Two days passed since Jacob's abrupt exit. Ruby folded a long reply to Angelina, the parchment crinkling under her fingers. She tucked the letter deep into the spine of a Princess Ronal novel.

Dion Lancaster arrived at the exact strike of the hour. His nostrils flared as he paced the rug, his eyes scanning the corners of the room for a scent. He took the chair at the desk, flipped through a book for minutes, and then slumped forward.

He slept with his head pillowed on his arms. Dark lashes cast long shadows against marble-white skin. He looked like a creature out of a midnight myth, silent and untouchable.

Ruby gripped the edge of her mattress. It was hard to reconcile this quiet face with the predator who snapped a man's wrist in an alley without blinking.

The Prince vanished as the sun dipped lower. Ruby sat at the mahogany desk, her head drooping. The scent of crushed roses and cold incense lingered on the wood.

Her hand flew to her throat as she remembered the press of his fingers. Sleep would only bring nightmares of the Crimson Pool.

Warm, broad palms settled on her shoulders. Ruby's eyes snapped open. Jacob stood in the amber light, his face a mask of quiet concern.

"Jacob?" She rubbed her eyes, the fog of sleep clearing. He guided her back against the chair.

"I had to check on you," Jacob whispered. His voice was a low thread of sound. "The nobles near the Queen are silent... I couldn't leave without knowing you were safe."

Ruby stood, her knees a bit shaky. She reached into the storage crate and pulled out a crimson-glazed sphere. "Do you... want a candied apple?"

Jacob stared at the glaze. "I don't touch human blood, Ruby. Where did you get that?"

The wooden stick vanished from her fingers. A blur of black silk occupied the space beside her. Dion Lancaster stood there, fully rested, holding both treats.

"Wasn't this for me?" Dion asked, tilting his head.

"I thought you said you didn't eat trash," Ruby said. Her eyes jumped between the two vampires.

"I changed my mind." Dion sank his teeth into the left apple, then the right. Red syrup smeared across his pale lip.

Jacob's jaw locked. He pulled back as the scent of premium blood filled the small room.

Dion's gaze crawled over Jacob's face. A thin, predatory smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Why is he looking at me like that?"

He turned his ruby eyes toward Ruby. "I'm the supervisor Brian sent to watch you, aren't I?"

Ruby's pulse hammered against her ribs. She gave Jacob a frantic, wide-eyed signal.

"So," Dion drawled, stepping flush against Ruby's side. "You're the ex-fiancé?"

Jacob looked at the girl, caught her desperate nod, and stiffened his spine. "I am."

Dion dropped into the desk chair and crossed his arms. He watched them with the flat, expectant look of a man waiting for a play to begin.

"Why are you still sitting?" Ruby asked. "Jacob needs to go."

"I'm supervising," Dion replied. He didn't move.

Ruby stepped toward Jacob and lowered her voice. "Go. Now. Don't come back at this hour."

Jacob glanced at the Prince's white-knuckled grip on the armrest. He gave a sharp nod and vanished into the shadows of the Rose Gallery.

The door clicked shut. Dion stood, his shadow swallowing Ruby's. "I've decided on my price."

"What price?"

"You come to my room," Dion said. His voice was a cold command. "Every day. Starting tomorrow."

Ruby shook her head. "No. The Queen... if she finds me in Durell Palace..."

Dion's brow twitched. He stepped into her personal space, his scent drowning out the air. "This isn't a negotiation."

He blurred and vanished before she could breathe.

Dion moved through the darkness of the palace. The image of the two of them whispering in the corner burned in his mind.

The half-blood was a threat. The human looked at that messenger with trust—a look she never gave the Prince.

His ballroom lessons were ending. The excuse to visit Solara Palace was dying. If he didn't bring her to his wing, the bird would find another way to fly.

Ruby walked toward Durell Palace the next day. The Prince's command left her no choice.

The path felt familiar. She crossed the Moon Archway and let the invisible pull guide her boots. Princess Ronal's notes called it a Bewitchment Spell. The Queen, Brian, and Dion had all used it to steer her before.

The stone corridor ended at a set of double doors etched with gold filigree. Ruby reached for the handle, but the wood groaned inward first. Shadows filled the room.

Purple flames flickered in crystal chandeliers. Ruby squinted, her steps cautious against the dark floor. Silence blanketed the space.

Moonlight spilled through a floor-to-ceiling window. It hit a red velvet chair like polished jade. She stood in the center of the room, looking for an exit.

"You're here," a voice rasped behind her. Ruby jumped, her hand flying to her chest as she spun around. Only darkness greeted her.

"Right here." Dion's face appeared inches from hers. His ruby-red eyes burned in the dark. Ruby took a sharp step back.

Dion snapped his fingers. The room ignited, exposing gold carvings and frescoes on the ceiling. He pulled out a chair at the mahogany desk.

Ruby sat. Her gaze landed on open arithmetic charts. She looked at the quill, then back at him.

Dion shoved the papers aside. He dropped a stack of books bound in leather onto the desk. "Read."

Titles in the Common Tongue stared back: Landscapes of Châtelet, The Noble House of Lancaster, and 100 Basic Self-Defense Techniques. Gold wax seals with the Durell Palace crest marked every cover.

Ruby skipped the history books and grabbed the landscapes. Dion dragged his chair next to hers. He picked up a math book from the pile.

The ink on his pages was already dry. Ruby closed her book after an hour. Dion's quill hadn't moved once.

She leaned toward his page, her eyes searching for a mistake. Dion slammed the book shut. His jaw tightened.

Ruby raised her hands and leaned away. Silence stretched between them.

"My birthday is coming," Dion said.

Ruby blinked. "Happy birthday."

"Where's my gift?"

Ruby stared at the floor. She shook her head.

"Fine," Dion drawled. "There's still time." He leaned back, his eyes searching the room.

Dion's fangs caught the light. "If there's no gift... your blood will do."

Ruby swallowed hard. Her pulse jumped under her skin. "I'll... I'll find something."

Dion flipped his book open again. Ruby grabbed a fresh title and glanced at the vampire beside her.

He had centuries of combat training. Yet, a twenty-year-old human was correcting his math. Her lips curved into a sharp grin.

Dion caught the look. "What's that face for?"

"Nothing. Are you having a party?"

"It's my Royal Ascension Trial," Dion said.

Ruby looked at his smooth, pale skin. A Royal Ascension. Adulthood at a thousand years? She rubbed her arms against a sudden chill.