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It was an even more dangerous power than her mother’s. The elder vampire commanded love and adoration, while her daughter was the bringer of chaos and drew people in just close enough so she could slit their throats when they were least expecting it.

She invoked anger. Rage. Volatile emotions that could end a fight before it even started.

I stepped forward, not saying anything to the stepmother but merely reminding her of my presence. She gave me a look. A dismissive one that told me I should probably back off, but instead, I placed my hand on the princess’s elbow and murmured, “Shall I escort you out?”

“You’re right,” the princess said, her smile widening as she met the gaze of her stepmother. “I think it’s time that I go visit him. Thank you for the reminder.”

Shock froze me in place. This was not the vampire I had been fighting when I tried to assassinate her the other night. The uncontrolled, burning anger that seemed to take over the entirety of her small frame seemed to have just vanished into thin air.

I had been waiting for her to unleash on them like she had on me. She had the power to. I could feel it building up inside her.

But like a switch, she changed completely, and back was the picture-perfect vampire princess who obeyed every command and still managed to hold her head high even after all the insults hurled at her.

It was like a completely different person.

She didn’t say anything else as she made her way to the exit, though I did spare one last glance at the mother-and-daughterduo who stood there fuming. I almost expected one of them to come flying at her, given how poorly they were holding in their anger. It had my fingers itching to grab the weapon I had stationed at my back.

But they did nothing as we passed the threshold. The door closing behind us didn’t hide the frustrated screams from the vampires.

“Going back on your word?” The princess asked as soon as we were down the hall and far enough away from the others that they couldn’t hear us. She was leading me to the prince. I already knew from the direction we were headed.

A bit of a disappointment. I almost wished she’d just agreed so she could ditch him again.

“I hate all vampires equally,” I retorted, sneaking a look at her. But this time she wasn’t looking at me with one of those smiles of hers. This time, her gaze was straight ahead, her mind a thousand miles away.

“I know you’re tied to him,” she said, her pace coming to an abrupt halt. This time, she looked at me without anger. There was a plea in her eyes. “But when we’re in there, your loyalty is to me. If he loses control, remember that.”

Loses control? Does everyone in this palace like to beat up the princess?

“You trust me that much?” I asked, unable to find the words for anything else.

“If not you, then who else?”

It was worse. Much worse than I thought.

I stayed still and watched as the princess fell to her knees in front of the prince. He had already been gorging himself on the blood of multiple feeders, all lying dazed in various places around the room. Many of them were half naked, some not even wearing clothes.

How the fuck could the prince get away with this?

I knew he was a bastard. From both my experiences in his kingdom and the rumors surrounding him, I knew that there was nothing redeemable about him.

But I had expected him to clean up his act as soon as he got to the palace. At least during the engagement. Act like the perfect prince he was supposed to be. Schmooze the in-laws.

It would seem that he had her stepmother on his side…but acting likethis?

It only made me realize how much they must have hated the princess. How much they wished for her downfall.

The stepsibling’s words rang in my head.

He told us exactly what he plans to do to you when you’re shipped off to his family home.

Ifthatwas what he decided to do in her own home, what was awaiting her there? Not only that, but everyone in the Castle family was actively rooting for her demise.

They might as well have just handed her to me.

“It took you long enough,” Icas said, his bloody lips pulling into a smirk. “Seems you have daddy dearest wrapped around your finger. Even when I told him how you assaulted me, he still didn’t even force you here to apologize.”

“If that’s what you call an assault, I’m seriously concerned about the damage you took to your brain,” she said with a huff. “The stepbitch is annoying. That’s the only reason I’m doing this. Cross the line, and next time I’ll cut it off.”