“Deep breaths, Mark, deep breaths,” his uncle cautioned, one hand pressed along the small of Mark’s back. The touch was one that made Mark feel instantly uncomfortable, and it was an automatic kind of recoiling in him that Mark could only guess stemmed from how his uncle and Zhou Mi had been working to manipulate Mark over his match.

Of course contrary to what Kyuhyun thought, that didn’t make Mark’s uncle a traitor. It didn’t make him evil. It just made him less good in Mark’s eyes, and less like the adoring, selfless uncle Mark had built him up to be over the years.

Still, there was no getting away from the thoughts that were creeping up on Mark at every possible second. He still didn’t believe Kyuhyun’s theories, but if his uncle was capable of this, what else was he capable of?

Mark kept his eyes straight ahead, on the double doors that would open in seconds and reveal to him the little over two hundred and fifty guests who were there to witness his transition into adult vampire society.

“You were born for this moment,” his uncle added. “Relish in it.”

Relish. Ha. Mark wanted to crawl in a hole and not come out for a hundred years. He didn’t want to face Zhou Mi who was a liar, his uncle who was possibly a murderer according to Kyuhyun, or any of the fake faces that were poised to grin at him and pretend as if they truly cared. They were the same people who were going to talk behind his back at the first chance, and judge him harshly over anything and everything.

Upon a second consideration, he knew there would be at least a couple of friendly, genuine faces, too. At least a few of his parent’s long time friends would be in the room, along with Henry and Amber and others who Mark felt comfortable around. He’d just focus on them, he decided, and nothing else.

“I’m ready,” Mark said, barely able to turn his head from the heavy starch of the high collar he wore. He hadn’t gotten to pick his own clothes for the event, and instead he’d ended up in the rare ceremonial clothes that were specifically representative of his family. Mark had worn the uniform only once before, and didn’t remember the high collar, tight jacket and itchy sash, being so uncomfortable. “I’m ready, Uncle Marcus.” More like he was ready to not be alone with the man in the small antechamber.

An attendant signaled to Mark’s uncle and the man put even more pressure on Mark’s back, stating, “Here we go. Chin high, Mark. This is your moment to shine. You are far superior to these people, let them know that you are aware of that.”

God, how Mark couldn’t wait to get away from his uncle’s rhetoric. It had always been a little worrying before, and disagreeable. Now he and his views were something completely different.

The doors opened and for a half second Mark was blinded by the lights and the glitz. He got his bearing shortly after that, but even if he hadn’t, there was no time to stop. His uncle was pushing him along into a huge crowd of people who were dressed like something out of a Victorian era movie. Mark had been to plenty of vampire parties, even formal ones, but never one that looked as if time travel had been involved.

They all looked ridiculous, even if they were beautiful, too.

It was the first time Mark was actually seeing the huge room decorated for his introduction, at least from the inside. He’d lurked around hours earlier, but hadn’t been courageous enough to peek in. But now that he was seeing it, even he had to admit it was absolutely gorgeous. The ceiling sparkled like magic, the hardwood floor shined with polish, and the decorations were tasteful without being tacky or overwhelming.

“Up here,” his uncle guided, pulling him through a group of people who were all calling to him how wonderful he looked, how pleased they were to be invited, how much he looked like this father, how they couldn’t wait to see him ascend to the head of his family, and other things that Mark blocked out.

On the plane Zhou Mi had said that a majority of the council was expected to be present, as his introduction signaled him stepping up to sit the head of the fourth family, but he hadn’t expected almost all of them to be before him. But he could spot them easily, heads and heirs dressed in their own family’s dress uniforms. Mark made a quick count of nine other heads of family, including Siwon and Kyuhyun. It was truly reflective as to how big of a deal this event was to the council.

Mark gave each of them, with the bravest face he could manage, a polite word or two, and lingered on Kyuhyun to murmur at him, “I need to talk to you,” before being pulled again by his uncle.

Kyuhyun arched an eyebrow, but also nodded his head.

“Ladies and gentleman!” Mark heard his uncle call out as he concentrated on not tripping his way up the small platform at the head of the room. “Your attention please!”

Mark looked out into the crowd. He didn’t recognize anyone, save for a few faces he’d seen once or twice in his life. His parent’s friends, no doubt. Otherwise he was taking in faces that meant nothing to him.

He felt his uncle clasp both his hands from the side and hold him out to the group, then he said, “The fourth family has been marked with much tragedy as of late. My sister and nieces and nephew are irreplaceable, and my heart is burdened by their passing.”

And his father. Mark wanted to shout himself blue that his father had also been a victim. His father, who had probably fought to the end to protect Mark’s mother and Grace, deserved to be recognized too. Because no matter the animosity or downright hatred between Mark’s father and uncle, his father had been a remarkable, inspirational, wonderful person. He’d been doting and loving and kind. He’d been an outstanding husband, too. And he deserved recognition.

It was petty of his uncle not to mention his father, and it made the bad taste in Mark’s mouth concerning the vampire, all that much more stronger.

“But!” his uncle thundered, “despite this loss, there is still one thing left to celebrate.”

A cheer went up and Mark spotted Zhou Mi in the crowd. He looked absolutely dashing in his suit, dressed in his family’s colors of dark green and black. And regardless of how upset and angry the man made Mark right now, he couldn’t dispute that he was heaven to look at. Or rather the more apt description was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Zhou Mi was a liar and a cheat, and Mark wanted nothing to do with him. He was counting the minutes until he could dissolve their match.

And he was feeling particularly petty enough to do it publicly, as well.

It would be an extra burn, if not total humiliation, to do it publicly. Especially when Mark knew he was expected to announce his full commitment to the match, and nothing else.

A second later, with the cheers not dying down, but with Mark straightening up for the moment, his uncle said boisterously “I present to you my nephew, for his introduction, my namesake, heir to the fourth family, descendant from the first vampire, lord and prince, Mark Tuan.”

It was somewhat like a bomb exploding. Mark fought to keep his ground as polite clapping turned to frantic cheering, and it seemed like everyone was trying to get his attention. Everyone wanted to make an impression with him, and try to curry his favor.

“Smile,” his uncle said roughly in his ear, shaking him just slightly. “Smile for them.”

Mark did, forcing the expression onto his face, too terrified of the grip his uncle had on him to do otherwise. Because the way his uncle was holding him hurt. For the first time ever, his uncle was physically hurting him.

His eyes found Zhou Mi’s in the crowd and he hated that he did it so instinctually, as if he hadn’t been hurt and betrayed by the man.

It only felt worse when Mark spotted Lu Han, no doubt present to record the even for the council. The short vampire wound easily through the crowd to reach Zhou Mi’s side. He whispered something, though not very much, at Zhou Mi, and then turned away from him. Zhou Mi’s face fell, along with his gaze to the floor, and Mark felt a sudden spike of anxiety and anger.

It was the same way he’d felt when he and Jackson had been attacked.

Mark nearly swayed. He couldn’t hadn’t losing control again. He couldn’t risk the beast getting out and doing damage especially at an event of this importance. But there was something very important about how it reacted to seeing Lu Han say something hurtful to Zhou Mi.

He wondered if it meant his instincts, his pure vampire urges, were geared towards Zhou Mi on a level he couldn’t understand. And if so, how did Mark do away with it? How did he even begin to handle it?

After a proper length of time, things progressed along so that Mark stood at the center of the room’s attention, carefully receiving a tall flute of champagne from a cousin of his that he hadn’t seen in a long time. She was his second or third, he wasn’t sure, and they hadn’t been together in well over a year. But she was a sweet kid, almost a teen, and when she gave him a supportive wink, he grinned widely at her.

He held up the glass to the crowd and cleared his throat, his eyes drifting until they caught Kyuhyun to the side. He tried to take strength from the way Kyuhyun gave him a firm nod. Mark told himself he’d completely memorized the small speech he was supposed to give. He had it down. He could recite it in his sleep.

“I would like to thank all of my guests for giving me the pleasure of their company,” Mark started, actually a bit proud that he’d managed to write the speech all by himself. He’d had input from several people, and had run it by his uncle for his approval, but these were his words, and all of them were something he meant. “I am fully aware that it’s often difficult, or dangerous, for so many of us to gather in one place. Therefore I give my most humble appreciation. The fourth family is honored.”

From the side of the room Henry and Amber gave him dual thumbs up.

Mark pressed on, “This is a great and monumental time in my life, and sharing it with the most influential and respected purebloods is all I could have asked for.”

Flattery, Mark recalled. He had to flatter them. Make them feel special. He had to pull for their favor just as they were trying for his. It was all a balancing act, or a game of chess.

“As I enter adulthood,” Mark continued, “I vow to uphold vampire tradition, respect its laws, further this race, and protect our secrets. This is my pledge to all of you, and to all vampires in existence.”

Perfect.

Mark couldn’t help a huge sigh of relief as the clapping kicked up again. He’d remembered the words perfectly and delivered them strongly. He barely believed he’d pulled it off.

Mark took a long drink from his glass, then handed it off and called for everyone to enjoy the party.

There was mingling to be had for the next few hours. Mark had to work the crowd, moving from group to group, shaking hands and kissing cheeks. It was boring and dull at best, but Mark kept a smile plastered to his face the entire time, unwilling to lose face after putting in some much work.

Eventually, the most dreaded part of the night was upon Mark.

The dancing.

Zhou Mi parted the crowd effortlessly, hand held out for Mark.

Mark had been playing keep away from him rather successfully, but Mark knew he had to dance with him now. He had to hold his hand and pretend as if everything were okay. At least for the moment.

The music kicked up, the twelve piece orchestra in the corner of the room playing a gentle waltz, and Mark could feel every pair of eyes in the room on him. It was the last obligation for the night. Afterwards he could disappear into the crowd and no one would notice.

“You look very handsome,” Zhou Mi complimented in a hushed voice, pulling them further to the center of the room. His hand curled securely around Mark’s waist and there was no fighting the feeling to security the motion brought. “I remember seeing Grace in her ceremonial clothing. Her dress was quite different from the suit you have on now. But no less magnificent.”

“You’re lucky I’m letting you touch me,” Mark returned, his fingers twisting up in Zhou Mi’s. He tried to squeeze the digits painfully, if only to be a brat. But Zhou Mi’s face didn’t register the attempt in the least bit.

“You’re still upset.”

“Of course I’m still upset!” Mark’s words were barely hidden by the music. He concentrated for a moment on getting his feet properly under him, then added, “Who wouldn’t be? I thought you were this standup guy. I thought you were kind and patient and caring, and come to find out, you were planning on having me no matter what. And you made me feel dirty the second I knew money was involved. So yes, be very thankful I care more about not embarrassing my family at the moment, than anything else. Because you make my skin crawl.”

Zhou Mi’s head ducked a little, and with absolute sincerity, he asked, “May I tell you something?“

Mark supposed there were two choices. Either he could let Zhou Mi try to spin an apology on him, or Mark could shut him down and endure the next seven to eight minutes in awkward, agonizing silence. Mark preferred the silence, of course, but there were too many people watching now, and he couldn’t look cold or upset with Zhou Mi. So he was forced to say, “I probably won’t care what you say. And I certainly won’t trust anything you tell me.”

Zhou Mi brushed his cheek against Mark’s, turned them gracefully, and then said, “I am nowhere near the line of succession for my family, Mark. My eldest cousin, elder by an impressive two hundred years and several generations, is the head of my family. His heir, my second cousin, is just as distant. In fact, I calculate that seventy or so family members would need to perish before I would be considered for either position. My family is quite expansive. But that has never bothered me, not once. I’ve no desire for power. However, because the head of the family has the utmost control, this is how I found myself in such a position to be matched to you--arranged to be matched to you.”

“You are seriously not trying to play the sympathy card on me, are you? Because I’m angry at you, hurt and pissed off, so that isn’t really the card to try and play.”

Zhou Mi shook his head. “What I meant to say is, my cousin is foolish in his finances, and he’s run our family into the ground. What good is a pureblood family, to most of the people in this room, if it’s unsustainable? I grew up feeling this pressure, constantly hearing from my parents that I would be matched to whomever could provide the biggest incentive. I say this to you Mark, so you understand, that I had no freedom to choose, much like you believe I’ve stolen from you. I’m ashamed to admit this to you, and I’m not seeking sympathy, but I want you to have a full understanding of the situation and how pathetic is has made me feel.”

Even Mark had to admit, “That .”

“It does,” Zhou Mi agreed, “to be constantly reminded that you are only as worthwhile as the money your match can bring--all the while knowing that your family is in dire straights because your head of family, who is supposed to protect his family’s members, cannot help himself from gambling every penny away.”

Mark winced a little and said, “Don’t be mad at Henry. I made him tell me about the arrangement between our families for our match. I saw how much my parents gave to your family for you to be matched to me. I know that to your family, you were just a way to get a huge paycheck.”

Zhou Mi’s grip on Mark tightened, and Mark didn’t think he was wrong in seeing the wetness to Zhou Mi’s eyes as the taller vampire said, “Therefore, in light of the head of my family selling his younger members to feed his gambling issue, being matched to you, with your expansive fortune, was something my family leapt at the chance for. They asked for as much as they dared, more than they deserved, and they did it knowing full well that your parents would pay to see their son matched with the person they found most appropriate. I’m once more shamed, Mark, to know that my family attempted to take advantage of yours in that way.”

As the music continued on, Mark was thankful to notice other couples slowly beginning to filter onto the dance floor. They took some of the pressure of Mark. And he liked that he got to see Henry twirl Amber across the hardwood floors.

“It’s not like my parents didn’t get something out of it,” Mark pointed out. “I don’t know what it was, I know it wasn’t money, but they did get something worth all that.”

Zhou Mi replied easily, “Your parents were interested in power. I don’t mean this as a slight in any way. They understood that the best way to protect their family, was to have an edge or advantage within council proceedings. So, to the best of my knowledge, if your parents agreed to give a large sum of money at the initial agreement, and a sum nearly equal that when the match was formally announced and finalized, my family agreed to pledge their unwavering support for one hundred years.”

Mark’s eyes widened. “What does that mean?”

“It means, simply, my family would agree to support any official stances your family took, vote however your family voted, and not oppose the fourth family publicly or otherwise, for one hundred years.”

“That can’t be something the council would agree to,” Mark exhaled. The council members and family representatives weren’t supposed to create power vacuums of any kind. There were to be no such power alliances.

Zhou Mi laughed, “This certainly isn’t something that many people know about. There would be punishment dolled out if it was common knowledge.”

But it sort of made sense. Because Mark knew that Kyuhyun loved Grace almost desperately, and she probably would have been able to exercise some kind of control over the sixth family. If Zhou Mi and the thirteenth family were included, that meant at least three prominent families would have made an unofficial alliance of sorts. And those were the only ones Mark knew about. Tammy had been matched into the second family, so that was something as well.

He’d known his parents were clever, but this was brilliant.

Softly, Zhou Mi continued, “After your family passed away, I was contacted by my mother immediately, who passed along a message from the head of the family. She assured me that my cousin and your uncle, who was just recovering at that time, still stood together on the terms of our match. The fourth family would uphold the second transfer of funds, if I managed to win you over and convince you to keep our match. She urged me to push you, if only for the sake of our family’s finances.”

“Push me?”

God, Zhou Mi was so damn good at the sympathy thing.

“Push you,” Zhou Mi agreed. “Towards marriage as quickly as possible, to secure your money for our family. She brokered the deal between your uncle and I to add weight to my attempts. And feeling the pressure, I took it. In many ways I hate my family for what they’ve made me, chattel for lack of a better word, but I’d be amiss to not mention I do still love them. Part of me does. I want them to be well and happy, and money will do that. At least for a time being. Fault me for my actions if you must, Mark. I accept that. But not for the intent behind them.”

Mark took a deep breath. “I’m still mad at you. Don’t think your sob story is changing that.”

“I’m not attempting to change that. You have a right to be angry. I respect and accept that. But allow me to direct you towards the center of my intent.”

Zhou Mi, with his powerful legs and protective grasp, spun them easily around the dance floor. Mark and Henry had taken lessons when they were much younger, a requirement of most purebloods, but Mark had never been a strong dancer. Zhou Mi made Mark feel strong. He made him feel like he barely had to do any of the work, as if he were just gliding across the floor effortlessly.

“Mark? Do you see the young girl in the green dress?”

At Zhou Mi’s words, Mark looked for her. And he found her fairly easily, being that she was one of the few children in the room. She didn’t look to be more than twelve or thirteen, but she was exquisitely beautiful. “I see her.” She shared a good deal of facial features with Zhou Mi, and was almost exotic in her beauty. When she grew up a bit more, she was going to be exceptionally gorgeous, probably in only a few short years.

Zhou Mi said, “That is my sister, Liling. Regardless of what I feel for my parents, likely resentment, she is my world. I love her more than the moon itself. I made the deal with your uncle knowing full well that if I didn’t marry you, if I didn’t produce the money for my family, she would end up being the victim. She’ll be eligible for an introduction in a few years, and I abhor the match that my family will arrange for her based on money. They’ll care nothing of her feelings, as they cared nothing of mine. And I can’t see her hurt like I’ve been. I can’t see her forced into a terrible marriage for money. So instead I shoulder the burden to take the weight off hers.”

For the first time Mark looked up at him, catching his gaze, seeing the pain in his eyes. “Money will protect her?”

“Marrying you would have,” Zhou Mi corrected. “Because you are the head of your family now, which means absolute authority within your family, and an impressive amount outside. If we were matched, then married, you’d have sway over who she ended up matched to, as per the agreement between our families. You could protect her and make sure she wasn’t hurt or mistreated in any way, and that is why I attempted to coerce you into caring for me. I did it for her. Everything was for her.”

Mark looked for her again, so pretty in he green dress, black curls falling down along her face. A second later she saw him and her face lit up. Mark thought for a second she was reacting to Zhou Mi, but her eyes were completely on him. She was smiling at him.

“She likes you a lot,” Zhou Mi told him.

“Me?” Mark asked, jerking a bit. “How …”

“I see her as often as I can,” Zhou Mi said. “She always wants to hear stories about the heroic head of the fourth family.”

“Heroic?” Mark asked in confusion. “Have you been making up stories>”

Zhou Mi’s sister, Liling, who was dancing with a much older female vampire, pulled her hand free of the proper dancing stance to wave at him before their trajectories took them too far apart.

“I told her the truth, Mark.” Zhou Mi leaned closer. “I told her about a vampire who suffered a horrible, devastating lost, and who nearly felt apart from the pain of it. But that same vampire chose to rise up and become a man, taking on endless responsibilities, and doing so with dignity and courage and most importantly, kindness. That’s what I told her, and I admit, my sister has a perchance for stories about heroes in the face of adversity, but I promise, there was no embellishing of my stories. She’ll want a dance later tonight. Please grant her one.”

“I’m sorry about your situation,” Mark offered, really feeling it. Anger and sympathy were rising, whether he wanted the emotions to or not, because he couldn’t blame Zhou Mi anymore. What if Mark had been in the same position? What if he’d been trying to protect Joey from a terrible forced marriage? “I’ll give her a dance, don’t worry. But what … um …about your options …”

“I’ll discern the answer to my problems on my own,” Zhou Mi said confidently, though he didn’t look it. “As I told you before, I made this deal with your uncle long before I knew your heart and soul. I could no more hurt you than I could hurt my sister. I won’t fight being released from our match. I will not hurt you by taking your freedom from you.”

After another turn Mark saw a flash of Henry still dancing with Amber. She wore a loose but pretty dress. Most importantly, it hid her growing stomach.

“Zhou Mi,” Mark said, holding tighter to the older man. “I know the secret you’ve been keeping for Henry. Or rather, I know the secret you’ve been keeping for Amber.”

Zhou Mi gave him a surprised look, one that had a hint of being impressed. “How did you come to such a conclusion?”

“I didn’t exactly work it out on my own, I should admit.” A grin broke on Mark’s face. “I stupidly walked into the wrong room at the right time.” Mark leaned even closer and whispered, “Amber’s pregnant.”

Zhou Mi gave no sign of recognition for what felt like the longest amount of time, then asked, “Do you realize why they’ve been fiercely guarding this secret?”

“Because they’re not getting married until next spring?” That had to be it. Getting pregnant before marriage, as long as it did happen before the baby was born, wasn’t considered anything out of the ordinary. But there was no way they were getting married before the baby came if they kept their current date, and it was sure to be a scandal. Not to mention they’d already had the wedding date moved up twice. Most vampires didn’t get married until they were well into their twenties or thirties. But Amber and Henry had argued for an earlier date. Still, the earlier date wasn’t going to cover their mishap.

One more turn around the dance floor and Mark saw Amber more clearly. In her high cut, empire style dress, it was impossible to tell she was pregnant. And the more Mark thought about it, the more he realized that she’d been wearing the kinds of clothing that hid it easily. Even their school uniform had a ton of give in its structure. And Amber wasn’t that far along, if what she and Henry had said was true when Mark had walked in on them. She’d only just started showing, her stomach curving a bit, and it wasn’t noticeable unless you knew to look for it.

“No,” Zhou Mi said, startling Mark.

“Then why not?”

Zhou Mi leaned down and pressed his lips near Mark’s ear, never missing a beat as they waltzed. “Because, Mark, your cousin is absolutely terrified of what your uncle might do if he knew. Or rather, how he would use the child to manipulate Henry into doing anything and everything.”

It was mind boggling, and Mark had to voice, “I always knew there was some tension between uncle and Henry, but I never knew their relationship was like this. My mom always just said Henry was too much like his mom, and not enough like his dad, and that was why they had tension. But uncle wouldn’t really use his own grandchild against Henry, right?”

“I don’t know,” Zhou Mi said honestly, “but Henry is about to become a father. His priorities have shifted to his child, and it’s a risk he isn’t willing to take at the moment. It’s understandable. You uncle has always been radical, Mark. But lately he’s become completely unmanageable with his opinions and actions. He seems to be losing his grip with reality around him, and that scares Henry and Amber. It should scare you, too.”

The music was starting to pick up, hopefully into a crescendo that would mark the end of the first and only dance Mark was required to participate in.

“Henry has to know that they won’t be able to hide this for very long,” Mark pointed out. “Amber just hit her second trimester. She’s showing now. She’s got maybe a month more before it’s too obvious. What are they going to do after that? What can I do to help them?”

Zhou Mi gave him a pleased smile. “You never cease to amaze me, Mark”

Mark frowned. “What? Why?”

The hand Zhou Mi had on his waist curled a little tighter as he said, “There are over two hundred people in this room, born and bred to think they are far superior to the person standing next to them. But not one of them, when faced with this kind of situation, would first think of how to protect their family, rather than how to exploit this information.”

Mark felt a lump form in his throat. Why was being complimented by Zhou Mi such a thrill to him?

“In any case,” Zhou Mi said, “Henry and Amber were very aware that they didn’t have to hide the pregnancy for very long. Just until you were introduced and became the head of your family.”

“That matters?”

“Of course it does, Zhou Mi said easily. “Because now they can elope and they’ll have your permission to do so. That effectively takes away most of your uncle’s power over Henry, and protects his child.”

Permission. Mark wanted to laugh at that. Henry wasn’t the type to need permission for anything, least of all from his four years younger cousin. But Mark was slowly starting to realize the imbalance of power within the pureblood vampires. It was something he was grateful his parents had hidden from him for so long.

“So I guess this is where you tell me why Henry and Amber disappeared for a couple days.”

Mark had been right about the music. It was obviously coming to an end, which meant he and Zhou Mi were almost done dancing. If he stayed on the floor, trying to sneak another dance with Zhou Mi to learn more information, he’d risk almost certainly having to dance with someone else. That wasn’t something he wanted. He had big plans to slink out of the ballroom as fast as possible, get back to his room and hide for the remainder of the night.

“They left to get permission from the head of Amber’s family to elope,” Zhou Mi revealed. “Henry will have yours, and she needed hers. Now that they have both, I don’t imagine you’ll see either of them for a couple days after this. They’ll need to elope quickly, before your uncle catches on, before he can put any plans in motion to stop them. Things are changing, Mark. Everything is changing now.”

With a huge sweep of sound the music ended, and Mark found himself clapping along with the others. He was done for the night, he’d fulfilled his obligations, and the weight off his shoulders was something indescribable.

In a teasing tone, Zhou Mi asked, “are you planning on ducking out now?”

Flatly, Mark wondered, “Is it that obvious?”

“No,” Zhou Mi laughed. He sobered a minute. “But can I burden you for one more dance?”

“Another?” Mark asked with a strained voice.

“For my sister,” Zhou Mi reminded.

Mark’s eyes looked for her in the crowd, and after a second more he spotted her on the other side of the room, bouncing a bit apprehensively as she looked in their direction.

“You don’t have to,” Zhou Mi said softly. “If you wish to make your getaway, go now. I’ll dance with her instead. She won’t be too disappointed. I think she’s happy enough just to be left off our family’s property. She doesn’t take well to confinement.”

No matter the conflicting feelings Mark knew he was drowning in with Zhou Mi, his sister didn’t deserve to feel any of the backlash. She was innocent. And if she wanted a dance, how could Mark deny her.

“Okay,” Mark said, and it didn’t feel like a burden like he’d expected it to. “I’ll dance with her.”

Zhou Mi beckoned her over and she was all but sprinting to their side, her tiny feet slapping loudly as she rushed to them.

“Prince Mark,” she gushed out, breathing deeply and then dipping into a deeper curtsy.

“Behave yourself, mei-mei,” Zhou Mi told her affectionately, passing a hand over her head as Mark took her into his arms and the music began once more.

“Thank you for dancing with me,” she said quickly, proving like Zhou Mi, to be a better dancer than Mark was. “I know your dance card must be terribly full.” She blushed in a pretty way and leaned into his hold slightly.

“Of course it isn’t full for you,” Mark assured her.

Her head tipped up almost comically to peer at him. “Thank you very much, Prince Mark.” It was astounding to him how tiny and petite she was in comparison to her lager than life brother. “Thank you so much.”

Mark missed a step, but she was such a deft dancer that she made it seem like nothing had happened at all. “For what, Liling?”

Even quieter, she said, “For making my brother smile. He never smiles at anything anymore. Except at you.”

She didn’t meant it to be manipulative in any way. Mark knew that. She was only a child. She was years younger than he was, and probably cloistered away and unaware of how vampire politics worked.

But when Mark looked for Zhou Mi, finding him across the room speaking with Henry and Amber, their eyes met. And Zhou Mi was very much smiling at him.

Damn.

In that instance, Mark knew full well that those burgeoning feelings he’d been having for Zhou Mi were still there. He’d thought they were gone for good, but he’d been wrong. He’d been very wrong. And if anything, they were only getting stronger.