Page 30 of The Reluctant Heir

He’s right—eventually, the throbbing lessens to a dull ache. I relax slightly. At least until I look at Kaine and see that his glacier blue eyes are focused intently on me. I narrow my eyes at him, ready to lay into him.

“I’m sorry,” he says quickly before I can yell at him. “I shouldn’t have accused you of what I did. I know that you’re innocent. It’s just…” he pauses, taking a deep breath. “When I saw you with Prince Damek, I got mad.”

“Why would that make you mad?” I ask.

He pulls out the stool beside me and takes a seat. “The Rune Clan are our rivals. Fifty years ago, there was a war between ourtwo clans. Eventually, a peace treaty was signed, but not before hundreds lost their lives. We still don’t get along great with them. I’m surprised your dad even invited them tonight.”

“That’s history, Kaine. Why does it matter that our clans have fought? Shouldn’t we want to make true peace with them?” I ask.

He shrugs. “Maybe, I don’t know. But it doesn’t matter what I think. You can’t marry Prince Damek—he’s not even an option for you. He’s got his clan to worry about. He’s the heir. It’s not like you could pack up and move there to run his clan with him. You’re to be queen one day, Madeline.”

My stomach muscles tighten at the mention of my future title.

I swallow hard. “I keep hoping that part won’t happen. I’d rather Lucien come back and take his throne.”

Kaine’s lips turn up slightly. “You’re going to make an amazing queen one day, you’ll see.”

I’m not sure what to say to his compliment. I chew on my bottom lip as I look at Kaine. His eyes stay trained on me, making me squirm in my seat.

“You know that you will have to apologize to Damek tomorrow,” Kaine informs me.

I roll my eyes. “Yes, I know. Though you should probably be the one to apologize since I was aiming for you. He just happened to get in the way.”

Kaine chuckles, shaking his head. “I was impressed with the strength behind the punch. The way his head snapped back was delightful.”

I didn’t notice his head snapping back. I was too busy being horrified.

I smack Kaine on the arm with my good hand. “Stop that. Damek Rune isn’t our enemy.”

“He may not be your enemy, but he is certainly mine.” Kaine narrows his eyes. “If I wasn’t worried about King Rune startinga war over your accidental punch, I wouldn’t even allow you to apologize. The more distance between the two of you, the better.”

“You’re surprisingly petty for a vampire.”

He crosses his arms over his chest, giving me a stern look. “You’re annoying.”

I stick out my tongue at him, but I can’t stop my smile.

At least one positive thing came out of me accidentally punching Damek—Kaine no longer thinks I murdered Lucien. And since he’s my advisor, it’s good that he no longer accuses me. I have a feeling I’m going to need his help, especially when I consider the small pool of men I have to pick my husband out of.

Kaine stands up from his stool. “Come on.” He takes the icepack off my fist, which is already starting to heal. “Our guests will be heading home soon and you need to make at least one more appearance.”

I groan but allow him to pull me from the room.

Will this night never end?

“Do Ihaveto do this?”I play with the end of my hair as Kaine pulls the car to a stop in front of a large mansion.

He gives me a flat look. “Yes, you have to apologize to theprincethat youpunched.”

“I apologized last night,” I remind him. “And I technically was aiming foryou. He just happened to step in the way.”

Kaine narrows his eyes but doesn’t respond.

I still can’t believe I punched Damek last night. It was not one of my finer moments, though it was an accident. It’s a real shame because Damek was the one guy I thought I could have chemistry with.

Kaine puts the car in park and turns toward me. “Make sure today goes well. We do not need a feud between us and the Rune Clan, okay?”

I let out my breath in a huff. “Iknowthat, Kaine.”

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