A couple of weeks later, we had yet another reason to celebrate—the biggest one yet, as it came attached with a massive party. The Shade extension was completed and taking in new guests. The inauguration event was designed with full pomp and circumstance, complete with dinner and drinks to satisfy each of the creatures in attendance.

And we had plenty of creatures to begin with! The humans from the Vale, the vampires, the dragons and the witches, the werewolves, the fae, and all the hybrids of The Shade were present. Emissaries from the Supernatural Dimension came by, as well, bearing gifts and well wishes. Eritopians from all twenty planets joined us, along with the many new friends we’d made on Neraka.

There were hundreds of people scattered across the newly built structure. Its framework was made from a virtually unbreakable steel alloy. The floors were all fancy white marble, as were the walls. There was plenty of natural light bathing each of the three hundred new units during the daytime—and it was even more beautiful at night, with the moon twinkling through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and glass roofs. They all had shades and awnings to adjust as desired. The extension sprawled like a plethora of palm leaves, stretching across the Pacific Ocean, yet safely underneath The Shade’s protective shield. Unlike the rest of the island, the extension offered both daytime and nighttime lighting, thanks to a magic adjustment made by Corrine.

We’d brought The Shade closer to perfection. It looked stunning, both from afar and up close. It was light and breezy, elegant and minimalistic—a pleasure to admire at all times of day.

However, that wasn’t the only thing we were celebrating on this occasion. We’d been getting a lot of wonderful news lately, so we’d had to compartmentalize a little bit. Tonight, we were focused on The Shade’s extension, the roughly six hundred years of The Shade’s existence, and the announcement of three major wedding dates.

Viola and Phoenix had finally decided to tie the knot, after Safira had taken Phoenix aside and asked him when he was planning to get serious with her sister. According to Phoenix, that was a hilarious exchange, as both he and Viola had been looking for a way to tell the Daughters that they did, in fact, want to get married—they’d simply been fearful of their traditions. No one had even gazed upon a Daughter of Eritopia until Phoenix, his sister, and his friends were brought there by Draven. Nevertheless, Phoenix did manage to explain that to Safira, then obtained the Daughters’ blessing and proposed to Viola.

Caspian had already given Harper a ring, before they’d even come back from their Nerakian adventure, though he’d clearly stated it wasn’t an actual proposal, but rather a token of his unending love for her. They’d already bonded, both body and soul, anyway. That was unbreakable in itself. But Caspian did propose, eventually, while they were out on a mission on Persea, one of Eritopia’s planets and home of the Druid Temple. She’d said yes. Obviously.

Avril and Heron got engaged on Neraka, though the proposal had been botched—mostly because of Heron’s inability to gather enough courage to ask Avril. From what I was told, Nevis, despite his deep-cutting bluntness, had managed to rectify the situation and forced Heron’s hand to show Avril an engagement ring. Whenever Avril told that story, I couldn’t help but crack up.

Even after all this time, I’d yet to meet Nevis. We’d repeatedly missed each other in The Shade and on Calliope during his visits. I was curious about him, especially since all the girls on the Nerakian GASP team described him as “chillingly perfect,” while Heron fondly referred to him as the “frosty schmuck.”

The party was buzzing and very much to my taste. There were so many guests, I easily got lost in the crowd, hovering from one social group to another. I left Mom, Dad and my brother, Varga, with Grandpa Yuri and Grandma Claudia, making my way across The Shade’s stylish extension to get a blood refill. My flute was empty, and I’d become partial to the spice mixture we’d recently received from Neraka—it made blood taste even better and made me feel less sorry about no longer being able to enjoy real food.

Everybody was here. Zane and Fiona had come all the way from Neraka, via the Calliope portal set up by the Daughters of Eritopia. They looked gorgeous and very much in love, wearing matching black leather tunics and a dazzling array of gold and gemstone jewelry. Fiona was really coming into her own as the future queen of daemons. She carried herself with grace and poise, and Zane barely took his eyes off her.

They were with the rest of their Nerakian group, which included Velnias, one of the bigger daemons I’d come across; Pheng-Pheng, Harper’s Manticore friend, who’d come with her mother, Neha, the Manticore queen, and her consort, Kai. They’d left their newborn baby back on Neraka, in the Manticores’ loving care; Vesta, who’d relocated to Calliope with her parents, along with Ryker and Laughlan, the two Druids that Harper and her crew had rescued from Shaytan’s prison. Next to them stood an almost ethereal creature.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him. He was tall, with a slender frame but toned muscles visible beneath his royal white silk tunic, which was encrusted with diamonds and sewn with silver thread. His long white hair was braided down his back, with two sets of frost laurels resting just above his ears. His eyes were sharp and icy blue, scanning (and most likely judging) everyone. The blade of his nose cast a soft shadow over his lips, and—my heart skipped a beat as he looked at me for the first time.

I froze there, holding my empty flute, just twenty feet away from him and the Nerakian group. I had only seconds to get my brain back into gear and do something, anything, so as not to come across as… blank. I remembered I had a blood refill to get, so I went right and stopped by one of the blood bars, where the bartender, a young vampire named Dean, fixed me up with a peppered blood mix. I had known Dean since his human days back in the Vale. He’d recently been turned, and he was enjoying his newly developed abilities. I could tell from the way his gaze darted all over the place, the way his ears moved, and his nostrils flared—heightened senses, after all.

“How’ve you been, Lenny?” Dean asked me, using my nickname.

Our parents moved Varga and me to The Shade shortly after Harper and Caia turned fourteen. I was older than them in human years, but Varga and I had both already turned vampire. We’d been raised in Nevertide, but we felt as though something was still missing from our early life experience and education. It just didn’t feel right for us, so mom and dad had decided to let us stay in The Shade and see if we liked it better. They were obviously quite emotional about it. They looked at Varga to eventually come back and take over Nevertide when the time was right, but, until then, they felt we’d be happier if we lived in The Shade for as long as we wanted or needed.

GASP had already been grooming Varga to join them, so, for him, the move was a bit of a no-brainer.

Of course, our parents came to see us often, since dad had put together a governing council to help with the administration of Nevertide. Personally, I was thrilled with my new life in The Shade. I felt… at home. Soon enough, I became enamored with the humans. My brother and I were enrolled into The Shade Community College in the Vale, to further enrich our education. We weren’t the only vampires there, but the humans were the predominant species.

I quickly fell in love with the idea of one day living among them, in the human world. I had a hard time imagining myself settling anywhere supernatural at the time, I guess… Varga, not so much, but he was still interested in learning more about the human society. Their culture and cities captivated me, and I was flirting with the idea of a career in law enforcement, knowing that my vampire abilities would come in handy, on top of my sentry nature. Of course, that dream went up in flames when I became the target of some cruel jokes—typical college crap—and when I fell for the wrong guy. Dean knew him. He knew the whole story. In fact, Dean was one of the few humans who had really stood up for me during my college years in the Vale.

My brother was difficult to contain when it came to protecting me, so I did my best to not tell him about what was going on. I didn’t like being the little sister who needed Varga to get her out of trouble. I could take care of myself, and his over-protectiveness was hard to handle sometimes. With mom and dad mostly in Nevertide, my care had fallen in Varga’s hands, and he took his role seriously. A little too much for my taste, but, hey, that’s family…

Shade humans were still humans, after all. There was gossip, jealousy, rumors, and intrigue. As a vampire-sentry hybrid, I was considered elite, in a way, by most of the more popular kids. My introverted nature didn’t help, though. Dean made my college years a tad easier, which was why I always enjoyed seeing him, especially since he’d turned.

“Oh, you know, same old, same old,” I muttered, watching as he poured the peppered blood into a fresh glass flute. It smelled amazing, and I couldn’t help but lick my lips.

Dean noticed, then chuckled softly. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve been guzzling this stuff all night,” he said. “I might’ve had too much, though. Is there such a thing as a blood overdose?”

“No, but it does give you one hell of an indigestion problem,” I replied, grinning, as he handed me my drink. “Just make sure you drink a lot of water tomorrow. It’ll thin it all down.”

“How’s your brother?” He asked.

“Nothing new. I left him with mom and dad. It’s his turn to entertain the grandparents,” I chuckled.

“Meh, I doubt he dislikes that. Varga’s always been a bit of an old soul,” Dean replied, then narrowed his eyes at me. “By the way, Connor went back to the mainland,” he said, the shadow of a smile crossing his face.

For a moment, I was bombarded by the least pleasant of my college memories. Connor was the wrong guy I’d fallen for when I was there, basically experiencing my first real heartbreak—albeit later than most. He was a cool guy, but a fundamentally selfish and narcissistic overachiever. He broke my heart, and he was one of the people who’d managed to make me doubt my self-worth.

Once Varga found out about how some of the Vale humans had been treating me, particularly Connor, all hell pretty much broke loose. It took me and six other humans, including Dean, to stop him from breaking Connor’s face.

I breathed a sigh of relief, as if the thought of Connor leaving The Shade altogether made everything a bit better.

“Oh, he did?” I replied dryly. “He did often say he was destined for great things, well beyond the Vale.”

“Oh, yeah, Mr. I’m-Going-To-Be-President-One-Day. Yeah,” Dean muttered. “He said he had a Yale scholarship, a full ride for law school.”

“Good for him. I guess four years of college weren’t enough for him,” I said, doing my best to look like I didn’t care.

I did, but not because I was still hung up on Connor. No, I just held on to the hope that karma would come around and bite him in the ass for having been such a jerk to me. I’d paid for my overly accepting nature. I’d swiftly amended that part of me.

“That’s what he said,” Dean replied, now wearing a Cheshire cat grin.

I briefly glanced over my shoulder to check on the Nerakian group. I’d already made plans to join them after my quick chat with Dean. The white-haired guy with piercing blue eyes was watching me, but his expression was firm, unreadable. Surprisingly, he kept his emotions under control, too. His aura was a mélange of serenity, curiosity, and amusement. Nothing quite out of the ordinary. But his gaze was close to drilling a hole in my soul, so I shifted my focus back to Dean.

“Okay, but I suppose you know more? Or different?” I asked, then took a sip from my blood drink.

Dean chuckled. “He got kicked out in his first semester. He’s currently bussing tables in Los Angeles. He’s trying to sell a screenplay and make it big in Hollywood.”

“Wow,” I replied, stunned. “Connor, the grade-A chief debater, the apple of his parents’ eyes, the football superstar with a square jaw and a string of girls around his neck… Surely, you jest!”

“Nope. Honest truth!” Dean said, stifling another laugh. “He got cocky and ended up on the bad side of the wrong people at Yale.”

“Hah.” I scoffed. “Karma is real, then.”

Dean gave me a friendly wink. “If you ask me, he’s had it coming for a long time.”

“I shouldn’t rejoice in his misery, though, should I?”

“Meh. I think you’re allowed a minute or two,” Dean replied.

I laughed, then mentally prepared to join the Nerakian group. Avril and Heron had just stopped by to catch up with them.

“See you in a bit, Dean,” I said. “And thanks!”

“Thanks for what? The drink, or the update on Connor?” he asked, smirking.

“Both.”

By the time I reached the Nerakians, they were all laughing hard. I didn’t catch the joke, but Heron’s slightly offended sneer pretty much gave it away for me. Someone had said something to poke him.

The royal-looking dude with white hair and icy blue eyes noticed me first. Shivers ran down my spine as I realized who he was. I’d heard the description. I’d seen his face in pictures before, too. This was Nevis, prince of Dhaxanians.

Suddenly, Heron’s expression made more sense. Nevis was, after all, the chief troll in all things Heron-concerned. Yet, this time, his attention was focused on me, and it made me nervous.

I brushed the feeling away as best as I could, keeping my cool as I hugged Avril and gave Heron and the others a friendly nod. Ryker and Laughlan smiled at me, both teary-eyed from the previous bout of laughter.

“Where have you been, Lenny?” Fiona asked, clinking her blood flute against mine.

I shrugged, then took a long sip from my drink, still feeling Nevis’s eyes on me.

“All over the place,” I replied. “So many people here tonight! This party is probably the best and biggest one this century.”

“Well, we have what, three engagements, six hundred years of awesome Shade life, and this beautiful extension?” Avril said, motioning around her as she rested an arm around Heron’s waist.

“Plenty to celebrate, for sure,” I agreed.

“Oh, shoot, I forgot, you’ve never met Nevis,” Avril replied. “Nevis, prince of Dhaxanians, this is Elonora Goode. We lovingly call her Lenny.”

My throat closed up, as I had to look at Nevis and nearly lost myself in those cold blue pools he had for eyes. I offered him a weak smile and a polite nod.

“Pleasure to meet you,” I said, my voice barely audible.

I felt as though I’d just been smacked over the head with a sledgehammer. Am I crushing on this guy? What the hell?

“Likewise, Miss Goode,” Nevis replied, his tone flat. It didn’t feel like we were off to a good start, though I wasn’t sure why.

“Please, call me Elonora. Or Lenny,” I said, trying to diffuse the sudden tension cluttering between us.

“And you can call me ‘Your Grace,’” Nevis said.

I gave Avril a quick sideways glance, managing to spot her eyeroll. Was this guy for real?

“Your Grace?” I scoffed.

“Well, yes. I am royalty, after all,” Nevis replied.

“Good for you, but there’s no way in hell I’m calling any guy ‘Your Grace,’” I retorted. “Too much of a stretch. Not my style. With all due respect.”

I’d never been too crazy about the notion of royalty. I understood respectful gestures and titles, but “Your Grace” was just too much for me. I’d spent most of my youth with humans in the Vale. We made fun of each other; we came up with crappy nicknames and thrived on the pranks we set up. At the end of the day, respect didn’t come in the form of a fancy title, in my book. From that point of view, I was more American than most Vale humans.

Nevis, however, didn’t seem pleased with my reaction. I’d expressed it politely and with a calm tone, though. Plus, I’d added “with all due respect.” That had to count for something.

“Is that your personal choice?” Nevis asked.

I nodded slowly, then looked around us. The whole group had fallen silent, watching us like they were at the movies and something big was about to go down. Had I poked the polar bear?

“Yes. Besides, you’re among friends here,” I replied. “How about we skip the labels and use our names? That way no one is above the others, and we all get the same level of respect.”

“I take it you’re one of the anarchists of Earth? You know, the kind who started the French Revolution and cut off the king’s head?” Nevis inquired, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Whoa, you’ve been brushing up on human history, I see!” Heron chimed in, chuckling softly.

Nevis gave him a dry smirk. “It’s only a few thousand years. It keeps me busy during my travels from Neraka and back. Besides, a cultured supernatural is more powerful than a plain one,” he said.

Heron raised an eyebrow. “Did you just call me plain?”

“I thought you knew that already. How is it a surprise?” Nevis shot back.

Avril pressed her lips in a thin line, stifling a chuckle as she followed the exchange.

“And yet, I’m the one marrying Avril,” Heron replied, putting on a victorious grin.

“We all agree that she settled,” I cut in.

It was enough to make everyone double over—except Nevis, of course. Even Heron was chuckling, despite his flushed cheeks. This was our usual banter, anyway. We took turns poking each other. No one got hurt.

There was a flicker of amusement in Nevis’s eyes as he looked at me, enough to make my heart jump around like a hyperactive mountain goat. Heron was the first to notice, and he used it as ammo for the burns Nevis and I had delivered, albeit separately.

“Hold on. You like her,” Heron said to Nevis.

I must’ve gone paler than my usual shade when I heard that. I could almost feel the color draining from my face, my blood freezing in my veins.

“Whoa,” I said. “What gives?”

Nevis was still and quiet, scowling at Heron, whose gaze kept darting between us.

“Yeah, he’s right,” Avril chimed in. “There’s definitely some chemistry here.”

“Have you been drinking spoiled blood?” I shot back, laughing nervously.

I was ready to lie through my teeth at this point. I felt so exposed and vulnerable, and flashbacks from college came back to sting me like a thousand angry wasps. I didn’t like it one bit. It wasn’t Avril’s fault, but I had to put an end to this before it got worse for my psyche.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Nevis scoffed, crossing his arms. “She’s far too young and inexperienced in the affairs of life for me to even consider or acknowledge her.”

My ire was suddenly aimed at him, directly. I frowned, slightly cocking my head to the side, as if waiting for him to say something else, to flatten the dismissal he’d so casually flung at me. I was genuinely offended.

“Oh, please!” Avril replied, chuckling. “I was ‘young and inexperienced’ too when you asked me to be with you,” she added, reminding him of the request he’d made during her first incursion into the icy fortress of Athelathan. Avril and her group had come to ask for the Dhaxanians’ help against the daemons and the Exiled Maras, but Nevis had suggested she stay with him, instead, since he wasn’t interested in breaching his agreement with the daemons at the time.

Nevis sighed, his shoulders dropping as he shook his head.

“You’re just making a big deal out of nothing,” he said. “Just because you and the bloodsucker are all hearts and sprinkles doesn’t mean the rest of us feel the same way about each other. Especially two people who have literally just met, one of whom doesn’t think the other deserves the respect of being addressed by his royal title.”

Ah, there it was—the jab aimed at me and my refusal to address him as “Your Grace.” He was definitely more of the “frosty schmuck,” and less of the “chilling perfection.”

“Hey, man, don’t hate,” Heron cut in, visibly amused. “Besides, it’s written all over your face, no matter how hard you deny it. I know the look all too well.”

“I’m starting to agree with Miss Goode here,” Nevis retorted. “You’ve been drinking spoiled blood.”

My temperature then spiked. This was getting out of control. I had to pull the emergency brake and end this conversation quickly. No matter what.

“You guys need to get this idea out of your heads,” I blurted, my throat drying up like a desert. “Nothing’s going to happen between his royal whatever and me. Ever. No way.”

I had a feeling I was lying. But I had to save face.

“You’re telling me you don’t like him, Lenny?” Fiona chimed in, smiling.

“Good grief, no. Enough with that already,” I replied, then chuckled some more. I was seconds away from breaking into a cold sweat. I had to end this. Fiona, Heron, and Avril were surely just joking and testing the waters here, but this was somehow very serious for me. I’d yet to understand why, but I knew I had to regain control of the situation. I just didn’t want to come across as vulnerable in any way, especially in front of Nevis. “Besides, I’ve got my sights set on someone else,” I added, mumbling.

There was a pang of instant regret cutting through me, but it was too late. I’d already dropped the lie. I took a deep breath as eyebrows raised in surprise around me—Nevis’s too, for some reason.

“Wait, you’re crushing on someone already?” Heron asked, suddenly serious.

I nodded, trying to find the right words. I felt terrible for perpetuating the lie, but I’d gotten myself into this. I had to get myself out.

“Who?” Avril replied, narrowing her eyes at me.

“Dmitri,” I croaked, then cleared my throat.

“Oh, wow. Really?” she asked.

She seemed surprised, and for good reason, too. I hadn’t once looked at or said anything to Dmitri to even hint that I liked him. Because I didn’t. Dmitri was a great guy, but he wasn’t my type. He was a fabulous sparring partner, but definitely not boyfriend material.

“Yup,” I replied, praying for the earth to swallow me whole, until I saw the look on Nevis’s face. It seemed like befuddlement, based on the mixed colors in his aura.

“Does he know?” Avril sighed, somewhat disappointed.

These people really want to hook me up with Nevis, it seems.

I shook my head. “Nope. Not yet.”

Heron laughed. “Does Varga know?”

Oh, crap.

I shook my head again, but kept my mouth shut. The more I said, the deeper I dug myself into a hole I’d have trouble getting out of later.

“Who’s Varga?” Nevis asked.

“My brother,” I replied flatly.

“Older brother, vampire-sentry, pretty much the textbook definition of a ‘badass,’ if you ask me,” Heron said, smirking. “You don’t want to get on his bad side, that’s all I’m saying. Oh, dear… We need to protect Dmitri!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” I shot back.

Just then, I made a quick mental note to let Dmitri know I’d implicated him in my white lie. Then I cursed my ego—my childish weakness, my drive to not let anyone see me vulnerable, in any way, shape, or form. It got me into unnecessary trouble… every damn time.

“Anyway!” I added, changing my tone and putting on a plastic smile in an attempt to change the subject. “Where are you guys having the weddings?”

“Definitely Neraka for us,” Fiona said, smiling at Zane.

“She’s going to be crowned queen, after all. Her new people will want to witness that moment,” Zane replied, his red eyes glimmering with pride.

“We’re doing White City,” Heron said, pulling Avril even closer. He dropped a kiss on her temple, making her giggle softly. “On a full moon.”

“That’s cool,” I murmured.

“How about you and Dmitri?” Heron shot back.

I groaned, then gave him the death scowl. “You’re seriously asking for it.”

My cheeks burned. I felt eyes on me. One glance at Nevis, and I knew—he was watching me like a hawk, his expression firm and his aura burning in what looked like a thousand colors. It was nearly impossible to understand what emotions he was experiencing. The more I tried to figure him out, the more confused I was.

The only thing I knew for sure was that he rattled me in ways I’d never experienced before.

I wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing, or a bad thing.

At least not with my previous romantic experiences.