She’s too young, too wealthy, too privileged… and that’s not even counting the fact that her brother is my best friend. She is the very definition of taboo and off-limits.
I heave a sigh and start searching the crowd for Stellan.
2
Annika
I look out the rear window of the chauffeured car, pressing a hand to the cool glass of the window. The sun has slunk behind the horizon now and the last rays of light are slowly disappearing on this June night. I stare at the bright flashes of Copenhagen’s stately skyline as we drive.
As the manor comes into view, I gaze at it out the window. My eyes widen as the car swings around the long, perfectly landscaped driveway. Every light is on in the house, every door thrown open. There are people spilling out of the house and across the lawn.
Straining to look out the window, I can hear the techno being pumped through the unseen sound system. I start laughing, looking over at my best friend Kalindi. She glances at the looming mansion, tucking a few strands of her long, shiny, black-brown hair behind her ear. A blush creeps into her cheeks, pink tinging her tawny skin just in the apples of her cheeks.
“I can’t believe that Stellan sent us here,” she mutters. Her accent is a melting pot of cultures: a little Indian, overlaid with British and Swiss, and finally finished off with just a dash of Danish. She turns her head to look at me. “Annika, are you listening to me?”
I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “Yes. You were saying that you are surprised that my big brother is supporting this enormous party. And my response is that it’s a whole new world out there. Stellan and Margot just told us as much by announcing their engagement tonight.”
She frowns just a bit. “Surely you support their marriage. Even though Margot is an American and a commoner.” She makes a sound of distaste. “I actually hate that term. It’s rather colonial, isn’t it?”
I sigh. “I have no problem with them. Margot is nicer than most of the girls who tried to date Stellan. And I have to love her fire.” I smooth out my skirt. “I’m just apprehensive about the press. They’ve been following me absolutely everywhere lately. If the paparazzi get one more photo of me that they can splash across the headlines of their papers, the royal press office may have a collective heart attack.”
She wrinkles her nose daintily. “We don’t have to go to this party, Nika. I mean… it is totally okay to tap out after… you know…”
My cheeks go pink and I look down into my lap. “My latest and greatest brush with being admitted to a psychiatric ward?”
“Well… yes,” she admits. “The doctors said that you just had a panic attack but…” She grabs my hand, looking at me with serious eyes. “I was there, Nika. And it was scary. You never had panic attacks before we came back to Copenhagen. Playing the royal princess and having the spotlight on you isn’t doing you any favors.”
I sigh, squeezing her hand. “Kal, you are sweet to worry. But I feel fine. I just…” I look out the window again, biting my lower lip. “I need to stay out of the newspapers. Stellan asked me to ‘cool it’ until the wedding so…”
She nods. “Got it. We should be able to stay off their radar.” She turns to look out the window, eyeing the scene with some skepticism. “I mean, this mansion looks like someone’s house.”
I lean forward, excited. “This afterparty is going to be wild. I doubt if Stellan even knew that, because he’s such a fun vampire. This night just got interesting.”
Kalindi looks at me, scrunching her nose as the driver pulls the car to a halt. “I hate it when you say that. It inevitably turns out insane rather than interesting.”
I grin, opening my door. Loud music pours into the car, thudding so hard that I can feel it in my bones. “Come on!”
I scoot out, straightening my white linen dress. It’s super short and strappy, showing a rather daring amount of cleavage.
Well, what little I have, anyway.
“Princess Annika!” A couple of giggling teenaged girls call to me. “Can we have your autograph? Please?”
They wave a piece of paper and a pen in front of my face. I take a deep breath, then give them my most dazzling smile. “Of course. Tell me your names!”
One girl squeals. The other tells me their names.
“Sofia and Agnes,” she says. “I don’t have the words to tell you how much this means to me. God, I have to call my mother and tell her. She’ll be so jealous that I got to meet you!”
I shift from foot to foot, my perfect princess smile unwavering. “Tak, ladies. It is awfully nice to meet you as well.”
I spend a full minute chatting with them and signing their piece of paper. When we’re done, they run off into the deepening darkness, excited beyond words.
Kalindi favors me with a look. “You are so nice to everyone you meet. If I were you and I were accosted here, I would tell them to take a hike.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s a part of my job, Kal.”
“Is it?” she asks. “Have you figured out what you’re doing with your life, other than being an actual princess?”
My mouth pulls down. “No. I haven’t, thank you very much. Now if you don’t mind… there’s all kinds of excitement waiting right here.”
I squint out at the party raging in front of us. The mansion itself is quaint, red brick and covered in ivy. There are probably nearly a hundred party guests on the lawn alone, drinking and talking, tapping a keg in the far corner. The front door is open like a hungry mouth, inviting us in.
I grab Kalindi by the hand and halfway drag her up across the manicured lawn. She allows it too, her free hand fluttering over her conservative, preppy outfit. Her white blouse is tucked into a light blue skirt, topped off with a herringbone tweed jacket.
I slide her a look as we climb the steps of the front porch. “Expecting to see someone?”
She looks at me, blushing. “No.” I narrow my gaze at her, and she lifts her chin. “I’m not. I’m just… being prepared. You should try it some time.”
I grin, pulling her deeper inside the house.
Taking a deep breath, I reach in my purse for a piece of hard candy wrapped in a shiny gold colored wrapper. I pop it in my mouth and let it start to melt onto my tongue. The creamy toffee flavor instantly brightens my mood.
I can admit it; I’m more than a little addicted to these hard candies. And because they are low in sugar, I pop four or five of them in my mouth a day. Just whenever I need a little boost.
Once we get past the doorway everything is harder to make out. If there are any lights on in here, I don’t see them; I continue straight down the main hallway, bumping into at least a dozen people, squeezing past a whole clump of girls gathered at the foot of the grand staircase.
Once we are past them, we make it into the kitchen. There I find Stellan and Margot, holding court in one corner, leaning against the kitchen counter. A dozen people I don’t recognize are gathered around them. The music is a fraction quieter in here, so when Stellan sees me, he raises a plastic cup.
“Annika is here!” he calls.
My lips twitch. He and Margot are clearly drunk; poor little Margot doesn’t look like she can stand on her own. It’s a little cute how she leans on Stellan. She looks at my ridiculously hardheaded brother like he’s the reason for her very existence. He slips his arm around her and pulls her closer.