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As my dark wind creeped over his skin, ready for a drink, his magic composed of starlight—something I’d never encountered before—rushed to meet my wind, flirting with it.

What the fuck?

How could this happen?

My siphon power and his starlight entwined in a dance. Heat burned in my core, liquid fire licking between my thighs.

I jerked back, my lips parted, and I instantly withdrew my siphon power.

“Not exactly a pet. He’d be the worst pet,” Louis said with a chortle, glancing my way before returning his attention to his frenemy. “Everyone notices that boy. There’s something about him.”

“Where did you find her—” Killian’s gaze slid over me, and my heart skipped an icy beat. “—him?”

He corrected it, but it sounded false. When I’d first bumped into him in the woods, he’d said, “There she is!”

The way he smirked knowingly at me might hint that he knew about my disguise. He was playing with me, getting me worked up. Everything about the prince of the House of Chaos spelled disaster waiting to happen.

“He’s too pretty to be a boy, Louis,” Killian added.

Louis frowned. “I’ve been thinking the same.”

My heart raced erratically.

“But then, who cares if your squire is a boy or a girl,” Killian said, “as long as he knows how to take your directions and does what you ask him, right?”

Asshole!

“Here’s the thing though, Killian,” Louis confessed in a low voice, and I bet he didn’t know that I could hear him. “My squire, little Bob, mostly doesn’t follow instructions. He’s one of the crankiest creatures I’ve ever come across. He’s like a skittish, growling chihuahua on his best days. He bares his teeth even more often than me, and I’m a powerful vampire prince.”

“You haven’t told me where you grabbed him,” Killian said.

“Why are you so interested in my servant boy?” Louis narrowed his pale blue eyes. “Isn’t it a bit unusual, especially for you, Prince Killian?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Louis,” Killian said. “I might need a new squire, fresh blood and all.”

“Are you planning to poach my squire?” Louis grated.

“Now you’re paranoid,” Killian said lazily. “All I’m trying to tell you is that there’re spies in our midst, and you know that too. We should check out everyone’s background, especially our new pets, squires, and guards’, since they follow us everywhere.”

“Well,” Louis retorted, “I and my house are more likely to be spied on by minions from other houses, including yours, rather than being spied on by my new squire. If little Bob is a spy, he’s the lousiest spy. His all-time favorite thing to do is to raid the kitchen. The amount of food he can consume is shocking. He eats like there’s no tomorrow, and the damn boy is always hungry. I’ve heard too many complaints about him.”

I seethed. He was making me look bad in front of Killian.

And you shouldn’t look down at people just because they eat a lot!

My body needed to consume a lot of energy, and Sy needed to feed so we wouldn’t be forced to drink magic and drain the realm. It was like I was born with a void that constantly needed to be filled, considering who fathered me.

Yet I didn’t want to be the villain in the story that hurt people and the land if I could help it. It was bad enough that Sy needed to feed the way she did.

“Yet you keep him around,” said Killian.

“He’s something, and he has something to give.” Louis eyed the chaos prince slyly. “And you’re awfully interested in my new squire. I want to know the real reason.”

Killian stared at the vampire prince. “There’s no real reason. If you don’t want to share, beat it. Don’t accuse me for nothing.”

“Temper, Killian.” Louis laughed. “What happened to you lately? We barely see you anymore. What about the houses’ cooperative spirit? Under a lot of stress because of the approach of your wedding? Shouldn’t you be in a fabulous mood, groom-to-be?”

Rage seethed in me and scorched the back of my throat, as if the idea of the prince of the House of Chaos getting married didn’t sit well with me. The next moment, I was taken aback. I shouldn’t have this kind of stupid, possessive reaction. Why should I care whom he went to bed with? I might’ve felt an intense, unnatural link to him that I’d never felt with anyone else, but it could mean nothing. It could be one-sided. Mostly, it could be a dumb crush.