The door opened with a loud creak that seemed more ominous than it had ever been before. The man at the front of the procession was much older than Adolph, looking to be old enough to be Adolph’s grandfather. His robes almost sparkled on his shoulders as they rustled around him. He walked with a tall staff that was just a bit taller than he was, crowned with a glowing collection of gems. He came with six others all dressed in long white robes, hooded and quiet around him. Each of the six carried a box. Her stomach churned. There was something deeply otherworldly about them. Their presence filled the halls with a warm energy that Laurel could almost taste. It made her think of the temple, but it felt different than that. The old man had a smile on his face but Laurel didn't feel any more relaxed.Neither did Adolph. It wasn’t that the man seemed threatening, but he didn’t know anything about Wiccans and their motivations. Eden was the son of the vampire queen and a Wiccan, which mea

He couldn’t say that he had hoped that the Wiccans would refuse to give up their magical instruments, but he had. It would have made it easier to deny the chance that Taliesin might try to liberate Eden when they went to the dungeons. He left Laurel with Chasel in the throne room, speaking with Raven and the others about the unexpected development of the Wiccans’ arrival. The path to the depths of the dungeons was familiar at this point. “I am surprised that they have withstood the test of time so well.”Adolph turned his head as Taliesin stopped, placing a hand on the stone wall. A weak light came from within the stone in large circles of a script that had Adolph growing uneasy. “What do you mean by that?”“Wiccans had a hand in building both Ash and Crystal castle… Though the magic in Crystal castle is much weaker due to how long it’s been since Wiccans and werewolves have been in contact.”Adolph eyed him, “For what reason have Wiccans been in hiding all this time? Something tel

Taliesin and the rest of his group left the castle’s grounds with a small group of guards that would guide them to the border camp. Laurel watched them leave, her stomach churning with nerves before she turned back into the castle. Adolph turned and followed her back to their rooms though he was certain that she didn’t notice he was just behind her.He closed the door to their chambers behind him and leaned against it for a moment, watching her pace, clutching the necklace in her hands as she walked and muttered to herself. For a moment, he wondered if she did this often as Laura because she was used to being alone or if this was just the best way she could think. He only caught snippets of what she was muttering about, but it was enough to stoke his anger. Eden and the Wiccans were causing more irritation than he thought possible. Laurel’s words about peace and the sentiment of forgiveness and healing wounds so that they could move forward were all nice in theory, but seeing her

Adolph walked into the room where Chasel had corralled the leader of the group of rogues they’d caught near the borders and wasn’t surprised to find them still kicking up a fuss. He sat in front of the two dirty-faced and angry-looking rogues and observed them as they snarled and ranted about being captured. The others had been a bit more reserved, near quiet as they were teetering on the edge of madness. These two were different. They were mated for one and very cognizant. It seemed these were banished werewolves. Perhaps the others were as well, but the call of madness that made true rogues had worn them down too far."Who are you? Why were you skulking around the border? And what have you to do with the vampire queen, Morrigan."The man snarled, "That wench always short-changed us. And what does it matter who we are?"Adolph lifted an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected any real answer, but the answer was intriguing. "Short-changed you in what way?""She only ever paid six of ten for any

Gavin paced his office with a slow gait. The room had once been a meeting room for all of the ministers so he could watch them carefully, but now he was alone in the room to contemplate the path forward and relatively powerless. He held no sway with Adolph and even less with Laurel. Basil was so entrenched in pleasing his father and losing himself to drink that he was useless to his plans. Even if he wasn’t, Basil was better left untainted by the things that Gavin planned.If Basil was ever considered entangled with a treasonous plot, the Mirabelle name would never be the same, Olivia’s memory in the eyes of the people would forever be tarnished and he needed what little was left of her and Adolph’s love story to help put Basil on the throne whether Laurel’s child was a boy or a girl. Especially if she birthed a boy. He cursed. If only he had kept a closer eye on the staff of the castle before and after Laurel had cleaned out the palace. He could have snuck a few sleeper agents amon