LOGINAny notable beauties during the twin dynasties that followed the reunification?There might have been, but none worth remembering. Never mind, skip ahead.Ray's tastes had gotten pickier by now—nothing short of the absolute best would do.Then a thought struck him. Instead of nudging time forward again, he opened his spatial perception and, in an instant, appeared thousands of miles away in Khemra.There was something he wanted to confirm for himself.Selene and the other five women barely had time to blink before finding themselves somewhere else entirely.Where was this?They were baffled. First off, it was scorching hot. Second, the people here looked strange—their skin was so dark. Were they even human?And when the locals opened their mouths to speak, the women were even more lost—not a single word made sense.Ray took the six of them on a tour, taking in the sights and customs of Khemra in this era.But no matter how he looked, there were two things he never found.The
Ray focused, and Desmond appeared before him in an instant.Whoops. That was a bit of a miscalculation.He'd originally only meant to stand in for Desmond for three, maybe five years, but he'd gotten a little carried away and let it run on far longer than planned.The real Desmond now stood before him with a face full of stubble, nothing left of the commanding presence he'd once carried."You—it's you!" Desmond said the moment he recognized him.He knew exactly who this was. The "new Kessler" he'd once tried to assassinate was standing right in front of him now, unmistakably.His eyes swept the room, and he did a double take. What was going on here? Six women sat inside, every one of them stunning, every one of them lush and full-figured—exactly his type.Were these Ray's women?If he could just take them for himself... Desmond couldn't help the thought crossing his mind, even now.Watching Desmond's attention drift, Ray couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. Old habits
Ray couldn't help but laugh.Three defenseless women, thinking they could outmaneuver a man like Desmond Vane?He wasn't actually Desmond, sure, but the genuine article couldn't hold a candle to him anyway."Heh, don't worry—I promise Desmond Vane won't lay a finger on you," he said.The three women blinked in surprise, not expecting a single sentence to seemingly checkmate their host so easily.But before they could feel any relief, Ray added, in a low, teasing voice, "But I'm not Desmond Vane. I'm Ray Morley. What Vane does or doesn't do to you has nothing to do with me."He let his true face show through.What?All three women went pale with shock.This wasn't Vane?Impossible.They'd never actually seen the man before and had no idea what he looked like, but even without that, the math didn't add up. This man was—what, twenty-five, twenty-six at most?Desmond Vane had been replaced this whole time? And not one of his own generals or advisors had caught on?"A sorcerer
The moment Ray laid eyes on Marina, something lit up in his expression.No wonder Weston would go on to marry her and crown her Queen without caring in the slightest that she'd once belonged to another man.She was beautiful.And beyond just beautiful, there was some indescribable, pitiable quality to her—though it didn't make him want to protect her so much as torment her, just to chase that extra thrill.There was something almost bewitching about this woman.Cassian had actually managed to hang onto her without dying young?Ray smiled to himself. A woman with a pull like this wasn't something an ordinary man could ever really handle—it took someone like him."Do you know who I am?" he asked."N-no, I don't!" Marina stammered, then dropped straight to her knees. "Please, don't hurt me!"Ray smiled gently. "Don't worry. I'll only cherish you. I'd never hurt you."...The whole room felt like an early spring, and it was wonderful beyond words.That Vane family really did ha
Ray accepted Tobias's surrender, and once inside the city, immediately started asking around for anything fun to do.Every one of his subordinates knew exactly what their lord's tastes ran to."Tobias's uncle, Elias Renner, left behind a widow. She's barely into her twenties, and word is she's a rare beauty."Well, now.Ray nodded eagerly. "Let's go, let's go."His men led the way, with the fearsome Gunnar Voss guarding him, and it wasn't long before they reached the late Elias Renner's residence.Word had already gone ahead, so the moment Ray arrived, a woman in mourning clothes came out to greet him, sinking into a bow. "Elias Renner's widow, Vivian, pays her respects to the Chancellor."Ray grinned. "You know who I am?""The Chancellor's reputation precedes him. Of course I recognize you," the woman said, not daring to rise without permission."Stand up. Let me get a look at you," Ray said.She rose then, casting a shy, timid glance his way.Damn. esmond really did have a
All the love and adoration in the world seemed to focus on her alone.Selene really did live up to her place among the four legendary beauties of history. In just half a year, she'd already reached a power level in the hundred-thousand range.What did that even mean?She could level a city single-handedly.Even Selene herself could hardly believe it. When Ray took her out to the ocean to test her limits, one sweep of her hand froze an area of more than thirty-eight square miles solid, and not just the surface—straight down to the seabed.She stared at Ray, her expression an impossible tangle of emotions.If she wanted to, she could easily seize control of the crumbling Aldric Dynasty and become history's first reigning empress. Who could possibly stand against her?And yet, all of that power had come from Ray.So just how strong did that make him?And did she truly dare to assassinate him?Garrick, the so-called realm's greatest warrior, couldn't even hold a candle to Ray."
Doug had such a brilliant future—no, a boundless one. How had it come to this, to such a desperate dead end?"I'll work for you. I'll never betray you!" Doug pleaded. He had no other choice."Sure," Ray replied calmly. "Take down your ice walls, kneel, and beg for mercy."Even as he spoke, the to
Ray looked at Jayden. "Any last words?"Jayden grinned. "I won't wait around to die! I'm going to kill you. Everything I said just now was pointless anyway. If you kill me—and someday you manage to kill that bitch Mary too—give her my regards on behalf of Robert and me!"Ray didn't bother respondi
Jess sashayed over, swaying her sexy hips with practiced allure, and laughed sweetly. "Ray really has good taste. Professor Campbell is a famous beauty at our school. She was the campus belle back when she was a student, and after becoming a professor? Countless students fantasize about her. Every
What was Ray interested in? Was it these women throwing themselves at him? Absolutely not. The quality was terrible, and after a month or two without washing, their breath alone was enough to knock anyone out. How could he possibly be interested?He could have easily slipped back in the darkness,







