CATE SHIFTED HER WEIGHT from foot to foot as she waited in the hallway outside the King and Queen’s grand suite. People rushed in and out the doors, barely giving her a second glance. After his collapse in the ballroom, King Borwin had been swiftly carried to his room by his two grandsons.

Things hadn’t looked so good from her angle. The King’s skin was paper thin and white. He’d seemed as frail as a doll, so unlike the regal man who strode out onto the balcony only days ago, when this whole thing started.

Was that really only a few days ago? She rubbed the back of her neck, trying to remember the events of the last week. Everything was starting to blur together. Her life had unequivocally changed in a mere handful of hours. It would never be the same. No matter what happened today.

“How is he?” Miranda came running down the hall, holding a purple clutch in her hand. The long hours of the night had left mascara smudged under her eyes. “How are you?”

“As far as I know, King Borwin’s still hanging on,” Cate said breathlessly. “And I’m fine.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow and stared pointedly at the dried blood on her shoulder.

“Really, I’m okay,” Cate said, waving her hands. The horror of Jezebel’s attack was nothing compared to the anguish rolling inside her now. Although she’d never met King Borwin, she felt deeply for Viktor and the panic that must be filling him at that moment.

“Catherine Shea Mahoney,” Miranda said, placing a hand on her hip. “An evil drama queen just used you as her personal blood bag. Don’t tell me you’re okay. That’s not okay. If I ever find that woman, I’ll tear her apart.”

Miranda’s eyes turned black and Cate had no doubt her promise was real. She placed a hand on her friend’s arm and squeezed, thankful for the support. It was good to have someone on her side for once. And now that the truth was out, she could feel the weight leaving her shoulders. Come good news or bad, at least she could be honest now. And she honestly hoped Viktor’s grandfather would make it through the night.

Suddenly, a muffled cry came through the thick double doors. Cate and Miranda exchanged concerned expressions, gripping each other’s hands. The doors opened and people poured into the hall. Each one of their faces was stricken with grief, tears rolling down some cheeks. The cry came louder now and Cate recognized it as Queen Anna’s voice.

After several minutes, a familiar curly-haired head came through the door. Stasia still wore the white gown she’d donned for the ceremony. The bun at the back of her neck was no longer able to contain her masses of hair. Curls spilled out around her face and she rubbed a weary eye with her fist. She spotted Cate and went to her.

“King Borwin has passed,” she said, her voice weak. Grief pulled at her mouth and settled into the bags under her eyes.

“Oh, no.” Cate pressed a trembling hand to her mouth.

Miranda groaned through her teeth. “No...”

“Poor Viktor.”

“That’s King Viktor now,” Stasia corrected, lifting her chin slightly as the tears leaked from the corner of her eyes. She grabbed Cate’s hands and held them tight. “He’s going to take this loss hard, Cate. He’ll need you to get through it.”

She nodded. It felt like a rock had settled into her stomach. So much had changed. She wasn’t sure she could wrap her head around it. One minute, she was single. The next, dating a vampire prince. And now — in love with a vampire king. It was enough to make a girl dizzy.

“For the record,” Stasia went on to say with a sad smile, still clasping Cate’s hands in hers. “I don’t care about what happened in the ballroom. None of it. You make him happy and that’s all that counts. I’ve been rooting for you since the start. You’re the one.”

Cate smiled through her tears, thankful to Stasia for the confession. She’d felt so horrible lying to the werewolf princess. It made the whole situation just a tiny bit easier.

“Cate?”

She looked up to see Prince Viktor standing at the door. His hair no longer had the polished look of a regal prince. It was swept wildly to one side and he’d undone the top few buttons of his tux. A deadly pallor had settled on his face and grief made his jaw tremble. It seemed like he was looking right through her, his eyes wide and unseeing. Stasia and Miranda excused themselves quietly and headed down the hall.

“I’m so sorry.” Cate took a step toward him. He retreated at the same time, holding up a hand. She paused, hurt erupting inside her. All she wanted to do was comfort him. Why couldn’t he see that?

“Can we talk?” he asked, nodding his head in the direction of the rest of the royal rooms.

She shook her head eagerly. They had much to talk about, but most of all, she wanted to get him alone. Tell him it was all going to be okay. She’d been through the grief phases recently enough that it all seemed fresh to her. She could help him process. Help him through it.

He led her to a bedroom not far away. It was similar to her room in most ways, but bigger and definitely more lived in. There was a Rembrandt painting on the wall and a stack of books on the nightstand. She realized that it must be his personal room. The space he’d occupied for centuries. She’d wondered what it would be like to come here with him, under much different circumstances.

“I’m here for you,” she said as soon as he closed the doors behind him. Clasping her hands in front of her stomach, she resisted the urge to reach out to him. “I can help you. However you want to grieve, I’ll be here.”

A deep scowl crossed his face and he went to stand beside the four-poster bed. “Grieve? There’s no time to grieve. My grandfather has just perished, making me King of Monstrana. There’s too much that has to be accomplished. Matters of state. Foreign trade deals. Suppressing the publicity nightmare of this hair-brained reality show.”

Cate gulped. If he wasn’t going to take time to grieve, all this would come crashing down on him at some point. He needed to breathe. Take a moment. Let the dust settle.

“I know there’s a lot to do,” she said in a low voice. No need to anger him. “But you can afford a period of mourning. The whole country will need it.”

“You have no clue what this country needs,” he snapped, his eyes flashing and his fangs bared. “You’re not one of us and you never will be.”

She took an involuntary step backwards and found herself almost sitting on his roll-top desk. “I’m sorry, it’s just that I know grief and...”

He cut her off. “Well, I know it’s time for me to start acting like a King. And the antics of tonight are proof that I’ve been behaving no better than a child. Shameless.” 

Tears sprung unbidden to her eyes. Was he talking about them? What about everything they’d confessed to each other this evening? Did it mean nothing?

“You don’t mean that,” she whispered, narrowing her eyes at him. “You’re grieving. Anger is part of the process. Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

❖

Regret. There was so much he regretted about his long lifetime. Watching his mother die, not being able to save his father, and now — allowing his grandfather to fade in front of him. What had he been doing all this time? Oh, that’s right. He’d been swept into the drama of a reality TV show. His grandfather was dying and all he could worry about was his pathetic dating life.

Cate bit her bottom lip as he stared at her across the room. She looked as lovely as ever, his mother’s necklace clasped around her delicate throat. The dreams they’d just been dreaming together that night were ashes now, scattered in the wind. 

Viktor’s face crumpled. “Don’t you understand? Everything has changed. What we were feeling just hours ago means nothing compared to the expectations of my country. I have to lead them.”

Cate pulled back as if she’d been stung. “I mean nothing to you?”

He pounded his fist on the wall, scraping the skin off the side of his hand. She wasn’t understanding him. “No, that’s not what I meant. But I have responsibilities now. My grandfather is dead. Gone. I don’t get to live in a fairy tale anymore.”

She nodded her head slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. He wanted to take her into his arms and wipe them away, but the events of tonight had him standing as stiff as a Greek statue.

“I’m sorry that he’s gone,” she said with a trembling voice.

“Me, too.” He dropped his chin and closed his eyes briefly.

Closing the space between them, she made a move to touch him, but he shrunk away. He couldn’t be near her. One little touch and his resolve would crumble away like the ashes of a vampire in the sun. He had to be strong. End this for the both of them.

He wouldn’t be responsible for putting her life in danger. Not now, not ever again. Seeing her so fragile in Jezebel’s grasp tonight had snapped something inside of him. Made him see sense. The vampire life wasn’t safe. Sure, they had immortality and strength, but that alone made them a target.

As a human, Cate would most likely never know that kind of danger. She’d go back home to America and live out a normal, safe, little life. Forget all about him. As much as he ached to rush across the room and hold her close, wiping the tears from her eyes, he wouldn’t let himself. She deserved better.

The truth of the matter was that now that his grandfather was dead, he had to take a vampire bride as his Queen. There was no way around the law. No time to consider. His country needed him. And he couldn’t ask that of her. He’d made a vow to himself tonight that he’d never put her in harm’s way again. This was the price he’d pay.

“You should return to your suite,” he said, trying to avoid her eyes. “The first flight out of Monstrana leaves at eleven tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure you have a ticket.”

He couldn’t help glancing at her as silence fell between them. What he saw put a dagger through his heart. Her face had paled and pain swam in her eyes. She was gripping the back of a chair, her knuckles white. Her cheeks hollowed as she pursed her lips.

“You want me to leave?” Her voice was thick with tears.

Sorrow pulled his mouth into a deep frown. Still, he managed to keep it together by brushing off the front of his suit casually and eyeing the carpet. “It’s for the best.”

His courage was crumbling fast. He needed to end this now. He needed her to leave, or he’d rush across the room and kiss every inch of her, never letting go. She was seconds from danger. She just didn’t know it.

“Fine.” Cate stalked past him, swinging open the door. Pausing just outside, she looked down at her shoulder and a shuddering breath went through her. “I hope things work out for you, Viktor. I really do.”

And then she was gone, leaving him to sink into the nearest chair and cradle his head in his hands.