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When I awoke, I was in a private co Beauty!" Elena snickered fro berth abovethis would all go away "Where are we?" I whispered

"Two hours fro of the train did nothing to help oing back, Katerina," she said softly "You belong in Cetinje, at Danilo&039;s side He needs a powerful bride and you are the " I realizedinto an to panic "Please, Elena I have no wish tohtened by the minute, but I decided on another approach "Who poisoned Cantacuzene?

Was it Militza?"

"You think you are a clever girl, Katerina" Elena crawled out of the sleeping bunk and smiled "Just wait until you meet my mother" I smelled fresh air as we stepped down off the train Prince Danilo held a protective ar e

Several villagers waved and clapped, held back by guards with bayonets

"They have come to see their future crown princess," Danilo whispered in my ear "Give them a royal s in a strange dialect I could not understand

He helped e, where Elena, Militza, and Stana sat across from us "How far to Cetinje?" I asked The countryside was beautiful as we rode past fields of wild-flowers, but I did not care

"We will be there by nightfall," Danilo said

"Thank the saints," Elena hed and stared ate full of vampires, I knew they needed er for the tiht when they&039;d heard I had left And the grand duke What had happened to hiain to reach him

Perhaps his faerie powers could not reach this far across the continent

Danilo picked up ers with his own I fought the bile in my throat "I can sense her power already," he said with relish

"That is your iination," Militza whispered "You cannot be sensitive to such things"

"Not yet, anyway," Elena said

"It is strange," Danilo said "But there is so almost electrical when I touch her"

I pulleds," Militza said "Do not say such nonsense in front of Mother"

Danilo laughed, settling back in his seat more comfortably "Do not worry about me and Mother You are the one who disobeyed her instructions"

"Do not speak of such things right now," Militza hissed I slowedto drift off to sleep

Danilo was pouting "You should have waited for me, and then ould have destroyed Cantacuzene co

We have no way of knohat secrets she told before the tsar&039;s son finished her off for us"

"There was no way I could have known she was so different from us," Militza said, her voice a whisper "She should not have been able to wake up frohed "If you had co in your suite with the bar wench, ould not be having this conversation right now We could have cut off her head after I poisoned her"

I felt sick I had never believed, deep down, that the crown prince was actually in love withI rolled away frole down in the corner of the carriage

"Sister, you say the ue of yours" The crown prince&039;s voice was cold "Take care, lest so happen to it"

"Don&039;t you dare threaten me," Militza countered

"Hush! Both of you!" Stana said A hand brusheda strand of hair behind my ear I tried very hard not to shudder It was the same way my mother used to brush my hair out of my face when I was little

But it did not comfort me at all

"I still say we should have killed this one and have done with it," Militza said

"No," Stana said "Our parents have been looking for a necro time For your sake, as well as for Danilo&039;s"

"I suppose she will be useful to

All these years, I&039;d triedit made me a terrible person But Princess Militza had just showed me what true evil could be

II knew, Elena was shaking hly "Wake up, Katerina Alexandrovna Welcome to the Black Mountain"

I did not want to openNikola and Queen Milena lived was enoroyles perched over the front entrance They looked as if they could leap down and rip apart anyone who tried to enter-or leave-the castle without pering s in We must introduce you to our parents They are anxious to ht be allowed to freshen up first?"

Militza frowned "To keep the king and queen waiting would be disrespectful"

"Willme soon?" I asked

No one answeredin the palace entrance

There was no grand staircase, as in the palaces of St Petersburg, but there was a grand foyer, with ornately plastered ceilings Several servants stood waiting to greet us A regal-looking couple stood behind the servants My heart began to hammer

"My children! My children have returned to hters His voice ar

"Papa!" Elena flew into his arms first and planted a kiss on his cheek

She then turned to kiss hernext to hiuest," Danilo said "May I present Her Highness Duchess Katerina Alexandrovna of Oldenburg? Katerina,Nikola; and ive me a sharp squeeze on the arm I still would have curtsied politely before his parents I knew the proper etiquette for greeting a ruling sovereign-even if he was a va man, still handsoray His dark eyes bore down on " Before I kneas happening, he&039;d e He reminded me of the tsar He did not seelance

"Thank you, Your Majesty," I squeaked

When he releasedabout her frighteneddark curls and hypnotic black eyes I felt as if I already knew her I curtsied again

She held out her hands tofor you for a long tie of panic in et away froers were cold as she embraced me

"Come, let us dress for dinner," Elena said "There is a feast tonight in your honor, Katerina" She pulleder than Betskoi House, but of course nowhere near as large as the Winter Palace or Anichkov My rooer sister Anna, ould be attending Smolny in the fall Elena&039;s eldest sister, Princess Zorka, and her husband, the Crown Prince of Serbia, lived in a fashionable house across the street fro them at dinner "Her children are adorable We will play with the babies toh, after tonight&039;s ritual It isexhausting Especially for the fiancee"

"The ritual is tonight?" I asked "Beforethis

"Yes," she said "Sos are best kept within our iht say it&039;sdraining" I sed I turned to the cri up outside the armoire "Is this my dress?" I asked "It&039;s beautiful" Not quite Paris fashion, it had a short red jacket with heavy e a belt like this," I said, touching the own&039;s waist

"Yes, it&039;s traditional We will all be in traditional dress this evening" I ran to the , hoping to see a chance for escape The as bolted shut, of course And I was three stories up, with no balcony or otherdown I tried to stay cal I hoped

I dressed myself, without the help of any rin, with my wheat-colored hair and pale eyes, but I did not look quite like myself either And the dress did not flatter one&039;s waist I&039;d noticed that when I had first seen the queen