1. First meetings

1

FIRST MEETINGS

T he car is completely silent inside, the only noise to be heard is the sound of rubber hitting pavement as we cruise along the interstate.

Dad taps his finger on the leather seat as he looks out the window—a tell that he is nervous. Not that I didn't already know, I can hear his heart racing. I don't comment on his racing heart, not wanting to point out the obvious.

I wonder why he's nervous. Sure, we're on our way to the airport to pick up my mother—the woman he had an affair with twenty four years ago—but it's not like this is the first time he's seen her since the affair. He's been in contact with her since I turned eighteen and he went to see her the day I agreed to become his heir.

Truthfully, my heart is racing almost as fast as his. I'm nervous about seeing my mom again. I haven't seen her since I left more than three months ago and we didn't leave things on the best of terms.

I'm still mad at my mother for keeping me separated from my father. I think how different my life could've been, how much better it should have been. But I can't stay mad at her forever. I need to forgive her.

I sigh softly, but because vampire hearing is a thing, Dad hears me. He turns in his seat to face me.

"Are you okay?"

I shrug, then nod. This isn't exactly something that I want to talk about with my dad because I don't want to give him a reason to hate my mom.

He reaches across the seat between us and takes my hand in his. It's a sweet gesture that only solidifies my feelings—my childhood would've been so much better with him in my life.

"Thank you for coming with me to pick up my mom." I take a deep breath. "And thank you for letting her stay with us. I know it won't be easy to have my mom there, especially with Eden."

He stiffens at the mention of Eden, but he squeezes my hand. "It was Eden's suggestion. I was going to pay for a hotel for your mother during her stay, but Eden knew you'd want her close by."

My heart melts at his admission. Eden is truly a great woman.

The car slows down and makes a left turn. My mouth goes dry as we pull into the parking lot of the private airfield. An airplane is coming in for a landing and I know my mother is on that plane. I take a deep breath to try and calm my racing heart.

When the driver gets out, he opens the door for Dad first before coming around to my side. I hesitantly get out, wishing that I could delay this for a few more days, but I can't. We have less than six months to plan a royal wedding and I'm going to need all the help I can get, especially when it comes to Queen Rune.

My stomach churns as I think about my future mother-in-law. The woman has hated me from the moment she laid eyes on me. I am hoping that over the next few months, as she gets to know me, her opinion of me will change. I just wish I knew what I did to make her think so negatively about me.

Dad and I stand next to the car as the airplane comes to a stop not too far away from us. As the crew pulls down the steps, the two of us slowly walk closer to the private jet. My heart races as somebody walks down the stairs, but it's not my mom.

"Grandpa?" My voice comes out squeaky. "What are you doing here?"

He comes to a stop in front of Dad and me and he offers me a smile. "My granddaughter is getting married—you didn't think I would miss the opportunity to meet your fiancé, did you?"

"But…" my voice trails off as Grandpa turns his attention to Dad.

This is the first time they are meeting, I realize. My mom never revealed my father's identity, not even to my grandfather. I look between them, my mind going crazy with scenarios. What I don't expect is for my dad to extend his hand in a very human like gesture.

"Hello, I'm Michael—Madeline's dad."

My grandfather accepts his handshake. "I know who you are, King Scott. I am Madeline's grandfather, King Bennett."

My worlds are colliding and I'm not sure what to make of it.

Since I am paying attention to what is happening between my dad and grandfather, I don't hear my mother's approach. I nearly jump when she suddenly appears in my peripheral.

"Dad," she says, giving my grandfather a scolding look. "You promised you'd be nice."

"No, you told me to be nice and assumed I would listen. This man took advantage of you," Grandpa says, still keeping his gaze on Dad.

Yikes, this meeting isn't going well. Part of me is glad I didn't know he was coming so I wouldn't stress about it.

Mom steps between Dad and Grandpa. "No, Dad, he didn't. If anything, I was the one who took advantage. I would've done anything to get out of the marriage you were arranging."

At that, Grandpa drops his gaze.

Well, it seems that the two of them have talked since I left. Maybe this entire thing has been good for the family—we've always been bad at communicating our feelings.

I clear my throat. "I'm glad you could come, Grandpa. How long are you planning on staying?"

Not that I want him to leave quickly, but I'm not certain I can survive a long visit. Thankfully, he is king and has a lot of duties. He's never stayed anywhere longer than a week.

"Only for a few hours. I want to meet this fiancé of yours and make sure he's good enough for you." He checks his watch. "I have to be back home for a meeting by eight in the morning, so we better get a move on."

Mom gives me a quick side hug as Dad leads us toward the large SUV. I climb into the far backseat, Dad climbing in beside me, while Mom and Grandpa sit in front of us. As soon we were buckled in, the driver takes off toward the estate.

I pick up my phone to send a quick text to Damek, giving him a heads up. He's supposed to be there when we get back, but I should warn him about my grandfather's surprise visit.

My grandfather decided to come. He wants to meet you, I type quickly.

He responds within seconds. King Bennett is coming to meet me?

Yes.

Any advice?

I look at my phone and then at the back of my grandfather's head. I still can't believe he came with my mom, though I don't believe for one second he came just to meet Damek. I bet this visit was more about meeting my dad than anything else.

Still, I do want Damek to make a good impression.

Just be polite and respectful. My grandfather isn't like other incubi. He won't care that you're gorgeous.

I hit the send button and then re-read what I just sent.

Yep, I did just call Damek gorgeous.

Damek is my fiancé, but we're not a typical couple. The truth is, I don't know him that well. We've spent the last month talking every day on the phone until the late morning hours—he is the reason I've been getting very little sleep. But we've barely kissed and we weren't dating before our betrothal. We're still getting to know one another and I'm not sure that I've ever told him just how attracted to him I am.

Should these things be done via text?

You think I'm gorgeous?

My cheeks grow warm as I read his response. I'm trying to think of how I should respond when another text comes through.

Since we're both sharing, you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met. But you already know that.

My heart swells.

"Who are you texting?" Dad asks.

I lock my phone, putting it away. "Damek."

Dad's eyebrows knit together. "You two really like each other, huh?"

"Like?" Grandpa twists around in his seat. "They're engaged to be married—I should hope that they're in love ."

"Dad," Mom says. "Do you really want to argue that you're against marriage for political gain?"

That shuts him up.

"Yes," I say, answering my dad's question. "I like Damek a lot—I have since the first night I met him. Kaine tried to get me to give all the candidates a chance, but I couldn't. Not after Damek."

Dad's lips turn upward and his shoulders visibly loosen. "I tried to give you more options than I had, but I feared I was still pushing you too hard."

I shrug. "I would've liked more than six months, but I have no doubts that Damek will be a very good husband. I think the two of us will be happy together."

At least, I hope so.

In succubi culture, it's normal to wait many years before marriage. Engagements are always long and even then half of the engaged couples split before the actual wedding. Since supernaturals don't have divorce, we tend to be picky. Vampires, on the other hand, don't have the same outlook as succubi. Most couples get married within a few months of dating.

"Six months," Grandpa scoffs. "Your grandma and I met three days before our wedding."

Yes, I've heard the story many, many times.

My grandparents had an arranged marriage. At the time, there were two ruling families among the succubi and incubi community. Their marriage brought the two opposing alliances together and we all united under one ruler. It was a big deal at the time, as we were on the verge of civil war.

"And you were going to argue for love." Mom snorts. "And you wonder why I got myself knocked up and refused to marry an incubus."

Dad shifts in his seat, uncomfortable by the current conversation. I, on the other hand, am used to the drama. My family lives for it and I've gotten good at blocking it out.

"Mom, Grandpa, can you two not fight in front of Dad?" I ask. "Or Damek—I don't want you two scaring him away."

Grandpa chuckles. "If your Prince Damek can't handle a little bickering, he won't last two seconds in our family."

True, but I'd rather not scare him away this quickly.

"Who will we be meeting today?" Mom asks, turning slightly in her seat so she can look at me.

"Damek, of course. And Julien, he's my younger brother. You will love him." I grin, thinking about Julien's confidence—he will fit right in with my succubi and incubi family. The grin slips from my face as I clear my throat. "Also, you will meet Eden. She's Dad's wife, my stepmom, and she's really nice. I think you'll like her."

Mom looks away, suddenly interested in the view out the window. I don't blame her as I'm sure meeting Eden will be very uncomfortable for her.

Grandpa, however, has no qualms about the uncomfortable situation. He looks at my father. "Well, that will be uncomfortable for you, I'm sure."

Dad lets out a breath but he doesn't say anything.

Truthfully, it will be uncomfortable for all of us, most of all Eden. But I know Eden and I know she thrives at doing things that others consider difficult. While meeting me was hard for her, she took to me right away and treated me like I was her own child.

Still… it will be different with my mother. Part of me wishes I could shield Eden from this, but I know I can't. I can't just abandon my other family. I want my mom to be there for my wedding and I want her help with planning. The next few months are going to be crazy and I want as much family at my side as I can.

"Madeline, tell me about this prince of yours," Grandpa says. "I want to know everything about him."

For the rest of the car ride, I settle in and tell Mom and Grandpa as much as I can about Damek.