Page 59 of Princess of Thorns and Ruin

Alec shadows my every step as a servant takes us to a secluded set of rooms on the other side of the estate. The mansion’s tall white walls and floor-to-ceiling windows are covered with thin, modern electronic blinds to filter the sunshine. I could get used to the breathtaking view if I didn’t already feel so desperate to leave.

Leo disappears with the king’s staff, Felipe’s men probably filling him in on the do’s and dont’s of the place.

Once we reach the guest wing, Jude stands outside by the door and Alec enters with me. The suite is bland and impersonal—no doubt temporary. Hunger tickles at the back of my throat as I consider the king-sized bed. A sense of dread claws its way up my stomach, the air conditioning too cold for my taste, sucking the warmth and humidity out of the room.

“Home sweet home,” I mumble as I rub down my arms, hoping to erase my misery.

Alec inspects the bedroom, bathroom, and living room methodically, a bluetooth com tucked in his ear, and his feline grace sparks a flurry of goosebumps along my neck.

“Why do you keep your sunglasses on inside so much?” I ask, suddenly spooked—or rather-annoyed—by his deadly-chic look. “They make you look weird, not cool,” I lie.

Adrenaline sings in my blood, and Alec is the perfect candidate to pick a fight with. Discrete, professional—and he already thinks I’m a nuisance.

He observes me with more interest than I expected, my jab apparently falling on deaf ears. “I have one flaw.”

“Only one?” I muse.

“Yes. My eyes.” He nods without a trace of humor and continues his search, pulling the mass market paintings from the walls to glance behind them and running his finger along the stacks of books as though searching for a secret mechanism. “They sometimes speak when I don’t intend to. The sunglasses negate that problem.”

“What are your eyes saying right now?” I ask.

He checks the windowsills and the lock of the sliding door leading to the balcony. “That you’re as safe in here as you can be.” He seems content with the safety of the guest wing, but the dark undertones of his voice set me on edge.

“That was weirdly phrased.”

He pauses in front of the window, the moonlight caressing the edges of his toned body. “I think we understand each other.”

Yes. I’m not worried about being attacked by an assassin. My soon-to-be husband on the other hand…

“You seemed annoyed with the king earlier,” I say, fishing for the train of thought that led him to plot the king’s death.

“I was. His tone wasn’t appropriate.”

I smile at his honesty. “Teach me to fight, Mr Beaumont.”

His spine stiffens at the unexpected demand, and he turns around to face me. “You want to learn how to fight?”

“Nothing complicated. I want to know how to throw a good punch and wrestle someone off—” One particular scenario comes to mind, and a shudder lances down my spine at the thought that my unwanted wedding will come with a wedding night.

A cloud hovers over Alec’s features, his eyes still hidden behind dark mirrors and reflecting only my own anger. “Protecting you is my job, princess.”

“I’m a vampire now.” A dry chuckle escapes him as he rubs down his face, and I lift my chin. “Am I not strong enough to defend myself?”

Just as my heart is about to harden into stone, he removes his sunglasses. “Oh, you’re strong enough.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

The weight of his gaze almost floors me as he prowls closer, his movements so slick he doesn’t even stir the pieces of lint floating in the air. “He’s an idiot.”

For an instant, I wonder if he spoke the words out loud. “Pardon me?”

His fresh breath flutters down the slope of my neck. “Lord Pereira. He’s an idiot. He should have kissed you back. You were right. About everything.”

My throat bobs. I should scold him for speaking of Lucas in such terms, but I’m too stunned to speak. And I agree. One hundred percent.

His heated gaze flicks to my lips. While I feel utterly humiliated, knowing that Alec heard everything that transpired in the bathroom of the plane, the clear meaning of his words and the golden gleam in his garnet eyes tie up my tongue.

“You think I’m a snob princess.”

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