Page 44 of The Reluctant Heir

“You’re not into Kaine, are you?” He eyes me cautiously like he’s questioning my mental stability.

“No,” I scoff, pretending to be offended by the question. “Kaine is just convinced that I don’t know how to be charming so he’s made it his mission to teach me.”

Julien takes a step closer. “He thinks he can teach a succubus how to be charming?”

I shrug. “Because I’m not charming.”

“Did Kaine tell you that?” Julien raises an eyebrow, but I see it twitch slightly.

Is Julien upset on my behalf?

“No, Kaine didn’t say I wasn’t charming. Itold him I’m not charming. Because I’m not.”

Julien opens his mouth to object.

I hold up a hand. “I know you’re going to argue and say that I am, but you’re my brother. You’re supposed to be on my side about these kinds of things. But you don’t understand because you weren’t raised around succubi like I was. I know where I stand with the rest of them. I’m a hybrid. I’m not as powerful.”

He shakes his head. “You’re wrong. And I’m not just saying that because I’m your brother. You are special, Maddie, that’s true. Being a hybrid doesn’t make you weak. If anything, you’re stronger than any of us. You have the strength and speed of a vampire, but you aren’t limited by the fact that you have to drink blood. If I don’t have a fresh supply of blood, I get weak and slow. You don’t. And I don’t know a lot about succubus magic, but I bet you’re stronger than you believe.”

I step closer to him and let my head thunk against his chest. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me.

“Thank you,” I say, after a moment. I pull back to look at him. “I know that my existence can’t be easy on you. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you hated me. Instead, you accepted me from the first day even though me being around really hurt Eden.”

“My mom loves you,” Julien says. “She also doesn’t blame you for what our father and your mother did. Despite what happened, my parents love one another. I don’t know a lot about their relationship in the early days, but I don’t think it was easy for either of them.”

“She is gracious about me.” I chew on my bottom lip, knowing that I’m right. Edenshouldhate me, but she doesn’t.

Julien cocks his head to the side. “Kaine is on his way. I hear him walking down the hall.”

Using my vampiric hearing, I listen for footsteps. “How do you know it’s him?”

He shrugs. “I can tell in the way he steps. The servants are always rushing around like mad. Kaine kind of… struts.”

Julien’s description of Kaine’s walk makes me laugh.

The idea of Kaine ‘strutting’ is hilarious but also probably accurate.

There is a knock on my bedroom door. Julien turns to walk out of my closet.

“I will answer the door.” I nod, taking a deep breath. Butterflies tickle my stomach and my heart races a little faster.

Am I… nervous?

I haven’t been nervous about any of my dates. Maybe because I’m not interested in any of the guys Kaine has been setting me up with. But for some reason, the thought of going out with Kaine makes my knees feel a little weak.

I think objectively about my advisor. He’s not a bad looking guy, though neither were any of my other dates. Supernaturals are, by nature, beautiful. And Kaine is definitely that. But I don’tlikehim, do I? When we first met, he accused me of murder. He’s since admitted that he doesn’t think I have anything to do with Lucien’s disappearance, but our relationship—if I can even call it that—hasn’t gotten any stronger. He’s bossy and moody on days that end in ‘y.’

It’s just because I spend so much time with him.

Why did I agree to this? I need to spendlesstime with my advisor, not more. Somehow, having Kaine critique my dating skills makes me nervous.

Yes, that’s it.

I take a deep breath and turn to exit my closet to meet up with Kaine. I pause when I see him standing in my room, talking with Julien.

Kaine always dresses nicely. He’s always wearing a suit when we’re working. And I’ve seen him in a tux when my father hosted the ball in my honor. But tonight, Kaine isn’t dressed up in what I would consider ‘fancy’ clothes. He’s wearing a pair of fitted dark denim jeans, a nice pair of black lace up boots, and a fitted white shirt with a black dinner jacket. He looks… good. It’s like seeing him dressed down has dialed up his looks by one hundred.

I’m in so much trouble.

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