The Vampire Prince's Practice Run

After the potion wore off, I was completely drained.

Chloe video-called me. "Did it work?"

"Yeah," I said, using the wall to pull myself up. "It's gone."

"I booked you a flight to Santorini," Chloe said. "Sun, sand, amazing food… basically, a vampire-free zone. Perfect for healing."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Thank your own courage," she said, then paused. "So, when are you going to tell Damon you switched schools?"

"I'm not," I said calmly. "To him, I'm just a blood bag he can replace at any time."

After we hung up, I blocked Damon on everything.

Ten years of entanglement, ending with a simple tap of a screen.

On my way out, I ran into Damon's friend, Felix.

"Elena!" Felix greeted me warmly. "Are you heading off to Paris with Damon for vacation?"

I froze. "Paris?"

"Yeah, he booked the Royal Suite. Said he needed to blow off some steam," Felix said with a suggestive wink. "Have a great trip, you two."

I didn't bother correcting him. I just smiled. "Thanks."

The smile vanished the second I turned away.

I had asked Damon to take me to Paris so many times. He always said he was too busy with clan affairs.

This trip, obviously, wasn't for me.

Turns out it wasn't that he didn't have time. He just didn't have time for me.

I dragged my suitcase out of the castle. The sunlight felt warm on my skin. After a decade as Damon's servant, I was used to living in the dark. Even though a vampire prince like Damon wasn't harmed by the sun, the species had an instinctual hatred for the day. And I had forced myself to adapt to his world.

The airport was bustling with the vibrant energy of human life.

I was checking in when I heard a commotion behind me.

"It's Mr. Damon and Miss Serena!"

"Oh my god, he's even hotter in person!"

I stiffened and slowly turned my head.

A short distance away, Damon was shielding Serena from the paparazzi's flashing cameras. He looked protective and gentle, a knight guarding his princess.

I'd never seen him act like that.

I hid in the crowd, watching them walk toward the first-class security line. Damon kept glancing at his phone, looking agitated, as if he were waiting for a message.

Just then, my phone rang. An unknown number.

I answered. It was Damon. "You blocked my number?"

His voice was laced with fury. "Elena, what is this little tantrum all about? Have you forgotten we're supposed to be starting at the same university?"

I watched his back, his shoulders tense as he spoke into his own phone.

"I'm going on a trip for a while," I said calmly, ignoring his question.

"Where?"

"Santorini."

There was a dead silence on his end. Santorini, with its intense, ever-present sun, was the kind of place vampires despised.

"Is this your way of rebelling?" Damon's voice turned to ice. "I forbid it."

"You don't have the right," I said, and hung up. I blocked that number, too.

Across the terminal, I saw Damon slam his phone down in fury. People around him scattered. Serena grabbed his arm, trying to soothe him.

I turned and walked toward my gate.

I could faintly hear his enraged voice behind me, but this time, it didn't scare me at all.