Evan’s face flushed, going beet red.

“My relationship with Yena,” he said, is none of your business.”

Nolan knew full well what kind of relationship Evan wanted with Yena.

He could smell it. It almost made him laugh, to think that the boy actually felt he was fooling anyone. The way he followed his sister around, watching her every move…

Nolan’s blood felt hot. It gave him a tight, unpleasant feeling in his chest, thinking about Yena and Evan.

He took a step toward the door. Yena was still standing there on the porch in an embrace with her adoptive mother, oblivious to the conversation taking place inside.

The prince turned back to Evan and looked him dead in the eye.

“Why is it,” Nolan asked, “that you are so obsessed with her?”

Evan was silent for a few seconds. The two stared each other down, neither one flinching.

“Yena,” Evan finally said, “is the most beautiful girl in the world to me. If you can’t see that — if you can’t see how amazing she is, then let her stay here with me.”

Nolan arched an eyebrow, amused, and asked, “You think I would marry a woman I don’t think is beautiful?”

Evan’s eyes widened.

Maybe that would help stomp out the young wolf’s ambition to steal Yena away from him. Nolan turned away and stepped out on the porch. He touched the girl’s arm and told her it was time to go.

YENA

Tina was fully crying now as the prince pulled me from her arms.

I had told her too much. I shouldn’t have spilled about what Nolan had said after the ball. I wouldn’t have, if I’d thought then that there was any chance I was actually going to marry him.

Tina worried about me all the time no matter what. But now, she felt like her husband had just sold me off to a man who didn’t care about me at all. I know she thought he would treat me badly.

I wanted to show her I wasn’t afraid of Nolan. To try to let her know I was going to be okay. So I stood on my tip toes and kissed the prince on the cheek, to try to show her we were alright together.

I slipped my small hand into Nolan’s as well. He allowed me to, but I felt a tension in his grip, and started to realize he didn’t like what I was doing. He kept hold of my hand until we reached the limo, cooperating with the bit I’d started.

When we got inside, he looked me in the eye and admonished me. I was never to touch him again without his permission, he said. In public, in private, or otherwise.

I laughed. I wasn’t afraid of him. The way he kept trying to reprimand me was getting to be a little funny.

I felt Lily waking up inside me. She smelled Nolan and got my heart started beating faster.

But the prince sat far away from me in the limo this time, and kept himself occupied with more business calls and paperwork. He didn’t even look at me again until we arrived at the palace.

It was exactly what I had expected. Sheer opulence. Total luxury.

All the furniture and artwork in the palace was ornate. And the sun poured in thick through big windows on every wall, drenching everything with white light. Gold fixtures and frames on the walls glowed like they’d just been forged in fire.

The walls were white. The cold marble floors were white. Golden chandeliers hung from the ceilings in every room and hallway.

Pearl and abalone bowls sat atop long tables, full of dried rose petals that filled the air with an almost rotten, sickeningly sweet aroma. Big white couches and chairs we gathered together into little sitting areas in all the various rooms, all tufted and absurdly fluffy.

My luggage looked hilarious sitting at the end of the bed in the room where’d I’d been set up temporarily. In my own home, my belongings looked normal. Just used.

Here, they looked like garbage. The huge bed before me had a big, thick white comforter on it that looked like an actual cloud. Every object in the room was so, so clean.

A deaconess came in and introduced herself. I didn’t need to tell her much — she looked at my open suitcase and smiled at me. She’d bring me a change of clothes, she said, and she told me to go and get washed up while I waited for her to return.

I was surprised to find the deaconess trying to haul off with my suitcase when I got back after taking a shower.

“Stop!” I shouted at her. She was a bit stunned, and set the suitcase down on the floor.

“I brought you fresh clothes, though, like I told you,” she said.

“I’ll wear them,” I replied. “But that doesn’t mean I have to throw away everything I own. My mother bought me those clothes…”

My voice trailed off. It was interesting that I called Tina my mother. I felt like I was seeing and appreciating that woman more than ever today, having had to leave her behind.

The deaconess was not happy.

“But you’ll never wear them again,” she argued.

“Tell me what is the harm in keeping them anyway,” I snapped. “Tell me!”

Finally she backed down and left me be.

The room I was given was mine alone. I went in and pushed the big double doors closed and locked them behind me. It felt good to be alone at last.

I wouldn’t move into a bedroom to share with Nolan until after we were married.

Married. It still seemed surreal.

Even then, while I lay flat in the cloud bed, looking up at a ceiling covered with tiles made of paper-thin gold foil — it didn’t seem real.

The deaconess brought some dinner to my room, leaving it for me atop a folding table she brought in and set up beside the bed. I ate and relaxed a little. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been able to do that — relax.

I fell asleep wrapped up in the white comforter, but didn’t nap for long. The sun was almost finished setting when I woke up. I changed into some of my new clothes.

I had to admit they were really lovely. The fabrics were incredible. The silks were softer than any I’d ever felt before.

I crept out of my room and walked around a little, planning to familiarize myself with my new home. The halls were creepy quiet, and now that there was no more sunlight pouring in through the big windows, it was uncomfortably dark and full of long, strange shadows.

I turned a corner and bumped into Nolan.

He was damp and naked, except for a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist.

I felt my body respond. I stepped closer to him, unable to take my eyes off his broad chest. I remembered the feeling of running my fingers through the rough patch of hair in the center of it.

“You’re drooling, fat girl,” he said, his mouth twitching into a smile.