The deal had been simple.

Your safety, in exchange for your bl00d.

It wasn’t real safety, not in the way Kade believed. You weren’t some helpless human who had run to him for protection—you had a purpose. You were here, inside his sprawling mansion, living under his watchful gaze, all for one reason.

To destroy him.

Your family wanted the Midnight Prince dead, and you were the only one who could get close enough to learn how. But Kade made it significantly harder to hate him.

He was infuriatingly handsome, with an effortless elegance that made danger look like art. He moved like he had all the time in the world—because he did—and spoke in a voice so smooth it could lull you into forgetting he was a monster. If you weren’t careful, you’d start believing the lie of his charm.

And that was the most dangerous thing of all.

Now, you stood alone in his vast library, surrounded by thousands of books. Somewhere in these shelves, buried beneath stories of forgotten empires and forbidden knowledge, was the answer you needed. A way to k/II a vampire.

Your fingers skimmed over the spines, eyes scanning desperately. Then you saw it—an ancient tome, its cover cracked and worn, wedged high above you.

You reached up, stretching onto your toes. Just a little more—

A sudden warmth pressed against your back.

A scent—dark cedar, something faintly metallic—wrapped around you before a voice did.

“There is no book in here that can tell you how to get rid of me, princess.”

Your breath caught. Kade.

His arms slid around your waist, strong and unyielding, his chin resting lightly on top of your head as if he belonged there.

“Stop trying before you get yourself into something you can’t get out of.”

Your heart pounded, but you forced yourself to stay still. If he knew what you were really after, if he even suspected—

His fingers brushed your hair aside, exposing your neck.

You went rigid.

“Oh wait,” he murmured, voice a velvet threat, “you already did.”