He bent towards me, his breath caressing the shell of my ear. “They’ll stop staring once we start dancing.”

“I don’t know the steps,” I hissed under my breath.

This close, I could nearly feel the rumble of his low laughter. “Just move. I’ll do the rest.”

So I moved, needing no further convincing if it meant three hundred pairs of eyes would go elsewhere in the room. I swayed slightly, imitating what I recalled from the dances I’d observed in another life. It was more swaying and shuffling than anything as elegant as a waltz, but Raphael was true to his word. His hand slid into mine, lifting our palms while his other hand dipped lower, burning into my side while mine naturally moved to his bicep. I looked around as the others began to dance, and tried to mimic the movements to better fit the style of the Vampire Kingdom.

“You’re thinking too hard,” he mused.

“I’m trying to not step on your feet.” The quip was out before I realized the irony. I was concerned about stepping on his feet… as if I didn’t plan far greater harm.

I faltered in my shuffle-dance, but Raphael rescued me.

“Don’t worry about them, little viper. They don’t matter.” The chandelier light caught the brutal iron of his crown as he moved easily in his improvised steps. “Only this matters. What you feel in this moment, what you’re doing.”

I tried to let them fade to the background, but my thoughts were now caught in another swirl. That was why Raphael resorted to another tactic—distracting me.

“Tell me your opinion of the music.”

Now that we had settled into a rhythm, I let the notes entrance me. I’d spotted the small orchestra on the edge of the room when we’d arrived. The acoustics of the ballroom were excellent, the volume not distracting, but loud enough to drown out the worst of my thoughts. Dozens of instruments came together in a harmony that thrummed over my skin and made me want to move, even if my steps were still uncertain.

“They’re skilled,” I conceded.

“But do you like them?” he pressed.

On this, there was no need to lie. “I do.” If I could have done nothing but sit in the empty ballroom with the music playing for eternity, I might have been content.

They didn’t have music like this in the Witch Kingdom.

Once more, I pushed the thoughts of my old home away. Keep acting natural.

“Are there always so many for an event like this?” I lifted my chin in the direction of the small orchestra. It was disproportionate for the event, surely.

Raphael’s lip quirked. “No.”

“Then why?”

“For you. I brought them here for you.” He spun me, and I managed to keep my balance while I twirled across the floor before winding up back in his arms, secured once more. “I wanted to show you another side of this kingdom.”

“Another side?” I shut my eyes, trying to figure out what he meant. “Raphael, tell me, why are all the humans in red?”

The symbolism was obvious, but I wanted to hear it.

Wanted to make him paint the divide between us clearly.

“I told you it was symbolic.”

Surely he didn’t think I’d give in to such obvious evasion. “Symbolic of what?” I pressed.

He didn’t need to breathe, but he sighed anyway. “The blood the humans offer, and the darkness that triumphs over them. While three red moons hang full, ripe, in the sky, while the dark sky surrounds them.”

There were no pleasantries I could use to cover that truth. That would always be the chasm between us. The vampires were powerful, eternal. Humans nothing but fodder.

The song ended and another started. We kept moving, now in sync, even as I made the steps up.

“I do not wish to deceive you, little viper. My world is a brutal one. But I want to share it with you, nonetheless.”

The name reminded me of the venom currently running through my veins. I hid my reaction and looked away.

“What if I don’t want to be part of this world?” What if this world is wrong?

“Everywhere has its ugliness. Some places just cloak it better.” The knot on his throat bobbed. “If you cannot find solace in my kingdom, then I will find you somewhere else, with all the gold you can carry. Yet I hope you would choose to stay at my side.”

“But… I was only meant to stay a few days. Then to translate the grimoire.” I forced myself not to give anything away when I mentioned the tome I’d already made progress translating.

“I only wish for your happiness.” His eyes held me, making it impossible to look anywhere else.

Happy. Like it was so simple. “Why?”

The vampire king was quiet for a moment. Then—“I suppose a part of it is because you’ve known so little of it.”

I couldn’t look at him anymore, so I cast my gaze around the room. What was a normal amount of happiness for someone to have? How did you measure it? Had I had a happy childhood before Greymere? It had been better, surely, but happiness had been a superfluous pursuit in my mother’s mind.

Happiness can be found at the bottom of a choice bottle, she’d once told me. You’re meant for more, my little princess.

I wasn’t happy. Maybe in fleeting moments here—but I was trading all those small moments for something more.

A purpose.

“And your life?” I challenged. “Is it happy?”

The silence that followed was a damning admission for a vampire who couldn’t lie.

We rotated around the room, my dress grazing the floor. The music swelled and fell as the dance ended. An invisible clock counted down the ceremony. Once we stopped moving, it hit me at once, the air suddenly impossibly thick.

“I need a moment.” I broke away from Raphael, uncertain of my destination. I pushed through a throng of onlookers, keeping my eyes down as I tried to find any exit. The grand entrance was on the opposite side of the room but—there, an opening.

I stepped out onto the balcony. The opening led directly to a balcony carved from the stone. It was empty. I went farther, for a moment, stunned by where I was.

The night sent clear, cool air into my lungs. This was the first time I’d been outside in months. I inhaled deeply, savoring it. If things went wrong, it could be the last time I was outside.

The view was glorious. I moved to the stone wall that provided a barrier from tumbling down, careful not to lean over. Several peaks were in view, close in height, just far enough away that if I closed one eye and reached, I might think I’d be able to touch their spires. Snow sprinkled their tops, but with the heat from the crowd still warming me, I didn’t mind the chill. Even if I’d been shivering, I’d have endured it just to have a few moments to gather my thoughts.

But I was not alone for long.

“You don’t have to stand that far away,” I murmured.

Demos stepped forward from the doorway. I’d said I needed a moment, and Raphael had given it to me. He had not, however, left me without guard. The king’s general wore all black, as all the vampires did, but it was ornamented. The uniform of a soldier rather than formal clothing.

“I’m surprised you’re not with Thea.” It was nonsensical, but it happened to be the first thing that came to mind. I was worried if I was left in silence with my thoughts the deception would be plain on my face.

He stood six feet to my side, looking out over the cliffs. “Why would I be with her?”

Because you’re always looking at her. “You’re friends, are you not?”

“I’m to guard you.” His tone was controlled.

“I’m sure no vampire would dare touch the king’s Chosen at the Tri-Lunar Eclipse.” I kept my tone dry, but my heart pounded, daring him to contradict me.

“There are other threats,” Demos said.

A shiver went down my spine, not just from the cold air. Like what? Does he know about Titus? I dismissed the thought immediately—if Raphael knew the Witch King’s spymaster was in his midst, he’d have been tortured and killed long ago. Which meant there were other threats.