Page 20 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

Raven black hair. High cheekbones. Chin held high because she believes she’s better than me…

She’s a Delacroix, that’s for sure.

A bit of the family’s black magic clearly flows in her veins. Maybe I should be careful, or I’ll end up cursed. Witches don’t have the monopoly on spells, and this girl-turned-vampire could cast a fog over any man’s brain.

She’s tall and lean, but with more muscles and curves than her royal counterparts. The older Delacroix catered the perfect dry shape of high-born vampires for decades, while this one is still fresh and plump, her appetite for human food only just withering.

Red, heart-shaped lips contrast with her perfectly smooth alabaster skin, topped off by the most striking blue eyes. It’s so unfair that she got to keep her human coloring. She didn’t need something other than her name and beauty to set her apart.

“Our princess is…ethereal,” the flight attendant muses under her breath.

“I guess.” My brows pull together. I don’t like that she caught me staring.

She walks around the bar and hands me the beer I ordered. “Her resemblance to her late mother will certainly spark a few battles for her affection.”

I offer the blonde a fake smile and discourage any further discussion by returning to my seat.

A few minutes later, she comes over to retrieve the empty bottle. “Do you need anything else?” The floral scent of her blood tugs at my self-control as she leans closer than necessary, bending over so much that my knuckles are grazing her dangling breast.

“No,” I scowl.

Christ, when did she take off her bra?

A human employee isn’t supposed to act so brazenly. Not while I’m on duty. If she wants to fuck after the flight, fine, but something about her confidence rubs me the wrong way.

Eager for some peace, I enter the plane’s cockpit and shut the door.

The pilot is part of Jason’s pathetic staff, and a hint of white shows at his temples. He jerks upward with a start at my arrival. “Geez! Don’t sneak up on a pilot. I didn’t hear you come in.”

My older brother Garrett used to call me the night owl. No vampire can move as swiftly and silently as me, but an owl isn’t exactly cool. I would have preferred a lion or a tiger as a nickname, but I do see and hear better than most of my kind, and my sixth sense is tingling. A hint of warning tickles my spine as I gaze down at the old pilot.

He glances at me sideways. “Who are you, son? You’re not part of my Lord’s security team.”

“Who I am is none of your business, and I’m not your son.”

Sweat pearls over his brow. “You’re from the castle?”

I click my tongue. Fucking Jason stuck me with a moron who can’t recognize a royal guard when he sees one? What the fuck.

A runway comes into view, and all the hairs at the back of my neck stand at attention. Something’s wrong. It’s too soon.

“Wait. Don’t land.”

Rain blurs the scenery below us, but I’m almost sure we’re nowhere near where we should be.

“Excuse me, sir?” The pilot coughs.

“Go back up. Now! We’re not in the right place.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible, sir.”

The moonlight catches the end of his dagger. I block his arm in mid-air, twist it behind his back, snap his neck, and discard his body to the floor. My hands grip the “W” shaped yoke control before I can formulate a thought. I’ve flown plenty of planes—fifty years ago. There weren’t so many screens and buttons then, but I stop our descent and check the navigation system.

Perpignan… what the fuck? We’re miles from the estate.

My charge barrels inside the room, her voice high and squeaky. “The horny flight attendant just tried to stake me. What the hell is going on?”

“We were set up.”

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