Page 40 of The Royal Engagement

He rushes toward me and I notice a syringe in his hand. I jump up, matching his speed. The guy hesitates for a moment, like he’s confused.

Probably because I don’t need blood to be fast. I imagine he drank blood right before breaking in. In theory, he should be faster and stronger than somebody who just woke up. I guess nobody told him that I don’t need blood to be fast and strong.

There are some benefits to being a hybrid.

The guy doesn’t stay stunned for long. He moves toward me again. I try to run for the door, but I know I won’t be able to yank open the door before he catches up.

What do I do?

As I’m thinking it, my door bursts open. I hear a loud pop followed by a thud. I look behind me and see that the intruder is now face first on the floor. My shoulders relax when a familiar looking guard comes into the room.

“Princess, are you all right?” he asks.

I nod, confirming.

My heart is still racing so fast that I can hear the blood rushing through my ears. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my heart.

“Maddie!”

I turn when I hear Damek’s voice. He comes rushing into the room. He puts his hands on my shoulders and carefully looks me over from head to toe.

“Are you injured?” he asks, his voice still frantic. His heart is racing even faster than mine.

“I’m okay,” I assure him.

He pulls me into his arms and squeezes me tightly against him. I don’t know if he’s trying to comfort himself or me, but it feels good to be safely in his arms. I relax into his embrace, my entire body relaxing.

I feel Damek’s lips on the top of my head. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

More footsteps join the room. I don’t look, but I’m sure there are more guards.

“Is she okay?”

Damek pulls back at the sound of his father’s voice, but he keeps on arm around my middle. “Yes, she’s okay.”

“Nobody touched me,” I tell him, not wanting him to be worried.

“We don’t know how she got away from him,” one of the guards says. “He had just drank blood.”

“It’s because she’s a hybrid,” King Rune says, then turns to Damek and me. “The guards are going to escort you to the jet. Our family will be leaving within the hour. I will be informing King Scott of the incident.”

“We have to leave?” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth, hating the idea of leaving so early.

“It’s for the best,” Damek says softly. “They will have to investigate how the intruder got in anyway.”

My heart sinks.

Damek squeezes me tighter against him. “Don’t worry—we will come back here again soon.”

His words do calm me, but I’m still sad that our vacation was cut short. I wanted to stay here longer and celebrate our ‘proper’ engagement. This is my happy place.

“Maybe we can come back here for our honeymoon,” Damek suggests.

Our honeymoon. I once thought I would dread it when I heard about my political marriage, but I look forward to that time with Damek.

I grin up at him. “I’d like that.”

Damek leads me out the door, guards trailing behind us. The guards drive us straight toward the airport, which is just a runway with a place to store private jets. When we get on the plane, Tiffany and Duncan are both there. The two of them rush toward us when they see us.

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