Drake had been gone for hours, and I was crawling the walls inside his chambers. I loved reading and the place had everything I needed, but I also needed fresh air. Besides, I had to roam the castle. There was no choice here.

When I proposed to Thomas that we go out for a stroll, he freaked out, reminding me Drake had asked us to stay inside.

“That was hours ago,” I protested. “I’m going, with or without you.”

For a moment, I wished he would stay so I would be able to go around the castle without having to lie to him. To my surprise, he grumbled but came with me.

However, once we got to the garden, another young slave appeared and asked Thomas to help with something. Thomas seemed unsure about me. He wanted to take me back inside before going to help, but after I promised to stay put and wait for him in the gardens, he finally followed the other slave out.

And I was alone in the gardens.

My first instinct was to run inside the castle and continue my search, but the dread about bumping into other vampires was too big. I had been lucky so far, I knew that, and I wasn’t sure how long I could push it.

But I had to try. I had to go. I had to find it.

I would, but after I spent some time outside and took lungfuls of fresh air. I missed being outside.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced at the moon and admired its glow. I had always thought I liked the moon more than the sun, as if the moon and I had a connection or something.

But now, after being locked inside the castle for ten days, I realized I liked the sun too. I missed it like crazy. I missed the brightness, the colors, and the sounds of the world in daylight.

I chose a secluded corner outside the maze and sat down on a stone bench, flirting with the moon and the stars.

How was I going to amble around the castle without being seen? How was I going to search its dark corners if Thomas was supposed to be with me all the time? And when he wasn’t, I risked being found out by a less than friendly vampire. Besides, I was sure I was wasting my time searching in such obvious places.

I sighed.

Wherever it was hidden, it would probably take more than sneaking around to retrieve it.

“Hell …”

I stilled as the faint voice reached my ears. My heart sped as I thought about what to do. Stay here and hope whoever it was didn’t come this way, or hide in the maze and hope the vampire didn’t smell me from a mile away? Neither were great solutions.

I rose and settled on hiding in the maze. But, before I could take a step, Drake appeared right in front me.

“Holy …” I fell back on the bench, my hand over my racing heart. “You scared me!”

He stepped back. “I apologize.”

I took a deep breath, trying to slow down my pulse. My gaze, though, wouldn’t leave Drake. I had thought he looked imposing in a black suit, white shirt, and burgundy tie before leaving his chambers earlier tonight, but now, under the moonlight and among the dark shrubs of the garden? He looked like an actor ready to rock the red carpet.

My heart sped up again.

However, his expression was different. Usually, he stared at me with indifference, only showing the briefest of emotions here and there. Tonight, his green eyes were dull and his shoulders were sagged.

“What’s wrong?” I asked before I could think it through. “What happened at the meeting?” My insides coiled. “Don’t tell me Alex won.”

Drake ran a hand through his hair, pushing the long strands out of his beautiful face. “No, no one won. It was a tie and we turned to Sarki to decide, but she suggested we find Lord Reynard’s killer first.”

“And?”

“A questioning started, and I was the first in line.”

“So you cleared your name.” I was certain he hadn’t done it. Even with his super strength and speed, he had been right by my side the entire time. He couldn’t have done it.

Drake sat down on the bench beside me and exhaled through his nose. “No. Actually, I’m on the line as one of the suspects.”

“Why?”

He turned his solemn eyes to me. “Because I defended you.”

A shock ran through my core. “W-what? Why?”

“Because they think I favor humans over vampires, and since Reynard wasn’t fond of humans, they think I killed him to protect you.”

“That … that makes no sense. You hadn’t claimed me for five minutes before Lord Reynard was killed, and he didn’t even know me. He hadn’t shown interest in me. You had no reason to kill him.”

“That’s exactly what I told them, but it seems Alex has half of the princes under his thumb. He throws out a lie and the others spin it out of proportion.”

“That’s crazy. What happens now?”

“They interrogated all the princes and decided three of us had reasons to kill Lord Reynard. Alex, Cain, and me. Now the three of us will be investigated. In about a week, we’ll be interrogated again, and hopefully by then, they will have found the culprit.”

I shook my head. “What if the killer isn’t any of you three? What if whoever did it is hiding it well?”

“I know. I thought about that.”

“Can’t you use compulsion to extract the truth?”

“It doesn’t work as well from vampire to vampire. The stronger the vampire, the weaker the compulsion will be. For example, Lord Reynard was so old and powerful, no compulsion worked on him. None of ours anyway.”

I stared out to the fountain in the distance, thinking, considering. There had to be a way to clear Drake’s name. It wasn’t fair he was incriminated for something he didn’t do.

And why was I trying to defend a vampire? All vampires were monsters.

Weren’t they?

I returned my gaze to Drake and found him staring at me. Like this, when his expression was downcast, he looked almost human. Almost. He was too handsome, too stunning to be a simple human.

“Why did you claim me?” The question rolled off my tongue without my consent.

His brows dipped and his lips pressed into a thin line. I thought he wouldn’t answer, until he finally said, “I saw you there in the middle of the ballroom, holding a girl you barely knew with all you had, and fighting vampires as if you had any chance of winning.”

My cheeks warmed in embarrassment. “Thank you for the vote of confidence.”

One corner of his lips curled up. “Don’t get me wrong. I thought it was amazing. It seems you know how to fight, which is great, but unfortunately, that won’t do much good against vampires.”

“It was all I could think of doing in the moment.”

“I know, and I admire you for it,” he said, his rough voice sprinkled with a soft undertone. “Anyway, seeing you there, fighting for her, fighting for yourself … I don’t know what came over me.”

“Despite my anger in the beginning, I want to thank you.” I suppressed a shudder. “I know now I could have ended up with a much worse fate.”

“You’re welcome,” he said in a low voice.

I felt like Sherlock Holmes trying to solve a mystery. “We need to think of a way to prove your innocence.”

“I appreciate the help, but if they want to blame me, nothing will stop them, not even if the truth hits them in the face.”

“That’s crazy. They can’t do that.”

“They can and they will. They’ll use you and my past, spin an absurd tale about how it all connects, and use it against me.”

The words itched in my throat, and I tried holding them back. “Your past?”

He looked up at the moon and its glow illuminated only half of his face, creating shadows that emphasized his sharp nose, his full mouth, and the sharp edges of his chin and jaw. My eyes followed the line of his jaw down the smooth skin of his long neck.

I swallowed hard, incapable of pushing down the feelings stirring inside me. Drake was a vampire. He was a monster.

“My family and I were happy,” he started, his voice rough. “At least, that’s how I remember it. We weren’t rich, but we lived well for that time. I was the oldest of four children, and my parents were good parents. I remember Father getting mad at us when we misbehaved, but other than a few slaps on our bottoms and being grounded here and there, he was good to us.” His gaze turned to the imposing castle bathed in moonlight. “Our village was attacked by vampires when I was sixteen. They invaded my home and killed my family right in front of me. When they came for me, I fought, much like you did that night at the ball. I fought with all I had, and to my surprise, I was doing quite well. But then the leader of the vampires saw me fighting, and he was quite impressed with my ability. He took me on as his pupil, as he used to say. I hated him. I wanted to kill him. I plotted how to sneak into his suite and kill him so many times. But he treated me well. He took care of me. He raised me. He taught me politics, he showed me what his army did, what they fought for, he taught me how to fight. I still hated vampires with all my soul, but this man, this vampire … he was different. I started not hating him, and then, on my twenty-fifth birthday, he turned me.”

I reached over and placed my hand on his. “I’m sorry.” It was the only thing I could think to say.

“I was too. I think I still am. At first, my old hate consumed me. I rebelled. I left. I spent many years alone and even considered ending my life. But …” He sighed. “I couldn’t do it. I thought about my parents and my siblings, about how I would have wanted them to live—not as vampires, but as humans. I wanted them to live a long, happy life, and because of that guilt, I couldn’t do it. I’ve always hated being a vampire, but I can’t undo it, and I couldn’t take my own life. So, I came back to my maker and I joined his army. I became his right hand.”

I gasped as his words sank. “Lord Reynard,” I whispered. “Lord Reynard killed your family. He took you as a blood slave. Then he turned you.” I couldn’t believe it. “And you still stuck with him?”

He let out a hollow chuckle. “I know it doesn’t make much sense, but when you live for so long, some things, some grudges start to seem petty. You let go of them.” His brows furrowed. “But not everything. Never everything.”

“That’s why they suspect you. Because Lord Reynard killed your family.”

“Yes.”

I slid my hand up his arm. “I’m sorry.” I felt the muscles of his arm stiffen. His gaze dipped to my hand and a knot appeared between his brows. “I’m sorry for your family. I’m sorry you had to live as a blood slave to the man you hated. I’m sorry you’re a suspect in the death of the man you came to love.”

His eyes fixed on mine, a glint in them I didn’t want to recognize, but couldn’t ignore. Couldn’t because I was feeling something similar.

Drake placed his hand over mine, the intensity of his eyes taking my breath away. “Thea …”

“Yes?” I asked, my throat dry.

“You … I’m …” His gaze fell on my mouth and his jaw ticked. “I’m about to do something you might not like,” he said, his voice breathy.

Like a bee drawn to a flower, I leaned closer. “Who said I won’t like it?”

A deep growl came from his throat before his hand wrapped around my wrist. He tugged me closer. He bent over me. I held my breath. Then he stopped, leaving only half an inch between our lips. His eyes searched mine, as if trying to find any objection in them. He wouldn’t find any. Another growl came from him and then his mouth was on mine.

His lips were cold and warm, hard and soft, and his kiss was pure pleasure that moved against me, within me. There was nothing slow about his lips on mine. No, there was only desperate need. He took without asking, and I gave it without hesitating.

His hands traveled around my waist and splayed on my back, pushing me closer, and I held on to his shoulders, afraid this was all but a dream. A deliciously impossible dream.

Surprising me, Drake pulled back, his face stricken. “I’m sorry. That was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. You—”

“Drake.” I grabbed his shirt and tugged him back to me. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

One corner of his lips curled up before his mouth descended on mine again.