Drop Dead Single (Monstrana Paranormal Romance 1)

The truth of the matter was that now that his grandfather was dead, he had to take a vampire bride as his Queen. There was no way around the law. No time to consider. His country needed him. And he couldn’t ask that of her. He’d made a vow to himself tonight that he’d never put her in harm’s way again. This was the price he’d pay.

“You should return to your suite,” he said, trying to avoid her eyes. “The first flight out of Monstrana leaves at eleven tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure you have a ticket.”

He couldn’t help glancing at her as silence fell between them. What he saw put a dagger through his heart. Her face had paled and pain swam in her eyes. She was gripping the back of a chair, her knuckles white. Her cheeks hollowed as she pursed her lips.

“You want me to leave?” Her voice was thick with tears.

Sorrow pulled his mouth into a deep frown. Still, he managed to keep it together by brushing off the front of his suit casually and eyeing the carpet. “It’s for the best.”

His courage was crumbling fast. He needed to end this now. He needed her to leave, or he’d rush across the room and kiss every inch of her, never letting go. She was seconds from danger. She just didn’t know it.

“Fine.” Cate stalked past him, swinging open the door. Pausing just outside, she looked down at her shoulder and a shuddering breath went through her. “I hope things work out for you, Viktor. I really do.”

And then she was gone, leaving him to sink into the nearest chair and cradle his head in his hands.

Chapter Twenty-Three

THE SUN’S RAYS HAD begun to reach across the Bering Sea and into his bedroom by the time Viktor decided he’d had enough. He’d spent all night trying to get his thoughts straight, to decide what steps needed to be taken for the security of the kingdom. Despite his grandfather’s death, all he could think of was Cate and how she was only a few hundred feet away from him at that moment. He couldn’t stop thinking of her luscious red lips last night or the sound of her laughter at the ceremony. He could still feel her fingers intertwined with his, the heat of her skin racing across his cold skin.

Worst of all, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way her face had crumpled when he’d broken her heart.

He sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. This was enough torture. He needed a change of scene. His office would put him in the right frame of mind. All business. And it was further away from the bedroom suites. All the distance he needed until Cate could get out of the country.

Strolling into the darkened office, he made a straight line toward his desk. Neat stacks of papers were waiting for him. He dropped himself into his chair and sighed, thankful for the familiarity. Letting his gaze trail

slowly toward his grandfather’s desk across the room, he jumped when he saw a small figure sitting in the chair.

“Babushka,” he cried, leaping to his feet and crossing the room. He kneeled down at her feet and took her cold hand in his. “What are you doing here? You should be resting.”

“I wanted to feel him near,” she said, turning her blue eyes to him. She wore silky blue pajamas with a fluffy white robe. It was the first time he’d seen her out of her regal clothes. “This was the place that drew me.”

He squeezed her hand in his as his heart constricted. His grandparents’ love had been quite unconventional, according to modern times. Betrothed as children, the first time they met was on their wedding day. It was a custom for their tribes and especially important for the future leaders. They’d learned to love each other over the years, especially after the change. He didn’t know how his grandmother would go on without her husband.

“I feel him here, too,” he said, looking around the room. Signs of his grandfather were everywhere. From the unkempt piles of paperwork on his desk, to the scuffs in the floor beneath his chair, to his favorite Count Basie record laying lifeless on the player. He was there. They just had to take him all in.

They sat there for several minutes in silence. The sun began to stream in the windows, announcing the arrival of the new day. Viktor swallowed hard and tried not to think about the fact that the rising sun also meant Cate would be leaving any minute now. It was as if he could sense her, still on the island. He longed to go to her and take it all back. Sweep her into his arms. But soon, she’d leave and that connection would be broken. His only hope was that it wouldn’t break him, too.

“Your grandfather loved you boys dearly,” Queen Anna finally said, patting his hand.

He looked up at her and a small smile tugged at his lips. “I know.”

“He was so worried about you,” she said with a small smile. “Never about Leo, though. That young man could surf through a tidal wave and come through unscathed. But you, he was always afraid that you took life too seriously. That you threw yourself into your work too much.”

Viktor’s throat tightened. He huffed and looked up at her. “That’s ridiculous. I take my responsibilities seriously, that’s all.”

She raised one eyebrow and gave him one of her famous piercing stares. “There’s a significant difference between acting responsible and building an impenetrable wall around your heart. But last night’s ceremony washed away those worries for your grandfather. He was so happy to see that you’d found your match.”

His mouth fell open and his eyes widened. “But Jezebel...”

“Lady Jezebel was a snake,” Queen Anna hissed. “I should’ve known by the reputation of her father, but I was willing to give her a chance. What she did was unforgivable. Her family will be receiving a very scathing letter from me, to be sure.”

He gripped her hand tighter, laughing at the thought of the effect Queen Anna’s letter would have in an age where letters were practically extinct. Better to send a horrible Yelp review on the Internet.

“But Cate is human,” he said, biting the inside of his cheek. He’d been so sure she would be angry about the deception.

His grandmother waved her hand dismissively. “Weren’t we all once? I’m not sure how she snuck through my vetting program, but results are results. All King Borwin and I wanted was to see you happily matched before you took the throne. I’m sure your grandfather died content in the fact that he got to see you two together. Of course, I knew the moment you both entered our suite. You were made for each other.”

It felt like someone had wrapped a thick rope around his chest and squeezed until there was no air left in his lungs. He’d been mistaken about his grandparents’ reaction. But that didn’t change a thing. He wasn’t going to risk Cate’s life just to ask her to be with him. Not again.