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Talking about the wedding helped get my mind off the incident, but the moment I hear a vehicle pull up, my body stiffens.

We’re about to be stuck on this plane for many hours while we fly back home. And the guy who tried to kidnap me will be mere feet away.

I take a deep breath through my nose and slowly exhale.

Damek squeezes my hand. “I won’t let him come near you, Maddie.”

“Thank you.” I lean into his side, letting him take my weight.

I feel braver with Damek at my side. I know that he will do everything that he can to protect me. He’s my home. The thought hits me and sends a jolt straight to my heart. I can’t imagine life without him.

“Six months is too long,” I mumble.

He chuckles. “Four and a half months now.”

“Still too long.”

I hear footsteps on the stairs and moments later, King Rune steps onto the plane. A bunch of guards follow him in. I stiffen as I spot the prisoner—he’s slung over a guard’s shoulder. But as he takes the prisoner to a room in the back of the plane, I let out a breath of relief.

Good, I won’t have to physically see him on the way home. That will make things easier.

King Rune makes his way toward us. “Madeline, how are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” I say again, feeling like I keep repeating myself. “Honestly, he didn’t touch me.”

“Good. It is a benefit to your hybrid blood that I never realized. I wonder if your children will be the same.” He sits down across from Duncan at the table.

My heart skips a beat at the mention of ‘children.’

Before he can speak further, a guard approaches him. “We are ready to take off. The sooner we get the prisoner back on the mainland, the better.”

“Very well.” King Rune nods his head. “Let’s get going.”

We all buckle up and we’re in the air within a minute.

14

EQUAL

As soon as the plane lands, we head toward my house. King Rune—or Paul as he’s insisting I call him—says he needs to talk to my dad. The prisoner and five guards are in an SUV behind us. They’re waiting to interrogate him until my dad can be there.

I wonder what ‘interrogation’ means. I picture some dark basement with the guy tied to a chair while they torture him. I would feel bad for the guy if he hadn’t tried to kidnap me.

The succubi and incubi community may be vicious with their words, but I was never kidnapped when I was there. Still, I’d take the vampires any day. And that might have to do with the boy holding my hand.

Damek hasn’t let go of my hand since we left the island. He’s been so sweet and supportive. It only makes me fall for him even harder.

When we get to the Scott estate, Dad is waiting for us in his conference room. Julien is there, surprisingly, and so is Kaine. I didn’t know that he was back, though maybe he came back when he heard what happened.

Kaine’s eyes meet mine for a brief second before he looks pointedly away from me. The move hurts more than I thoughtit would. He was my advisor—an advisor who never wanted to advise me—but we became friends. Now, he can’t even stand to look at me.

Damek pulls out a chair for me. I smile at him as I sit down.

Kaine thought he was in love with me, but Kaine doesn’t know what love is. He was attracted to me—he had a crush. That was it. And I hope he will see that someday so that we can be friends again.

But will I even see him after Damek and I are married? Possibly I will see him in passing, but even that will be rare.

King Rune, or, er…Paul… catches Dad up on everything that happened with the intruder. I tell the events that I remember, but thankfully I only have to repeat myself a couple of times before they move on.