“Well, well, well…. look who it is,” A familiar English accent whispered into my ear with equal parts menace and mischief. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? What are you doing here?” I avoided his question and leaned back against the bar. I took a miniscule drink from my cup, noticing Kiran had an identical one in his hand.

“Hmmmm….” Kiran’s eyes drifted over my “mature” outfit and heat crept onto my face. “So this is what Avalon had planned for you…. not very exciting.”

“Then why are you here?” I asked again, realizing that although I hadn’t given him an answer, I hoped he would give me one.

“I have to be here; royal duties and all,” he shot me a roguish look and took a long drink from his tumbler. His usually clear blue eyes looked a little duller than usual and I noticed black and blue bags under them.

“Must be tough to be King,” I pretended to take an equally long drink.

“Not King yet,” he said simply. Kiran looked me over once again and I crossed my arms self-consciously. He stepped closer, resting his hands on either side of my body. I could smell the woodsy scent of liquor mixed with his sweet, almost herbal scent and the electricity picked up strength through my veins.

“So really, what are you doing here?” I tried one more time, my voice trembling from Kiran’s close proximity. His hands slid up my arms and he pulled me in closer until our bodies were touching. Electricity almost overpowered my senses and I forgot the rest of the world around us.

“This is where I conduct my business, Eden. You are in my American office,” he smiled a little. I wished I could look around the room once again, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Kiran’s. “Oh, Eden you’ve so much to learn,” he smiled a little wider and leaned his face even closer to mine. I was transfixed in his arms, completely unable to move. I was certain he was about to kiss me and I closed my eyes in anticipation. His grip tightened on my arms and I felt the heat from his face; his sweet breath tickling my nose.

And then…. A throat cleared in my ear and my eyes instantly popped open. Kiran's body stiffened next to me and all intentions changed. Principal Saint and Talbott stood there side by side, both sets of arms crossed, both men visibly seething. I gathered myself and regained my senses quicker than I thought possible.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Damn it,” Kiran growled and slammed his hand against the bar behind me. I jumped, startled by his outburst of anger. He turned to face the interrupters, but did not leave my side. “Can I help you gentlemen?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Forgive us for the interruption sir, but Ms. Matthews is not allowed in your private club,” Principal Saint ended his sentence with a small bow. His manner was respectful, almost subservient.

Outside of school, the roles were reversed. Kiran was in command here, and Principal Saint must obey Kiran’s orders. I may have had a hard time wrapping my mind around the Monarchy before tonight, but the facts of Kiran’s power were clearly displayed in front of me. I was forced to understand the role of the Monarchy in my life now. My face flushed with embarrassment, as I noticed all eyes in the enormous room focused on us.

“I granted her entrance,” Kiran said softer, noticing the onlookers as well. His voice however, was none the less menacing.

“I’m sorry sir; by your father’s order she is not allowed here,” Talbott interjected himself and I couldn’t help but despise him a little more.

“Mr. St. Andrews is waiting upstairs to take you home,” Principal Saint addressed me for the first time and then angled his body as if to tell me I should leave immediately. I began to move, but Kiran stopped me by putting his hand on my waist.

“There’s no need for that. I was leaving anyways. I will take her home. Please tell Avalon, he is free to go,” Kiran took me by the arm a bit roughly and began walking towards the door.

“Excuse me, Prince Kiran; there is still business to attend to,” Talbott again interrupted, but this time I could hear the small amount of trepidation in his voice.

“What business?” Kiran growled quietly without even turning to look at him.

“I am not at liberty to say in front of.... her,” Talbott referenced me with a disdain that let me know exactly how he felt.

“Fine,” Kiran stood still for a few seconds longer, but did not let go of my arm. He left his back turned on Talbott and Principal Saint, apparently trying to decide what to do next. I was too afraid of him to speak. I could feel the heat of his anger swirling around us. The electricity pulsed between my skin and his fingers wildly. “I will walk her to the door,” before anyone else could object, he began walking again, pulling me along beside him.

“I’m sorry,” I stammered out; not exactly sure why I was apologizing.

“Don’t be. You did nothing wrong,” he mumbled through gritted teeth.

He did not let go of my arm the entire walk upstairs. I hurried along beside him as quickly as I could in the shoes that I was wearing. Kiran rushed up the long flight of stone stairs and through the long, brightly lit hallway. He did not stop moving until we reached the door to the outside.

If I was surprised by his behavior downstairs, I was even more surprised by his behavior on the way back to the front door. But nothing could have prepared me for what he did next.

Once we reached the door, I grabbed for the handle, hoping to escape to the safety of the car Avalon had stolen. I was perplexed by Kiran’s behavior, but more than anything I was humiliated by my exile from his private club. I wanted to put this night behind me and crawl into a ball, forgetting about this entire experience. Kiran however had a different idea of how to end the night.

Although I reached for the door, Kiran stopped me by grabbing me firmly around my waist. His hands were hot against my skin, even through the material of my dress. He pushed me roughly against the wall and pressed his body against mine. One hand stayed on my hip, but the other he raised above my head to plant firmly against the wall. The magic flared in my blood, making it boil beneath my skin.

Kiran stared into my eyes for several seconds looking for something I was not sure I possessed. The intensity of his expression left me breathless and the closeness of his magic made me dizzy. The electricity ran between us wildly, igniting a lightning storm in my veins.

Suddenly, his lips were against mine, and his hand was tangled in my hair. He kissed me hungrily, pressing me against his body and wrapping me up in his magic. I kissed him back as if I couldn't breathe without him. Every place our bodies touched felt like a thousand degrees; he kissed me passionately, leaving my mouth for only a second to kiss my neck and jawline, but then he was back to my lips with even more passion. I heard him sigh sweetly as though he had waited for this kiss for a very long time. Our magic connected with an almost violent force and I fought to keep consciousness. Our souls were united in that one moment, and I never wanted to leave it.

Kiran’s sigh turned to misery as the door at the end of the hallway slammed shut. Another magical entity was present and our perfect kiss was forced to a close. Kiran was across the hallway in milliseconds. He gave me one more intense look of longing and then turned around to walk in the other direction. I was left staring after him with swollen lips and messy hair.

Principal Saint waited at the end of the hallway for Kiran to approach and respectfully opened the door for him to pass through. The door closed behind him with a loud finality, leaving me to feel cold and alone. Kiran’s magic was no more a part of mine; I felt drained and empty. Although my own magic was still pulsing through my blood at a rapid rate, without Kiran’s to set it on fire, it left me something to want.

Principal Saint stayed on my side of the door as if protecting the entry way from the likes of me. The thought of forcing my way passed him crossed my mind, but the other side of the door offered no hope to reinstate the kiss anyways. I tore through the door to the street instead, running as quickly as I could to the safety and loneliness of Avalon’s stolen Lexus.

I found sanctuary in the passenger’s seat of the sedan. I plopped down on the seat, very unlady-like and completely out of breath. I barely paid attention to Avalon, but out of the corner of my eye I could tell he was equally as emotional as I was.

I touched my fingers to my still swollen lips, expecting Avalon to drive away. Instead of making a getaway however, he rolled down his window and I saw the figure of Principal Saint resting his hands on the open window frame.

“How dare you bring her here,” although Principal Saint didn’t use my name directly, it was crystal clear who he was referring to. His fingers gripped tightly to the window sill. Clearly he was angry, but I was confused why my presence here would conjure such rage.

“Nothing happened,” Avalon defended himself loudly, and accentuated his point by slamming his hands on the steering wheel. His fingers wrapped themselves around the leather and gripped the steering wheel equally as tight as Principal Saint’s. “We’re all fine.”

“Something did happen.” Principal Saint spat back. I realized I preferred a much more docile school teacher, than this angry and scary version of Principal Saint. Everyone was clearly livid with me, but I could not figure out why. Maybe I wasn’t allowed in the club, but were these reactions really necessary? “The entire room noticed who she is because of the Prince’s damn affections for her. Now not only do you risk discovery but the entire Kingdom will soon be aware of her effect on the Prince. Damn it Avalon, what were you thinking?”

“I am stronger with her near me. I can’t just run reconnaissance without some type of protection. You send me into the lion’s den and you expect me to kill the beast, unarmed,” Avalon nearly shouted at Principal Saint; he grasped the steering wheel tighter and glared out the windshield.

“Never mind that now. Get her out of here,” Principal Saint touched the steering wheel underneath Avalon’s firm grip and the car instantly turned on. “Take her straight home; we will talk about this later,” the two of them had yet to address me personally. If only I could stay mad, but the burn of Kiran’s sweet kiss still lingered on my mouth.

Avalon stomped his foot down on the accelerator and my head slammed back against the headrest. He peeled out of the parking space without slowing down. It was my turn to dig my fingers into something and I found the edge of my leather seat and held on tight.

“Damn it. Damn it. Damn it,” Avalon repeated over and over; and then another long stream of expletives poured out of his mouth. I was not sure how to react, but felt strangely responsible for the demise of whatever he had planned tonight. “Why can’t you just stay away from him?” he practically shouted at me.

My temper flared up immediately. “If I remember correctly, you were the one who dragged me along to that place, and you were the one who left me completely alone! Kiran approached me. I did exactly as you said and did not move from the bar. He came over to me. I didn’t even know he was there!” I yelled back, suddenly over emotional and definitely sick and tired of being blamed for Kiran’s actions.