Caun stood in line with the last of the guests filing through past him. He’d lost count of the hundreds of hands he shook. There were guards everywhere, and it made him uncomfortable, be he as George, who he still identified as, belonged with them. He kept his eye on his mate and marvelled at how she pretended not to be bored and uncomfortable with the many comments on her unique dress. The side-eye glances and the judgemental glares. It would be a difficult and busy evening. Caun hoped things would get better from here on out. That they’d be busy enough that she wouldn’t be able to brood or her the courtier’s opinion on anything.“So far, so well, this evening. Let’s see how far we can go with no scenes with any of the superficial fools who think they are powerful people.” He whispered this into Ana’s ear. It was a joke, because no matter what he said to Ana, she wouldn’t believe him. She now was a secretly powerful person. “We’ll see the night is sadly still young
Four Days Later - Meeting About the Future Ana woke that evening to find Caun wasn’t beside her, which was odd. When she found him, which took some effort, he was in Tatiana’s night garden exploring it with several of their guards. She had to ask several people to track him down. “Caun, what’s the matter? Why are you here?” “Oh, good evening, love. I was speaking to your father and the attacks on Tatiana came up in our conversation. You were still asleep, and I didn’t want to interrupt you. While we were talking, your father said that no one could tell me how her attackers from the first incident entered here. Since we have several excellent investigators as our guards, I thought we’d take a look around to see if we could find something that could explain how, if not, who did this.”“Oh, good grief I can understand my father not asking me how she pulled this foolishness off, but Caun I’m surprised you didn’t ask me.” That had Caun
North American Ruling Council - Two Weeks Later Ana walked the halls again of the NARC Headquarters, doing her thing. The meetings did not differ from they’d been before. Her plans were falling into place. Her father was pleased and Caun finally could do his original job before easing into his position as a titled royal. The talk around the building didn’t stop with creatures awake at all hours of the day and night. From wild affairs to several battle royale, Ana was busy catching and keeping up with it all. She’d already been requested to assist with preventing a war from breaking out between the Nanaue, a Hawaiian shifter race of sharks, and the Merfolk, mermaids, and mermen. Fun times for all, as there are more than enough sharp teeth and injured pride to go around. This wouldn’t be a simple mediation, and Ana craved the challenge. The Dragon Ambassador did something. Ana suspected magic, because when she retur
Please Note: If you hate the idea of it never happened that way or a cliffhanger ending. Please don’t read past Chapter 153. Ragnar, you can’t do this. I know the timeline is altered and I understand it could have devastating consequences. But we can’t go around using magic to change things back the way they should have been. I’m sure things have changed like this before, and you didn’t do anything then.” “It’s out of my hands. The Dragon Council is sitting right now discussing this issue. I’ve got no say in it beyond my report. If they feel everything that’s happened must be changed, then that’s what will happen. It’s a last resort. But Maximus Lioness isn’t the vampire who should have that name. Something went wrong there, and that’s just one problem with the timeline, as you call it, is wrong. Adriana and George shouldn’t be in the positions they are in. All the things that happened to Adriana weren’t supposed to happen. Her mother shouldn’t be h
Adriana Gervais, third daughter of the Emperor of the Vampiric Empire, was a mouthful for anyone to say. Privately, anyone who knew her called her Ana, because it fit her better. At six feet talk with a wild mane of auburn hair and skin that glowed under moonlight, she wasn’t someone that needed an impressive name or title. Ana wasn’t delicate like her sisters or mother in appearance. No, she was the spitting image of the female form of her father, Emperor Franco Centauri Gervais, the Emperor of the Vampiric Empire, the Blood Demon Himself. Ana’s claim to fame was her personality because it didn’t go with her appearance at all. She’d cultivated it like that. It was a protest against everything her mother and sisters were. The heir was Ana’s sister, Tatiana Gervais, and don’t you dare call Tatiana, Ana, that was criminal? Highly insulting to Tatiana and her delicate nature. That explanation always made Ana snicker. Her eldest sister was a crazed vipe
Ana was too tired right now to fight and if this Count was coming with multiple eligible sons, her mother would insist, she be there. “I just got back from a training session, a rather long one, and now you want me to rush around to get ready for a dinner with yet more strangers who couldn’t be bothers to come to a party you set for a week ago? Oh right, he wants to impress our father for some favour, doesn’t he? So now we have to trot out looking all cute and fake to play host to his sons, too.”“Adriana, you might not be in a hurry to find a decent life partner, but I’m more than ready. Now stop being a bitter old maid and chop chop. Get a move on, father doesn’t have to allow Count Saint Germane this time, and if you dare to embarrass us this time, I won’t protect you from father’s wrath.” Tatiana’s nasally voice penetrated the bathroom through the open door. It was an annoying experience, being unable to get any privacy whatsoever when changing.“Of course, mother claims they are
George was called up through the ranks of the Royal Guards, fairly quickly. He excelled at what he did and succeeded at almost everything they tasked him to do. He’d been here a month now and worked his butt off to make a good impression on his seniors. But he had one difficulty that he didn’t dare tell anyone about. How distracting it was for him to train a short distance away from the youngest daughter of the Emperor. He could watch her move for hours. No one had caught him yet, or guessed that he’d love to take a taste of her. The mental images of what he wanted to do to her were more than pornographic. They were downright sinful, and he suspected they’d both enjoy them. George knew that would never happen. She may train here, but she was not of the Guardian caste. He must remember that. There would be nothing between them ever, there couldn’t be. Her father forbade a long time ago, with a punishment of death for anyone who found their life partn
“It’s about time you arrived, Adriana. I see your mother found you and you’re ready for our guests.” “Yes, your Eminence.” Ana remembered only once calling him father, and it hadn’t gone well with him. Their relationship wasn’t intimate at all. If anything, he tolerated her presence. Ana didn’t remember a time when he’d even touched her, let alone hugged or kissed her. She received no words of praise or affection at all. She felt like she could have been anyone or no one to him. Was she bitter? No, jealous of others who could turn to their family in times of need. Yes, she was. It was another reason she didn’t fight for her place to learn how to be the ruler of the Vampiric Empire. To her, the Empire could fall tomorrow, and she would sigh a sigh of relief. Why was the guard looking at her like that? She wasn’t used to men looking at her like they wanted to eat her up. It was flattering and uncomfortable at the same time. Well,