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12
A loud metal clang rang out, and Mina shot upright in bed with a gasp. The woman standing opposite the bed near the toppled tray looked down, her eyes going wide as she blushed, and Mina quickly pulled the covers up to shield her nakedness.
“What is it? Who are you?” Mina demanded, jarring the girl from her stupor.
She blinked and dropped to her knees to pick up the stuff she’d dropped. “Forgive me, Princess. I did not realize you would be in here. I came to leave a gift for the King. I’m…I’m sorry.”
Mina opened her mouth to protest, and a part of the wall opened up on the far side of the room as Lucy came rushing through a secret door in the wall. “Mina? Are you okay? Is everything…”
Lucy trailed off taking in the sight of the girl with the tray and paled, even as her eyes narrowed. “The king has already had his breakfast, and I will see to the princess. You may leave us.”
The girl winced and gave them both a quick bow before retreating from the bedroom.
Mina watched her go and then turned to her cousin, raising an eyebrow. “Who was that?”
“Even vampires must eat at some point. She’s a serving girl, and from the looks of it she was going to gift the king her blood.”
Mina’s stomach turned. “I need to get dressed. I need…air.”
“You’re going to have to get used to the way vampires feed sooner or later,” Lucy warned. “But I can’t help you with that. So, get up, wrap that sheet around you and we’ll get you dressed. There’s a passage that connects this room with yours, so we’ll be able to get by unseen.”
Mina snorted. “I’m pretty sure most people in this place probably already know what happened last night, and if they missed the show my surprise guest will be sure to tell them.”
Lucy shook her head and sauntered over to the side of the bed. For the first time, Mina took in the sight of her dark pants and a short-cropped jacket with a long train that nearly brushed the floor. She looked fit to go riding, but instead of the traditional knee-high riding boots, she wore heeled boots that laced up the front.
“Are we going riding?” she asked, wrapping the blanket around her.
Lucy looked down at herself and laughed. “Oh, no. I just hate dresses. They’re so inconvenient, especially when I intend to show you the grounds. That’s too much walking to wear anything too confining.”
“I don’t have any clothes of my own,” Mina warned, standing on her feet again.
“Erik saw to that, not to worry. Follow me,” she said, turning back to the wall she’d entered through.
Mina watched as she pressed her hand to the wall and pressed it inward. The door swung open, releasing from its catch, and they slipped inside a dark tunnel lit with a glowing cluster of crystals dangling from the ceiling.
“What is that?” Mina asked, staring at the glowing white stones.
“It’s a spark stone torch,” she said. “Enchantments lurk inside the rock. They power the lights around the city and most of the palace. Normal torches are too much work. They’re maintained by the court witch.”
“Court Witch?” Mina frowned, following her to the next door. “Isn’t that you?”
Lucy snorted. “I am a witch, but I’m nowhere near as powerful as Andrea the Wise. I wish.”
“Andrea the who?”
Her cousin laughed. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll meet her eventually.”
Lucy pushed on the wall across from them, and the door on the other side opened with a soft groan, letting them out into a room, much like Vlad’s room. A large bed sat immediately to the left of the door. Three tall arched windows lined the right wall, and a series of shelves lined with books flanked a great fireplace on the far side of the room.
“My bedroom is the next room over,” Lucy said, pointing to a door in the corner. “Though, I suspect you won’t be spending much time in here after last night.”
Mina’s cheeks burned. “I…Last night didn’t mean anything. It was just…”
“Sex?” Lucy smiled at her over her shoulder. “I figured as much, but do you think that there could be more to it someday?”
“What do you mean?” Mina arched an eyebrow as Lucy opened a closet on the other side of the bed. “He’s a vampire. There can’t be anything more than that.”
“What?” Lucy laughed. “Why not?”
