The world came into a blur as my eyes fluttered open. After blinking a few times, everything came into focus. King Gabriel was shaking me by my shoulders. We were still on the dance floor, and there was still no sound. He was saying something to me, but the words just didn't reach my ears. To his right, Julian and Tristan stood, concerned.

How much time had passed?

When sound finally flowed through my ears, hushed whispers echoed around me.

"Claire! Are you alright? Answer me," the King demanded as he continued to shake my shoulders.

I finally snapped out of my daze. "I'm—yeah, I'm alright."

"What happened?" His eyes searched mine for answers. Julian and Tristan were now right next to us.

I thought carefully of my answer to his question. "I don't know," I lied. "I blacked out. I felt lightheaded and then...I don't know."

King Gabriel looked at me with questioning eyes. His brows furrowed underneath his golden crown. He must have sensed that I was lying. I'm not sure why I did, really. Something in me told me not to say anything; something didn't seem right. There was a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wasn't sure it was even real, but I had a feeling it was. If that's the case, then she was buried alive, and that thought made me feel cold.

"Are you sure?" King Gabriel pressed.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, Claire just told you she doesn't know. Something is clearly wrong." Julian stepped in to my rescue.

He knows.

"Yes, papa. If she says she doesn't know, then she doesn't know. I think we should take her to the medical wing," Tristan agreed.

"Alright. You're right. We need to make sure she is okay and find out what just happened," the King relented.

I put my hands up defensively and backed away. There was no way I was going to the medical wing. I just had a vision, but they didn't know that.

"Wait. No, I'm fine, really. I'm probably just dehydrated," I pleaded.

King Gabriel disagreed, "Claire, we should really take you to be seen."

"Please. I'm fine. I think I just need to sit down and drink some water," I pressed, trying to get out of the situation.

Please don't make me go there.

"Uh, your Highness... How about I take Claire to sit down and get hydrated. I'll watch over her. If she still doesn't feel right, I will take her to the medical wing to be check out," Julian suggested as he glanced at me, knowing how I felt about hospitals.

The Vampire King was quiet for a moment before Tristan broke the silence. "We do need her at the ball. While you make your speech, she needs to be there. Isn't that the whole point of this? They need to see her as a public figure. She needs to represent the human race. If she is taken to the medical wing, it may not look right," Tristan explained.

The King mulled it over. "You're right, son. Okay, Julian. Watch over her. Make sure she drinks plenty of water," King Gabriel ordered, as both Tristan and Julian inched closer to me. "Tristan, I need you to talk to Lord Valasquez about where we are at with our blood bank stock."

Tristan clenched his jaw, visibly against the idea of Julian being alone with me. I could tell he was jealous and still agitated that we never finished our conversation.

His eyes locked on mine. "Of course, papa. I'll see to it," Tristan replied and walked away, but not before stealing once more glance at me.

King Gabriel gave me a strange look before he nodded and disappeared back into the party. Music began to play and people went back to how they were, making it seem like nothing happened. Julian lightly grabbed my hand and led me through the crowd to an empty table. He sat next to me and scooted my chair so I was facing him. Two pools of brown took over my line of sight, but I was distracted by the vision I had. Something made me want to see the gravesite myself. It was calling to me.

"Are you okay?"

"I don't know..." I sighed while pushing back a few curls.

"I know what happened, princess. I seen it when you did," Julian admitted.

"You saw my vision too?" I asked.

I honestly forgot that if he wanted to, he could see inside my mind. He must have when the King made a scene.

"I did... I don't even know what to make of that." He rubbed his eyebrow. "We buried Eretria in her own plot in the royal cemetery. Your vision shows that she was buried in an unmarked grave. I'm not sure if it was real because I watched her be lowered into the ground. It makes no sense."

"I don't know, Julian. It seemed real. I've been seeing what I think are her memories," I revealed while looking around us.

"You've been seeing her memories? Like what?" He asked, intrigued.

"I had a vision that she was pregnant and told Tristan in the garden, and I saw her die in the woods. Tristan did something to her with light after she was staked in the heart. He kept doing it, and then King Gabriel showed up. Every time I dream about a memory, more detail is added."

Julian's eyes widened with...fear? Surprise? The look on his face scared me. It was as if he saw a ghost.

"I—I can't believe... Those things happened. I don't understand how you can see them. When I first touched you, I knew there was something about you, but I didn't know what..."

"Wait, so those were her memories? Those things happened? Then why am I seeing them? Julian...why me? I don't understand why this is happening," Word vomit came out of my mouth.

"Hey," Julian cooed and jerked my chair closer to his. "It's okay. I don't know why either, but we will figure it out together. I promise, okay?"

I nodded and put my face in my hands for a few moments. This night was too much with Tristan and then my vision. I couldn't imagine anything else to happen. My mind was completely overwhelmed.

A sudden thought popped into my head. "What was Tristan trying to do to Eretria when she died? A light shot out of his hand," I asked.

"He was using his ability. He can bring back the dead," he answered solemnly.

"Then..."

"Then why didn't it work?" Julian let out a breath. "We don't know. It only doesn't work when someone is dead for too long. His gift works every time. For some reason, it didn't bring her back."

"That's horrible," I replied, saddened by his words. "I couldn't imagine. I saw the pain on his face, Julian. It was complete heartbreak."

He sighed, "Well that's what happens when.."

His voice trailed off, and I knew what he was going to say.

Soulmates.

"Who told you?" He read my mind, surprised.

I was suddenly scared to say anything. I opened my mind to him instead. I wasn't sure how he was going to take what Tristan said about us being soulmates. I didn't want to break Julian's heart. Our dance was an indication that Julian did have feelings for me, and he held a part of my heart as well.

"Tristan said that you guys were soulmates, Claire?"

He used my real name, so I could immediately tell how he was taking this. When I didn't answer him, he continued talking.

"You know how impossible that is? How crazy that sounds?" I flinched at his tone. "He's my best friend, but he is blinded by longing. He may have feelings for you, but it is not from being your soulmate. He already had a soulmate, Claire. She died. You only get one. You don't get a second chance. To top it off, you're a human. It is impossible to feel the bond with a human. Only when they turn into a vampire they can feel that bond. They may have feelings before the transition, but it is nothing compared to the bond of soulmates." Julian's rant was not surprising, considering another guy was claiming me as his.

Julian's words clicked in my mind. It made no sense how Tristan and I could be soulmates, but then again, everything in my life didn't make sense right now.

"I just don't know, Julian. I want to believe your words, but then what is going on with Tristan? I don't know anything about this stuff. Nothing makes sense right now—the soulmate thing, my dreams, and Eretria," I sniffled and wiped a tear that fell from my eye.

I've always cried when I was frustrated or angry. This whole thing was overwhelming. I couldn't help but think that my life would be normal if that accident that killed my family never happened.

"Hey," Julian whispered and lifted my chin so that our eyes met each other. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to make you upset. None of this is your fault. I'm just confused." His Spanish accent rolled off of his tongue, causing me to get goosebumps.

I know I felt a connection with Julian, but I felt something with Tristan too. Julian's brown eyes made those conflicting emotions tear away at my brain.

"It's okay." I cleared my throat and sat up straighter.

Soon I would realize that everything was not okay—not even close.