Sure enough, Laila was sitting in her office, typing so fast on her laptop that the clicking of the keys whizzed together.

“Jacen.” She lowered the screen and smiled at me. “I heard you had a little adventure tonight.” Then she looked at the guards, holding out a hand to them. “But before we hear about it—the stones.”

They removed the necklaces and handed them to her.

“Thank you,” she said. “Now, where were we? Oh yes—Jacen’s adventure. Please, tell me what happened.” She dropped the necklaces onto her desk and leaned back in her chair, making herself comfortable. “I do love a good story.”

And so, I told her everything.

Except for meeting Annika and escaping with her from the square to hide in the attic of the Tavern.

According to my story, I’d hung out at the square, observing the humans there, and left after spotting the guards. I’d made my way to the edge of the village and spent some time in the forest near the boundary of the Vale before returning to the palace, which was where the guards had found me.

Laila’s eyes twinkled as she listened. “Very interesting,” she said once I was done. “Guards—you can leave now. Thank you for doing your duty and bringing Prince Jacen back home.”

They nodded and left the room.

Once they were gone, she stared at me for a few seconds, saying nothing.

It took all my willpower to stop myself from fidgeting under her gaze, but I stayed strong. She might be a centuries year old vampire queen, but I would not let her intimidate me.

The only thing Laila hated more than disobedience was weakness.

“Impressive,” she finally said, and I blinked, unsure if I’d heard correctly.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“You heard me,” she said. “I was wondering how much longer you were going to accept being kept inside the palace walls. If you’d waited a few weeks longer to attempt escape, I would have started to question my decision to turn you into a vampire prince. After all, a complacent prince is a boring prince, don’t you think?”

“Seriously?” I said, my tone laced with anger. “This was all some kind of twisted test?”

“Of course.” She smiled. “And you passed. With flying colors, I might add, since as far as I’m aware, no humans were harmed during your adventure. Congratulations.”

I assumed she wanted me to thank her, but I refused to give her the pleasure. “Will I now be allowed to roam the Vale as I please?” I asked instead.

“Soon,” she said, tapping her fingers on the desk. “But first, we need to present you to the kingdom.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, although I was secretly glad she hadn’t brought up the topic of wanting me to find a bride again.

“You’re hardly the first potential vampire prince that I’ve turned,” she said with a musical laugh. “Throughout the centuries, I’ve identified many human specimens who had potential to become princes of the Vale.”

“Such as Scott and Alexander,” I said, naming the “brothers” who I’d barely spoken to during my time in the palace.

“Of course,” she said. “Haven’t you wondered why they haven’t made much of an effort to get to know you? You are brothers after all.”

“They worried I would take my own life because I couldn’t handle the transition,” I said curtly. “Like many others have before me.”

“You’re only partially correct.” She brought her hair over her shoulders and smiled, as if preparing for another revelation. “It’s true that many humans I’ve turned have taken their own lives. But there are other ways they’ve been eliminated.”

“What sort of ways?” I asked, since that was the only one I’d heard of thus far.

“Only the strongest humans come close to qualifying to being turned into a vampire prince,” she said. “And, as you also know—from your own experience—the stronger a vampire is, the harder it is to control the bloodlust.”

“And?” I asked, since she wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know.

“We cannot have a prince of the Vale who’s unable to control his bloodlust.”

“So what?” I asked, but then I paused, realization dawning on me. “If I hadn’t gotten control of my bloodlust, you were going to kill me,” I said, having a dreadful feeling that I was correct.

Her pause confirmed my suspicion.

The only thing keeping me from attempting to strangle her right there was knowing that she was one of the strongest vampires in the world, with centuries of fighting experience, and that if I tried anything her guards would be here in a second.

“Like I said, it would be unacceptable to have a prince of the Vale who was unable to control his bloodlust,” she repeated. “I nearly ended you after your attack on the village. But it was the first time one of my princes made it past the guards and to the village, and it was so soon after your transition. You held so much promise that I simply couldn’t allow it. No—I had to see if you lived up to your potential. Even if just to satiate my own curiosity.”

“How many others have there been?” I asked, refusing to give into her obvious attempt at goading me to thank her for letting me live.

“Between you and Alexander?” she asked, since he was the youngest of my two “brothers.” “A few. They all went mad from the bloodlust. Once they reached the point of no return, if they didn’t kill themselves I had the guards take care of it for them. Or, if they were taking so long to adjust to the bloodlust that it was clear they would never get control over themselves, I had them taken care of as well. But this past week—by proving you’re able to control yourself while feeding on humans, by mastering compulsion to escape the palace, and by not murdering any humans while you were out in the village—you’ve proven yourself a worthy prince. Finally.”

“So you’re not going to kill me,” I said, my voice hollow.

“Not anytime soon.” She chuckled.

I stood completely still, more on guard than ever. If I didn’t realize it earlier, I now had no doubt—Laila had no humanity left in her.

If she ever had any at all.

“Relax,” she said, and she stood up, walking around her desk to face me. “You’re about to become an official prince of the Vale. I expected you to be happy to hear the news.”

“I would be,” I said through gritted teeth. “But you still haven’t brought up your previous request for me to find a bride, and I know it isn’t because you’ve forgotten. And as an official prince, I would like to have more say in who I marry and when.”

“Oh, you will definitely still be choosing a bride, and soon.” She narrowed her eyes, as if daring me to challenge her. When I didn’t give into the bait, she continued, “But first things first. Because in one week, we’ll throw a party to officially present you to kingdom. Afterward, you’ll be able to roam the Vale as you please.”

I should have been rejoicing. After all, she was giving me what I’d wanted—freedom from the palace walls.

But all I could do was wonder what Annika’s reaction would be when she realized who I truly was. Which only gave me more incentive to get her to admit to having wormwood, and having her remove it so I could compel her to forget me.

And now I only had one week to get it done.