33 - Scrape of the Surface

Katie's POV

Those words are scarier even more than when my own father banished me. I gulped a lump in my throat. Vladimyr sat in front of me. With the book in between us. He was scratching his head, thinking about where to start. I held his free hand to make him feel that he got this. He looked at me, and I could sense an uplift in his mood.

"My parents are annoying folks," he started. My jaw dropped at his sudden statement. He smiled, seeing my confused face.

"They love to play pranks on me all the time. Saying that they want my stern face to soften up even for a bit." He genuinely chuckled while saying that. I could already feel how much they loved my mate, even without meeting them directly.

"This book." He started to sound serious while tapping the book in front of us. "It is the North's ancient history itself. It contains all of what one Lord should know to rule efficiently. Every secret, curse, prophecy, and power itself."

He paused for awhile and collected his thoughts: "I was