“I think she deserved worse. Much worse.” Darren growled as he sat his pen down.“I’m not saying she didn’t, but I felt this was a fitting punishment. Plus, it also offered an innocent man his freedom. What they decide to do from here on out is up to them. But Cleo will most likely be pregnant now. She will no longer be able to be a Waiting Lady and will be forced to leave. She will have no choice but to either live with her mate or go back to her family. And if her family is anything like her, they will not welcome her with open arms.” I had thought about it a lot, and I decided I would give her the choice. She can now choose to be happy with her mate and embrace her new life, or she can live a miserable life. In either case, it got her out of the castle, and that was all I really cared about.“It’s clever.” Ivan leaned on Darren’s desk. “This way there isn’t any trouble with the nobles, but it also solves a problem. Honestly, I am very impressed. Well done.”“Thank you!” Yes, I was
It took two weeks for all the species representatives to arrive. Two anxious weeks while the neutral village of Lyionette remained under the vampires’ control. I knew Darren didn’t like waiting to act, but at the same time, this was bigger than one village. What was being formed right now was a unity for the future.Ivan had gone to get the last representative. I didn’t know we were missing anyone, but he said this person was very important.I glanced over at Lyle as he walked me down the hall. “Should I really be attending this meeting? I feel like I’m not the crowned queen yet, so it might not be appropriate.” I listened as Lyle laughed.“Two things, ‘princess’,” he said, winking at me. “One, you’re the king’s marked mate, and we’re just waiting for the formalities to make you the official queen. And two, Darren wants you there ... he needs you there. I think you’re one of the most important people to be there, to make sure Darren doesn’t lose his temper and cause a war among all th
Amber eyes were on me as the Vampire King made his way toward Darren. He looked as if he was in his thirties, but I knew this man was actually centuries old. He walked right past Darren and stopped behind my chair. I turned sideways in my seat to see him extend his hand to me.“My name is Finn, and—” He raised his brows up expectantly.“Allissa,” I answered, taking his hand politely. His thumb pressed against my fingers, as a smile spread over his lips.“Well, talk about coming full circle.” He grinned. I glanced at Darren, not understanding at all, but I could see that he was confused as well.“You’ve touched her long enough.” Darren pulled my hand away, giving Finn a warning look.“Of course, I mean no harm, but I find all of this very intriguing. I’m sure some of you do as well,” Finn said, looking up at the other representatives. “For those who know ... and I can see quite a few of you do.” His eyes landed on the fairy man before resting back on me.“Know what?”“Darren, have you
His tongue attacked me urgently as his hands roamed over my body. The electric sparks were everything. How could anyone reject their fated mate? Who would deny themselves of the wonderful sensations that only they could bring?! He brought out a side of me that I never knew was there. And the best part? The sex was ALWAYS amazing. I would never get enough of him, and it was an amazing feeling to know that he was my partner in this life.“Ally, I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe what my family did. I am so sorry—”“Dare, don’t.” I panted against his lips. If this man only knew what was going through my mind. I wasn’t thinking about the stupid past. I was thinking of all the ways I could play with his dick right now. “You are a great king and—”“I shouldn’t even be in this position.”I giggled. “You were always meant to be my mate, and because of that you were always meant to be the king.”“Everything that happened to you—” He frowned, shaking his head. “Your life would have been
DarrenI was over-the-moon excited. Allissa was pregnant! We were going to have a child. But then I realized what I had just promised her. She was carrying our pup and still wanted to go and fight. I felt all of my emotions struggling inside of me. I felt everything, but one of the biggest was fear.So much fear gripped me. If something happened to her and she ended up losing our pup, how would she handle it? She had already lost a pup not too long ago. Something like this would be devastating. I understood her reasonings, honestly, I really did. If the roles were reversed, I would want to be by her side, too. But we needed to talk about this.I reached out, pulling her to my chest. “Ally, you keep giving me so much. You are spoiling me, and I’m turning into a greedy child. I love you, and I can’t wait to meet our baby.” I kissed the top of her head, breathing in her scent. “We need to talk. Please, listen to what I have to say. This is a discussion, my love, not a fight.”“Okay.” I li
At some point, all of our clothes ended up off of our bodies. Darren had kissed every inch of my skin and was far from done. I shivered under his touch, my breath hitching as he kissed his way across my body, my heartbeat pounding in anticipation. His lips trailed fire along my collarbone, his warm breath fanning over my sensitive skin, sending tingles all over me. He paused for a moment to suck gently on the tender flesh, eliciting a moan from deep within me. “Darren,” I breathed, arching into his touch.He moved lower still, his mouth following the curve of my breastbone to my belly button. His stubble tickled my stomach as he kissed lower still, toward the mound between my legs. His lips brushed against it lightly, sending shockwaves of pleasure through me. My hips bucked involuntarily as he traced circles around it with his tongue, teasing me mercilessly. “Please,” I begged, unable to contain myself any longer. He chuckled darkly against my sensitive skin before finally closing hi
“I knew it!” Lyle snorted, wagging his finger at me. “I knew you were hiding something!” “How did you know? I don’t think even Darren knew.” Lyle and I were sitting out on the balcony drinking our coffee. Darren had to take care of official business early this morning and had been busy the last few hours. When I came out of my room, Lyle was there, waiting for me. I guess he had become my default babysitter. “Darren is the one intimate with you, but you and I have been spending a lot of time together. I’m picking up on those subtle changes of yours. I know what’s normal and what isn’t.” “Are you saying you know me better than Ren?” I listened as he chuckled. “Not at all. But I’m not head-over-heels swoony in love with you to believe every honeyed word from your lips. In other words, I’m not drinking what you’re serving.” He winked at me as he sipped on his coffee. “Dare must be so excited. Honestly, I’m surprised he’s okay with you still joining in the fight. I mean ... you remembe
I was sitting at the large table while Darren was shaking each representative’s hand. Everyone there had signed the agreement. They were now rushing back to mobilize for war. In just two days, we would all be meeting in the Stony Plains. That wasn’t a lot of time to mobilize and move a small army, so they had to act quickly.“This kingdom is yours. Why are you taking a back seat right now?” A woman with broad shoulders and muscular arms stepped next to my seat. Her dark skin gleamed under the soft lights of the room, her muscles defined and powerful. But what caught my attention were her eyes, a striking silver that seemed to almost glow in the dimness. It was like looking into pools of liquid metal.“I’m still learning about this kingdom. What does something being mine by blood mean? Does that immediately make me a more fit ruler? I don’t look at this as taking a back seat. I think it’s a joint effort. The goal is to take care of the kingdom and the people.”“You don’t seem like a stu
Darren“Who sent these?!” I clenched my fist around the photographs, a chill of shock rippling through my veins before it burned away. For a split second, my stomach turned as I glanced at the pictures of my mate and brother. But only for a second. Then, I realized there was no way. Those were the two people I trusted the most, and I wasn’t going to stop now. However, these pictures were a problem. Who had taken them in the castle? And who had access to the royal hallway?! This was a problem I was not comfortable with. I needed to call Ally and let her know. This was a security issue, not a mate issue.“It was left outside your tent,” Ivan said, as Dayanara plucked one of the pictures out of Darren’s hands.“No trace of anything. The photos are real, but the messenger made sure they blocked their scent and any traces of their aura.” She studied the picture for a moment before giving it back. “Allissa doesn’t seem like the type to—”“She wouldn’t. And neither would my brother. These pi
It had been days, and I hadn’t heard anything more about Darren. I was completely focused on solving the brainwashing in the kingdom. We now had some suspects and detailed descriptions of methods that were used. Lyle and I were going over the evidence when Milo burst into the room.“Is it true?!” he growled, putting Lyle immediately on the defensive.“Is what true?” Lyle glanced at me and I gave him a small shrug. I had no idea what he was talking about either.“You’re sleeping with your brother’s mate!”Milo yelled, and I spit the tea I was sipping all over the place. Lyle quickly moved behind me and began patting my back.“What the hell, dad?!” Lyle growled as he looked at my face. “Are you okay?”“Not really.” I looked at Milo. “Lyle has fallen asleep on the couch a few times, but I would hardly call it sleeping in my room. But you didn’t mean just sleeping, did you?”“Are you cheating on Darren?”Someone hold my crown, because I’m about to explode. Me?! Cheating on him? That wasn’
I sat on the couch in the dark with my feet tucked underneath me. My growing stomach was making getting comfortable a challenge. Lyle had stayed with me all day working. I caught him looking up at me with worried eyes a few times, but I pretended not to notice. I know he was trying to gauge how I was doing. It wasn’t until it was time for bed that he finally left my side.Now that I was alone, I realized that, at the time, I didn’t want to think about it at all. However, now that I had a moment to myself, I was in deep reflection.It wasn’t right for me to doubt Darren because of the pictures. For one, they were pictures and didn’t explain the scene fully. Maybe Darren was getting medical treatment? Maybe the woman was giving him support? Yes, the pictures looked intimate, but maybe this person was now a close friend of his. There were many unknowns.There are also enchantresses that could have bewitched him, and I couldn’t forget the changeling I fought against. It looked and smelled
I wandered down the dimly lit halls, my footsteps echoing softly as I searched for Lyle. I knew he wouldn’t have gone far, but I thought it was odd he wasn’t in plain sight. My gaze caught on a room to the right, partially hidden by a lush red velvet curtain. There was no door, and the curtain was elegantly pinned back, suggesting that Lyle might have ventured inside.I stepped closer and peeked inside, my eyes instantly landing on Lyle. He stood on a narrow balcony, silhouetted against the soft glow of the setting sun, gazing contemplatively into the distance with a gentle breeze ruffling his hair.“There you are.” I walked up to him as he continued to keep his gaze at the sky. “Darren is okay but … well, it doesn’t seem like he will be coming home anytime soon. I—I don’t know if he will even make it home for the birth of our child. As long as he eventually makes it home in one piece, I guess—” I looked up at Lyle’s taut face and stopped talking. “Lyle, are you okay?”“I was so relie
I stared at the desk, looking at the blizzard of papers that needed my attention. The past week had been a blur of ‘Your Majesty’ and ‘My Queen’ and ‘These require your attention.’ Demanding and exhausting.“Your Majesty.” Damnit, here comes another one. I look up from the evil papers to the messenger coming in. “These require your review and royal seal.”“Thank you.” Those were the flat tones words that came out of my mouth, but my mind was saying, ‘Fuck you.’Lyle walked in just as the messenger left, carrying two cups of steaming goodness. Hot chocolate!“I have our fuel. Let’s dive into the sea of paperwork before we drown in it.” He smirked, setting my cup in front of me before he pulled up a chair.I scooted over, making room for him. “Where do we start?” I asked, motioning over the stack of papers.“We start at the top and work our way through to the bottom.” He made a spot in front of us. “I’ll read and you stamp? Or do you want to read and I’ll stamp?”“You read. I’ll stamp.”
“The watch is hot, but it was cold when it was first given to me. The heat from the watch is a type of energy, but what does it mean?!” Fury was trying to help me. She was giving me tiny hints the best way she could. I needed to think about everything she had told me. Every word could be a tip.“Gujin is a messenger. Was that his way of telling you the watch is a message?”It made sense. Maybe even Gujin was trying to leave me a clue. I guess neither one was able to tell me anything, which was frustrating, especially when they may have been involved. That would mean that Gujin knew what happened to my father. I know I’m meant to figure it out on my own, because it seems like this is the type of game the gods enjoy.“You know what? One mystery at a time.” I sighed and brushed my hair behind my ear. “So the guards have found some evidence of brainwashing?”“Evidence of ... manipulation. Mind games. Enough that it has convinced my father. He’s with mom now. He decided to talk with her an
AllissaI thought that becoming the queen would make me feel different. But I was still just me. Lyle followed me everywhere and was always helping me. There were a lot of boring things I had to read and sign. I wonder how Darren managed to stay awake. I honestly felt myself dozing several times. Luckily for me, I could blame the pregnancy.“Issy, look, this just arrived from Darren!” Lyle ran to me with childlike excitement.My fingers moved so fast as I dove into the letter. It had been days since I’d heard from him. I felt my eyes watering up. His words reflected exactly how I felt. I wish I could see him … I wish I could hold him. I wonder if he knew I was the queen now? At least I knew he was okay, but it did little to heal the aching pain in my chest.“He’s okay.” I smiled, glancing up at Lyle’s relieved eyes. “Sounds like the battles have been steady. I’ve been so worried—” The tears welled up in my eyes as I held his letter to my chest. I had barely been hanging on. My mate was
DarrenI dragged another fallen enemy across the blood-soaked earth, my body screaming in protest.“Another one,” I grunted to myself, tossing the limp form atop the pile with a dull thud. I wiped the sweat from my brow as I looked over the battlefield. It had been a non-stop onslaught for days. I haven’t even had time to send a message to Ally. I can imagine her blue eyes as she sits in our bedroom. She was probably worried and each day without contact would make it worse. I have been fighting to the brink of exhaustion. Collapsing for an hour or two of sleep and then right back at it.There were so many vampires … many were new. When they took over these towns, those who lived there either became food or new vampires. They were building their army. If that wasn’t enough, the demons who have joined them were also well prepared.I was barely able to catch my breath and another battle would arrive. I surveyed the chaos around me, that had become a frequent sight. In all honesty, we nee
I had no clue who or what I was looking at. A small, delicate person? Or something more like a fairy? The figure was small, no taller than a child, but it radiated an otherworldly power that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Delicate, translucent wings fluttered behind her, her skin as white as ivory. She wore a white, shimmering gown that flowed around her. Her face was impossibly beautiful, with high cheekbones and almond-shaped eyes that seemed to glow with an inner fire. But it was her expression that truly captivated me. A fierce determination and cold detachment that sent a shiver down my spine.The way she was staring at me almost looked aggressive, which made me defensive.“Who are you? What do you want with me?” I demanded, injecting as much authority into my voice as I could muster.“I haven’t decided yet.” Her voice was cold as her eyes fixated on mine.“You haven’t decided who you are, or you haven’t decided what you want with me? I asked you two questions