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Papa Nic liked that. He used it to his advantage. He took on a casual stance, bringing his fingers to his lips as if he had to think it over. I caught his eye and gave him a death look. That still didn’t faze him. After a few more seconds, he nodded. “That’s fine.” I started to move away, but Papa Nic said Calen’s name. “She’s your responsibility now too. I don’t know how much she has mentioned to you, but her safety is of the utmost priority.”

Calen nodded, dropping his head in acquiescence. “Of course, King Nicolai. I will keep her safe or die trying.”

“Good,” Papa Nic responded, a smug smirk on his face as he looked at me.

I gaped at the two of them. First Papa Christian with his Princess talk and now this? “My life doesn’t mean more than others,” I said firmly.

“It does to me,” Papa Nic said, his voice dark, sending a shiver through me. His usually shadowed face rescinded even more into the darkness as I looked at him.

“Mine as well, my lady.”

In an instant, Papa Nicolai smiled. He looked at Calen with approval then gestured to us that we should leave.

I stalked on ahead, leaving them both behind. Calen was bigger than me, but I had longer legs than him where he had a lengthier torso. No wonder why he said he was not a great runner. With his vampire strength, he would be able to run fast, but not for any distance.

I pushed open the front door, sending it wide open, the hinges screaming in protest.

Calen hurried up behind me. “You are mad, Princess?”

I whirled on him, heat flowing through me that was ready to erupt. I was only a little remorseful when I saw the look on his face. “My life is not worth more than any other.”

“Aye. Spoken like a true princess,” Calen said. “Perhaps it is not worth more than any other, but I’m your mate, Izzy Ravana, and it means more to me.”

“A life is a life.”

“So it is, but I will honor you with your safety…and your happiness,” he added. “If it is at my disposal to give.”

The retorts died on my lips. Ugh. Why did he have to be so sweet? I was mad!

I reached out, and he took my hand. “I’m sorry, Calen. I didn’t mean to get upset.”

“I like that you’re confident in what you believe in, my lady. You speak out about what you think is right, and you are right. To everyone else, your life is just a life like theirs. Your family has always shown that. That’s why they go into battle when others would sit behind, but can you not see, that your life is not just a life to those who love you? That is a very different thing indeed and you should not get angry about it. It’s natural to want to protect the ones you love.”

He didn’t need to say more. I understood exactly what he meant. If my fathers or mother were in trouble, I would do anything in my power to save them, even give up my life for theirs.

When I looked into his eyes, they were heavy, hooded over as his gaze penetrated mine. “I wish I could kiss you right now.”

My stomach twisted. “Can’t you?” I asked. “We are mates after all.”

Red swamped his cheeks. “I’m afraid I don’t want to just kiss you in a way suitable for public viewing.”

Heat flowed through me as if I had a direct current of electricity scorching my veins. I stepped in, rising on my tiptoes to press a chaste kiss to his lips. I lingered there, letting my lips brush his. “That will have to do for now then,” I said, stepping back to flat feet.

His eyes were closed as he savored the touch, then they opened to me once more. His muddy irises more alive, like my kiss had sparked him to life this morning. “A run, my lady?”

I smiled and took off, jumping into my vampire speed. He raced behind me. My awareness of him grew the more I saw him. We ran to the walled perimeter and then raced alongside it like we used to when I was a student here. We stayed in the natural tree shade and synthetic canopy shade tethered high above the campus so that the sun’s harmful rays wouldn’t tire us unnecessarily.

Calen chuckled behind me. “You are very fast, my lady. You were going easy on me yesterday when we went to the pond.”

I slowed, not realizing I was going as fast as I was. Morning runs were my time to stretch my limits, push myself until I couldn’t go any further and I’d forgotten about Calen for a moment. When I was at an easy run pace, I said, “Thank you for the quaiche.”

“Ahh,” he said, easily making his way so that we were running side by side now. “You researched it?”

I nodded and stopped abruptly on the other side of a tree. Calen had a hard time stopping as quickly as me. He ran a little past and then jogged back toward me.

“It’s beautiful. The sentiment behind it and the quaiche itself.”

He sauntered up to me, his lips twisting into a small smile. “That quaiche was my great grandmothers. It was given to her by her husband when they married. It has been in my family for many, many years. I thought it only fitting you should have it as a representation of what I want our bond to be. Trust. Friendship. To me, those are the truest foundations.”