Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Tangled Emotions

The night air was thick with tension as Karina stood just outside the castle’s massive gates, her breath forming faint clouds in the cool darkness. She hadn't realized how much she'd been holding in until the cool breeze hit her skin, cooling the heat that had been building inside her chest ever since the prince's confrontation. 

The feeling of Caden's hand in hers still lingered, as if the spark from his touch hadn't quite faded. She wasn’t sure what to make of it yet—of *him*. Everything had happened so quickly, and yet there was a depth to what they’d shared in those fleeting moments. A connection that was undeniable. But she couldn’t let herself be distracted. Not now. 

*Focus,* she reminded herself. She had bigger things to deal with—things that weren’t about her confusing feelings for Caden. Not yet, anyway. 

Her eyes scanned the courtyard, the flickering torchlight casting shadows across the stone walkway. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the prince and the power that still lingered in her veins, an insidious force that seemed to seep into everything she touched. But when she turned to glance at Caden, who had stepped away to speak with a guard, her heart gave an unexpected jolt. 

*No, Karina. Don’t get distracted.*

But it was hard to ignore the pull she felt when he was near. He was there with her. He had *chosen* to stand by her—when it would have been easier to let her face the prince alone. The weight of that wasn’t lost on her.

“Karina.”

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned, her heart stuttering at the voice that called her name. A girl. Blond hair cascading in waves down her back, a long cloak that made her appear almost ethereal in the dim light. But it was the smile—the smug, too-perfect smile—that made Karina’s stomach turn.

“Lena?” Karina managed, her voice thick with confusion and irritation. She hadn’t seen Lena in years—since before everything had fallen apart with her parents, and before she'd been dragged into this world of vampires and bloodlines.

Lena stepped closer, her gaze briefly flicking over Karina, assessing her. Karina felt the unease settle in her stomach as Lena’s smile only widened. 

“I see you’ve been busy,” Lena said, her voice dripping with honeyed sweetness, though the undertone was anything but friendly. “I thought you were... *gone* for good, Karina. But I suppose the prince *does* have a way of pulling people back in, doesn’t he?”

Karina stiffened, her jaw clenching. “I’m not here for him. You know that.”

Lena’s eyes narrowed for a moment, but then she gave a soft laugh that seemed to echo in the night air. “Oh, I know. But don’t think for a second that I didn’t notice you and Caden. Looks like you’ve made yourself quite at home, haven’t you?” She looked pointedly at Karina’s hand, still holding the memory of Caden’s touch, though he had pulled away to speak with someone else.

Karina’s stomach twisted, and her instinct was to pull her hand away, but she held it firm. Lena was baiting her. *Don’t give her the satisfaction.*

“I don’t know what you’re implying,” Karina said, keeping her voice level despite the uncomfortable heat creeping up her neck. “Caden and I—”

Lena raised an eyebrow, her lips curling. “Oh, I know what I saw, Karina.” She stepped even closer, her perfume heavy in the air. “And I know what *he* used to feel for me.”

Karina’s breath hitched, and her pulse quickened at the mention of the past. She hadn’t expected Lena to bring it up—*him*—but there it was. The past, rising up like a flood. Caden. The boy who had once been hers. Or at least, *she* had thought he was. 

A jolt of jealousy tightened in her chest, and she fought against it, though the feeling was so sharp it almost took her breath away. *Why does it matter? Why should it matter?*

“I’m not here to compete with you, Lena,” Karina said coolly, squaring her shoulders. “If you’re still here to play your games with Caden, then you’ve come to the wrong place.”

Lena chuckled, the sound mocking. “Oh, Karina. I’m not playing any games. You should know that by now. What Caden and I shared... it wasn’t just some fling.” She leaned in closer, her voice dropping lower, almost too intimate. “He’s always been mine.”

*Mine.* 

The word stuck to Karina like tar, pulling at something deep inside her. There was no *logic* to it—she and Caden had never been anything more than two people tangled up in an impossible situation. But hearing Lena say that, hearing her claim Caden with such certainty—it stung.

The jealousy that surged through her was something she didn’t know how to handle, and it made her stomach churn. *Why do I even care?*

“*Used* to be,” Karina said, her voice sharper now, the words coming out before she could stop them. “I don’t think you have any claim on him anymore.”

Lena’s eyes flashed with a momentary, dangerous gleam. “You think it’s that simple?” she asked, her voice going cold. “That he’d just forget everything we shared? All that time we spent together?”

Karina felt a sharp pang in her chest, a momentary rush of *doubt*. She couldn’t deny it—there had been something between Lena and Caden, something real. She had seen it in their eyes when they’d been together. But that was before. Before everything had changed. Before Caden had stood by her side when it mattered most.

“Lena, that was a long time ago,” Karina said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “And I’m not here to fight over him. I’m here because this world... this mess... it doesn’t have room for petty rivalries. If you’ve come back to try and pick up where you left off, then you’ve made a mistake.”

Lena’s face tightened, her lips curling into a sneer. “I haven’t come to fight you, Karina,” she said, the mockery in her voice still clear. “But don’t fool yourself. Caden may be with you now, but he’s not going to stay. He’s mine. He’ll always be mine. And you’ll find out, eventually, just how easily he slips back into my arms.”

The words hit harder than Karina expected, a deep ache forming in her chest. But before she could respond, a voice cut through the tension.

“Lena.”

Caden’s voice, cool and commanding, sliced through the air. Karina turned sharply, her heart beating a little faster at the sight of him. He was standing at the entrance to the courtyard, his expression unreadable, though his eyes were locked on Lena with a palpable tension.

“I think you’ve said enough,” Caden added, his voice steady but filled with an edge Karina hadn’t heard from him before.

Lena shot him a look, her smile faltering just slightly before it returned in full force. “Oh, Caden. Don’t worry. I know when to leave. But don’t think for a second that this is over.”

She turned and walked away, her heel clicking sharply against the stone, leaving behind a thick, uncomfortable silence.

Caden was still standing at the entrance, his eyes now on Karina. There was something unreadable in his expression, but Karina could feel the weight of it pressing down on her. The way Lena had spoken... the things she had said... they had hit harder than she’d expected.

Caden stepped closer, his gaze searching Karina’s face, though he didn’t say anything at first. Karina felt the urge to look away, to retreat into herself, but she didn’t. Instead, she stood her ground, feeling the strange burn of jealousy still flickering in her chest.

“She’s... she’s still in your head, isn’t she?” Karina asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, the words escaping before she could stop them. “Lena. After all this time?”

Caden didn’t flinch, but the weight of her question hung in the air. He exhaled slowly, his gaze softening just a little. 

“I won’t deny the past,” he said, his voice low, “but you’re here now, Karina. And that’s what matters. Not her. Not what happened before.”

But Karina couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted. That the fragile space they had built between them might already be cracked. And Lena, with her confident smile and claim on the past, had just set the pieces in motion.

And Karina... didn’t know if she could stop it.