Speechless, I could only stare at him. Honestly, I didn't know why I was having so much trouble believing that devotion was the only thing he wanted in life. Is this why Violet and her lawyers wanted me to change his mind on humanity? I understood completely why they wanted the Prince to change. It was so insane.
"Is that really all that matters to you?" I asked. "Devotion? Don't you care about anything else? What about your friends? Do you even have any? Are you really going to spend the rest of eternity making people bowed down to you? Aren't bored of this?"
The room chilled. A shivered coursed down my spine. A pair of red eyes stared at me. I clenched my jaw under the weight of his gaze. I trembled and it took every ounce of my will not to bolt out of the room. Tears flooded my eyes but I couldn't look away.
"Get out."
I fought the urge to stand immediately. Instead, somehow, I managed to stand and looked down at him.
"Don't forget your dinner," I said and walked out with confidence that I didn't feel.
At the end of the hall, my legs gave out from under me. My butt hit the ground but I barely felt it. I couldn't stop trembling. It would have been better to get slapped in the face. I couldn't believe how stupid I was for momentarily forgetting that he was a vampire. I mean, I knew he was a vampire but that knowledge had somehow drifted to the back of my head. Honestly, what had I been trying to do?
The Prince wasn't my friend and I didn't want him as a friend. I didn't want him anywhere near me. Why did he have to attack me in the first place? Why not some other random girl? Well no, I wouldn't wish the Prince on my worst enemy.
I sighed letting the tension flow from my body. That definitely showed me. There was no talking to the Prince. There was no use changing his mind. He was stubborn but I could be stubborn too. All I could do was ride out the wave. Sooner or later, someone will give in and it wasn't going to be me.
After a few minutes, I finally managed to stand again. My knees felt weak but I got myself back into the living room. If only I had my phone. My stomach growled. I let out a pathetic whimper. My last meal seemed so far away. Sighing, I spread out over the couch.
It was crazy. I could have died tonight. That car crash could have ended everything. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I was tired. Exhausted would be the proper word. Nothing hurt. My breathing was normal. My limbs felt fine. Other than my head, I didn't think I had been injured gravely. I hated to admit it but the Prince had saved my life. Grimacing, I closed my eyes. He was never going to let me live that down. Ever.
A loud bang jolted me awake. Groggily, I sat up and the world finally came into focus.
"Do you have to be so loud?" I heard the Prince ask.
He was suddenly at the door. Men in suits stormed into the house and rushed upstairs. Two of them approached me but didn't' say anything. They hovered around like bees. While I couldn't see any weapons on them, I was 100% sure they had weapons on them. They were most likely vampires too so yeah, they had weapons alright.
Groaning, I rubbed my eyes. I hadn't meant to doze off. How long had I been out? Realizing this, I felt around my neck for any bite marks but I didn't anything unusual. I wouldn't put it past the Prince to try something while I was incapacitated.
"Sir," someone said. "My men are securing the perimeter as we speak."
I turned my attention to the door and found a man saluting.
"Well, it took you long enough," the Prince said. "Does anyone know what happened?"
"No," the same voice answered. "We got notice that the safe was being used. It was then that –"
"I don't want the entire story," the Prince retorted.
He glanced back and our eyes met. His gaze passed over me towards the stairs. The three men that went upstairs came back down. They bowed to the Prince.
"The house is secured, sir."
Their leader motioned the men outside and the three went. The two around me didn't even move. Were they protecting me or detaining me? It was hard to tell.
The Prince stepped forward and murmured something too fast to hear and the security team leader murmured something back just as fast. I glanced down at the floor. If the security team found us, had they taken care of the rebel group of vampires? Wait, did we just survive an assassination attempt?
Oh heck no!
There was no way I was going to keep doing this. No one said anything about dodging vampire assassins. Nope, I was out. I sprang to my feet and headed towards the door. The vampire guards moved forward but didn't stop me.
"Take me home," I said.
The Prince didn't look at me but I knew he head.
"Now."
He sure didn't mean that tone. The Prince turned around with a raised eyebrow. I crossed my arms across my chest. He wasn't going to win this round. Then my manners kicked in. My mother would be proud.
"Please," I added with my jaw clenched.
"Take her home," the Prince said.
One of the two vampires behind me spoke. "This way ma'am."
Outside, there were three black vehicles. I was lead to the last one. The windows were tinted so even if I glanced outside, my eyes could only make out the faint figures outside. The ride home was quiet. Both vampires sat in the front and I in the back. If I asked, I doubted they would tell me anything.
"Ma'am, this is for you."
I glanced towards the front. The vampire in the passenger seat held out a cellphone. I took the phone and looked at the caller ID. I grimaced but nonetheless placed it against my ear.
"What?" I said.
"I don't need to remind you not to say anything, right?" the Prince asked.
I didn't justify that with a response. Instead, I ended the call and gave the cellphone back. What did he take me for? He and his family had the upper hand. They could send Carlos to jail; they could go after my parents. I couldn't let that happen.
The vehicle approached my house and there weren't any camera vans outside. There were probably a few reporters hovering around for a quick picture . . . At this point, I didn't care. Once the vehicle stopped, I hopped out.
"Thanks," I threw over my shoulder.
My parents were waiting for me by the door as I walked in. As soon as I was within reach, they pulled me into a tight hug. I heard the television on in the living room.
"I'm so glad you didn't have to go to that conference," my mom said.
Frowning, I looked at her. "What?"
Dad took that time to close the door and lock it. "Security called us," he said. "They said you asked for a look alike to appear in your place."
"The girl was a look alike alright," mom said, "but anyone who calls Rin a friend would know that that girl wasn't her."
"Lucky for me," I muttered, "I only have two friends."
"How about dinner?" Dad asked.
"Yes, yes, dinner," Mom repeated.
I glanced from my mom to my dad. "What's going on?" I asked.
Mom smiled too big. "Nothing sweetheart," she said. "Here, come on. Let's get you something to eat."
Frowning, I followed her into the kitchen. Unknown to them, I caught the look that passed between them. What was going on?