Page 34 of The Prince's Curse

Paris smirked. “Good morning to you too, Miss Pierce. We checked in a while ago. Why are you still up?”

Ever since Carrigan Shea had begun his brutal attacks on the court, they’d implemented a roll call system at Olivia’s behest. One of their veravin had helped create a simple app which the entire court used to verify they were safely home by sunrise, whether that was here on the compound or in their own homes. Paris had been the one to check at sunrise until a month ago, when he’d finally shaken off the curse and earned a well-deserved night’s rest.

Now, an alarm sounded shortly before sunrise if anyone was unaccounted for, with Olivia and several court members alternating duty for tracking them down.

“Who’s missing?” Julian asked.

“As of a few minutes ago, no one. Avery Martin forgot to check in, but I called him,” she said. Her lips curved in a smile. “He, uh…he met a very nice gentleman at a bar, and they were having so much fun that he forgot to check in.”

The young man was one of the newest vampires in the court, rescued from Untethered vampires who’d been using him as a blood bag for days. After Rhys discovered he had terminal cancer, Avery had been turned and aided them in the fight against Carrigan Shea.

“And you’re still up nearly two hours later because…” Paris said mildly.

“After getting Avery’s message, I checked my email and then I started working on ordering furnishings for the club and…you know how it goes. I promise I’m going back to bed,” she said sheepishly.

Julian cleared his throat. “While you’re awake, can you check on the location of the GPS trackers we used tonight? We could?—”

Paris interrupted. “If you get a location, call Jonas Wynnand have him check on it.”

“I could go,” Olivia said eagerly.

Julian scoffed. “Absolutely not. Let Jonas do it. And you go get some rest.” Her lips pursed as if she was preparing to argue, but she nodded.

“Okay,” she said. Her dark eyes scraped over them from head to toe. “Are you guys okay?”

Paris nodded. “We had a lovely evening together.”

She let out a sharp laugh. “I doubt that. Update me tomorrow evening, please.”

They left her to call Jonas Wynn, the dhampir hunter who had once been a high-ranking hunter in the Shieldsmen. When Carrigan Shea forcibly turned his daughter, Kristina, into a vampire, Jonas had shocked them all by allying himself with the Durendal vampires. He’d said they were the closest to the good guys that he could find, and he slept fine at night with his choice.

Over a century of fighting vampires, rising in the ranks of the Shieldsmen, and Jonas had said fuck it to follow his integrity and ally with his daughter.

What would that even be like? Julian couldn’t imagine abandoning his court, but if he could just do what he needed to protect Scarlett without considering anyone else…

But he couldn’t. His roots were deep and tangled, and Armina Voss knew far too well how to hurt him. That was a fleeting fantasy.

Paris followed Julian to his room in the main building, where the lights were already low for their nocturnal residents. Daylight hung heavy on him, and he felt sluggish thanks to the wood poison in his veins.

He slumped into the comfy chair in the corner of his bedroom. Paris lingered at the door, arms folded across his chest. His blue eyes were ringed in shadow, and he still stank of wood poison. “Do I have to stay up and make sure you don’t go hunt her down during the day?”

“I don’t appreciate being treated like a child,” Julian said.

“And I don’t appreciate you acting like one,” Paris said. “You asked me to be your right hand in this court. That means I protect you and I help you protect the court as a whole. What you did tonight?—”

“It was her,” Julian interrupted. “I don’t know what else I’m supposed to say to you. What if it was Misha?”

Paris scrubbed at his face. “She’s dangerous. I want her safe, too, but you can’t just go chasing her into the sun. She could have blown your head off from a hundred yards, and I’d be washing you off my face right now.”

“You can’t possibly understand,” Julian spat.

His Vessel’s eyes went wide as he straightened up taller. “You’re right. I don’t understand it, any more than you understand what my life was like for the last two centuries. Or Nikko’s or Dominic’s or Sasha’s. And I don’t have to understand to know that I’m not letting my court get hurt so you can be reckless,” he said. “I just?—”

“Leave,” Julian said, shoving all his frustration and anger through the pulsing bonds that bound them together.

Paris’s jaw dropped, and he took a step back as pain creased his features. “Julian, don’t do this to me. You know that I’m only trying to help.”

“Go to bed, Paris,” Julian said firmly, rising to his feet. Shame washed over him, but he turned away so he didn’t have to see the expression of hurt in the other man’s eyes as he closed the door.

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