(Eleanor) Shortly after Elizabeth's little slip up, Ava skipped away to meet Axel and do... whatever it was they did. I stayed in the library to read.

The smell of books and the feeling of the hardcover underneath my fingertips reminded me of my dad's bookstore back home, as well as the small library I worked at.

Needless to say, I was reluctant to leave.

"Whatcha reading?" A voice asked directly in my ear.

I jumped half a foot in the air and let out an unflattering shriek.

"Jesus Christ!"

"Nah, it's just me."

Jaxon plopped down in the chair across from me with a smirk on his face. The second I looked at him, my mind was flooded with the image of his shirtless body from earlier.

I quickly averted my eyes to my book.

"No hello for your poor husband-to-be?"

I snorted. "The only thing poor about you is your personality."

"Harsh," he commented. "And to think I have a surprise planned for you later today."

I glanced up warily. A surprise could never be a good thing with him. Even though I'd been acting like a good girl these past few days, not wanting a repeat of the whole dungeons incident, I wouldn't put it past him to have something cruel in store for me.

Jaxon seemed to realize where my thoughts were going.

"It's nothing to worry about. I think you'll quite enjoy it, actually."

My eyes narrowed. "Well, forgive me for not trusting a word that comes out of your mouth."

That full, perfect mouth--No, stop it, Ella.

He sighed dramatically and leaned back in his chair. "Are you still hung up over the dungeons thing? That was practically ages ago."

"It's literally just been a few days--"

"We're different people now," he talked over me.

I scowled.

He smirked.

"What's so funny?" I snapped.

"When you're mad," he said. "Your lips do that pouty thing. Reminds me of a kid."

"When you're being an asshole," I countered. "Your lips move and words come out. Reminds me of every time you speak."

Jaxon moved, quick enough that my human eyes couldn't follow him, and suddenly he was standing over me, his hands resting on the arms of my chair.

"Wanna see what else my lips can do?"

I glared at him. "You sound like a guy tryna holler at a girl in the street."

He hummed, leaning in closer. "Why's your heart beating so fast, then?"

"It's not."

"Oh?"

He took my hand in his, ignoring my resistance, and pressed my own fingertips against the pulse point in my neck. Sure enough, my heart was pounding like a machine gun.

For a second, I seriously considered lying and saying I have a heart condition. Then I decided against it.

I put my hands on his chest and pushed at him. "Get away from me."

Surprisingly, he actually listened and took a step back.

"It's alright, love," he said. "Being attracted to me is nothing to be ashamed of."

"Fuck off, Jaxon."

At my words, his whole nice act dropped--because that's exactly what it was. An act. Another mask he put on.

He watched me with cold blue eyes.

"Are you gonna tell me where you got the necklace now?" He demanded.

I blinked, caught off guard by his sudden question.

Was that the reason he'd been playing nice?

I mentally face-palmed.

Of course it was.

I put my hand on the necklace subconsciously and remembered the way Elizabeth had looked at it earlier. Something told me it had a lot more value than I'd ever known.

"No," I said finally. "I'm not gonna tell you anything."

He rolled his shoulders back, looking like he was trying to keep his temper in check.

My chest tightened.

When he spoke, his voice was harsh, the teasing tone long gone.

"There's no point beating around the bush," he said. "It's clear you don't wanna be here, and I sure as hell don't want you here."

I was about to protest that he had no idea what I wanted, but he held a hand up to silence me.

"Tell me how you got your hands on the necklace and you get to run along back to whatever boring, stupid life you had."

The problem was that his words were true. My life had been boring. While I loved my family and friends just as much as the next person, I didn't have a real purpose. I didn't have anything to work for.

Women in this kingdom rarely did.

Being in the mansion, however, and being the future princess, the future queen... That meant power. It meant I'd be able to do something to protect my kind from the vampires and other supernaturals who have belittled us for too long.

I cleared my throat. "If you don't want me here, then why'd you pick me that night?"

"Because I wanted answers about that," he snapped, gesturing at my necklace. "And because I wanted to prove to my mother that this the whole chosen one shit would never fucking work."

I raised my eyebrows and set my book aside.

"You realize it might've worked out if you'd picked someone who--oh, I don't know--didn't wanna hit you upside the head with a chair, maybe."

He said nothing.

I got to my feet, and this time I was the one who approached him.

"Unless you didn't want it to work," I continued. "But why would that be?"

Jaxon remained silent, glaring down his nose at me, as I stopped directly in front of him.

"Tell me, your highness, why would a man go to such lengths to make sure he doesn't get a wife? There was no shortage of beautiful girls at the ball who would worship at your feet. No shortage of girls who could've made you happy."

"None of them could've ever made me happy," he sneered.

I tilted my head to the side. "Why not?"

His jaw clenched, and it hit me. I almost laughed out loud.

"It's because you already know who could make you happy, don't you?" A wide grin taking over my face.

"Oh, this is rich. This is better than I could've imagined. Big bad Prince Jaxon's in love."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"I know exactly what I'm talking about," I retorted. "Let me guess. You fell for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, and you can't marry her. Star-crossed lovers--oh, god. Does that make you Romeo?"

I laughed mockingly, but, much to my disappointment, his expression remained stony.

"That's not it? Well, go on, then. Don't be shy. Correct me." I leaned forward, enjoying the fact that I was the one getting in his personal space this time.

"I wanna know all about the Prince and his royal whore--"

Jaxon had grabbed me by the throat and slammed me against the wall. I choked immediately, tears springing to my eyes from the lack of oxygen. I clawed at his wrist, gasping for breath, but his punishing grip wouldn't loosen.

He lifted me off the ground, his eyes boring into mine with a rage that I'd never seen before, even as the rest of his face remained impassive.

“Say that again," he said softly.

A muffled cry escaped my lips as I struggled for air.

“What was that?” He cooed, tightening his grip even more. “I can’t hear you. Go on. Say it. Keep talking.”

Black dots began to cloud my vision. I could feel the veins in my face throbbing.

He wasn't stopping--he was gonna kill me. I was going to die.

Fuck.

Just when I'd began to sag in his hold, there was a noise at the door.

Jaxon let go of me, instantly, and I fell to the floor, coughing. He kneeled down beside me, partially blocking me from view as Ava entered the library.

Jesus, she was a literal lifesaver.

She looked around for a second before her eyes landed on the two of us on the ground.

"Ella!" She gasped. "Are you okay?"

Jaxon raised his brows at me, daring me to say something, and because I wasn't an idiot, I didn't.

"Yeah." My voice was hoarse. "I'm good."

"Why are you two on the floor?" She asked, sounding slightly suspicious.

"Eleanor's feeling a bit faint, aren't you, love?" Jaxon said. "I think I'm gonna take her to her room."

He looked like the picture of a concerned boyfriend.

I don't know what scared me more; the fact that he had been about to kill me, or the fact that he could switch through emotions like clothes.

For whichever reason, I was terrified. My pulse was racing like he was still choking me.

He reached towards me, and I flinched so hard I almost hit him in the face. Ignoring my reaction, he picked me off the ground bridal style.

"Turn your face inwards," he ordered, too quiet for Ava to hear.

No doubt he didn't want her to see whatever marks he'd left on my throat.

I turned my face towards his chest, letting my hair cover my neck. Ava was saying something, but I couldn't hear her through the ringing in my ears.

Then the darkness came, and I went limp.