Slow down, slow down!

My brain is screaming the two words on repeat. Too fast, too much. This is all insane. Too much.

I sit in the back seat of a huge SUV, Cyrus at my side, looking around the town as we roll down the street. He wears a dark pair of sunglasses. As does the driver. A pale white man, who I’m guessing is actually an albino. And the woman sitting in the passenger seat. She’s tall but very thin. Her face looks like it was sculpted by razor blades. She may be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, but she’s terrifying.

Cyrus introduced them as Fredrick and Mina.

I didn’t even manage words to them.

I guide them to my apartment building, wishing the journey took so much longer, but really, we were only four blocks away.

Fredrick turns the vehicle into the parking lot.

“You say the transaction has already closed?” Cyrus asks, looking at my building with wary disgust.

“Yes, your Majesty,” the man says in shaky English. “The realtor will meet us there with the keys.”

“Good,” he says with a curt nod. He turns to me in the seat. “You have ten minutes to go inside and collect your belongings. Mina will be watching you the entire time, so you may wish to reconsider running.”

With a dark look over her shoulder, Mina climbs out of the vehicle and slips off into the parking lot.

“Am I coming back to my apartment?” I ask, my voice quivering.

“Not for a while,” Cyrus shakes his head, his eyes rising up to the seedy building. “I don’t stay in places like this. We’ll be going to live somewhere much more…comfortable.”

I swallow. “My friend… She comes over a lot. She’ll wonder what’s going on. What…what am I supposed to tell her?”

Cyrus smiles, something terrifying. “I pray that you’re a quick-thinking liar. You should have thought of this before we made our bargain this morning.”

Prick.

My hands roll into fists, but I just clench my jaw tight and open the car door.

This mad man is taking control of my life. Making me move in with him?

I pause for just a moment.

I remember the eviction notice taped to my door yesterday.

I was two weeks away from being homeless.

Look on the bright side, Logan, I think to myself. At least now you won’t be living in your car.

Oh, hell.

Amelia’s car is there in the parking lot, just to the side of our stairs. Of course she would be here when I’m coming home with dangerous people lurking over my shoulder.

I take the stairs slowly, stalling, while my brain scrambles to come up with a story. Any kind of explanation as to why I’m about to disappear on her.

My hand falls on the knob, and I unlock it.

The living room is quiet when I walk in. The dining room and kitchen are vacant. Silently, I walk back down the hall, and finally, I hear the sound of water running in the shower.

A brief moment of relief gushes through me. At least I can pack before I have to face her.

In a whirlwind, I throw every bit of clothing I can fit into a duffle bag. My brush. My makeup bag. Everything essential that I will need for at least a week.

Cyrus is going to have to let me come back at some point and deal with my things. Sometime in the next two weeks before the landlord tosses all my stuff out into the parking lot and changes the locks.

“What the hell, Lo?”

I whip around at the angry voice.

Amelia stands there, wrapped in a towel, her hair dripping wet.

“You don’t come home last night, you won’t answer your cell, and now I find you sneaking in and packing a bag?” Her face is turning red, seething with anger. “There was a power issue at our place, so we came back here last night around ten. Where were you?”

My mouth opens and closes. I blink once. Twice.

“I’m so sorry,” I croon. “I think I lost my cell phone last night. But I kind of…”

Amelia’s eyes drop, and she takes in what I’m wearing. They rise up to my disheveled hair. “Oh my… You slept with someone last night, didn’t you?”

Her eyes dance with excitement. Suddenly, her mouth drops open. “Was it Eli? Did you finally bang him?”

I know my eyes bug out. My mouth probably pops open, too.

But I force a laugh. And I’m sure I don’t have to fake blushing.

“No, not Eli,” I say, rolling my eyes and trying to look annoyed—instead of terrified. “But, I did kind of meet someone. And I did kind of stay over last night.”

It’s not entirely a lie.

Just not entirely the full truth of last night and this morning’s insanity.

“Oh, my gosh,” she says, shuffling forward, tucking her towel so it doesn’t fall. She takes my hands in hers. “Tell me. His name. Is he hot? Is he good in bed? Are you going away for a romantic, spontaneous week?”

I make myself smile, and tell myself that I have to sell this. I have to make her believe it.

“His name is Collin,” I lie, and I hardly even hesitate in replacing Cyrus with Collin. “He’s…dangerous looking.” Not a lie, whatsoever. But I wiggle my eyebrows to sell it to my best friend. “And I dare say he has some experience up his sleeve.”

She squeals, throwing her arms around me. “This is amazing, Lo. I mean, I really thought that eventually you and Eli would hook up. But this is even better! When can I meet this new, dangerous Collin?”

My stomach plummets.

Never.

Never, ever, ever.

“I don’t know,” I say, turning and finishing packing my things. “Maybe when we get back. We’re going to his cabin in Fairhope for a few days. I already got work off. I guess it depends how this goes.”

“This must be pretty serious if you’re already going on vacation with a guy you just met last night,” she says, coming to sit on the edge of my bed. “Are you sure about this, Lo? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited about it, but it doesn’t really seem like…you?”

I sigh, and zip my bag closed. She’s right. Maybe I’m just too harsh and picky, but I rarely find anyone to date that doesn’t just annoy me.

I shrug, arching an eyebrow as I turn to face her again. “Who knows, maybe this is the beginning of a new life.”

She smiles, and follows me as I haul my bag out.

I stop at the front door. “You and Tanner should go ahead and get engaged. Soon.”

“Why?” she asks, her brows furrowing in my sudden change of direction.

I smile, though I’m sure it doesn’t look genuine. “Because you love each other. And…life is short.”

Amelia gives me a little confused look, but just shakes her head. She gives me another hug, and opens the door for me.

“Oh my…” she says, staring out. The SUV is parked right at the bottom of the stairs. “Is that him?”

Sure enough, from up here, we can see the bottom half of Cyrus’ face.

“Yeah,” I say around the claws around my throat.

“Um, you failed to mention that he is hot as sin,” she goads. “And apparently loaded if he has his own driver.”

I think I make a little noise, hopefully in the affirmative.

Amelia gives a wistful sigh. “You have fun. And be careful. Call me when you figure the phone situation out.”

“’K,” I say, looking back at her as I step out onto the landing.

It won’t be the last time I see her. I’ll make sure of that. But it feels like a goodbye, all the same.

“Logan,” a voice calls from inside the car, sending a finger shiver down my spine.

I turn and walk down the stairs. Fredrick hops out, opening the back and taking my bag. He opens the door for me, and I climb in beside Cyrus once more.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard the expression ‘hot as sin,’” Cyrus says as Fredrick climbs back in and puts the car into gear. “It sounds like a negative description, but the way she said it…”

It takes me a moment to grasp why I feel so…scared, shocked, right now. My eyes go back to the door I walked out of, and then to this car.

“You…” I stutter. “You could hear her from that far away?”

Cyrus looks over at me, and I can tell he’s forcing himself to be patient. “Yes,” he responds coolly.

I feel my face grow hot now. I look out the window so I don’t have to look him in the eyes. “She didn’t…she wasn’t saying anything bad. But don’t go letting it inflate your ego.”

Somehow I can feel it when he smiles.

I don’t want to think about if what my roommate said about my captor is true or not.

I remember after a moment that we did not collect Mina. When I look around, Cyrus answers my unspoken question.

“She’s following behind us in your vehicle,” he explains.

I turn around, and sure enough, she follows just behind us in my car.

“But I never gave her the keys,” I say, my brows furrowing.

“Mina possesses a multitude of skills that led to me inviting her into my inner circle,” Cyrus says evenly.

Apparently she is as deadly as she looks.

We drive across town. To the border between Greendale and Cherico, to where the nicer homes are. We continue toward the outskirts, to where the city gives way to the country.

Fredrick pulls off the main road, to what I realize is a wide driveway. A huge stone fence surrounds the property and an iron gate swings open when we drive up to it.

A beautifully manicured lawn sprawls out before us. Bushes, trees, endless flowers are placed in carefully planned-out beds.

And at the end of the driveway is one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. It looks like something out of a TV show.

A great spire tower makes up the front of the home. White stone sides the entire thing and black, heavy-duty windows are sprawled around. To one side, I see four heavy wooden-looking garage doors.

It’s so beautiful. Elegant. Elaborate.

“Is this yours?” I ask breathlessly.

“It is now,” Cyrus says as Fredrick parks the car next to another. A small, round woman climbs out, looking toward us in wary anticipation.

Fredrick climbs out. Speaks a few words with the woman, taking the keys. She climbs back in her car and drives away.

“You just bought this?” I question. “You’ve been in Greendale less than, what? Three hours? And you now own a home here?”

He gives me a charmed little smile, one that makes me feel ignorant and foolish. He doesn’t say a word as he climbs out the door Fredrick opens and steps out. To my surprise, he quickly walks around the car and opens my door.

He looks at me and holds his hand out for mine.

He has two faces, Eli—Rath had warned before he was drugged and taken away.

I have to remember that, I tell myself. I see it now, and I can just feel it—how charming Cyrus can be when he wants to be. And then how deadly he can turn within one second.

But I take his hand, and let him help me out of the vehicle.

Fredrick and Mina retrieve my bag, as well as a few other suitcases. More than a few. There are eight of them in total besides my own, and I wonder just how long this deadly group planned to stay here after Edmond called them.

We walk up the grand stairs to the door, a massive, twelve foot tall double one. Inserting the keys, Fredrick unlocks it and stands aside for Cyrus to enter first.

The floors are some kind of stone. Marble, perhaps. A double set of ornate stairs curls around the entry and leads up to the upper floor. Walking straight forward, following after Cyrus, there are huge windows overlooking the back yard.

There’s a massive swimming pool with a diving board and a slide. A huge patio surrounds it, with a fire pit with built-in seating and a hot tub. Immaculate landscaping surrounds the huge yard.

But here, in the house, I find a big living room off to the right, already furnished with expensive looking leather couches. A big fireplace. And to the left, there’s a dining table with chairs for ten. And a spectacular kitchen.

“Do you approve?” Fredrick asks, looking around, his expression slightly nervous.

“Yes,” Cyrus says, casting little more than a glance around at his surroundings. “This will do fine for the next month.”

The next month. That is all Cyrus plans to spend in this grand, beautiful house.

I’m beginning to think loaded doesn’t cover the financial status of Cyrus.

“Shall we explore the upper floor?” Cyrus says, looking over at me and cocking an eyebrow.

I can’t find my voice, but I manage an affirmative squeak.

As a group, the four of us climb the stairs. At the top, we find a hallway that splits. There are three bedrooms off to the left, and two to the right.

Every one of them has their own adjacent bathroom and massive closet. But the obvious master suite houses a massive king-sized bed with a beautiful four-poster frame. Big windows look down over the back yard. And the adjoining bathroom has a spa tub that could fit four people inside. And the shower could fit an entire orgy.

“Considering my companions and myself require little to no sleep, I suggest you enjoy this beautiful space,” Cyrus says as we walk around the picturesque master suite. Not another word required, Fredrick immediately takes my bag to the closet and begins unpacking my things.

“You don’t sleep?” The words doubtfully slip out before I can actually think them over. Warily, I look over, meeting Cyrus’ eyes.

He’s staring at me, searching for something. But I don’t know what.

“Vampires require very little of it. I sleep perhaps a few hours a week,” he answers me. “Our kind possesses a certain level of…awareness. It makes it very difficult to shut down. And our bodies don’t need it the same as humans.”

I nod, as if I can comprehend any of that.

“You’re handling all of this quite calmly,” Cyrus says. “I’m actually somewhat concerned. You don’t think all of this is real yet, do you?”

And just like that, as if he’s slapped me across the face with the bible of truth, I take one step back. He’s nailed it.

“How can I?” I say, shaking my head. A breathy scoff of a laugh shoots over my lips. “Everything has just been…too much. Too many crazy elements. One, that you’ve kidnapped me. Two, you’ve taken my friend as hostage. Three, that you say I have to die and have a specific date set for it. And four, that now there is this whole big world that’s somehow existed in secret. Vampires.” I huff another little laugh. “Forgive me if I can’t come to terms with any of it as reality, when just yesterday I was laughing with my best friend about boys.”

Cyrus continues to stare at me, watching. He is quiet for a long moment.

Those eyes. Even though his stare is penetrating and somewhat terrifying—Cyrus has the most intense eyes of anyone I’ve ever seen—I can’t get enough of them. I’m pretty sure I could sit and look into them for hours.

“Forgive me, Logan Pierce,” he finally says. “In my haste for answers, I sometimes forget that some of the Royals are people with actual lives before they get thrown into this world. You should rest.” He turns, heading for the door, leaving me standing by the bed. Fredrick immediately takes the hint and exits the room. “Come and find me when you’re ready for some answers.”

He glances at me once more, an open expression there that I can’t quite identify. And then he closes the door behind him. Leaving me alone.