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His eyes rounded, and an appreciation made him actually bow this time.

He helped me to my feet, and I pressed the blade back into the cuff at my wrists. We both bowed to one another, and the crowd clapped.

Looking away, I caught Calen MacDougall’s large eyes. “That took tremendous restraint, my lady.”

He was in awe of me. I smiled back and returned to my position at the table. Once there, Mother whispered to take my hair down. Strands were now coming down around my chin when it had been in an updo before the match. I complied, letting the dark waves fall over my shoulders.

“Well done,” Papa Connor said. “Hopefully Felix will think twice the next time he opens his mouth.”

I chanced a look at the vampire in question. He was now sitting at his table, all by himself. Though his shoulders were back, and his chin was slightly in the air, he still looked like a man that had been defeated. I’d been able to counter him easily. Not that it wasn’t a good match because it was, but I doubted he went into it thinking I would accept his challenge let alone be up to the task.

“Let the rumors grow now,” Mother said.

“It couldn’t hurt,” Papa Christian answered. “Perhaps Felix Dumont was right about one thing. We have made Izzy into this mystery of sorts.”

“It was for her own safety,” Mother countered.

“Of course,” Papa Christian said. “But now it might be a detriment. We’ve known for some time now that she can defend herself. Maybe it’s time to let out some of her skills.”

Mom smiled down at me. “I think she just did.”

Chapter Six

Now the hard part began…the party. I’d much rather be sparring with Felix Dumont than standing up in a dress being asked to dance time and time again. First, I danced with all four of my father’s one after the other. That part wasn’t so bad. It reminded me of when I was younger and wanted to be a true “princess”. Even the vampire world had Disney.

As soon as the dance with Papa Stephan ended, I turned to face Alexei. His blue eyes burned into mine. He bowed and asked for my hand. I accepted. He led me a few steps away. All around us, stares felt as if they were piercing away at the armor I put up when I went out in public. I knew this would be the most difficult part of the night, yet the most essential. What I wasn’t banking on was having dancing with my best friend be strained as well.

“You’re upset with me.”

I swallowed. It wasn’t that. Confused was more like it. “Why didn’t you just tell me before?”

He stared into my eyes. Now that it was out, it was evident he wasn’t going to hide it anymore. “Think about it from my point of view. You’re my best friend. Always have been and always will be…despite what happens,” he quickly tacked on. “It wasn’t an easy thing to say to you, especially with you being you.”

“I’m just Izzy to you.”

His hold on me tightened. “You think that, don’t you? But you’re wrong. You’re notjustanybody. Whether you’re a princess or our future queen, I would never think you were just anybody. You’re special, Izzy Ravana. For a long time, I was the only one outside your family to know you. Now, you’ve invited these others to get to know you and they’re going to see how special you are too.”

“That’s why you didn’t want me to go through with this?”

“Jealousy, I know. It’s abhorrent.”

I peered straight ahead at his shoulder. My fingers gripped him there and I tried to put us in another place, another time. Alexei had always been just my friend, but could I look at him differently? “I wish you would’ve said something before.”

“Would you have still held this?” he asked, gesturing to the party going on around us.

“Yes, it’s what I want.”

“And I can’t say that I blame you. It has always been your wish. I knew that. I just want a chance, Izzy.”

“But what were you thinking all that time we spent together? How long have you known you thought of me as more than a friend?” I wasn’t sure why, but our relationship started to sound like a lie. If one person withheld something major from the other, wasn’t it based on a lie? And that was wrong. Very wrong.

His lips thinned. “I’ve always been your friend. That won’t change. I’m able to keep my other thoughts to myself and differentiate between the two.”

“It’s not fair that you didn’t allow me to do the same.”

His jaw locked down tight as he regarded me. “I wasn’t stopping you.”

“I didn’t know these feelings were a possibility.”