The Vampire Prince graduates High School (Book 3)

Call Him

Alexander's trust limited my activity to school, etiquette lessons, and home. We also didn't talk much. The new clue I provided had them hunting down Henry. I only knew that because Camellia gave me an update every few days.

On one such night, I laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling with a mountain of completed work around me.

"I'm so bored," I sighed.

Camellia jumped on the bed and loafed beside me. 'Don't you have coloring books?'

I scratched her head and froze. Our eyes met.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "Force of habit."

Camellia rolled over on her side. 'Don't make it a habit,' she said, but I couldn't tell if she was angry or not.

Embarrassed, I scooted away. "What were you saying about Alexander?"

If cats could roll their eyes, she would. 'You're boyfriend is in denial. Doesn't believe you're the spy.'

I frowned at her choice of words. "Is that why everyone is avoiding me?" I asked. "They think I sold them out?"

I wasn't that offended. Maybe I was so tired that I didn't have the energy to worry.

'They looked at the footage at the venue and didn't find Henry in the footage.'

"Great. So everyone thinks I'm lying and going off on a tantrum for attention."

She didn't speak.

I sat up. "Is that what they think?"

'Noah approached Lady Hargrave about Henry -"

"Oh, come on!" Groaning, I laid back down. "That's the last thing I wanted. Now, she's coming after me.'

'It's best to lay low for a while,' Camellia agreed.

I rubbed my eyes. Every time I tried to help, I ended up making things worse.

"What about Alexander?"

'You could ask him yourself.'

"I can't. He hates me."

'Call him.'

Camellia stretched and stood. 'I won't be back tonight, so sort things out.'

When she left, I grabbed my phone and scrolled through the internet. I made a face. All the articles boiled down to praising Lady Hargrave for calming the Extremists' anger. Since she made more of an appearance, they had stopped terrorizing the public.

I rolled my eyes. The only thing she had done was announced her charity ball. There was one article that caught my attention. 'Discord in the Royal family.' Upon reading it, Lady Hargrave had recently let it slip during a press conference of being disliked and pushed aside by a new family member.

I looked at the date. This was yesterday. She was talking about me.

It didn't matter, I decided. As long as Alexander believed me, that was what mattered. But I needed to make sure.

'We need to talk.'

I sent the message and waited. Looking at the ceiling, I realized that wasn't the best choice of words.

"What's wrong?" Alexander said.

I quickly sat up, turning. "Nothing," I blurted out.

We looked at each other.

"Do you have time to talk?" I asked. "I didn't mean to scare you."

Alexander's shoulders slumped. "The forum said if your girlfriend says that to you, it's not a good sign."

Guilty settled in. "It's not bad," I assured him.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the bed. I got comfortable before patting my lap. Alexander took the invitation and laid his head on my thighs.

"I'm sorry for not spending time with you," he immediately said. "I'll have Brian, my assistant, make time every week for you. It's been so hectic; the terrorist attack on the ambassadors, the advisors wanting to know if I'm a vampire - I don't have enough of me to go around. Sorry."

I planted a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry for adding more to your plate."

He frowned. "Rin."

"Do you believe I saw Henry?" I asked.

This time, he sat up. "Where is this coming from?"

"I'm grounded," I reminded him. "I can't go anywhere without supervision."

"You're not grounded."

I gave him a look. "I'm grounded."

"I want to keep you safe," he explained. He rubbed his face. "I do believe you. My mother has gotten offended about everything."

"Who thought it was a good idea to confront her?" I asked. "This the reason why I didn't tell anyone. They just tipped her off. Now, she'll cover her tracks even more."

"Do you really think it was my mother who would order my assassination?"

His voice was soft, and he wouldn't meet my gaze. I hesitated.

"I - I'm -"

"Tell me the truth."

"I don't think she would kill you," I whispered. "I'm sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. I know I can't take back what I said."

Alexander sat up. Sighing, I hugged him from behind.

"I'm sorry," I repeated. "I don't want to believe your own mother would do something like that, but all the clues we have point to her."

"I don't want to believe you," he confessed.

My stomach twisted. "I wouldn't want to believe me either."

"If I did, that would mean my mother cares more about her political agenda than she does her own son. I don't know if I can handle that." He sighed. "I know she's always been manipulative, but I've never known to what extent. I guess I do now."

My vision blurred. I blinked the tears away.

"I'm sorry."

He placed his hands on mine. "Me too."

Alexander turned around. "Hey, don't worry about me. I'm fine." He pulled me into his lap. "We still need evidence, anyways. Noah is doing his best."

"I'll be good," I promised. "I'll go to school and not get involved with anything."

Alexander kissed my cheek. "I find that hard to believe, but okay."

I grinned at him. "You know me too well."

He squeezed me. "That's why I love you."