I rest my head on Rhyland’s shoulder. “Will you miss me when you’re king?”

We’re out on the balcony of the castle, his soon-to-be new home, staring out at the tiny night fairies dancing in the forest. The crowning party is in full swing downstairs, the music and chatter drifting through the night air. We’re risking a lot being out here by ourselves. If the wrong vampire sees, then word would get back to my sister. But it might be the last night we can be friends, and knowing that … we’re both acting a bit irrationally.

“Of course.” Rhyland rests his cheek against the top of my head and whispers, “I want this.”

“Being king? I know.” And I’m happy for him. I just wish my sister wasn’t going to be queen so we could at least stay friends.

“No, not king.” His hand finds mine in the dark. “This. You and me. The peace. The quiet.”

“Oh.” I lace my fingers through his. “Your friendship means so much to me, too … I wish we could stay friends forever … Maybe there’s a way we could?”

Silence grips the night air, except for faerie laughter and the whisper of violins.

“I don’t want to stay your friend forever,” he whispers quietly, tracing the folds of my fingers.

I feel lost and stupid. So very stupid. “Oh … I don’t … You don’t want to be my friend? But I thought … What?”

He chuckles, lifting his head. “I love it when you ramble.” He fixes his finger under my chin and tilts my head up so my gaze meets his. “I haven’t wanted to be your friend for a while.”

I frown, unsure whether to be hurt or irritated. “Well, I’m sorry you felt obligated to. I guess this king thing must be a huge relief for you, then.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He smiles, but nervousness fills his eyes. “I mean, I …” He takes a breath. “I wish I could be more than friends with you.”

I stare at him stupidly as I process his words, unsure if I heard him correctly. “Wait, are you saying …?” I bite my tongue. No, there’s no way Rhyland can see me like that. I must be misunderstanding him.

“I’m saying that”—he nervously wets his lips then leans in until our mouths are a sliver of an inch apart—“that I want you.” His lips softly touch mine. “Want this.”

“You want to kiss me?” I whisper shakily. What in the magical kingdoms is happening right now?

“Yes.” He kisses me again, letting his lips linger on mine a bit longer. “And to be with you.” Another kiss and then another, while he tangles his fingers through my hair.

If vampires required air, I’m fairly sure I’d be dead by now.

“Since when?” I manage to get out between kisses.

“For a while.” He slightly pulls back, his gaze searching mine. “You’ve never thought about it before? You and I … together?” He looks so vulnerable, so unlike the confident Rhyland I know.

“I …” I gulp a shaky breath. “Maybe a few times.”

“Only a few?” he teases with nervous laughter.

“Okay, maybe four times. Five tops,” I joke back, trying to unravel the tense knots winding in my stomach.

While I love what he’s saying, and I love, love that he’s kissing me, if anyone catches us out here like this, I’ll more than likely be beheaded. I need to move back, put some space between us. But the way he’s looking at me, with such blood fire in his eyes, and with the taste of his lips on mine, it’s making it hard to move. To breathe. To think clearly.

“I don’t want you to get hurt. I just … I think I lo …” He lips magnetize against mine and he tastes me again.

I grip the front of his shirt, holding on to him for undead life. He groans, splaying his fingers along the bottom of my back, the backless dress I’m wearing allowing me to feel the chill of his skin. Between that and the way he keeps lightly tugging on the strands of my hair, my body is veering toward plummeting into a fitful blood frenzy. My fangs are pulsating in my gums, begging to emerge, to sink into his vein and drink his warm blood. I’ve never drank from the vein before, never wanted to this badly.

He must be feeling the same desire, because the tips of his fangs keep grazing my lips with each brush of our mouths. The idea that he could want me so badly is hard to process. I always thought he saw me as a friend. Convinced myself I saw him the same way.

How long has he felt this way about me?

“I should’ve said something sooner,” Rhyland murmurs against my lips. “I just never thought you’d feel the same way.”

“I do,” I admit. “I really do.”

“Yeah?” A trace of a smile graces his lips.

I nod. “Yes.”

Dragging his tongue along his fangs, he leans in and touches his lips to mine again. Groaning softly, he kisses me, urging my lips apart with his tongue and tangling it with mine. He kisses me deeply, pulling me closer to him and unleashing a hunger inside me.

My fangs slip out and graze the tip of his bottom lip. As blood pools out of the wound, I start sucking, warm liquid spilling down my throat. But as the taste and power of him overwhelms my sense, it reminds me what he will soon be.

The king.

And I am not the queen.

We’re breaking so many rules.

“Oh, my vampires.” I jerk back and slap my hand across my mouth. “I’m so sorry. I know biting you is against the rules. You’re the king and I’m, well, not the queen. I shouldn’t have drunk your blood. If Nadine finds out …” I press the heel of my hand to my forehead. “Oh vampires, this is bad. I’m so sorry.”

He digs his fingers into my back, gripping my arm with his other hand. “Tilt your head back, Raven.”

Lowering my hand from my forehead, I lift my gaze to his. “Why?”

“Tilt your head back,” he repeats, his voice raspy, his eyes blazing with desire.

Swallowing hard, I angle my head back while grasping his upper arms. He dips his head, his chilled breath dusting against my skin.

“What’re you going to—”

I gasp as he grazes his fangs against the side of my neck, the skin splitting open. That feels so good. Nothing has ever felt that good.

Or so I think, until his lips press against the open wound and he begins to gently suck my blood. He may not have his fangs sunk into my veins, but holy melting vampires, this feels wonderful.

My toes curl in my shoes and my fingernails delve into his skin as I tip my head back farther.

He glides his palm up my spine where he wraps his fingers around the back of my neck. Urging me to lean back farther, he traces his fangs along my skin again. Then he sucks harder, drinking more of my blood while kissing and biting my neck.

The stars and moon above start to blur as I fall into a deliriously relaxing haze. As a shooting star zooms across the sky, I wish I could stay this way forever.

Forever and ever and ever …

Time drifts by. Seconds, minutes, maybe even hours before Rhyland eases up on devouring me. Pressing one last soft kiss against my neck, he helps me sit up straight.

“Are you okay?” The husky tone of his voice causes me to shiver in a completely wonderful way.

I bob my head up and down, the world around me swaying. “I’m fine. Great, actually.”

A soft laugh escapes his lips as he traces the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip. “You taste so fucking amazing. Better than I ever imagined. And I imagined drinking from you a lot.”

My skin warms from the compliment. “You taste good, too.” Then, as if my fangs have a mind of their own, my lips part and I take a nip at his finger.

Instead of pulling away, he lets my fangs sink into his flesh, his head tipping back as he releases a throaty groan. I suck harder, gulping up the blood pooling from his fingertip, basking in his powerful taste.

“Raven,” he murmurs, his eyelids slipping shut.

I pull back an inch. “Should I stop?”

He shakes his head. “Vampires, no. Keep going. It feels so good.”

Licking the blood from my lips, I dip my head toward his finger again and—

A crash reverberates from behind us. I wrench back as his eyelids snap open, his nostrils flaring as his gaze darts toward the doors behind us.

“Did it come from in there?” I whisper, licking the rest of his blood from my lips to hide the evidence of what we were just doing.

“I’m not sure.” He springs to his feet and steps toward the door. I start to stand up, too, but he holds his hand out behind him. “Stay here, okay?”

I kneel, my gaze trained on the closed balcony doors. “What do you think it was?”

“I’m not sure. It could just be Kingsley. Or it could be …” He doesn’t finish, pulling open the door and stepping into the castle.

I hug my arms around myself, my eyes remaining on the doorway. The lights are off inside and the air is soundless. Too soundless for a party to be going on downstairs.

“Rhyland,” I whisper, stumbling to my feet.

Faerie laughter from the forest is my only answer.

“Rhyland?” I inch toward the threshold, letting my fangs slip back out, preparing to fight if I need to. “Are you in here?” I step inside, darkness swallowing me whole, the only light trickling in from the moon outside. “Rhyland—”

The door swings shut, stealing the little light away.

I frantically search the darkness, desperately looking for a speck of light somewhere. I can’t see anything, hear anything, yet I can sense someone—or something—nearby, watching me in the darkness. Who? Or what? And where the hell is Rhyland?

“Who’s out there?” I whisper, turning in a circle.

“Do you really want to know?” The high-pitched, feminine voice radiates with familiarity.

A fang twitch of a moment later, the pieces lock into place.

I’ve heard the voice before, the day I snuck out to meet Rhyland in the forest. The day the purple smoke appeared.

“You’re the fey queen.” My fingers curl into fists, preparing to fight if I must. Although, it’ll be a fight I’ll more than likely lose. “Why are you here? And where’s Rhyland?”

Soft shuffling. “You mean, the king?” She sounds closer.

I swallow hard. If she was up here the entire time, she may have seen Rhyland and I kissing. “He’s not king yet.”

“Maybe not to you. But almost every other vampire in this blood-thirsty kingdom seems to have already declared him as their leader.” The shuffling stops and the scent of roses and glittery magic floods my nostrils.

She’s close. Very, very close.

“I’m sure the queen probably sees him as the king, too.” Her breath dusts across my face. “Or would you rather I call her your sister? I’m not sure what title you prefer.”

“The queen has requested that every vampire, including her family, refer to her as queen. It’s a good way to show respect to her and to let every creature understand that even family will follow her rules.” I recite the little speech Nadine gave my parents and I before the crowning ceremony. She also clarified that, despite us sharing the same bloodlines, we’ll still be punished for breaking her laws, just like every other vampire.

“Hmmm … Your new queen seems to have some very strict rules and very little compassion. It makes me curious what she would do if she found out her betrothed was in love with her younger sister.”

Tension ravels through every single one of my nerve endings. “Rhyland isn’t in love with me.”

“Is that so?” Dark amusement flitters in her voice. “Then I must have completely misunderstood the exchange I saw between you two on the balcony.”

“I guess you did.”

“Or did I?”

Snap.

The lanterns hanging on the walls illuminate simultaneously, casting soft lighting throughout the king’s chambers.

I blink as my eyes adjust, then immediately step back at the realization of just how close the queen is to me. I’ve never actually met her before. The fey queen, I mean. I have seen her from afar, though. She’s quite a sight to behold up close, all glittery magic and shimmering skin, her silver and pale purple dress like the evening sky. And between that and the vibrant purple jewels woven through her silky blonde hair and twinkling star-shaped earrings in her ears, she resembles a portrait of the night sky.

She smiles, her eyes sparkling. “You don’t need to be afraid of me.”

Easy for her to say. She’s not the vampire with below-average skills, standing about a foot away from the most powerful faerie in all the lands. A powerful faerie who’s known for her trickery and lack of compassion.

I dare another step back. “Why are you here? And where’s Rhyland?”

Her smile turns musing. “Why would you ask that? Since, according to you, he wasn’t just with you.”

“I never said that. I just said that he didn’t love me.”

“So, you’re not denying that you two were out on the balcony by yourselves moments ago, while the queen is downstairs celebrating the start of her new life with her betrothed?”

“That’s not what tonight’s about.” I discreetly glance around, searching for a weapon, but either Rhyland hides all his weapons or he doesn’t own any, which I guess makes sense since he now has countless guards to protect him. “It’s just a crowning ceremony to celebrate the crowns.”

Her heels click on the tile floor as she steps toward me. “And those who wear the crowns.”

Panic starts to set in. “Why does any of this matter to you? You’re the fey queen, not the vampire queen.”

“Which you aren’t.” She traces her finger along the rose pendant choker I’m wearing.

I lean away from her touch. “Why are you here?” I ask with less confidence. “What do you want?”

“Who says I want anything?”

“All faeries do, don’t they?”

“Perhaps.” She reaches out and sketches her thumb along the rose pendant again. “That’s a pretty piece of jewelry.”

“Thanks,” I mutter. “It was a gift.”

Her gaze flicks up to mine. “From whom?”

“My parents,” I lie. Rhyland gave it to me, a present to wear to the party. He said, when he saw it in the shop, it reminded him of me. “They gave it to me tonight, actually. To wear to the party.”

She lowers her hand from my neck. “Did you know that, as queen, I have all sorts of gifts that the average faerie doesn’t? One of them is being able to tell when a creature is lying to me.” The twinkle in her eyes extinguishes. “I know you’re lying to me, Raven. Just like I know you’re in love with the king. Just as he is in love with you.”

“I’m not in love with any—”

“Silence.” She raises her hand. “You don’t need to continue to lie. I didn’t come here to tell on you. I came here to help you.”

I raise my brows questioningly. “Help me?” Yeah, okay.

“Oh, don’t look so surprised.” She ambles around me, wandering over to the bed. “I’m not as evil as every creature makes me out to be.”

I hide my skepticism the best I can. “Even if that’s so, what makes you think I need help?”

She trails her fingers along the foot of the bed, studying me with her head angled to the side. “Are you or aren’t you in love with the king?”

I smash my lips together. Love? Do I love Rhyland?

Absolutely. He’s my best friend. Has been practically forever. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with him, though.

Does it?

My thoughts briefly wander back to the amazing kisses and bites we shared on the balcony. No, amazing doesn’t even begin to describe what I felt. Whole. I felt amazing and wonderfully whole with Rhyland. Always have.

Maybe I am in love with him. Does he love me, too? It kind of sounded like he was starting to say so at one point.

I frown. Even if by some miracle he does love me, we can never truly be together. In fact, our love will only lead to heartbreak.

“Not necessarily.” The queen’s lips curl into a smile as my brows knit.

Crap, did I just say all that aloud? Or can she read my thoughts?

Worry pulsates through me. If she can, I’m a dead vampire standing.

She sinks down onto the bed and crosses her legs. “Don’t worry; I can’t hear your thoughts. I can just read your expression clearly.” Strands of her hair spill across her back as she removes a wing-shaped, silver, embellished barrette from her hair. “Despite what you think, I really did come here to help you.” She unscrews the top of the barrette and out pops a vial filled with a pale purple, glittering liquid.

“How?”

“By giving you what your heart truly desires.” She holds up the vial between her thumb and finger.

Wariness floods my body. “What is that?”

“A little bit of my magic.” She extends her hand toward me with the vial in her palm. “And a gift for you.”

I promptly shake my head. “No, thank you.”

“I promise this isn’t a trick. Just a simple gift that will help you get what you really want.”

“You keep saying that, but how can you possibly know what I want? Half the time, I don’t even know the answer to that.”

“Oh, but you do. You just won’t admit it out of fear that you can’t have it.”

The words I heard in the forest that day haunt my mind.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt the girl or your future king. No, they’re going to hurt each other.”

While Kingsley wasn’t positive it was the fey queen who had uttered those ominous words, he speculated it could be. If so, I need to be careful. Very, very careful.

“Were you by chance in the forest the other day?” I ask, sneaking a step back from her and toward the door.

Her fingers curl around the vial. “It’s hard to say for sure. The other day was such a long time ago.”

Faeries and their damn ability to dance around the truth. A good reminder of how untrustworthy they are.

I lift my chin. “I don’t want the vial. Or your help. Whatever that help may be.”

Her lips thin as her eyes darken. “You may say that now, but you will.” She rises to her feet and stuffs the vial and barrette into the sleeve of her dress. “Love has a way of making creatures think irrationally. Take their love away completely, and they lose their minds.” She moves toward the door, a trail of purple smoke snaking across the floor behind her. “We’ll be in touch, Raven, once your mind has reached its capacity of insanity.”

I shake my head. “That won’t happen.”

When she disappears into a cloud of smoke, the music and chatter from the party downstairs wisps through the air again.

Releasing a loud breath, I gather the bottom of my floor-length dress and rush for the door to find Rhyland. That is, if he’s still here.

The queen may have acted like she was here simply to give me a gift, but I’ll bet a vat of top-shelf blood she was lying. From the rumors I’ve heard, the fey queen never does anything out of the kindness of her heart. She also loathes vampires. So, why help one? Better yet, why show up to a crowning party just to give a present to the queen’s little sister? No, she was here for a different reason and that reason could very well have been to kidnap the king.

“I need to find Kingsley. He might know what to do,” I mutter to myself as I reach the upper balcony that overlooks the main hall where the party is taking place.

Gripping the railing, I scan the crowd of dancing, drunk vampires, searching for Kingsley. “Where is he? He should be close by. Unless something did happen to Rhyland and he went to go save him …” My voice fades as my gaze lands on Nadine dancing in an open space in the middle of the floor. And not by herself, but with a partner, who I know very well. “Rhyland.”

They move harmoniously together, their steps perfectly timed, their bodies completely in sync. If I were in Nadine’s place, I’d be stepping on his toes and messing up every other step, but they move as if they were meant to be dancing with each other.

As if they were meant for each other.

The air gets ripped from my lungs. If I weren’t already dead, I’d be veering toward hyperventilating. Part of me wishes I was. At least then there’d be a distraction from this gut-wrenching pain ripping me apart from the inside out.

That’s where he went when he took off? To dance with Nadine? While I sat and chatted with the fey queen?

Did he know she was here?

Even though walking away might be the wiser decision, my feet remain glued to the floor as I watch Rhyland twirl Nadine around while laughing and smiling at her. She smiles back, her eyes bright with excitement. With their blond hair, matching attire, and happy faces, the two look like the epitome of a happy couple.

“Not into the party, huh?” Kingsley appears beside me and rests his arms on the railing.

“You know I’m not big on parties.” No matter how much I want to, I can’t seem to look away from Rhyland and Nadine.

Look away, Raven, look away. It’ll hurt less.

“No, you never were, were you? Neither is my brother. In a lot of ways, you two are very alike. From your boring tastes to your virgin statuses,” he teases, tugging on a strand of my hair. Then he freezes before gliding his hand downward to the side of my neck. “Or maybe not.”

Yanking my focus off the happy-looking couple down below, I blink at him. “Huh?”

The rough pad of his finger skims along the bite wounds on my neck. “Did someone lose their virgin biter status tonight?” The playfulness in his tone doesn’t match the worry in his eyes.

I shrug, tears stinging my eyes as memories of Rhyland sinking his teeth into my neck overpower me. It feels like forever ago. Another time. Another place. Another life. “Yeah, so what if I did? I’m eighteen years old; I’m allowed to be bitten and bite if I want to.”

He rubs his lips together. “And who was the lucky creature who got to sink his fangs into that pretty neck of yours?”

My gaze involuntarily flicks to where Rhyland and Nadine are dancing, just in time to see him tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, a move he often does with me.

Kingsley tracks my gaze and a small smile tugs at his lips. “So, my brother finally vampired up.” A huge smile spreads across his face, but then vanishes when he meets my gaze. “Rave, you know Nadine means nothing to him, right? He’s only dancing with her because he has to.”

I lean against the railing, staring at the floor below. “He seems happy.”

“Trust me; he’s not. He’s only playing the part to avoid you getting hurt.”

I already feel hurt. And stupid.

The queen’s warning rings inside my head. Don’t worry; I’m not going to hurt the girl or your future king. No, they’re going to hurt each other.

Sucking back tears, I move away from the balcony. “I have to go. Tell Rhyland congrats on getting crowned. I forgot to mention it earlier.” Earlier when we were kissing and biting each other.

Kingsley captures my arm. “Rave, don’t do this. Rhyland cares about you more than you even realize. Things are just complicated right now, but if you give him some time, he’ll figure something out.”

Things will always be complicated. The truth rings clearly through my head.

Incidents like tonight will always happen. Because, when it all comes down to it, Rhyland will always choose Nadine over me. And if he doesn’t, we’ll both end up dead.

I sigh as I wiggle my arm from his hold. “There’s no real future for Rhyland and me. Not a painless one, anyway.” I dodge around him and start down the hallway, calling over my shoulder, “You might want to keep an extra eye on things tonight. The fey queen was here earlier.” Then I speed off into the night as my heart splits apart and agonizing pain splinters my chest. Pain. So much pain.

How can heartache hurt this much?

As I reach the edge of the forest, I collapse to my knees.

The queen was right. We will hurt each other.

“I just want the pain to go away,” I whisper as tears spill from my eyes.

“Soon,” I swear I hear the wind whisper. “Very, very soon you won’t remember the pain at all.”