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"Jay?" she called out. "Jay, where are you?"
She tried to keep the panic from seeping into her voice. He had to be fine, right? Last time he disappeared, he'd only gone into the other room. That had to be what was happening now. Nothing bad could have happened to him in the few minutes she was away from him. She raced back to the lounge, scanning the rows of closed doors on either side.
Then she noticed a door had been left ajar—thefrontdoor.
Rosalie's stomach twisted into a knot. Had someone taken her son? He wouldn't leave the suite alone—no, he knew better. Someone had to have taken Jay, and the realization hit her like an avalanche of bricks, and all her strength and determination melted away into fear and dread.
In desperation, she searched the elaborate rooms of her suite frantically, calling his name repeatedly until she was hoarse, but still no Jay in sight. Desperate for answers, Rosalie burst into the hall, startling a servant in the same hallway into dropping a pile of linens.
"Terribly sorry, ma'am!" the servant called out, embarrassed and scared. "D-did I disturb you?"
Rosalie caught herself and steadied her breathing when she recognized the woman as one of the few servants who actually knew about Jay's existence. She could help—if she'd been in this hall, she might have even seen or heard what happened.
"No, it is I who should apologize," Rosalie said, taking a shuddering breath to calm herself. "I barreled out of the room like a wild boar, and it is I who startled you."
The woman smiled slightly, seeming relieved that Rosalie wasn't the type to order a servant to be killed for simply looking at her funny.
"I hope if you don't mind, might you be able to tell me if you saw Jay at all?" Rosalie asked, trying not to reveal that anything was amiss. If someone had taken Jay, she couldn't rely on anyone else to get him back. Not without condemning them both.
"Oh, yes!" The servant brightened and pointed over her shoulder. "I saw him heading that way just a few moments ago. I think he was muttering something about the gardens."
Rosalie's heart leaped in her chest, and she pushed down the wave of relief that threatened to overwhelm her. He was all right! He hadn't been kidnapped by one of Dominick's goons after all. But why would he head outside at such a late hour? Jay knew how dangerous vampires were—he'd seen what they could do! Why would he leave their room when all the vampires roam the castles and the grounds?
"Thank you. Have a good evening," Rosalie said, giving the woman an appreciative smile before darting off in the direction of the gardens.
Still, despite the worry that he'd left on his own, at least he wasn't in any immediate danger. She could still find and recover him before he got hurt. The seconds ticked by into minutes of her frantically searching nooks and crannies as she roamed the halls and finally made it out into the brisk night air.
It was extremely dark out, but thankfully there weren't many vampires openly lingering in the halls, so it was possible that no one had spotted him since he was small, fast, and quiet. Outside, the metal and stone statues loomed over the gravel and marble garden pathways.
"Jay?" she called out, trying to stay quiet, but unable to stop a hint of panic from creeping into her voice. "Jay, where are you?"
This was the first time she'd truly been apart from Jay without knowing where he was or that he was safe, and the feeling was horrifying. It was like her chest had been hollowed out, and in place of her heart, terror had grown into a garden of thorns.
She went around the rose bushes near the entrance to the castle, past the fountain in the center, still without any sign of her soon. After what felt like hours of searching, Rosalie could barely contain her mounting frustration and worry—where on earth could Jay have gone?
She began her trek in the opposite direction, which would be a loop back towards her suite, but something caught her eye—a familiar figure standing in one corner of the garden.
"Jay?" she called out, relieved.
But then the figure turned, and closer, she saw the masculine, elegant robes of a royal vampire. A clean black button-down was tucked beneath a thick black belt with a silver buckle, and his wavy sleeves were roomy enough to hold his considerably muscular arms without straining the fabric.
"Dominick," she gasped, realizing her mistake.
She froze in her tracks.
He smirked at her, his eyes lingering a long time at the apex of her corset, which bolstered her cleavage by more than she would usually allow. "I see you accepted my gift tonight. I wonder why that is when you've been so adamant about denying all others until now?
"What are you doing here?" Rosalie snapped. "Don't you have a party to be at?"
"Hmm, I do, but I didn't see much point in staying long when the guest of honor decided not to show up yet again.
She scowled. "It's your party."
"It's against the law to refuse one of my invitations, especially as the guest of honor." He turned his whole body in her direction, the smirk etching deeper into his features. Here, basking in the moonlight, it was easy to see how truly handsome he was. "It is within my right to punish you for this slight."
"Is that why I'm always the guest of honor? If you always give that position to me, is it truly an honor anymore, anyway?"
He chuckled and crossed his arms. "I suppose not, but the law still stands. Now, I wonder what your punishment will be?"
