Page 41 of The Royal Engagement

“Madeline, are you okay?” Tiffany asks.

Even Duncan looks anxiously at me.

“I’m fine,” I tell them, but my heart squeezes when I see the genuine worry in their eyes.

When I first met Damek’s mom, I thought there was no way she wouldeverlike me. And it’s not uncommon—most womendohate succubi. It’s something in our very nature that makes them not like us. The night we had that dinner, I almost decided not to pursue Damek as a marriage candidate because I thought my life would be miserable.

Damek squeezes my hand. “Dad will be here soon and then we can head home. I imagine we’ll go right to the Scott estate to tell King Scott everything that happened.”

My dad is going to be upset that this has happenedagain. At least this time we know who is was coming after me.

I glance at Damek. “It was the Nodin Clan, right? They’re the ones who sent the intruder?”

Damek shrugs. “That’s likely the case, but I imagine we will question the guy and find out for certain.”

I guess I am just speculating, but I sincerely hope another clan isn’t after us.

“Let’s sit,” Tiffany says. “You poor thing. You’ve just been attacked and we’re just asking questions and making you stand.”

She leads us toward a long couch in the middle of the plane. There is a long couch on one side and a table with chairs on the other. Damek and I sit down and Tiffany sits beside me. Duncan takes a seat at the table, but he angles his body toward us.

“How long do you think Dad will be?” Duncan asks.

Tiffany glances at her phone. “He said he’s on his way.” Her eyes widen as her phone vibrates. “And he’s bringing the prisoner with him.”

I swallow hard.

He’s going to be on the plane with us? My stomach churns at the thought, even if I know I’ll be safe. There will be tons of guards and I imagine they will keep him sedated.

But the guy tried tokidnapme. At least, I think that’s what he was doing. He didn’t really attack me, he likely just planned to use that syringe on me.

I shiver at the thought.

What if I hadn’t woken up? And what if he was able to sneak past the guards a second time? The thought of being locked up with Lucas Nodin makes me feel sick to my stomach. I don’t imagine he would make the same mistake twice. This time, it would likely be difficult to find me. Just like it’s been difficult to find Lucien…

“You’re safe.” Damek puts his arm around me and squeezes me.

I lean into him, taking advantage of the comfort he’s offering.

He kisses the top of my head. “I hope this didn’t ruin the night we had.”

I sit up straighter, grinning at the still unfamiliar weight on my finger. “No way. The night was absolutely perfect, nothing could change my view of what happened.”

Damek’s face lights up and I know in that moment that when I look back at the night of our engagement, nothing could ruin it. It was absolutely perfect.

“Damek explained to us that engagements are really important to succubi,” Tiffany says.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Yes, very important. I know every supernatural takes marriage seriously because of the mate bond, but for us, it’s a cultural thing. A couple typically dates for many years before getting engaged. Before an engagement, you don’t introduce your boyfriend or girlfriend to your family. So it’s a really big deal. And there are a lot of parties to attend and introductions to be made.”

“Are the weddings really a week long?” she asks.

I nod. “Yes. It’s a huge celebration. Most weddings are destination weddings, which is a lot of fun. I’ve traveled to a lot of different places because of it. Succubi and incubi will take any excuse to celebrate, but weddings are over the top.”

She rings her fingers together. “Is that something you want? A succubus wedding?”

“No,” I say quickly. “I love my family, but the thought of spending an entire week with them…” I shiver. “I like how short vampire weddings are. There is no need to drag it out.”

Her shoulders relax and I can tell she’s relieved.

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