I got lost in the books. Hours passed. It could have been days. I didn’t stop to find anything to eat or drink. I was mesmerized by Damon’s family collection. I had questions. Who put it together? Were there records on where each book was acquired? Was there a palace librarian?

I thumbed through a tattered copy of XX. My neck and shoulders were sore. I had my own research to complete. And I hadn’t checked in on Brooklyn.

There was no way to know when Damon would finish with the prime minister. I returned the book to the shelf and ventured out of the library. The halls were quiet. I remembered which direction we had walked this morning.

The elevator was at the end of this corridor.

I arrived, smiling at the guards.

“Hi.”

The one on the right broke his staring contest with the wall and cut a glance at me.

“I’d like to go upstairs.” I knew my voice wasn’t confident. I didn’t know the protocol or what to say. If he would scoot, I could hop on the elevator.

“His Royal Highness has not given instructions, mademoiselle.”

“Well, I—I’m visiting.” I tried to think of how to put our arrangement in suitable terms. I had already been warned once about my word choice. “His Royal Highness asked me to stay.” It sounded funny referring to him that way. I knew he was the king, but I didn’t think the weight of his position had hit me yet.

The men didn’t budge. “There are no instructions,” he repeated.

I crossed my arms. What in the hell was I going to do? I couldn’t wander aimlessly around the palace. They weren’t going to let me upstairs. I was starving. And I needed to get home to check on my best friend.

I sighed. “Is Georgan here?” I asked. “The driver?”

“Yes.”

“Would he be able to take me home?”

They looked at each other.

“Outside, mademoiselle. His car is parked in the tunnel.”

“All right. If you see D—” I corrected myself. “His Royal Highness, will you please tell him for me that I went home?”

“Certainly.”

“Thank you.” I felt this innate need to curtsy, but stopped before I reached the hem of my skirt. I turned for the door and walked outside. I recognized the car from last night. Georgan polished the eagle on the hood.

“Bonjour.” I smiled. Maybe talking to the driver wouldn’t be as awkward. “Hola.” I didn’t know what to say.

He looked up from the hood ornament.

“Oui?”

It was hard constantly bouncing between French and Spanish. “I was wondering if you would be able to drive me home?”

“Of course.” He rounded the engine and met me at the rear door.

I looked at the palace over my shoulder. Something told me I should stay. Camp out next to the king’s security, no matter how they glared at me. But the fantasy had to end at some point. It couldn’t last forever. I knew how this worked.

“Merci.” I nodded when Georgan closed the door behind me.

It was strange to be in the same car from last night. It didn’t feel the same without Damon. He had consumed the air around us. Now, it just felt like an empty back seat.

Georgan called through the speaker, “Do you have the address, mademoiselle?”

“Oh yes. It’s XXXX.”

I settled into the seat as he pulled from the curb and drove us through the tunnel. We exited on the other side of the entrance. The palace grounds were immaculate. The flowers whizzed past me. We turned outside the gate and I wondered if I would ever be back here.

Would I see the king again? Or I had I just made the stupidest decision of my life?

* * *

My notecards were exactly where I had left them fanned out across the living room floor.

“Brooklyn?”

“In here.”

I walked to her bedroom. We shared a comfortable two-bedroom. It was one of the perks of the city. Freychon wasn’t as expensive as other European hubs.

“Hey.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. I was getting worried.”

“I’m sorry.” I sat on the edge of her bed. “No phone, remember? I couldn’t call you.”

“But I was back by nine. Where have you been? I thought something happened.”

Shit. I didn’t mean to scare her. And I didn’t know what I could or should say without revealing more than I was allowed. It was strange how yesterday, I felt like Brooklyn and I were the ones who shared the secret—we shared the bond of going through the Titan experience, but that had shifted overnight. I had some sort of weird allegiance to Damon. He was one I felt I shared the experience with—I didn’t want to share that with her. I didn’t know if that was selfish or naïve, but it seemed like something I needed to keep private.

“I-I was looking at a special collection.”

“You worked? After last night?” Her eyes bulged.

Lying didn’t feel like the right thing. My stomach twisted, but I continued to protect the truth.

“It was a rare collection,” I explained.

She sighed. “Only you would do something like that.” She eyed me suspiciously. “What outfit is that?”

I bit my lip. “Oh, it’s something D—I mean, he gave it to me.”

“Really? You look so elegant. Sexy and proper at the same time.” She winked.

I wondered if that’s what Damon had thought. I blushed, remembering our walk to the royal library. I wondered if he had discovered by now I had left. Or maybe he hadn’t noticed. He had world leaders to entertain. The house manager had made that clear.

“How was your night?” I asked.

She sighed, throwing herself back on her pillows. “Amazing.”

“That good?”

She nodded. “It was more than amazing. I wish I could relive it. Or that I had a picture. Something to remember it. Anything.”

I saw the way she looked at my clothes. I hadn’t thought of them as a souvenir, but in her eyes, they were. Proof that I had spent the night at the palace.

“I’m sorry. But you had a good time? That’s what counts, right? You checked it off your Galona bucket list.”

I wished I had something to give her. A coin from The Talon. A cocktail napkin. Something that said we had been there.

“I did. More than once.” She giggled. The curiosity was killing me. I wanted to know who it was, but unless she volunteered I couldn’t ask. I also realized that opened me up to more sharing and I didn’t want to trade stories. “Now that you’re home safely, I think I’m going to take a nap. I’m kind of exhausted.” She smiled sweetly.

I paused in her doorway. “Brooklyn?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for talking me into it.” I closed the door behind me and left her to her nap.