Not that he minded. His heart had beat faster at his first sight of her, and he didn’t especial y want to be anywhere else but by her side. It was literal y as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt.
He could not understand how she had captured his interest so quickly. He didn’t even know her.
And up until now, he had never even believed in love at first sight.
He thought of the first time he had met Samantha, of the feelings he had felt. He had been so attracted to her, too.
But it was also different. With Kendra, it was something deeper, stronger.
The timing was so weird, too, because, before he’d met her, he had just been starting to warm up to Pol y. Upon first seeing Pol y, he had been struck by how pretty she was.
But she was not ravishingly beautiful, like Kendra was, nor did she have the same power to hypnotize him. And once Kendra appeared, it was hard for him to think of anything else.
As they walked, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous marble corridors, passing huge floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the formal gardens of Versail es, Sam final y began to come back to his senses. He wondered where they were going. Being around Kendra, he was having a hard time remembering why he was here. He was even having a hard time remembering what his mission was at al , and why he’d come back in time.
A wave of her perfume came his way, and Sam felt even more lightheaded. He wil ed himself to think. To remember.
Caitlin. He’d wanted to find her. To help her.
Aiden. Pol y had brought him here. To meet him.
But as he turned the corner with her, and walked down yet another corridor, it al seemed to fade to the back of his mind. Somehow, none of it seemed so pressing anymore.
Strangely enough, he now felt as if he had al the time in the world. And that nothing was more important than being by Kendra’s side.
As the silence between them continued, Sam final y began to wonder if he should say something.
He cleared his throat.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
They walked several more feet in silence, and Sam began to wonder if she would even bother to answer him.
“I am going to the court,” she said slowly, haughtily.
Now Sam felt embarrassed. Was he intruding? Had he misread the signs? Should he leave her be, go in another direction?
“Do you want me to come with you?” Sam asked.
He watched her expression, and caught the slightest flicker of a smile at the corner of her lips.
“As you wil ,” she said.
He didn’t know what that meant, but he decided he would take that for a Yes. He wasn’t ready to leave her side so quickly, at least not until she explicitly told him to go.
“So, like, who are you?” he asked.
They walked in silence, she not bothering to answer.
Final y, Sam figured he should rephrase the question.
“I mean, like, do you live here? How do you know Pol y? I’ve never been here,” he said. He knew that he sounded lame, but he didn’t know what else to say.
“That is obvious,” she said, as she suddenly stopped before a door.
She looked at Sam, waiting there, impatient.
He could not figure out what she was waiting for.
Then he realized. The door. She expected him to open it for her.
Clumsily, he hurried forward and yanked it open.
She turned and walked through the open door, without even a thank you.
Sam rushed through it, hurrying to keep up beside her.
They were now outside, walking through the immaculate, formal gardens. It was a beautiful day, but very sunny and hot.
Sam felt something in his hand, and looked down, and saw her place a long, slim, black parasol into it.
He couldn’t figure why she had handed him an umbrel a, since it wasn’t raining, but then, he realized. She expected him to open it for her. To block the sun.
He assumed she expected him to hold it over her head, so he did. She continued to walk, as if his holding it over her were the most natural thing in the world. He was starting to feel like he was her servant.
“To answer your question,” she said slowly, in a dignified voice, “yes. I am of the royal family. I am Marie’s cousin.
Younger than her, obviously, but stil , we practical y grew up together,” she said.
“In fact, al things being equal, I am as entitled to the crown as she. But because of legitimacy questions, she retains the glory.”
Sam looked at her in a whole new light. A would-be Queen.
That explained it. She certainly carried herself like one.
But even if he didn’t know this, even if she wasn’t a royal, he stil would have felt equal y attracted to her.
“Life here can be very dul ,” she added, with a sigh. “Yes, there are the parties and bal s and visitors and dignitaries.
But there are also endless formalities, etiquettes, mind-numbing dinners, ceremonies. I’d much prefer to be elsewhere. Horseback riding, like the men do. Archery was something I liked as a child, but which is forbidden for me now. Life here is restrictive for a woman.
Our best hope is to find a man. That is the sum of al our ambition. Quite boring, if you ask me. In fact, I think it should be reversed. I think the sum of al ambition should be for a man to find a woman. And that she should be free to do as she wishes.”
Sam marveled at her strange combination of total silence, then opening up in a long, detailed monologue. He wondered if she had opened up to him because she felt close to him in some way, or if she was just like this with everybody.
“Wel , at least you’re not opinionated,” he said with a smile.
She turned and gave him a cold look, and he realized he fumbled. Clearly, sarcasm wasn’t her thing.
“Just kidding,” Sam said, trying to ease the tension.
“That is apparent,” she said, coldly.
They walked down a long row of perfectly trimmed hedges, workers al around them, hard at work trimming and pruning, tending to an endless row of roses.
“The only thing that brings life to our party is your kind,” she said, as they turned down yet another trail, and passed a huge bubbling fountain.
So, Sam realized. At least she knew he was a vampire.
That was a relief. It meant less explaining for him.
“You bring an element of unpredictability to the equation,”
she added. “An element of freedom.
I like to watch your kind train. I like to see the battles. The techniques. Your kind keeps our kind on edge. If truth be told, it is the only thing that keeps the Royals in their place.”