The Vampire Prince graduates High School (Book 3)

In your Arms

Throughout the rest of dinner, Noah worked to take the documents down. He sent me to the banquet where King Lionel, Violet, Alexander, and my parents entertained the guests. According to Noah, the King, Violet, and Alexander had been told of the security breach. However, despite the urgency, they couldn't shut the banquet down. If that happened, it would look like this was a bigger deal than it was - which it was, but I think they were trying to play it off as false.

Pulling my fingers, I quietly entered the banquet hall. Servers walked around bringing meals out. I spotted my parents at the front of the room. Violet and King Lionel were nowhere in sight. Jayla had touched up my makeup and hair before letting me return to my job. If it weren't for her, I'd be a mess right now.

Walking through the room, I forced a polite smile on my face. My parents looked up from their meal as I approached.

"There you are," Mom began.

"We thought you ditched us," Dad said.

"Sorry. I had . . . some stuff to take care of."

"You okay?" Mom asked. "You look pale."

"Hungry," I told her.

"Let's get you something to eat," Dad said, catching a server's attention.

As I sat, I looked around for Alexander. I didn't see King Lionel or Violet. Alexander wasn't in the room either. A wave of disappointment surged through me. I wanted to see him and make sure he was okay.

"Miss me?"

I turned and found Alexander sitting beside me. My body breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?" I asked. "Noah -"

He smiled. "Let's enjoy a nice meal together with your parents."

Almost immediately, a waiter brought me dinner. A plate of chicken cordon bleu was placed in front of me. Alexander whispered something to the waiter, and almost immediately later, she brought a glass of what looked like tea.

All through dinner, Alexander chatted with my parents. It was so normal. Alexander smiled, but it never reached his eyes. I grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it whenever I could. He held on to it tightly.

Eventually, my parents finished their dinner and returned to their job. As dinner winded down, they moved the guests to the dance hall. I stayed with Alexander as the staff started removing the remnants of dinner off the tables. His eyes were closed, and his head lowered. Tentatively, I rubbed his back. Alexander leaned into me.

"What do you need from me?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"I'm here for you," I told him.

All of a sudden, Alexander sat up straight. "Want to dance?" he asked.

A lump formed in my throat. I bit my words back and nodded. Hand-in-hand, we walked to the dance hall. The orchestra had started playing by the time we entered. Many guests enjoyed their drinks, finger food, and dancing.

Alexander led me to the dance floor and joined in on the song. It was a whirlwind of steps, and I was sure I wasn't doing it right. But it didn't matter. I was here for Alexander, and right now, he didn't want to worry about the fallout of the security breach. With every dance, he held me tightly. I could never get a clear look at his face. By the thirty-minute mark, my legs began to tire. At forty-five, my shoes pinched my feet. I took a sharp intake of breath with every step. My knees wobbled. I needed to work on my dancing stamina.

'Miss Borek,' came one of the event planner's voice from my earpiece.

At this point, I couldn't remember their name.