10. Political blind dates

10

POLITICAL BLIND DATES

A s soon as we get back from Damek's house, my father calls me into his office to talk. I wonder if he already knows about me going to visit the Rune Clan.

When I get to his office, I am surprised to see two blond haired men with him. I try to remember the pale guy's name, but I seem to have forgotten. The only thing I remember about him is that he was boring and hard to talk to.

"Madeline, you remember King Nodin and his son Prince Lucas." Dad waves his hand toward our guests.

Oh, right. Lucas. Or, Prince Lucas, I guess.

I curtsy to them, knowing that's what's expected of me. "It's kind of you to visit."

Dad turns to our guest. "It's no surprise that a lot of clans are interested in aligning with us. We've had requests from every clan present last night."

"That is why we came." King Nodin leans forward in his chair. "We wanted to show you just how dedicated we are to making this alliance work. I believe our children would be very happy together."

My stomach churns at the thought.

Wait… this guy wants me to marry Prince Lucas?

I try to imagine a marriage to the guy. He's attractive enough, but the guy has the personality of a rock.

I glance at Prince Lucas and see that his pale green eyes are on me. He offers me a smile. I return one to be polite and I hope he can't tell that it's forced.

I hope my dad doesn't want me to marry this guy.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but it's too soon for me to make a decision about Madeline's future. I'm going to need time to think over your proposal and talk to my council," Dad says.

I relax at his words.

Surely he will talk to me about his decision too, right? I should have a say. After all, it's my marriage and my future we're talking about here.

"Of course." King Nodin smiles at my father. "Take all the time that you need."

Something about King Nodin's tone makes my muscles tense up. He seems genuine and smiles, but I get the feeling he's not going to be okay waiting for long. He's going to expect an answer very soon.

I have only been here a week. Will I not even get time to settle into my new life before I'm betrothed to somebody? And how long of an engagement are we talking about? Will I even know the person I'm going to marry before the wedding?

I look at Prince Lucas again and suddenly feel sick.

Once King Nodin and Prince Lucas leave, my father turns his attention to me. He has a huge smile on his face.

"I've had offers from every single clan with marriage proposals." He rubs at his jaw. "We get our pick when it comes to alliances."

I scoot to the edge of my seat. "How soon do you have to choose?"

"It won't take long. Once they get their alliance proposals written up, I'll look over them and see which one is the best."

I swallow hard. "And what about my choice?"

Dad turns to me, his blue eyes sparking under the light. "Is there one you favor over another?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe. But the truth is, I don't know any of them. But I do know that out of all of them, Prince Lucas would probably be my last choice. He has the personality of a bottle of ketchup."

He chuckles. "You might not be wrong. That boy does strike me as rather boring."

Excessively boring.

He sits down in his chair at his desk. "Something interesting happened this morning."

"Oh yeah?" I lean forward.

Dad rubs his jaw. "King Rune called to offer an alliance. He said his son adored you. Then, about an hour later, he called to say that it was his older son who would like to be considered for the marriage alliance instead."

I chew on my bottom lip.

"Would you happen to know what that's about?"

"Maybe."

Dad sighs. "Whatever you decide, let me know. I don't care if you want to get to know the guys first before deciding. But our clan needs a marriage alliance and we need it soon. I'll give you a short while to get to know the candidates first."

"Thank you." I stand up from my chair. "Is that all?"

A knock sounds on the door. I look over and watch Kaine walk inside.

He bows at my father. "You wanted to see me."

"Yes. I'd like you to help my daughter out with her marriage alliance offers. Sit down with her and explain the pros and cons of each family. Help her make the best choice," Dad says.

Help me make my choice?

I look at Kaine, my eyebrows drawing together.

I don't trust him to help me pick out a husband. I'm pretty sure this isn't how it's supposed to work. Then again, what do I know of a political marriage?

"It's not uncommon for a succubus and incubus couple to wait five years before getting married." I put a hand to the base of my throat.

I always thought five years was too long. But I doubt I've got more than a few weeks—months if I'm lucky—to decide what I want.

Kaine and Dad ignore me.

Kaine clasps his hands together behind his back, looking at my father. "What do you think about me arranging meetings for her? One on one outings so she can get to know each candidate better on a more personal level."

Is he talking about dates ?

Political blind dates at that.

This is going to be miserable. Maybe even worse than the one time I went out with that incubus when I was sixteen.

"You seriously can't expect me to take Kaine's opinion on a potential husband." I cross my arms over my chest.

Dad looks at me, raising one eyebrow. "It's more than just choosing a husband. This isn't just about your future, Madeline. It's about the future of our clan. To be a good ruler, you have to make sacrifices. You're the future queen ."

His words hit me in the gut.

I suck in a sharp breath.

Oh, my gosh. I'm going to be a queen.

Please, let Lucien come home. Because I don't think I can handle the pressure of being heir.

Kaine puts his hand on my shoulder. "Come on, Madeline. Let's go. We have a lot to talk about."

Prince Lucas is coming over to hang out tonight.

Why did Kaine have to start my political dates with him? He knows that I'm not into Lucas like that.

Still, Kaine was very clear on his feelings. The Nodin Clan is a very well respected clan. They're strong, have a good reputation, and have always been aligned with the Scott Clan. That means it would be rude not to hang out with Prince Lucas.

I don't worry too much about what I wear—just a simple dress. I don't even bother fixing my hair, I just leave it down.

Kaine frowns when he sees me.

I cross my arms over my chest, shooting him a glare.

He holds up both hands. "I don't care that you haven't changed your outfit all night—you look beautiful no matter what you wear."

I roll my eyes at his compliment. "You calling me beautiful doesn't change the fact that it's your fault I'm having to go out with this guy."

He grins. "Suck it up. He's here. He's waiting for you in the sitting room. I had the chef make dinner and it should be ready soon." He turns to walk away but stops abruptly. He points a finger at me. "Oh, and be nice."

I put my hand to my chest. "Me? I'm always nice."

He narrows his eyes. "You punched Prince Damek."

I grit my teeth. "For the last time, I was aiming for you . He just happened to step in the way."

Kaine smirks. "Whatever you say."

"Next time, I won't miss."

But he ignores me as he turns to walk away.

This guy…

Knowing that stalling won't help, I turn to head to the sitting room where Prince Lucas is waiting. Before I even walk into the room, I see his white blond hair. It stands out among the decor.

Prince Lucas is supernatural, so he's not unattractive but his looks alone don't make him a good marriage candidate. If living with incubi has taught me anything, it's that looks aren't everything. And I get that this marriage alliance is important for the clan, but it's still my life. I don't want to be miserable. So if I can at least have some sort of a friendship established with any potential suitor, that would be for the best. Besides, if I am to be queen, I should build friendships with these guys. Because of political ties, I'll likely be seeing this guy around long after I'm married.

I take a deep breath before forcing myself to walk into the room. Prince Lucas looks up, a grin breaking out on his face. The smile seems genuine like he's happy to see me. It makes me feel bad for my apprehension.

Prince Lucas stands from his seat, meeting me halfway.

"Wow." His pale green eyes scan my outfit and eventually land on my face. "You look beautiful."

Prince Lucas thinks I look beautiful.

Kaine thinks I should change my outfit.

Not that what Kaine says matters—it doesn't. Kaine is a jerk.

"Thank you," I say to Prince Lucas. "And thank you for coming over. My advisor thought it would be a good idea for me to get to know all the guys whose clans submitted an alliance proposal."

Prince Lucas's lips turn downward for a second, but he quickly smooths his features. "Uh, did a lot of clans put in alliance offers?"

"A few," I say evasively. I'm not sure what is normal for these kinds of things and I don't want it to sound like I'm trying to make him jealous.

"Do you want to sit down?" Prince Lucas motions to the couch. "Maybe we could talk. I wanted to take you out, but your advisor mentioned you were more comfortable staying here."

I walk toward the couch with him. "Uh, yeah. Because if I go out, I have to take guards with me." I smooth the skirt of my dress beneath me as I sit down.

Prince Lucas sits beside me. "Yes, I can see where privacy would appreciated."

I don't know about that . I don't want privacy with a bunch of princes I barely know—I just don't want guards following me around. The less notice I receive, the better.

Still, saying that out loud would be rude. Instead, I settle on saying, "Since I'm a hybrid succubus, I couldn't spend too much time around humans."

"Why not?" Prince Lucas asks.

"Human males can get… obsessive," I answer, hoping he won't ask any more questions.

He nods. "Oh, right. Your succubus magic is… strong."

My succubus magic is strong? I nearly snort at the absurdity of his statement. My succubus magic isn't strong at all. It's barely there. But I keep the thought to myself, not wanting to make Prince Lucas feel stupid.

Uh… how many of these ‘dates' am I going to have to go on?

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Kaine in the hallway. He's leaning against the wall with a book in his hand, trying to look casual, but I know he's listening.

That jerk.

I offer Prince Lucas a smile. "Will you excuse me for a moment, please?"

"Of course." He smiles back.

I jump up from the couch and walk to the hallway where Kaine is blatantly listening to my private conversation. I grab Kaine's elbow and pull him further down the hallway, away from Prince Lucas's hearing range.

"What are you doing?" I hiss at him, once I pull him to a stop.

He shrugs. "I'm just seeing how your date is going. It sounds like he's enamored."

I groan. "Please, he's just attracted to me because of my succubus blood. I'd have more fun watching paint dry than talking to him."

Kaine snorts. "That could be your future hubby you're talking about."

"No." I jab a finger at him. "I will not be marrying that guy, I don't care about the alliance. No alliance is worth that."

He shoots me a glare. "Princess Madeline, you might not have a choice. Be reasonable about this."

I roll my eyes. "I am reasonable. I'm bored. Send him home." I try to walk away, but Kaine grabs me by the elbow.

"No. Your date isn't over. Get back in there." He shoots me a stern look before he turns and abruptly leaves me in the hallway by myself.

I groan.

Why me?

"You okay?"

The sound of Julien's voice makes me jump.

"You scared me." I put a hand to my racing heart as I watch my younger brother approach me.

He grins. "I noticed you have a visitor."

I frown. "Yeah… the most boring guy in the world."

"Prince Lucas is pretty boring," he agrees. "You want me to come up with an excuse to ditch him?"

"Will you?" I give Julien my best smile. "You would be the best brother ever ."

"Sure." He shrugs like it's no big deal. "I'll tell him you're sick or something."

I raise an eyebrow. "Vampires don't get sick. Neither do succubi."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know succubi don't get sick." Julien grins and wiggles his eyebrows. "I got this, big sis."

"Okay. Thanks." I don't care if an excuse is absurd—I don't want to hang out with Prince Lucas. I'd rather do about anything else right now.

"No problem."

I lean forward and hug Julien. "Even when Lucien comes back, you will still be my favorite brother."

He chuckles, squeezing me tightly. "I will hold you to that, Maddie."

I grin at his nickname for me. "You're the best."