Page 130 of Collared by the Vampire Prince

“The coat. The prince’s bloody coat. Remove it.”

I glance down at myself. “But he gave it to me.”

“He gave it to you.” Her laugh is clipped and unpleasant. “When?”

“Last night. In my room. He…said I looked cold.”

Her face tightens. “Why was he in your room? Did you invite him?”

“No.” I shake my head. “He asked to come in. I could hardly refuse the prince.”

Victoria crosses her arms. “And how long did he stay?”

“A while,” I mumble.

“How long is a while?”

I shrug helplessly. “I don’t know. Hours. He stayed until late. Kept me company.”

Something flickers behind her eyes. “What did he want?”

“Nothing. He just wanted to talk.”

“Talk?” she repeats sceptically. “About what?”

“He asked how I was finding the Academy. Whether the professors were treating me fairly. Whether I had been eating.” My voice softens, and an unwelcome strange pressure gathers in my chest. “He was worried about me. He was…kind.”

For one dangerous second, I almost believe it myself.

I remember shivering alone in that freezing room. Finding his coat after he left. The weight of it settling around my shoulders, taking the edge off the cold. And technically, he did insist I eat something in the carriage. But that does not make up for him capturing me. Or humiliating me.

None of it makes him less of a monster.

Victoria turns away, muttering under her breath.

“Victoria, there’s something else you should know.” I wait until she turns back, then twist the end of Nathaniel’s sleeve between my fingers. “Something I should probably tell you.”

Her almond-shaped eyes narrow with contempt. “I suppose you’re going to tell me he fucked you next. You think I care? He’s the prince. He can have any wolf he wants. It doesn’t mean anything.”

The brittleness of her voice tells me that she very much does care.

“No?” The word comes out sharper than I meant it to. Her dismissal needles me, and I have an odd, unreasonable urge to prove that, if Nathaniel wanted me, it would mean something. Something horrible, maybe. But significant.

She gives me a scornful look. “Why? Do you think you’re special?”

That’s when I see it. The dread gathering behind her eyes. It gives me a better idea than the lie about sleeping with Nathaniel I’d been toying with.

“He didn’t have sex with me,” I admit, lowering my gaze. “But…” I trail off, worrying the edge of my sleeve between my fingers even more, seeing how long I can test her patience.

“But?”

I shake my head. “I can’t tell you.”

“Kira.”

I shake my head again.

She sighs. Then, a fraction softer, “Sweetie.”