E

    The diamond ne was admittedly beautiful. It hung delicately from Alexander’s hands, tiny stones catching the light and throwing rainbows across the vault walls.

    But it could never rece Lilith’s locket. Nothing could.

    Still, the gesture itself was touching. Alexander was trying to give me his great- grandmother’s ne in an attempt to make up for what had happened to Lilith’s locket.

    “You don’t have to,” I said quietly. “It’s a family heirloom

    ”

    “I want to.” Alexander stepped closer and twirled one finger. “Turn around.”

    I did as he asked, lifting my hair out of the way. His fingers were warm against the back of my neck as he sped the ne, and I shivered at the contact. The diamonds settled against my corbone, heavier than Lilith’s delicate silver chain had been but just as warm.

    “There.” Alexander’s hands rested on my shoulders for a moment, warm and broad, before he took a step back. “Perfect.”

    I turned back to face him, one hand automatically going to the ne. “It’s gorgeous. But Alexander, I can’t help but wonder… are there strings attached?”

    He frowned. “What do you

    mean?”

    “I mean, are you expecting me to wear this to the banquet? To show it off like some kind of token of your…” I bit my lower lip as I struggled to find the right words. “Your fake affection?”

    “E, no.” Alexander stepped closer, close enough that I had to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “I’m not giving this to you for political reasons. I’m giving it to you

    because you lost something important today, and I wanted to give you something beautiful to take its ce.”

    The sincerity in his green eyes made my breath lodge in my throat. “You mean that?”

    “I do.”

    One thrum down the bond was all it took. One single pulse of promise, like a soft whisper caressing my mind, and I knew he was telling the truth.

    My shoulders deted with a soft sigh, and for a moment, neither of us spoke. I couldn’t seem to find the right words, not when we were surrounded by all of these artifacts and he was looking at me like I was the most valuable thing in the room.

    “I’m sorry about the locket,” he said. “I know how much it meant to you.”

    “It’s not your fault. Gabriel was the one who-”

    “I should have told you what I was nning. If you’d known I wanted to surprise you with it, none of this would have happened.”

    Before I could answer, Alexander’s hand came up to frame my face, and suddenly we were standing so close I could feel the warmth from his body enveloping me like a cocoon. His eyes dropped to my lips, and mine dropped to his. The bond pulsed againb, /bor perhaps that was my traitorous heart ying tricks on me.

    Suddenly, another sharp cramp shot through my lower abdomen. I gasped and doubled over, both hands flying to my stomach.

    “E!” Alexander’s arms were around me instantly, although he hardly touched me, as if he were afraid I might shatter. “What’s wrong?”

    “Just a cramp,” I managed through gritted teeth. “I think the stress from earlier is catching up with me.

    Alexander’s face went pale. “We need to get you upstairs. You need to rest.”

    He helped me out of the vault and up the stairs, one arm wrapped securely around my waist. By the time we reached our bedroom, the cramping had mostly subsided, but Alexander insisted on helping me into bed anyway.

    “Should I call Dr. Evelyn?” he asked as I leaned back on the pillows.

    I shook my head. “I’m fine now. I think it was just the panic from being trapped in there.” I touched the diamond ne again. “The baby is okay.”

    Alexander didn’t look convinced, but didn’t argue. Before I knew it, I found myself drifting off to sleep. And Alexander stayed with me, his hand rubbing soothing circles across my belly until I nodded off.

    When I woke up a few hourster, Alexander was gone, but there was a ss of water and some crackers on the nightstand beside me. I sat up slowly, relieved when no more cramping followed, and reached for the water.

    My fingers found the diamond ne again as I drank. It really was beautiful. Delicate but substantial, clearly worth a fortune. And Alexander had just… given it to me with no strings attached.

    That was what confused me most about all of this.

    Alexander could be so sweet and tender at times, treating me like I was his true love. The way he’d looked at me in the vault, the way his hands had lingered on my skin when he’d put the ne on me… it had felt real. Genuine.