*Rafe*The taste of berries and fresh stream water lingers on my tongue. No matter how much I eat, be it blood or food, the taste doesn’t go away. I find this both comforting and maddening at the same time. Ainslee Bleiz, no one tastes like you. No one.Paperwork litters my desk. Papers to review. Reports to sign. Tasks that can wait, and important items that shouldn’t wait any longer. But I keep putting them off anyway. I can’t work. I can’t move. I can’t even think with my Ainslee gone.I bare my teeth, almost doing the forbidden and showing my fangs. My Ainslee.My office door bursts open, and the very last person in the world I want to see huffs in.“Riley,” I bite out as cordially as I can. “What brings you here?”Riley throws her hands dramatically in the air. “I can’t stand it, can you?!”“Stand what?” I continue, trying not to sound bored. The king’s eldest daughter becomes more insufferable every day. Especially since she still has her claws in me. No, the king gets to marry

*Rafe*Servants scurry around, preparing for the king’s return. For Ainslee’s return.I somehow managed to be productive one late night after taking hold of myself in the shower while daydreaming about Ainslee. That meant the paperwork on my desk is far less daunting, and King Axel might even be impressed with how I’ve held down the fort.Perhaps if he’d been more impressed with me, I would be the one marrying Ainslee and ascending the throne. But, it was a task ‘too important’ to be left to me.Fucking political alliances.I kick a pillar and regret it immediately as pieces of marble tumble to the floor. That’ll need to be cleaned up and patched.“Problem?” Sophie asks, descending the stairs next to me.“More than you can count,” I say through my teeth. “But that’s the prince’s lot, right?”Sophie looks at me askance. “I don’t think it’s your princely duties that are bothering you.”My blood freezes. Could she know? “What do you think is bothering me, then?”“Ainslee.” Sophie’s expre

*Rafe*Zeke was waiting right outside Ainslee’s door. I nearly slam into him as I leave. So much for keeping secrets. “Have fun?” Zeke deadpans, though the corners of his lips are twitching. I walk away, putting some distance between us and the spot a few feet from Ainslee’s chambers where Zoey is waiting.“Shut up,” I grunt. I motion for Zeke to follow me down the marble-floored hall and staircase, taking him to my office. “What did you find out?”“The Blacks were hoarding thirty percent or more of the blood supply in order to make it look as though the town needed a culling. We were right,” Zeke says. He indicates some new reports on my desk. “Those should present some pretty damning evidence against the Blacks, though that’s Kris’s problem now.”I laugh. “I’d have paid a thousand vlads to see the look on that man’s face when King Axel told him he’d be stuck out in the boonies forever.”“Not forever. Just until things are under control to King Axel’s satisfaction,” Zeke warns me. “W

*Rafe*“Since Bertha and Brenda have been dealt with, everything has gone smoothly,” Jerim beams. He pats George on the shoulder, who is in on the donating rotation once more and currently giving blood, healthy as a horse.“I’m glad to hear it,” I say. “And I’m glad we caught them before George here got any sicker. I am sorry, George, that you suffered so. That should never have happened.”George’s eyes nearly bug out of his head. Apparently, a prince apologizing to him is not anything he ever expected to happen in his lifetime. “Your Majesty, I am just glad I was the last. That none of my other friends had to go through that… wolfsbane poisoning.” He shuddered.I also pat George on the shoulder. “That’s very noble, George. And like we said, you didn’t have to go back to donating blood if you didn’t want to…”George straightens. “Your Majesty, I consider it a duty and a privilege to make sure you are all well-fed. You give us a lot, and I want to give back. I am still young enough to

*Rafe*Ainslee did not come out of the gardens through the front entrance that night. Or any of the three nights after.I slam my seal onto the papers in front of me with enough force to crack the handle. And the blotter. And the desktop, for that matter. I don’t care. Ainslee has avoided me most of the week. Her wedding is two days from now. We have things we should talk about.Things that won’t make a damn bit of difference, but hell, I want to talk about them anyway!To add to my foul mood, Kris saunters into my office without knocking. He came back a few days ago. So far, I’ve avoided him, but here he is, invading my personal space. “Kris,” I say in a clipped tone.“Prince Rafe,” Kris grins. It can never be good news when Kris is grinning.“How are things in the hinterlands?” I ask nastily.Kris’s grin widens. “I’ve appointed Nelson as the mayor of Beoutown. I thought you’d appreciate that. The townsfolk fell in line quite quickly. I actually let them think they were voting on the