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“What are you doing here?” Alex gasped, glancing nervously to where D.C. was waiting. Was Kaiden one of the people who had grown up around D.C., or was he a threat to her friend’s secret identity?

“It’s the refreshments table,” Kaiden said pointedly, reaching around her and grabbing a glass filled with a glowing green liquid.

“Not what are you doing here, what are you doinghere?” Alex asked, flustered.

He raised one dark eyebrow and she struggled to fight off a blush. If it was possible, he was even more attractive than the last time she’d seen him in her Combat class. And considering he was wearing a tuxedo and not covered in sweat and grime, it was definitely possible.

“By ‘here’, I presume you mean the palace ballroom?” Kaiden clarified.

She shook off her dazzled feeling and pursed her lips. “Obviously.”

“It’s the princess’s birthday,” he stated. “There’s a party going on, in case you haven’t noticed. And I never turn down an invite to a good party.”

Alex couldn’t quite interpret the depth behind his humour-filled expression, but before she could ask anything else, they were joined by another familiar face.

“Alex! Fancy seeing you here!”

“Hey, Declan,” she greeted the massive hulk of a boy. His tux was practically bursting at the seams and he didn’t appear at all comfortable—unlike Kaiden, who looked as if he was born to wear formal attire. “How was your summer?”

“You didn’t ask how my summer was,” Kaiden said, looking even more amused for some reason.

Alex felt her left eye twitch and was glad when Declan started speaking so she didn’t have to respond to Kaiden’s remark.

“Yeah, all right. Not too exciting, but good. You?”

“Same here,” she said, not wanting to go into detail. While they were definitely the nicest of her Combat classmates, the first time she’d met Declan he’d ended up sending her to the Medical Ward, unconscious. As for Kaiden, well, she wasn’t sure what to make of him. Needless to say, neither of them were what she would callclosefriends.

But speaking of close friends…

“Oh, no,” she said, looking across the room. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go.”

Alex set both drinks back on the table and lifted her floor-length dress high enough to move quickly without tripping. She didn’t care about avoiding Marcus Sparker this time as she hurried across the middle of the ballroom, weaving between dancing couples and political dignitaries. Her focus was solely on the two people who had arrived at the entrance to the room and were now heading towards the corner where D.C. was speaking to a small group of people. Alex knew she had to warn the princess, but she was too far away to capture her attention.

The king and queen came into Alex’s peripheral vision as they waltzed along to the music and she groaned inwardly whenshe recognised the opportunity they presented. With a mortified breath and a silent apology, Alex picked up her pace…

… And launched herself at the dancing couple.

The three of them tumbled to the floor in a pile of limbs and formal attire. Alex could hear people shrieking around them, and before she could so much as blink, she was forcibly hauled off the royal couple with her arms wrenched behind her back.

With no chance for her to explain, two guards promptly dragged her from the room. She felt like her face was on fire as the entire ballroom of people watched the guards manhandle her, but she managed to lift her head and meet D.C.’s stricken gaze. When her friend stepped forward to intervene, Alex shook her head and subtly gestured in the direction of the two boys who were now gaping in shock along with everyone else.

Alex offered Jordan and Bear a weak smile as she was escorted past them. She turned back to D.C., relieved when her noticeably pale roommate nodded to say she understood why Alex had acted as she had.

‘I’ll fix this,’ D.C. mouthed.

Alex smiled ruefully, fully aware that they would have a difficult time coming up with an acceptable excuse for her attack on the ruling monarchs of Medora.

The two guards frogmarched Alex out of the ballroom and through the resplendent corridors, before hustling her down a dark, winding staircase that led underneath the palace. Once they were on level ground again, they strode past more guards wearing armour and through what could only be described as an ancient stone dungeon. Fortunately, it was empty of prisoners—as far as Alex could tell.

They stopped in front of a grimy cell and she was shoved none too gently into it. One of the guards immediately pressed on a touch-screen TCD terminal attached to the wall and a semi-transparent barrier appeared, zinging with what appeared to belive electricity. It didn’t take a genius to work out that the barrier could do some serious damage, but Alex still had to struggle against the temptation to touch the almost hypnotic entryway.

When the guards took up sentry positions opposite her, Alex began pacing back and forth in the small space, preparing herself for whatever would come next. It wasn’t long before she heard the sound of approaching footsteps and a young woman stepped into view. She had dark hair and striking features, and wore a black uniform with a gold emblem stitched above her heart—two swords crossed together behind a crown.

“I’m Warden Jeera,” the woman said without preamble, her title telling Alex that she, like Bear’s dad, was one of Medora’s peacekeepers and responsible for the safety of the kingdom. “Andyoujust tried to carry out an assassination attempt on the king and queen.”

Alex sucked in a startled breath, realising that her current circumstances were perhaps more dire than she’d presumed. “I didn’t—”

“What’s your name?” Jeera interrupted.