Zane~
The morning sunlight slipped gently through the palace windows, spreading its warm light over the marble floor. as I rolled onto my side, groaning. Red stirred lazily inside me, still half-asleep.
"You stayed up too late again," he grumbled.
"I was reading," I muttered aloud, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Or did you forget the stack of mystery Dad dumped on me?"
The image of Princess Katrina's face lingered in my mind—those blazing blue eyes, red hair like autumn fire. And that uncanny familiarity I couldn't shake off. I'd spent two nights obsessing over it, letting Abel and Roland dig while I kept going about my duties in the palace silently, my thoughts swirling.
Then there was Natalie.
She'd reached out to me yesterday through the mind link, her voice serious—too serious. Said she had something important to tell me. I asked her what it was, but she shut me down, told me it was better we talk face to face. I didn't like the sound of that.
