9. Sorry I punched you

9

SORRY I PUNCHED YOU

" T here you are." Kaine steps out onto the stone patio. "Your father is looking for you."

"Please tell me he doesn't want to introduce me to a single guy that just happens to be around my age." I cross my fingers.

Kaine hesitates. "Uh…"

Damek chuckles. "Good luck, Princess Madeline. You're going to need it."

"Just Madeline," I say, turning to face him. "Maybe you can rescue me."

He raises an eyebrow. "You want me to compete with my younger brother to marry you?"

Kaine scoffs. "Madeline doesn't need you."

I turn to Kaine, furrowing my brows. "What's your problem?"

He takes a step closer, putting himself between Damek and me. " You are my problem. You claim you don't know anything about Lucien's disappearance, yet you just happen to be colluding with our clan's rival heir. The same clan we have suspicions about."

I cross my arms over my chest. "You're ridiculous, Kaine. You already know that I didn't kill my brother."

"How can I trust that when you're out here with our enemy? I don't trust you."

My cheeks warm and I clench my fist as I look at Kaine. He watches me with such suspicion. I thought he trusted me. I thought he agreed that I didn't have anything to do with Lucien.

I grind my teeth together and my jaw aches from the move.

"I knew King Scott shouldn't have brought you into his home. How can we trust a succubus?" Kaine sneers.

I see red as all other thoughts cease. I pull my fist back to punch him right in his stupid face. But as I do, Damek steps between us. It's too late to stop the momentum as I land a punch on Damek's jaw. Pain radiates in my fist and down my arm, but I ignore it as I watch Damek hiss in pain. He puts a hand to his jaw. I rush to his side.

"Oh, my gosh, Damek, I am so sorry."

He keeps a hand to his jaw. "It's okay," he mumbles. "I should just… go."

I start to protest, but Damek turns and walks as quickly as he can away from me and away from Kaine.

I turn toward Kaine, poking my finger into his chest. "That was supposed to be for you."

But Kaine has relaxed his stance. In fact, he is smiling .

Wait, is he laughing ?

I watch as his shoulders shake with laughter that he tries to hold back but can't. My face flushes and once again I find myself wanting to punch him.

As if sensing my thoughts, Kaine gently grabs ahold of my wrist. I wonder what he's doing when I see his gaze linger on my knuckle. It's throbbing with pain and I'm surprised to see that it's red and already bruising in some spots.

"Ouch." Seeing my knuckle makes me aware of the pain.

"Come on," Kaine says softly. "Let's get you an icepack."

A stubborn part of me wants to refuse, but I allow him to lead me back inside. The route he takes to the kitchen avoids the majority of our guests. He leads me to the island and pulls out a stool for me. I start to climb onto the stool when Kaine lifts me by my waist and sits me down. I start to protest, but he's already moving away from me.

This guy…

Kaine opens the freezer, keeping his back to me.

What is he even thinking? Less than five minutes ago, he was accusing me of murder . Now, he's acting like a hero in a romance novel, being sweet and taking care of me.

Meanwhile, Damek probably hates me. And I wouldn't blame him. I punched the guy.

I groan, mad at myself.

Why did I let my temper get the best of me? I've never punched anybody before, why start now?

"Here." Kaine rushes over, putting the ice pack against my fist.

I hiss at the pain and try to pull my hand away from Kaine but he holds onto my wrist, not letting go.

"It'll get better soon. Just hold still," he coos in a calming voice.

He's right—eventually, the throbbing lessens to a dull ache. I relax slightly. At least until I look at Kaine and see that his glacier blue eyes are focused intently on me. I narrow my eyes at him, ready to lay into him.

"I'm sorry," he says quickly before I can yell at him. "I shouldn't have accused you of what I did. I know that you're innocent. It's just…" he pauses, taking a deep breath. "When I saw you with Prince Damek, I got mad."

"Why would that make you mad?" I ask.

He pulls out the stool beside me and takes a seat. "The Rune Clan are our rivals. Fifty years ago, there was a war between our two clans. Eventually, a peace treaty was signed, but not before hundreds lost their lives. We still don't get along great with them. I'm surprised your dad even invited them tonight."

"That's history, Kaine. Why does it matter that our clans have fought? Shouldn't we want to make true peace with them?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Maybe, I don't know. But it doesn't matter what I think. You can't marry Prince Damek—he's not even an option for you. He's got his clan to worry about. He's the heir. It's not like you could pack up and move there to run his clan with him. You're to be queen one day, Madeline."

My stomach muscles tighten at the mention of my future title.

I swallow hard. "I keep hoping that part won't happen. I'd rather Lucien come back and take his throne."

Kaine's lips turn up slightly. "You're going to make an amazing queen one day, you'll see."

I'm not sure what to say to his compliment. I chew on my bottom lip as I look at Kaine. His eyes stay trained on me, making me squirm in my seat.

"You know that you will have to apologize to Damek tomorrow," Kaine informs me.

I roll my eyes. "Yes, I know. Though you should probably be the one to apologize since I was aiming for you. He just happened to get in the way."

Kaine chuckles, shaking his head. "I was impressed with the strength behind the punch. The way his head snapped back was delightful."

I didn't notice his head snapping back. I was too busy being horrified.

I smack Kaine on the arm with my good hand. "Stop that. Damek Rune isn't our enemy."

"He may not be your enemy, but he is certainly mine." Kaine narrows his eyes. "If I wasn't worried about King Rune starting a war over your accidental punch, I wouldn't even allow you to apologize. The more distance between the two of you, the better."

"You're surprisingly petty for a vampire."

He crosses his arms over his chest, giving me a stern look. "You're annoying."

I stick out my tongue at him, but I can't stop my smile.

At least one positive thing came out of me accidentally punching Damek—Kaine no longer thinks I murdered Lucien. And since he's my advisor, it's good that he no longer accuses me. I have a feeling I'm going to need his help, especially when I consider the small pool of men I have to pick my husband out of.

Kaine stands up from his stool. "Come on." He takes the icepack off my fist, which is already starting to heal. "Our guests will be heading home soon and you need to make at least one more appearance."

I groan but allow him to pull me from the room.

Will this night never end?

"Do I have to do this?" I play with the end of my hair as Kaine pulls the car to a stop in front of a large mansion.

He gives me a flat look. "Yes, you have to apologize to the prince that you punched ."

"I apologized last night," I remind him. "And I technically was aiming for you . He just happened to step in the way."

Kaine narrows his eyes but doesn't respond.

I still can't believe I punched Damek last night. It was not one of my finer moments, though it was an accident. It's a real shame because Damek was the one guy I thought I could have chemistry with.

Kaine puts the car in park and turns toward me. "Make sure today goes well. We do not need a feud between us and the Rune Clan, okay?"

I let out my breath in a huff. "I know that, Kaine."

He pauses before saying, "And Prince Damek could be a good marriage potential."

I lift an eyebrow. "But you said he wasn't a marriage potential because he's the heir. And since I'm the heir, I have to marry a spare."

"I saw you last night with all your dance partners. You looked bored. If you and Prince Damek have any kind of chemistry, you should go for it. Julien could rule our clan and you could be queen of the Rune Clan." He sighs. "It doesn't matter. Just do what makes you happy."

I take a deep breath and nod.

Do what makes me happy. I can handle that.

"I will wait in the car for you," Kaine says. "It's probably best that I don't go in there. Prince Damek is probably mad at me."

"Right." I reach for the door handle. I give Kaine a small smile before I get out.

My heart races as I make my way to the front door. I take a couple of calming breaths before I ring the doorbell and I rub my sweaty palms off on the skirt of my dress.

Sorry I punched you .

No, no. That's lame. I need something heartfelt.

Next time, don't get in the way of my fist.

Ha, yeah. That'll really show my sincerity.

A middle aged man in a butler uniform opens the door. He squints his eyes, taking me in.

"Princess Scott?" he asks.

I nod.

He bows to me. "Welcome. Please, come in. I will get King Rune for you."

I walk inside and start to tell him I'm here to see Damek, but the guy is gone before I can get the words out.

Right. Vampire speed is a thing.

I do have the speed of a vampire, but it's not something I've frequently used. I stand out enough in my family, using my vampire powers would've only made it worse. I did occasionally cheat and use it when I was running late.

But now… now I don't have to hide the vampire side of me. Here, I can be myself.

"Princess Madeline."

I turn when I hear my name being called. I spot King Rune walking into the foyer. I drop into a curtsy.

"I am so thrilled that you stopped by. Are you here to see Duncan?"

Duncan?

I look at him, my eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Then I remember that ‘Duncan' must be Damek's younger brother.

"Uh, no." I rub a hand on the back of my neck. "I'm here to see Damek."

"Damek," King Rune repeats, rubbing his chin. "I didn't realize you knew my eldest son."

"We met last night." I fold my hands together behind my back. The tightness in my chest relaxes as I realize that Damek didn't tell his dad that I punched him.

He tilts his head to the side. "You're not here to see Duncan?"

"No, sorry." I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.

"Damek," he says again, then nods. "Well… I will send for him. I wasn't expecting this."

"I'm… sorry." I'm not sure what to say. He seems so surprised. Is he upset that I'm here for Damek instead of Duncan? "To be honest, I don't remember Duncan. Last night was kind of a blur."

"But you remember Damek." His lips tug upward. "It's okay, Princess Madeline. I don't care which of my sons you're interested in. We want an alliance with the Scott Clan. Duncan will be disappointed. He hasn't stopped talking about you."

I wince. "Oh."

He chuckles. "He'll get over it, don't worry. I'll get Damek."

I stand there, feeling slightly awkward as King Rune leaves the room.

He thought I was here for his other son. Now I feel even weirder for being here.

Why did I tell him I didn't remember Duncan? That's so much worse than just saying I connected with Damek. I'm pretty sure every cousin of mine would laugh at how awkward I am when it comes to dating. I'm a succubus. I'm supposed to be charming, especially in matters of love. Not that this is love. I don't even know Damek.

I'm just here to apologize. That's it. I'm not proposing marriage. I'm not offering an alliance. I'm just going to say sorry and then go home. Kaine is waiting for me in the car, so it's not like I can spend the day—or, er, night—here anyway.

I hear footsteps and I turn in time to spot Damek walking into the foyer. His face is perfect with no sign of my accidental punch. At least vampires heal quickly. But he's not smiling at me either.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "Hey."

"Hey." He nods his head in greeting. "I didn't expect to see you today. Or ever again."

"I thought we should talk after last night." I worry my bottom lip between my teeth as I watch Damek. He's much more closed off than he was last night. His posture is stiff his smile is gone.

Damek crosses his arms over his chest. "What is there to talk about? I thought you made your feelings abundantly clear last night. You punched me so your boyfriend wouldn't think we were flirting."

My eyes bulge. "Uh, no. No, no, no. Kaine is not my boyfriend unless you missed the part where he was accusing me of murder . He's Lucien's advisor and my appointed babysitter. My dad thought it would be a good idea."

His shoulders relax slightly at that. "Oh. Then why did you punch me?"

"I wasn't trying to punch you. I was trying to punch Kaine. You just…" I wave my hands in front of me. "Well, you stepped in front of him at a really bad time."

He raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

I nod. "And I am so, so sorry that I punched you."

He looks at me for a few more seconds before he smiles. It's a big, dimple showing smile that causes my stomach muscles to cramp up.

Damek Rune is way too attractive for my own good.

"So, you're not dating Kaine?" Damek asks.

I shake my head. "He hates me."

He lifts an eyebrow. "I highly doubt that. You're kind of impossible to hate. Trust me, even when I thought you purposefully punched me I still couldn't stop thinking about you."

My breath gets caught in my throat.

I break eye contact, wanting the intensity to lessen. "Your dad seemed surprised that I wasn't here to see Duncan."

Damek chuckles. "Ah, yes. I'm sure my father will be talking with me about that later. But don't worry. He wants an alliance with the Scott Clan and he doesn't care how we get one."

"Why does he want an alliance with us so bad?" I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Because of our bloody history. My grandfather was the one who started the war. My dad thinks it's his duty to make things right," Damek explains. "And I agree with my dad. We do need to make things right."

"It doesn't matter what happened in the past." I shrug. "Anyway, I better get going. Kaine is waiting for me in the car."

Damek smirks. "I thought he hated you."

"He does. He brought me over here so I could apologize. He's changed his mind about you and thinks you could be a good…" my voice trails off before I can say ‘marriage candidate.' This political marriage thing still feels so weird to me. And talking to a guy as attractive as Damek about marriage makes my stomach muscles cramp.

"And you're sure you don't like him?" Damek asks.

I nod. "I am one hundred percent certain. Kaine is… kind of a jerk. But he's my advisor, so I have to spend a lot of time with him. My dad wants him to teach me everything I need to know about vampire politics."

Damek takes a step closer to me. "Can I see you again?"

"I would like that." I look up at him through my lashes, giving him a shy smile.

I like it more than I should. What if my father decides to align with another clan? I can't allow myself to get too attached to him, not yet anyway.

"Bye, Damek."

"Bye, Madeline."