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The again, if Will was human they wouldn't be in this mess. If Will was human, they'd both be dead.

Kahli took a steadying breath. "What do you want from me?" He was so close, Will's body nearly brushing against hers. They were a breath apart.

"There's a rule you need to be willing to break for our plan to work."

She couldn't breathe, "Which rule?" Will couldn't mean what she thought. Her mind protested his proximity, but as Kahli breathed him in, her arms refused to push him away. She pressed her palms to the wall at her sides to keep from touching him. Everything she'd ever learned was eradicated and blasted away. Every lesson her mother drilled into her head, every prejudice she held against the vampires, against their kind vanished. For a moment, he was just Will and she was just Kahli.

His dark gaze pinned her in place. "You know which rule."

Chapter 10

The following sunrise, things at the palace went crazy. The new dusting of snow covered the events from the day before, but Cassie knew too much. She remembered the King entering her room and dragging her from her bed the night before. It had taken forever for her to drift off to sleep. Kahli hadn't returned and neither had her other roommates. Every single one of them went to the King's chambers and didn't come back.

Cole found his sister as early as possible, and beckoned her into the main sitting area. The white couches were empty. The drapes covering the windows were pulled back, revealing the early morning sunlight. It poured into the room giving the illusion that it wasn't freezing cold outside. At one time the world was a beautiful place. At one time there were seasons and trees and life. Now everything was a glittering tomb.

Her brother was dressed neatly, as usual. Cassie barely had time to pull on a pair of jeans and a sweater. She was always cold, always shivering. As they sat, she wrung her fingers, twisting them in her hands trying to get warm. Cole watched her, and when she didn't stop, he pulled out a pair of thin gloves from his pocket. He handed them to her. Cassie gratefully accepted them and slid the fabric over her hands. They were instantly warmer.

"Thank you," she said. "You always know what to do."

"I'm not so sure, this time, Cass." In hushed tones, Cole and Cassie whispered. Cole filled in the pieces of information that were missing from Cassie's mind. Eventually he said, "The Queen will want to speak to you, you know. She'll find out that the King went to your chamber, and she won't overlook the fact that every single one of the girls was one of your roommates. She'll think you know something."

Cassie nodded, fearing as much. Her curls bobbed forward, swinging into her face. She tucked them back and looked up at her brother. "I know. I'm the last one who saw anything."

He nodded, "And, you're the only proof that the King was consuming blood last night. I seriously doubt that he left a blood trail for them to follow. He's too smart to get caught. If I hadn't seen you - "

Cassie stared blankly ahead at the dark blue walls, only half listening. She blurted out the question lurking in the back of her mind, the one she was too afraid to ask, "Do you think they're dead?" Her voice caught on the word making her heart constrict.

Cole looked at his sister. Death was a part of life. Their kind dealt with it frequently. A simple paper cut could end their fragile existence. But, no one expected anything like this. Palace humans didn't get brutalized by the royalty. "I don't know."

Alice entered the room and passed in front of them. She wandered through the halls like she was lost. Cassie felt bad for the girl and called to her, "What's the matter, Alice?"

Alice stopped, surprised to hear her name and turned back. She walked over to them and stood in front of Cassie and Cole. Her normally pale skin was sullen and sickly looking. It reminded Cassie of a bleached sock. Alice usually had a little color in her cheeks, but it was gone. The girl looked like she was in shock. "They pushed up my Pairing." Alice's voice was barely there and devoid of emotion.

Cassie's jaw dropped. She leaned forward and took the girl's hand. "Alice, when is it?"

"Tonight." Before Cassie could ask her more about it,