Don’t believe everything you see in the movies. Just like the prop guns and fake blood. Vampires don’t die each day. Think of the mess. Just like the body count of the movie monsters, if vampires drained every human, they bit. Ana slept, but it wasn’t good. Her mind kept playing over the common misconceptions. It blended those nightmares with disturbing images of what would happen if she followed temptation. By the fifth time, Ana admitted this was her new hell. George was her fresh fear. She’d dreamed of them being caught in bed together, and dragged in front of the emperor naked for judgement. Of course, he made them an example. He forced her to watch him drain George of his life’s blood, before he punished her. Her sisters laughed at the entire event. Her mother acted relieved. She no longer needed to find someone willing to take Ana. There were other unsavoury nightmares, dealing with lies about her, assassins, and murder pl
George got things settled for tomorrow. He was about to take several things to Adriana when he received a message that she was retiring for the day, and he should as well. They’d pick up tomorrow with the wolf shifter ambassador. That was fine. He wasn’t looking forward to trying to make small talk with Ana. She liked to be called Ana. It was a perfect name for her. It didn’t matter if she tried to put on a tough persona. She was still female, and Ana suited her. George found himself shaking his head as he pulled himself out of his woolgathering about his charge. She was his charge. Ana was part of the elite class, and he wasn’t. He’d never be a member of the elite class. Fawning after her was a one-way trip to the dungeon and torture chamber. A pine box would be what he’d leave there in. There was no way he was prepared for that, and he couldn’t see Ana ever being prepared to accept that fate. But she was a fine woman. Far better than her shallow sis
The door to the main apartment slammed open and George followed Adriana into the space before he slammed the door shut behind him. “I think we need to have an understanding, princess. You will need to be truthful with me.” His face was livid, and his eyes glowed red as he followed behind Adriana. “George, you work for my father, the emperor, not me. I will tell you what I feel you need to know, and not more than that.” She threw her jacket down on a red velvet chaise lounge, before she turned around and set her glare on him. Her own eyes glowed black, her unique green eyes mixed with the red glow of her highly emotional state, and became an eerie black. “Princess, I am here to look after your safety. When you go anywhere, I go with you. My presence is mandatory. I don’t care if you think you can trust someone. Assume that you can’t, people betray others every day.” George wouldn’t back down. This is what he feared would happen, but he hadn’t expected
Edith watched the new ambassador for the vampiric faction get hauled off by her head of security with a sigh. “How much did you egg him on, darling?” “I didn’t need to do anything. By the time I entered the elevator, that boy was in a right temper. I just sympathized with him. They’ll make a fine pair once they get to know one another.” “Hm… Don’t encourage it. As it stands if I’ve read their laws correctly. They are in a right pickle.” “What do you know I don’t know, my dear?” “It doomed their relationship before it even starts. Sadly, they both know it. Well, it’s good that they know it, because they’ll survive a little longer.” “I’m not following.” “Their laws won’t allow their mating.” “That sucks. You’re only telling me this now? I was all set to tell him to stake his claim like the man he is, or vampire.” Edith sighed again. “We can’t let them get too close. I like her,
Ana couldn’t believe how quickly words blew up between them. How fast they went from cold to hot. She didn’t remember the last time anyone was this angry with her. Apathetic perhaps, but he was all but spitting venom at her. No, but her father and mother stood up to her like this. Even then, they didn’t become this heated.“How dare you call me a spoilt brat? I’m not spoilt or a brat. I never have been. You embarrassed me out there. That was a meet and greet for the ambassadors. You stomp in and drag me out of there like some wayward child. I’m neither wayward nor a child.” George stepped closer. His eyes didn’t lose the red glow as he spoke. He struggled not to pull in her sweet scent as he neared her. George could look her eye to eye. He felt like he was arguing with an adult and not a wayward child. His eyes struggled now to look down into the low scoop neck of her shirt. At this angle, he could see the tempting curve of her rounded breasts. He could feel hi
George finally seemed to tear himself from their argument and leave her in her apartment. He left threatening, if she disappeared again, he’d lock her in her apartment until she was needed. George didn’t look like he was jesting about any of it, and that was disturbing to Ana, unlike anything else he could say. Her nanny and tutors always threatened to go to her mother or the emperor when they had an issue with her behaviour. Not George though, he expected to deal with her and fix her behaviour himself. Now Ana didn’t know what she would do about this. She still wasn’t sure she even needed him to guard her. After all, she was nothing like her sisters. She could handle herself and knew more than enough to protect herself. There was a lot more than just knowing that you used the pointy end of a sword on your opponent. She’d spent years now studying everything she could about defending herself and others. She did this because she n
George spent hours in the large room with all the bags, boxes, crates, and other weird things. Thankfully, he hadn’t found anything in the way of poison, bombs, or other nasty ways to kill that weren’t marked properly. Adriana had several storage containers which held far too many weapons. She shouldn’t have brought so many. As things were, he would need a room to secure them. He would not let them be stored in the same place she lived. That begged for someone to use one to kill her. He didn’t have a problem with her training, but she should have simplified what she brought with her. George didn’t relish the idea of this next confrontation. Adriana would definitely argue over this. Once things were cleared by him, George made sure the items went into their territory properly. So at the end, there were only a few boxes and crates of weapons that all belonged to Adriana. George wasn’t going to stand for this. He needed to lock th
Ana hated when people did what Maximus did. He assumed she was a fool and wouldn’t see past his words. Maximus assumed Ana was too foolish not to look closely at people or have a single opinion of her own. He interrupted her, making this space more useful to her. That had Ana now sitting in a chair, drumming her fingers on the arm of the chair, while she watched Maximus pontificate about how horribly mistreated, he was by that guard. How George threatened him and said he wasn’t worthy of feeling safe in his new home. Or comforted by having his personal items around him. Maximus made George sound like an honorary guard in some corner of the realm that didn’t count for anything. Not the head of her security detail. In Maximus’ narrative, he was the much maligned important official. He saw no purpose for Adriana needing to be protected. Or how he could benefit from her protection. Within a minute of him opening his mouth, Ana could