Page 17

I slammed my bedroom door and immediately face-planted into the mountain of stuffed animals on my bed.

Maybe if I stayed here long enough, I’d evolve into a plushie myself.

It had to be better than being a vampire prince who’d just sexually assaulted his adopted brother while wearing what was basically transparent fabric.

“This is fine,” I told the lavender bunny plushie beside my head. “Everything’s fine. I just wrapped myself around Ryker like an attention-starved octopus, got carried by Zane, and had Archer point out that I was basically wearing underwear. At six in the morning. Totally normal Friday.”

A knock at my bedroom door made me burrow deeper into the stuffed animals.

“Prince?” Benedict’s voice called from the hallway. “May I come in?”

I made some sort of muffled sound that Benedict apparently interpreted as permission, because the door opened a moment later.

“Good morning, Prince. Would you like your morning bath?”

“Yes, please,” I mumbled into a dragon’s sparkly mane as I heard him cross the room. The sound of running water soon drifted from the en suite bathroom.

Maybe it hadn’t been that bad. Maybe the sleep clothes were perfectly decent and I was just being dramatic. I mean, how revealing could they really be?

I hopped off the bed and crept toward the full-length mirror like I was approaching my own execution.

The sleep clothes were so much worse than I’d imagined.

The pale fabric clung to every line of my body like an overly amorous second skin, the morning light had made it nearly see-through, and the delicate trim did absolutely nothing to preserve my dignity.

I looked like I’d walked straight out of one of those “forbidden romance with the alpha lord” manga covers.

“I hugged Ryker in this ?” I whispered in horror to my reflection. “Zane carried me in this?”

My face burned hot enough to probably set the fabric on fire. Which might have been an improvement, honestly.

I paced the room, my new vampire grace apparently taking a coffee break as I stumbled over my own feet.

“Okay, think. What would the protagonist in My Alpha Romance is Accidentally Too Spicy do?” I paused.

“Wait, no, he’d probably march right back down there and seduce all three brothers. Bad example. Very bad example.”

“Your bath is ready, Prince,” Benedict called from the bathroom.

I nearly cried with relief. Benedict would know what to do. Benedict always knew what to do. He probably had a whole chapter in his butler manual about What to Do When Your Charge Accidentally Seduces Three Brothers Before Breakfast.

At least I hoped he did. Because right now, I needed all the help I could get.

The bath helped. Sort of. At least for those blissful twenty minutes, I managed not to think about the brothers or my mortifying display of vampire-prince-gone-wild. The lavender-scented water and Benedict’s careful ministrations almost made me forget the whole incident.

Almost.

“A soft lavender ensemble today, I think,” Benedict mused as he helped me into a robe. “Something light and elegant for the morning.”

He presented me with quite possibly the most beautiful outfit I’d ever seen.

The silk shirt seemed to float like lavender blossoms, with delicate embroidery details that managed to be both refined and sophisticated.

The black pants were tailored perfectly, with subtle purple accents that caught the light.

The color reminded me of twilight clouds, that perfect moment between purple and midnight.

“It suits you perfectly, Prince,” Benedict said with satisfaction as he helped me into it. The fabric felt like wearing a cloud, if clouds were made of pure luxury and probably cost more than my annual salary.

I stared at my reflection as Benedict worked on my hair. The outfit made me look… impossible. Like I’d stepped out of one of those magical boy anime transformations, except instead of fighting evil, I was apparently trying to die of embarrassment in the most elegant way possible.

A knock at the bedroom door made me jump.

“Luca?” Sylvie’s voice called after a quick knock. “Are you ready for breakfast?”

“Just a minute!” I called back, checking my reflection one last time.

Sylvie bounced into the room, looking unfairly put together in her school uniform, golden curls perfectly styled. Her face lit up when she saw me. “Oh my gosh, that outfit is absolutely perfect on you! The lavender really brings out your eyes.”

She linked her arm through mine, her enthusiasm infectious. “Come on, everyone’s waiting for breakfast. Benedict has your favorite blood type ready.”

The breakfast room was a sun-filled space near the balcony, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of New Vale’s skyline.

Harrison stood by the ornate sideboard, directing two staff as they set out the morning spread, while Benedict was already preparing my blood in a lavender-tinted crystal glass.

Great Uncle Johnathan sat at the head of the table, reading what looked like ancient scrolls. Uncle Owen and Aunt Senna were deep in conversation while Hunter was playing a game on his phone.

And then there were the brothers.

I kept my eyes firmly ahead as Sylvie led me to my seat, trying very hard not to notice how Zane’s rich musk and amber mixed with Ryker’s warm spice and bergamot and Archer’s citrus and sunshine.

Three very distinct, very tempting scents that definitely weren’t making my fangs ache. Nope. Not at all.

“Good morning, dear.” Aunt Senna smiled warmly. “That color suits you perfectly.”

“Thanks,” I managed, focusing intently on Benedict as he placed my glass in front of me. The blood’s rich aroma helped distract me from… other scents in the room.

“Thank God it’s Friday,” Hunter groaned, finally putting his phone down. “This week’s been brutal. Ms. J threatened to turn me into an alarm clock again.”

“Maybe if you spent less time gaming and more time studying,” Uncle Owen remarked dryly.

“Hey, gaming develops strategic thinking!” Hunter protested. “Right, Uncle Archer?”

Archer winked at Hunter over his coffee. “Absolutely. Some of my best marketing strategies came from raid planning.”

“Please don’t encourage him.” Aunt Senna sighed, but her lips twitched with amusement.

“Speaking of work,” Ryker said, his scent growing stronger as he reached past me for the coffee pot, making my fangs throb, “the security updates for the downtown properties are ready for review, Zane.”

“Work doesn’t stop for clan alphas, even on weekends,” Zane replied, his eyes meeting mine for a brief moment, sending electricity down my spine.

“And that, brother”—Archer stretched lazily—”is exactly why I’m glad I’m not the clan head. My weekend plans involve absolutely zero property reviews and at least three raid battles.”

“Your weekend plans…” Zane’s voice was dry as desert sand. “Include the quarterly marketing presentation that was due yesterday.”

“Details, details.” Archer waved his hand dismissively, throwing me a wink that definitely didn’t make my undead heart skip a beat.

I tried to focus on my blood, but it was impossible not to notice how the brothers moved around each other with practiced ease, even as they bickered. Zane’s natural authority, Ryker’s quiet competence, Archer’s playful energy—they balanced each other perfectly.

And I was definitely not thinking about how that balance might extend to other areas. Nope. Not at all. Time to change the subject before my imagination ran away with me again.

“Um, Sylvie?” I gathered my courage. “Since it’s Friday… I was wondering if maybe you could show me around the city after your classes?” The words came out in a rush, but once I started, I couldn’t stop. “And maybe we could visit some shops?”

“Are you sure you’re ready for the city, little bat?” Zane asked, his steel-gray eyes studying me with concern. I understood his worry—the old Luca had never ventured out of the penthouse, preferring to stay hidden in his sanctuary.

“I want to try,” I said, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite the way it made my insides turn to jelly. “I can’t hide in the penthouse forever, right?”

“The Crystal Palace Mall would be perfect for a first outing,” Sylvie suggested, practically bouncing in her seat. “It’s our joint venture with the Bellinis—they manage all the luxury retail while we handle the property development. Plus, they just opened that new boutique wing that you’d love.”

“Oh! And the new gaming center on the top floor,” Hunter added. “The one with the VR setup?”

“Our sugar fang’s growing wings,” Archer grinned, but I caught the protective gleam in his eyes. “Tell you what—I’ll come along. Make sure no one bothers our prince while he spreads them.”

“The Bellini district is probably the best choice,” Ryker nodded, exchanging a look with Zane. “Controlled environment, our own security, and Dante’s people are reliable.”

“And the best blood bars,” Archer added with a wink. “That new rooftop lounge has amazing views of the coast.”

“The Crystal Palace Mall is a good choice,” Great Uncle Johnathan spoke up, finally setting aside his ancient scrolls. “Dante called yesterday about wanting to strengthen ties between our clans. Having the Whitlock prince visit their territory would be a nice gesture.”

I nearly choked on my blood. “Wait, is this going to be like… a diplomatic thing?” The idea of being paraded around as some sort of vampire prince ambassador made my anxiety spike.

“Relax, sugar fang.” Archer leaned back in his chair. “It’s just shopping. Though…” His grin turned mischievous. “You might want to prepare yourself for some attention. The Whitlock prince finally emerging from his tower? It’s going to cause quite a stir.”

“Maybe we should wait—” I started, but Sylvie cut me off.