The Vampire Prince graduates High School (Book 3)

Plans

Despite the late hour, I lay in bed looking at the dark ceiling. I couldn't stop thinking. With the news that Violet had instigated everything, the palace was busy keeping the information under wraps. Once we had finished with the thank-you notes, my parents and I were sent back to our visitor home. No one had talked to us. Guards were placed around the house, and even our rooms were examined.

"Do they think we are accomplices or victims?" I asked aloud.

The darkness didn't hold any answers.

Sighing, I sat and slipped out of bed. Despite the warmth, I grabbed my nightrobe and wrapped it around myself. Bitterness stirred in my chest.

While I respected Alexander, Noah, Violet, and King Lionel, I was left out. No one told me anything. It didn't help that I was too curious for my own good. I wanted to help even though I was powerless. Sitting around and waiting wasn't good for me. I needed to talk to someone.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and sent Alexander a message. Soon after, there was a knock. Smiling, I went to the door and opened it.

The first thing I noticed was his messy hair. He had never had it like this. The Crown Prince should always be presentable, was what I'd been told. Next, the collar of his shirt was opened, and his shirt was untucked.

Biting my lip, I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. The door clicked shut.

I slipped my arms around him and rested my head on his chest. He shook, and my throat closed. I wanted to ask. The words sat on my lips. Instead, I held him closer.

"Sleep with me tonight," I whispered.

Alexander struggled for a bit.

"No one is going to blame you for resting," I assured him. "Come on."

After lying down, he didn't speak. He, too, looked up at the ceiling. I rolled into him, spooning him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"I can't."

"Because I'm not part of the family?"

"I don't know what to say."

"That's okay."

Neither one of us got any sleep that night. One moment, I closed my eyes; the next, I was opening them.

"Why does someone want to ruin everything I hold dear?" Alexander asked.

The room was gray and dull. I found my phone—almost 6:30.

"I may not know much," I said sleepily, "but it seems like someone wants you isolated."

"You think so?"

"I don't know. Maybe they're hoping you have no option but to rely on them." I yawned.

Alexander shifted in my arms. He pulled me closer into his chest. "But what's the point?" he asked. "Why go through all this trouble? They wanted me dead. It doesn't make any sense."

Even though I promised to be good, I couldn't watch him suffer like this. It was not the right time to remind him that his mother might be behind all this. I needed to find irrefutable proof that Lady Hargrave was the one sewing chaos.

Alexander had a point. Why would she do this? If her goal was to isolate him, she was accomplishing it bit by bit. She was in this for the long haul. I needed to do something that would force Lady Hargrave to make a move. What was the one thing she couldn't stand?

The answer came easier than expected. Me. She couldn't stand me. She basically stated she hated me in front of everyone.

While Alexander hadn't told me what Lady Hargrave had said when he confronted her about the brooch, I was sure she had managed to say something to make me look like I was overreacting.