human eyes that the hallway was clear to see.

Plush carpet concealed my footsteps. The air was warm,pleasant. A stark change from what we were forced to live with on the floors below.

I calmed my heart and forced it to go still.

She would be awake in there. Vampires never slept. Constantly forced to roam the world without even so much as a moment of rest. Yet she hadn’t called for me or, hopefully, anyone else.

She will be bored.May even welcome the distraction. But I expected it. Expected her to fight back.

It’s why I chose nighttime. So no one could hear her. No one could hearusas we fought. And when I was done, I could sneak back into my room and act like it never happened while I prepared for my exit.