The walk back to the throne room through the alcove was a silent one.

My arm was looped through Christian's, the warmth of his body so close, yet inside me I was cold. I suppressed the urge to shiver.

I didn't know what to make of our conversation. I didn't know if to be angry or cry. All I felt was hollowed out, bled dry, with no tears left in my eyes, no tears worth spilling anyway, not for anyone, not anymore. It was hard to steady my breathing because a part of me knew...and part of me thought that this alliance could only mean one thing for my family.

Christian's refusal to sign a blood contract the other night told me most of what I needed to know. And if what he said he felt for me or didn't was a lie...then I shuddered to think what knowledge he had about my family that had led to this treaty.

A cloud of darkness came over me and I mourned, somewhere deep and quiet in my heart.

From this day on, my heart would be a cold, dark tomb. I'd feel nothing for anyone. Love destroyed you, I was certain of it now.

If he intended to make me hate him for this, he'd failed. All I felt was sorry for him. That he thought this was the only way...that he didn't respect me enough to tell me...that he was such a coward.

Oh, what did it matter, anyway. From this moment on, I'd resolved to give him exactly what he wanted which was my indifference, the hatred I had to muster up from somewhere.

I'd survived Luke, I'd barely survived my family's kidnapping, and I would survive this. Still, it was hard to come to terms with everything I'd heard in that room.

Christian's face was all hard lines with a scowl set deep in his brow as we made our way into the throne room. He faced his people, his entire demeanor changing. The crowd quieted until only the sound of shuffling feet and breathing remained.

"As you all know, it's been a dark time for Reader Nation. Many of you have lost loved ones. I offer you my deepest and sincerest condolences. Please know that I feel each of your losses as my own."

"Thank you to all who responded to my call. Even after you've bravely stepped forward, our numbers are small and our forces weak. We have reason to believe a second attack is imminent."

Uneasy mutterings swept through the crowd. I fidgeted with the smooth silk of my dress. It was a beautiful blue that matched Christian's eyes, intentional, I was sure.

"With danger still near, and in an effort to protect our women and children, I have made a difficult decision."

Christian shifted, extending a hand out to me. One heartbeat is all I allowed myself to hesitate. I knew I could not bring myself to make him look weak in the eyes of an already restless nation. A weak King was an easy replaceable king and I'd give no one here any reason to come for his head. Even if he didn't deserve this loyalty I offered him.

I placed my hand in his. The crowd behind him blurred, and I blinked rapidly to clear my eyes. Something wasn't right but now wasn't the time. A wave of dizziness swept over me but I steadied myself by breathing in and out, evenly.

I'd gone somewhere cold deep inside me. None of this felt remotely real. I think it was called shock. It felt a lot like the time Luke had died...

He pulled me to his side, one arm wrapping around my waist. I leaned into him slightly for support, but if he noticed, he didn't react.

"I have decided to take this woman as my wife. This is Amelia De La Rossi. Daughter of the Soulsucker King, Stefan De La Rossi, and heir to Soulsucker Nation."

Mutterings and murmurs, a few cries of outrage ripped through the crowd as people realized what it meant to take me as a wife, the alliance he was declaring.

"I understand your hesitation, your fear. I assure you this choice was not made lightly but we are at war. Stefan too has received a threat to his people--"

"Oh, how bloody convenient! Just as Reader nation receives a devastating blow, now Soulsucker nation receives a threat. Sounds like he's found a way to swoop in and claim both Kingdoms for himself, as he's wanted to for centuries."

"I thought this too, Georgescu." Christian went on, calmly. "But Stefan's son was brutally murdered, left to die a bloody and painful death. They staked a note to his chest, warning that his people were next. No matter what you think of Stefan De La Rossi, there is no reason for him to sacrifice his only male heir to gain a Kingdom. We all know there is no Kingdom without an heir."

Georgescu snorted. "Stefan is an immortal being. He's plenty of time to produce another heir and certainly, he's no need for a rumored sickly son and a princess raised as a filthy human. He is playing you for a fool and you're too inexperienced to see it."

"Careful, Georgescu, in how you address your future queen," Christian said in a low, dark voice.

Georgescu's nostrils flared.

"What do you know of political machinations, anyway? You are nothing but a boy pretending to be King."

"I may not know much of being King, but I know plenty about war and I tell you this: if you fight this alliance, you will die. We all will. Only a fool fights a battle he cannot win."

"This is preposterous! Your father is rolling over in his grave right now! We stay here and we fight and if we die we die trying and with our dignity intact. Oh, I'd rather be dead than hand our kingdom over to a Soulsucker."

The side of Christian's lip twitched and his hand on my waist tightened. He turned to the rest of his Lords, meeting each of their eyes.

"Oh, yes, dignity is important," Christian said. "But where is the dignity in letting your children be slaughtered? I see how you clutch your children, those of you who have children left to hold. This is their best chance at life. If you disagree with my ruling, you are free to go your own way. I won't ask you to stay. But for those of you who have nowhere to go, I am offering protection in the best way I can. There is strength in numbers. All abominations will burn. Please, the last thing I want is to create a panic, but that is the threat Stefan received. Someone plans to wipe out our kind. If you can't see this for what it is, let me be clear: this is a genocide in the making and we are very clearly not prepared for an attack of this magnitude. Not on our own."

A man shuffled forward, one of Christian's lords. "What is to stop Stefan from taking your throne, Your Majesty? What is to say that he won't try to kill you and take everything for his own once we have agreed to this alliance?"

A scoff came from the shadows. "I wouldn't want to murder another King," Stefan said as he strode onto the dais in a black suit. "It sets a bad precedent. Someone might very well try to kill me next, and I very much enjoy being alive."

Murmurs and mutterings spread through the crowd.

"Besides," Stefan went on. "Tonight, I publicly name Amelia De La Rossi, soon to be Amelia Dannek, heir to my kingdom. If this union moves forward, and once vampire-kind is safe, I will step down and she will rule, and together, this young, lovely couple will unit all vampire-kind." I hardly had time to be shocked by his declaration. It was probably a lie and why did everyone keep deciding things for me without asking?

I did not want to rule. I did not want any of this. I wanted to climb into my bed back in Oregon and sleep for days. I wanted to cry and cry until my tear ducts were broken.

"What sort of fool would do that? You expect us to believe you'll step down as King to leave a young girl raised as a human no less, in charge of your kingdom?"

"Oh yes, a young, hybrid girl who could kill every one of you where you stood if she wanted to."

"Which," Christian interrupted. "Aimee clearly would never do. Aimee cares for Reader nation deeply. All she wants is to protect Reader Nation and she proved as much the night of the battle."

"Yes," I said softly. It was hard to muster a louder voice when I was so damn dizzy and out of breath but I knew it was my turn to offer reassurances. Neverminded the fact that all of this was happening too fast. Nevermind that my heart had just shattered into a million pieces. Nevermind that I had no intention of being anyone's queen.

"Reader nation has been kind to me. I protected you all, the night of the battle and I would do it again, in a heartbeat. With..." I drew in a much-needed deep breath. "With Christian as my husband, his people will become my people. I vow to protect you just as much as he would."

"You saved my son," another Lord said abruptly. He came to the front of the crowd, gently pushing his teenage son in front of him, presenting the young, blonde boy to the King and me. "I remember it clearly. He was seconds from being staked when you arrived and set the others ablaze. You saved my son and for that reason, I stand with you and the King."

Feet shuffled and the crowd stirred again. Georgescu made a sound of protest. His servants, two young, strong men by the looks of it tried to calm him.

"I too stand with you," Brandon said. He'd been standing behind Christian and to the right. He moved closer now to stand directly beside him. "Me and my household will follow your lead."

Christian gave a slight nod. Everyone waited in heavy silence. The other lords averted their eyes. Georgescu muttered his disapproval, throwing up his arms in the air, flailing, causing a scene. It was honestly quite embarrassing.

"Pathetic! Pathetic cowards the lot of you who stand for this nonsense. It is perfectly clear that this is a ploy from the Soulsucker king to take Reader Nation as his own! Who is to say he didn't stage this attack himself? What if he sent those thousands to slaughter our people? Yeah! That's exactly what happened. He knew our King was dead so he orchestrated this whole thing to swoop in and take power!"

"That is ridiculous," Stefan scoffed. "I don't have a couple thousand Soulsuckers to spare and I think humans are mostly useless. Your thought process is idiotic, Georgescu."

The shift in the crowd was palpable. Georgescu moved toward Stefan, but his two men held him back as he flailed and shouted and shouted and flailed. This idiot was riling them up to a point where Christian's calm words would not be able to coax them out.

My heart raced in my chest and my palms began to sweat. The room spun again and I leaned more heavily into Christian's side. His worried gaze flashed to me for half a second.

In the next second, someone swooped from the crowd and jumped onto the dais. Christian didn't even have time to push me away when a stake was headed straight for his heart.

I gasped, torn between helping, not knowing if I was strong enough to, and the other part of me unsure if I even should. I wrapped my arms around myself and took a step back, just as a dozen guards convened on the man.

He never made it to Christian. I wondered if a part of me thought they wouldn't get close to him. I hadn't defended him...and to be honest, a sudden wave of self-preservation had prevented me from it. That moment of hesitation shook me to my core and I stood there trembling, clutching my stomach as the room spun and spun.

The entire hall erupted into shocked cries and screams. Women gripped their children, backing up toward the exits. The men crowded toward the dais.

The man who'd attacked Christian had been pinned to the floor by the King's guards and was cursing and screaming that he would never let this happen. As if one man could take on an entire ground of guards.

"Enough!" Brandon bellowed, in one long shout, as he moved back and forth across the dais, spittle falling onto those standing closest to him. "If you kill The King, the shield drops with him and then you and your children are easy pickings for the ones that still lurk in the woods! That's right, that," Brandon shoved a finger in Christian's direction. "Is the type of King you have. One that would tie his life force to keeping a shield up to protect you all. Even as it drains his own life away. Ask yourselves this: would Henric have ever done that for any of you?" Brandon's voice was raw by the end of it and he was breathing heavily.

I glanced at Christian. He looked incredibly disappointed, but also pale. So it was true. That's why he looked hollowed out the last few days. He'd somehow tied the shield surrounding the castle to him and it was draining his life away.

A savage urge to run to him and heal him ripped through me but my mind warred with it. A guard had come to stand beside me. No, not just any guard, it was Darius. He held on to my elbow.

"You look unwell, lady Aimee," He whispered. He let me lean into him and I'd never been so thankful for someone in my life.

"Don't let me fall," I whispered to him.

"Is this true?" A man asked from the crowd.

"Of course it is true." It was Grandfather Nandru who answered. "I did the binding spell myself. I warned him against it, and told him that he could not uphold it for more than a few days and that it would severely affect his health but he did not listen. Because your safety was more important to him and this is how you repay him? You try to murder him. You commit and speak treason against him? None of you deserve a selfless King but are wholly lucky to have gotten one like him. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

I'd never seen Grandfather Nandru so riled up before.

He looked pointedly at Georgescu whose mouth hung open in shock.

"You can shout that I am biased all you want because he is my grandson but the facts speak for themselves. His actions speak for themselves. I trust that his reasons for making this treaty have been entirely for your protection and if you cannot see that then I do not know how else to explain it to you."

The crowd was subdued after that. There was very little resistance once what Christian had done had been revealed. I doubted it was over. There would always be those who disagreed, but something had shifted in the crowd. There was a quiet respect in their eyes, even the most reluctant of them, the most idiotic, like Georgescu.

Crazy, selfless, stupid stupid man...

Each Lord took turns agreeing to discuss the treaty further. Lastly, Georgescu begrudgingly went on one knee and bowed before Christian. If I'd felt stronger, I'd have wanted to kill him where he stood. All of that messy business, for him to swear his allegiance in the end.

More was said on the matter, I was sure, but the ringing in my ears was too loud. I became a background fixture. I did my best to stand straight and keep from falling and Darius was a pillar I desperately needed.

Christian spared a few glances toward me, a crease in his brow.

He announced the treasonous vampire would be executed the following day and I was glad. A part of me thought he'd be too kind-hearted to kill the misguided vampire but Christian was smart enough to know that would make him look weak.

Christian was whisked away to speak about the details and terms of the treaty with his Lords and, surprisingly enough, with Stefan.

The entire night felt like a fever dream. As the room emptied, I let Darius lead me into Christian's study. I spent a few hours lying on one of the sofas.

Once the dizziness subsided, I grew restless. A rush of emotions, weighted down by the darkness of whatever monstrous powers I possessed drove me through the castle.

The blue silk of my dress whipped in the wind. I flitted down the stairs, past the foyer, past the guards who tsk-ed their disapproval at me, and finally out into the cold, dark night.