Wild Knight (Midnight Empire: The Tower #1)(66)

Maeron grinned back at her. “Of course. We wouldn’t have bothered to save you otherwise.”

I took a side step toward the door. “I’ll leave you to your family time.”

Davina waved a hand in my direction. “See? You’ve frightened her away. Why do you always do that, Maeron?”

“Enough,” the king commanded. He shifted his gaze to me. “Go now before it escalates.” He sighed. “Because it always does.”

I bowed and hurried from the throne room. A soft silver glow emanated from my hands and I thrust them into my pockets. The faster I walked, the faster I returned to fresh air and freedom. The duty to House Lewis was fulfilled and I was free to return to the Circus. Thank the gods.

I almost reached the main doors without another interruption. Almost.

Callan appeared out of nowhere and intercepted me.

I swallowed a scream. “Why do you insist on walking around your own house invisible?”

He looked at me with something bordering on amusement. “Why so much interest in how I walk around my house?”

“It’s bizarre. I don’t walk around my flat invisible.”

“Only because there’s no one there to hide from, unless your animal companions are begging for food.”

He wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of admitting it.

Callan tilted his head in the direction of the throne room. “You’ve certainly made an impression on the right people.”

“That’s not why I did it.” Not even remotely.

“Even so, it’s good to have a royal stamp of approval, especially a knight like yourself in need of steady work.”

“We’re happy with the work we have, but I appreciate the thought.”

His mouth curved in a smile that sent involuntary shivers down my spine. It was a smile that promised to make me feel things I didn’t want to feel.

“Still not interested in working for vampires?” He glanced at the wall that featured a portrait of Queen Britannia with her fangs smeared with blood and her sword raised high. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. We can be a brutal lot.” He turned back to me. “Then again so can you.”

“I’m only brutal when it’s necessary for self-defense.”

“You don’t think Britannia felt that way about her actions?”

I twisted to look at the portrait, clasping my hands behind me and out of his view. “I have no idea what she felt.” She was probably giddy with every vein she opened. There was a certain euphoria that came with bloodlust, one I hoped to never experience.

He leaned into me forcing me to bend backward or end up with my chest against his body. “Dine with us. At the very least I can promise it will be entertaining.”

I frowned. “You really want me to come to dinner at the palace? With your family?”

“I’m simply repeating Davina’s invitation. She’s taken a shine to you.”

“Davina would take a shine to a mirror if she liked the way she looked in it.” I immediately regretted the statement. One because she couldn’t see her reflection and two because she wasn’t the airhead that Maeron accused her of being. She was tough and resilient and ridiculously sweet.

Callan seemed to sense my misgivings. “You don’t mean that.”

I brushed past him. “Like Prince Maeron said, I have a lot of work to catch up on now that I’m back to my regular duties.”

He stepped aside and let me pass. “As you wish.”

I walked out of the palace, half expecting him to follow. I pretended not to be disappointed when he didn’t. The last thing I needed was a deadly vampire trailing me around the city. One look at me at the wrong time and he’d see me for what I really was.



I unlocked the main door and climbed the five flights of stairs to my flat. The building seemed ridiculously small after spending time in the palace. I pictured the walls of my flat covered with paintings of myself like Britannia and laughed at the absurdity, although arguably my knee on Callan’s neck in Hyde Park was worth capturing on a canvas.

Okay, I needed to imagine a scenario that didn’t include His Royal Ruckus. He was a lethal vampire, plain and simple. Not someone to fantasize about unless that involved beheading him or driving a stake through his heart—assuming there was one beating inside his chest. Vampires like Callan were the reason the species was believed to be undead and devoid of functional organs. Cold. Menacing. Deadly. Those were the adjectives I had to remember when describing him. None of that devoted brother and hot, sexy beast crap. That way lies madness—and certain death.

I turned the key to my flat and stepped inside. No more Mona to stop by and check on me. The thought saddened me. On the other hand, maybe the next landlord wouldn’t be a naive lunatic.

The flat was eerily quiet. The animals seemed to sense I’d had a rough time lately because they didn’t come running. Instead they cast cautious glances from their respective locations on the floor, the sofa, and in the case of Hera, on top of the curio cabinet.

“I’m home.”

The announcement was unnecessary. Every creature in my small kingdom had already gotten wind of my arrival. Even Barnaby was at the window. I crossed the room and opened it to let him in. Might as well let them all witness the final move in my playbook. Someone should witness my stroke of genius, even if it was only my speechless companions.