Arranged

9

Alexei stayed posted outside my bedroom door. I glanced at the bedside clock reading three in the morning. I was starving from not having dinner. There had to be a kitchen somewhere I could sneak food out of.

I pulled open my bedroom door, half expecting it to be locked and surprised when it wasn't.

Alexei glanced over his shoulder at me. I propped my hand on my hip and I examined him.

"Don't you get bored standing out here?" I asked.

"It's my job," he responded.

I sighed. "Can your job be to look the other way while I grab some food?"

A small smile crept on his lips. "I never saw you leave."

"As long as you're not seeing me leave, can you maybe not point me in the right direction?"

"Downstairs, go left, take the hallway to the end and go left. Kitchen will be through the double doors."

I nodded and tossed him a grateful smile. "Thanks. Want anything?"

"No. Thank you though."

I made my way down the dimly lit hall to the stairs. There was no overhead lighting on, but the soft glow from under each step helped light the way. Only a few table lamps were left on and it gave the palace a warm, cozy feel.

I followed the hall down to the end and spotted the double doors. My stomach growled in hunger. God, I couldn't wait to eat some real food.

I thought it was odd that the kitchen doors didn't look like kitchen doors at all. They looked more like office doors.

I turned the large brass handle and pushed the door open, careful to not alert anyone to my late night snack.

I was confused. It wasn't the kitchen. It was a dimly lit office occupied by two people that hadn't noticed me.

It took a split second for me to realize one person was Edric.

In the same moment, my brain couldn't process what I was seeing.

Knelt in front of Edric was someone I didn't have to fully see to recognize. I knew it was the vampire king before he shot up off his knees and Edric stared at me in utter shock.

No one said a word. No one breathed as we all stared at each other until Edric snapped out of it and quickly zipped up his pants.

"Wha-" I started.

"Amina," Edric cut in carefully.

He took a step towards me, but Alonso was faster.

The vampire's hand wrapped around my throat and lifted me off the ground. I gasped and gripped his wrist, struggling to loosen his grip.

"Don't hurt her," Edric said swiftly.

Alonso whipped his head around to see Edric at his back.

He dropped me to the ground and I coughed, taking in quick ragged breaths. My throat constricted, but the adrenalin coursing through my body ignored the initial pain of nearly having my throat crushed.

"What the fuck is going on," I croaked.

"You need to listen very carefully," Edric said as he crouched in front of me.

His golden eyes calculated my every movement. It was the first time since Rick that I had actually been afraid of a man. Edric hadn't given me any reason to fear before, but he was certainly giving me reason now.

"You're confused about what you saw."

"I know what I saw," I responded defiantly.

"When I said you were a child, this was what I meant," he replied darkly.