The darkness beyond our carriage window felt alive that night, writhing and pulsing like some ancient beast waiting to strike. I clutched my fur cloak tighter around my neck, trying to forget the Valmorin’s terrifying display from earlier. The memory alone made my skin crawl. Would we encounter one of those ghastly things out here?

  “Your hands are like ice,” Dom murmured, his calloused fingers working warmth into mine. A shadow crossed his face when moonlight spilled through the window. “Let me give you my coat. Please.”

  The tenderness in his voice made my chest ache. “I said I’m fine,” I snapped, then immediately regretted my tone. Why do I keep pushing him away?

  He shifted closer, his shoulder pressing against mine. “Lor—” He caught himself, switching to my full name, “Loretta, look at me. Just… look at me.” When I didn’t, he continued, his voice dropping to that dangerous whisper that always spelled trouble. “We could be halfway to the southern territories by dawn. I have friends there, connections. Your father would never—”

  “Stop.” The word came out sharper than I intended. “You can’t possibly be this naive.”

  “Naive?” His laugh was bitter, ugly. “What’s naive is thinking this marriage will fix anything. You really believe those bloodsuckers will keep their word? That your father—”

  “My father is the king,” I cut in, the words tasting like metal in my mouth. “And I am his daughter before I am anything else. Before I am…” I couldn’t finish. Before I am yours. Before I am even my own person.

  “His daughter?” Dom’s voice cracked with disbelief. “You’re his puppet! His perfect little chess piece to move around the board. And now he’s trading you to those monsters like—like you’re nothing more than a—”

  “Than what?” I whirled to face him, fury burning away my caution. “Say it, Dom. Than a princess doing her duty? Than a woman making her own choice?”

  “Choice?” He recoiled as if I’d slapped him. “What choice? He’s practically forcing you into that creature’s bed and you’re letting him! The Loretta I knew would have fought this. She would have—”

  “The Loretta you knew was a child’s fantasy,” I spat. “She grew up. Maybe it’s time you did too.”

  His face transformed then, something dark and primal taking over. “Oh, I’ve grown up. I’ve grown up enough to see what’s really happening here.” He leaned in, his words dripping venom. “You want him, don’t you? I saw how you looked at him last night when he was at your door. The mighty Prince Neltavio. So powerful, so dangerous. Tell me, my princess, does the thought of him excite you? Does it thrill you to imagine yourself as his vampire bride?”

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  Each word was presented to wound, and they missed their mark with erreneous accusations. But two could play at that game. I straightened my spine, letting ice coat my voice. “And if it did? What then? Would that be worse than spending my life with a common soldier who can barely control his own transformations?”

  I saw the exact moment something broke behind his eyes. Too far, I thought. I’ve gone too far. But I couldn’t stop. “Your jealousy is beneath you, Dom. Beneath us both.”

  “Beneath us?” His laugh was a harsh, derisive bark. “There is no ‘us,’ Loretta. Remember? You made that abundantly clear. I’m nothing more than a loyal subject, am I not? A dog groveling at his master’s heel.” He surged to his feet, the carriage swaying precariously with the sudden movement. “Well, this dog is done begging for scraps.” His shoulder twitched, a ripple of tension beneath his tunic, and for a heart-stopping moment, I feared he might lose control, might transform right there in the cramped confines of the carriage. The silence hung heavy between us, taut as a drawn bowstring, vibrating with unspoken fury. Then, his voice, brittle and cold as winter frost, shattered the stillness. “When the prince takes you on your wedding night, you will finally become what everyone whispers behind their hands, what they’re too cowardly to say to your face—a whore. You may call it duty, you may hide behind gilded words like sacrifice and honor, but I see the truth. You want it. You crave it.”

  The carriage door flew open with a bang from his boot. “WAIT UP!” he shouted to the coachman. Before I could process what was happening, he was gone, leaving nothing but a cloud of dust and the echo of his cruel words.

  I sat frozen, my mind reeling. Was he watching us the entire time last night? What did he think he saw between us? Unless—

  The memory of Prince Nel flooded back unbidden. His proximity, his heated breath, those mesmerizing eyes that seemed to peer straight into my soul. His words had wrapped around me like silk ropes, holding me captive. What I could do, with just a touch, a whisper…. Was he insinuating his intentions, wielding unspoken desires like weapons to break my resolve? I bit my lip, disgusted by the involuntary shiver that traced my skin at the mere memory.

  I was just full of anxiety. After all, he is a vampire.

  Had Dom thought he witnessed a moment of weakness on my part? Did he think the prince affected me in ways he couldn’t? I massaged my temples where a headache built. Great. He thinks I’m attracted to the prince.

  I understood his fury now. He had watched the woman he loved being swept away by a tide he couldn’t fight—Prince Nel and all he represented. The weight of everything—our ruined friendship, the cruel words we hurled at each other like weapons—settled over me like a shroud.

  Through the window, darkness writhed. Crows watched with beady eyes, and every rustling bush set my nerves on edge. I yanked the curtains shut and leaned back, drawing in a deep breath. As I closed my eyes, I wondered not when this journey would end, but how much of myself I would lose before it did.