The cut wasn't deep, but Ruby Kingsley had put her whole weight into the swing. She skidded back, her heels losing their grip the second the vampire let go.

"You..." The attacker sprawled on the stones. He clutched a raw, bleeding stump where his hand used to be, kicking the ground as he scrambled away.

His eyes fixed on the boy behind the girl. A predator senses its own kind. This was no common vampire.

The hand had been severed in a blur... high-level training. He hadn't even seen a face before his grip on the girl went numb.

The man's posture collapsed. "Please... mercy! Spare me!"

Dion Lancaster looked down. His face remained a mask of cold stone as he scanned the creature in the dirt.

The attacker didn't recognize him. He didn't know the girl was human. Fangs would have cleared his lips first if he'd smelled the blood. He'd seen a woman to harass... nothing more.

"Get out."

The man stammered his thanks. He waved his paralyzed servant over. "The hand... pick it up. The doctor might fix it."

"Yes, sir." The servant's fingers shook as he reached for the limb.

He fumbled with a scrap of cloth to wrap it. Violet flame erupted from the severed hand, turning the cloth to ash. He hurled it away.

"You idiot!" the master wailed.

The hand turned to grey soot. A sudden wind swept the ashes into the cracks of the cobblestones.

The man's head hit the stones, his eyes rolling back as he fainted. The servant hauled the dead weight onto his back and vanished into the dark.

Ruby stayed rooted to the spot. Dion's fingers were iron bands around her wrist... she couldn't move if she tried.

She stared at the monster beside her. Her heart hammered against her ribs as fear of discovery clashed with the weight of the man holding her.

She slid the silver dagger into her pocket. The evidence disappeared from sight.

Something else slipped from her skirts and hit the ground. Dion's ruby eyes tracked the movement.

He stooped and snatched it up. A blood-stained handkerchief. The embroidery of Durell Palace glinted in the twilight.

She'd kept his scent on her. It was why the attacker hadn't smelled the human blood.

"This wasn't a ticket to wander Châtelet," Dion rasped. He crushed the silk. Fire licked his knuckles, and the fabric vanished into ash, the heat singeing the stray hairs around Ruby's face.

Ruby flinched, but he wrenched her wrist back. "Why did you run?"

"I didn't run!"

"Then why aren't you in Solara Palace?"

"I... I just..." She bit her lip. Admitting the "human world" door would only make things worse. "I wanted a walk."

She stopped struggling. "I won't run."

Dion's grip didn't loosen. Even a Bloodbound Servant had more freedom than her room. He remembered her standing at the altar...

Give her a gap, and she'd vanish. She was a runner.

Ruby squared her shoulders, mimicking Princess Angelina's diplomatic poise. "I know the Crimson Pact. I know what my identity means. For my country, I stay."

"A walk. Back by dark. That was the plan."

Dion's ruby eyes flickered. He let go. "I want to wash my hands."

Ruby looked at his other palm. A jagged, black-red line cut across the skin. The silver burn looked deep.

She looked at his face. His jaw was set in a hard line. He didn't care about the burn; he stared at the commoner's blood on his skin.

Ruby pointed to a rusted iron pump. "Pry it open." Dion backed away, arms crossed. "Too dirty."

No other water was in sight. Breaking into a shop lacked royal grace.

He flicked a finger. Magic forced the pump to spray. He held his hands under the stream, his brow furrowing as the water hit the raw silver burn. Not a sound escaped him.

"Let me wrap it," Ruby said. She reached for her hair tie.

"With that rag?"

Ruby's lips curled. A mistake to offer.

"Tie your hair back," Dion snapped. He pulled a clean linen square from his coat and bound the wound in three sharp motions.

He finished before she could. He watched her pull the black strands together. Her lashes trembled in the cold wind.

"You were hit," Dion noted.

Ruby touched her stinging cheek. "Does it hurt?" He asked.

She kept her mouth shut. Words were useless with him. The attacker was a cripple now anyway.

Night traffic filled the streets. Shops glowed with amber light.

They walked toward the district. Ruby lingered at the windows. With the Prince beside her, the red-eyed crowds felt like background noise.

Dion stopped every few yards, looking back with a scowl. "Won't the maids notice?"

"Notice what?" Ruby stopped at a display of red vials. "You drink sheep blood?"

Commoners did. He'd only had it in a pastry once. He ignored her question. "Notice you're missing from your bed!"

"No."

Dion's brow furrowed. "They only look for me for ceremonies," Ruby said. "There are none... except the wedding to Brian."

Dion's posture stiffened. He ignored the risk of discovery. "Are you close to him?"

No answer came. He turned. She was standing before a wooden signboard.

"What now?"

"Let's eat," Ruby said, pointing to a menu of creamy gratin.

Dion stared. Her stomach growled. It was his feeding time, too... if he didn't eat, her neck was the backup plan.

Better to fill his stomach with something else. She pulled out the stolen leather pouch. "The bad guy dropped it. Might as well use it while I can."

Dion looked at the cafe doors. Felix was likely scouring the palace... and Queen Bellaceline was waiting for tea.

Ruby turned away. "Fine. Forget it. Palace food is better anyway."

Dion caught the scent of fear pulsing from her. He grabbed her arm. Before she could run, he pulled her through the cafe doors.

The gratin was steaming. Ruby dug in. Dion sat across from her, touching nothing. His gaze stayed fixed on her throat.

"Want a drink?" Ruby pointed to the back page. He turned his head toward the glass.

The river thundered outside. On the far bank, the Kingdom of Aurelia was a wall of thick, white fog.

He watched her reflection in the window. She watched the mist for a heartbeat, then went back to her meal.