Every hundred years, a human bride is sent to the vampire kingdom of Châtelet to preserve peace between humans and vampires.

When Princess Angelina is chosen, Ruby Kingsley does the unthinkable.

She volunteers to take her place.

Because she loves her best friend too much to watch her be sacrificed to a kingdom of monsters.

Ruby expects chains.

Politics.

Maybe even death.

What she doesn't expect is Prince Dion Lancaster.

The youngest prince of the Lancaster Dynasty is everything the stories warned her about—beautiful, immortal, arrogant, and utterly terrifying. The first time she meets him, he looks at her the way a starving wolf might look at a lamb.

The problem?

The longer they're together, the stranger he becomes.

He starts appearing wherever she goes.

He learns her daily routine.

He remembers things she casually mentions.

He notices when she's scared.

When she's tired.

When she skips meals.

And every time another vampire gets too close to her, something dangerous flashes behind his crimson eyes.

Ruby tells herself he's only watching her because she's human.

Because she's unusual.

Because she's the kingdom's political bride.

But that explanation becomes harder to believe when Dion begins risking his own safety for her.

When he cuts his hand and gives her a blood-soaked handkerchief to hide her scent from other vampires.

When he silently stands between her and predators she doesn't even realize are hunting her.

When he spends hours pretending to study while secretly waiting for her to arrive at his library every evening.

And worst of all—

when she starts looking for him too.

Because beneath the arrogance and sharp fangs is a lonely immortal who has spent centuries surrounded by people who feared him.

For the first time in his life, someone treats him like a person instead of a prince.

For the first time in her life, someone sees her as more than a political obligation.

But vampire courts are built on secrets.

And some secrets are deadly.

As whispers spread through Châtelet, Ruby begins to realize that Dion's obsession with her isn't normal.

-----

-----

-----

Ruby eases the door open. She glides through the hallway, hoping to vanish before anyone notices.

She just needs to get out—

"Ruby? Where are you going?"

Ruby freezes. She turns toward the parlor. Her mother sits there, tea cup in hand, opposite a man with a stiff collar.

Lady Kingsley sets her cup down and narrows her eyes. "Join us for tea. Count Andrew Blackwood was just asking about you."

Count Andrew stands. He offers a rehearsed smile. "Lady Ruby, a pleasure... would you care to sit?"

Ruby stares at him. He's pushing forty. She just turned twenty. Her mother's taste in suitors remains questionable at best.

"Princess Angelina is expecting me!" Ruby blurs. She hooks her skirts and bolts for the exit before the Count can finish his sentence.

"Maggie! Stop her!" Lady Kingsley's voice rings out as she rubs her temples.

"My Lady, please! Don't run in the corridor!"

"Oh! My Lady!"

The hall erupts. Metal trays clatter against the floor. A servant yelps.

Ruby slams the heavy door behind her. She reaches the stables in a sprint and swings onto a caramel-colored mare.

"Yah!"

Hooves kick up a cloud of dust. She gallops past the gates of the Kingsley estate.

Blue sky stretches above. Wind whips her long black hair and snaps the fabric of her navy skirts.

The sun catches the shine in her hair. She's twenty, but the world thinks she's a child. She knows better. She's already mastered the ultimate secret to life.

Lie down early. Stay down late.

Her life goal? Total, undisturbed inertia.

Matches and marriages can go to hell. It's a revolutionary philosophy. Too bad the rest of the Kingdom of Aurelia is a century behind her.

She heads for the only person who doesn't judge her for a nap. She cuts through the fields and navigates the city center toward the palace gates.

She flashes her crest at the guards. They've seen her enough to just wave her through.

The cliffside castle glitters in the afternoon light. A servant takes the reins as she slides off the horse.

A maid meets her in the foyer. "Lady Kingsley, this way, please."

"Is Angelina in the study?"

"No," the maid says. Her voice is too sharp.

Ruby stops. She narrows her eyes. "Fine. Lead the way."

The maid exhales in relief. Ruby waits for two steps, then spins on her heel. She sprints toward the council chambers. The maid's shriek echoes behind her as Ruby takes the stairs two at a time.

"LADY KINGSLEY!"

Inside the council room, ministers and priests huddle around a lacquered envelope. A young woman sits at the head of the table, her face a mask of calm.

No one notices the door creak open an inch.

"The century is up," a man says with a heavy, foreign accent. "It is Aurelia's turn. Her Highness must honor the agreement."

"She is the only heir!" a minister barks. "The kingdom will be headless!"

"A pact is a pact. A tradition of thousands of years... do you intend to be the first to break it?"

The room goes silent.

"Those vampires aren't exactly known for their mercy," someone mutters.

Vampires.

Ruby presses her ear to the wood. Châtelet. The empire is a ghost story to most, a place far beyond the horizon. Some say they've already moved among humans for years.

"LADY KINGSLEY!"

Ruby jumps. The maid is inches away, face flushed with fury. Ruby stumbles forward, losing her balance, and the heavy doors swing wide.

The ministers snap their heads toward the door. The room descends into a low murmur.

The maid bows low. "Forgive me, Princess. I couldn't hold her back."

"It's fine," the woman at the table says.

Angelina Arthur looks up. Her golden hair catches the light. She's only two years older than Ruby, but she carries the weight of the crown like lead.

She looks at the men. "The Kingdom will fulfill its duty. That's enough for today. I'll see you all at the Harvest Moon Ball tonight."

The men filter out. Angelina waits until the door shuts.

"Ruby. Are you a bull? My staff can't keep you out of any room."

Ruby rubs her neck and sits beside her. "What was that? Vampires?"

Angelina gives a small, sharp smile. "Vampires."

"Are they real? Are they in the city?"

Angelina slides the letter back into its envelope. Her expression doesn't flicker.

"No. But I'm marrying one."