After Dex sends the message, he goes into beauty mode and starts doing my hair and makeup. Meanwhile, my thoughts remain stuck on what sort of invisible creature would be sneaking around my room and why. Was it looking for something? Was it just a coincidence that Dex showed up while it was going on? I wish I had my journal so I could glance through the pages and see if anything like this has happened before. Since I don’t, all I can hope for is that Kingsley and the guards find the creature. Although, if they do, they might not even tell me.

Lies. Every creature in this castle is a liar.

I really need to get in touch with Effie and Anders so I’ll at least have two creatures I can confide in.

I make a silent vow to myself right then and there to use the desk to contact Effie and Anders as soon as Dex leaves and I get a moment alone.

Luckily, he doesn’t take too long getting me ready, keeping my style simple—some kohl eyeliner, a dash of lip gloss, and a high ponytail that curls the ends. When I check my reflection in the mirror, my jaw nearly smacks against the black and white checkerboard floor.

“I look like a …” I touch my lips, my cheeks, my hair, then check out my outfit. With the lace-up boots, my already long legs look freakishly long, but not necessarily in a bad way. And the black pants, shirt, and shoes contrast well with my raven black hair. “Like an empress. Well, except for the dragon burn on my neck.” I scrunch my nose at the flakes of ember flesh covering my neck.

“No, you look like a queen who’s about to go to the Land of Moonlight. And Rhyland will feed you soon so the burns will fade.” Dex steps beside me, carrying a leather thigh holster. “Here. Put this on.”

I take the holster from him. “Why?”

“Because you’re going to need it while you’re in the Land of Moonlight.” He backs toward the door with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Is it really that dangerous there?” I ask, fastening the leather straps around my upper thigh.

Dex nods, his gaze flicking to the choker around my neck. “The chaos currently taking place in the Land of Moonlight makes the rebellions in Mystic Willow Bay seem like a carnival blood fair.”

I shudder as I buckle the holster. “That sounds sketchy as hell. Maybe I should get a knife to put in this …” I trail off, realizing Dex has vacated the room.

So weird.

And he barely spoke to me while he did my hair and makeup. And he kept glancing at the choker on my neck.

“What exactly does he know about all this?” I mumble, tightening the buckle on the holster.

“What exactly does who know about all what?” Kingsley materializes in the doorway with a grin.

He’s dressed head to toe in black, thick boots covering his feet, and leather holsters are strapped to his shoulders and thighs. Unlike my holster, his hold an assortment of silver and gold knives and daggers. I should be afraid of him, knowing what I know now. But the sight of him in warrior attire makes me feel the tiniest bit safe.

What the actual fuck? Since when do I feel safe around Kingsley?

My thoughts drift back to the memory. I did feel safe with him in the past … before the curse. That doesn’t mean I should trust him now. Not when I’m certain Kingsley has something to do with this curse.

“I was just questioning Dex and his knowledge about clothes. He seemed to know his shit, but …” I gesture at my outfit. “Doesn’t this seem a bit over-the-top for just visiting the Land of Moonlight?”

Kingsley’s gaze lazily scrolls over me, briefly faltering when he notes the choker around my neck. “Over-the-top or not, you look fucking hot. You’re missing something, though.” He steps forward while retrieving a shorter, silver-handled dagger from one of his thigh holsters. Keeping his gaze trained on me, he slips the dagger into my thigh holster, his eyes sparkling mischievously, just like they did in the memory. “There. Perfect.” His all-glittering amusement shines through as he puts a sliver of space between us and tilts his head to the side, giving me a once-over. “Rhyland’s going to have a blood fit.”

I fidget under his intent scrutiny. “Because I’m going to draw attention?”

He chews on his bottom lip. “Partly.”

“Okay, so what’s the other part?”

“Now, what fun would it be for me to tell you and ruin the surprise of finding out for yourself?” He winks as he steps toward the doorway. “Come on. Everyone’s already having a meltdown over taking you out of the castle. I don’t need to be late bringing you to the dining hall and causing more panic.”

I make no move to follow him. Not until I get some answers.

“How did the search go? Did you find an invisible creature wandering around the castle or land?”

He shakes his head. “We couldn’t find any traces, either.”

“So, you think I’m wrong? That nothing was in my room?” I question with annoyance.

“No, that’s not what I think at all. I just said we haven’t found anything yet. The guards are still looking, and if something is still here, they’ll find it.”

“You believe me?”

“Of course.” He lightly tugs on the end of my ponytail. “It’s my job as your Blood Protector to always be on your side and protect you.”

An idea sparks in my mind. Maybe he has to tell me the truth because of that, if I ask the right question with no loophole. “And what about always telling me the truth?”

“What about it?”

“Are you required to always tell me the truth?”

“Sure.”

“That’s an evasive answer.”

He gives an indifferent shrug. “Aren’t all answers?”

“What’re you? A troll or something?” I put my hands on my hips. “You’re talking in riddles, which is very troll-ish.”

Another shrug, but this time he gives me a fiery stare, as if he’s attempting to communicate through his gaze. Maybe he is, but deciphering smoldering stares has never been my forte, so it’s a useless effort.

I cross my arms and stare him down. “Is that look supposed to mean something? I’m not a brooding, asshole, vampire, smoldering gaze reader.”

He heaves a sigh, the fire in his eyes fizzling. “We really need to get going.”

I sigh, too. If he wants to tell me something, why can’t he just say it? Unless he can’t.

Sighing again, I backtrack to my bed. “What should I do with her while we’re gone?” I scoop Aeribella into my arms, and her eyes pop open as she lets out a yip, wagging her tail. “I don’t think I should bring her, but I can’t just leave her here unsupervised. She needs someone to take care of her and feed her.”

Kingsley walks across the room and lightly pets Aeribella’s head. “Dex can do it. He’s the one who’s been taking care of her while you took the longest nap ever.”

Huh. So Dex was in my chambers while I was out and more than likely saw the opened journal. Could he be the one who took them? Why give them to me just to steal them? It doesn’t make any sense.

I hold Kingsley’s gaze. “Yeah, that was pretty strange. Usually, I can barely sleep more than a handful of hours, yet I’m suddenly passed out for three days straight?”

“I think this castle is making you lazy,” he teases with a grin.

“Well, either that or someone slipped me some sleep magic.” My voice is light and playful, but my gaze never wavers from his.

“Why would anyone do that? Besides, even if someone tried to slip you something, your Blood Protector would’ve noticed and saved you.” He winks again. “I have a hero complex and would never pass up the opportunity to save a damsel in distress.”

“I’m not a damsel in distress. And you might not be as great of a protector as you think. Not when I can control you like a puppet.” To prove my point, I tap my toes, dance around, then wait for him to mimic me.

He stands motionless in the doorway, his lips kicking up into a smug smile. “Sorry, sweetheart, but you’re going to have to find other ways to make me obey—the aftereffect of the oath wore off last night.”

“I could always just command you to do whatever I want.”

“Go ahead, then. Command me to do something.”

“I …” I internally grimace. The idea of making any vampire do something just because I’m queen makes me feel awful.

If by some miraculous miracle I manage to actually get crowned this time around, I just might be the worst queen in history.

Speaking of which …

“I don’t want to make you do anything now, except answer a question for me.” Although I highly doubt he’ll answer, I still have to try.

I set Aeribella down on the bed and fold my arms across my chest. “Who was the queen before me?” I want to tack on before I started this vicious cycle living the same life repeatedly, but I’m not sure that’s the right move for now.

Kingsley lifts a shoulder. “I can’t remember her name, but from what I heard, she was awful.” He strolls out of the room before I can even take my next blink.

A drop of my queen power must be kicking in because I saw it. The way his nose twitched. The thing he does when he lies. How I know all this is a mystery. The answer probably lies somewhere in my forgotten memories.

I really need to figure out a way to remember everything over my past lifetimes. If I do, I might be able to piece together the truth and move on from this cursed life.