KaneIf I open my mouth to reprimand Opal right now, a rivulet of curses will be released into the world the likes of which no one has heard before. I have already tried politely, asking her to stop verbally assaulting Emory. When that didn’t work, I ordered her with a mind message, one she clearly chose to ignore in the same way she failed to mind the decree I sent out earlier. No, Opal is out of control, and she’s doing her best to push me beyond my limits.I should’ve known better than to bring Emory here. I knew that Opal wouldn’t like it. Despite our agreement that neither of us is romantically limited in our relationship, Opal sees any other female I take any interest in whatsoever as a threat against her position as the future queen of Crescent Peak. So even if Emory really was overweight as Opal tried to imply, if she had a snaggletooth and beady eyes, body odor and excessive mucus issues, Opal would see her as a potential rival.And Opal loves the energy a rivalry brings her.

KaneVampire’s don’t have fated mates.In fact, most people don’t think that vampires even have souls. I’m not sure what I think of that since I was born a vampire. It’s not as if I were once a person who was killed by a vampire and my soul was released to hell or where-have-you, and now I am something else. No, I have always been a vampire, so if I am a soulless, earthbound creature, then so be it.Right now, I think there is something deep inside of me that is driving me toward Emory Moonraker, though, and I have no idea what it is—but it is persistent.Back in my room, after I nearly took her on her first night in the castle, I am lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to determine what to do about it.It’s not true that vampires don’t sleep. We do. I do, anyway. Perhaps there are some that don’t need to, but on average, I need at least five hours of sleep each night to function. Otherwise, I am a monster the next day—literally.The other rumors about vampires, that they h

EmoryMy head is aching, and my shin is throbbing, but when I look up to see King Kane standing near the side of my bed, it’s like all of the aches dissipate, and the only thing that matters now is him.I start to sit up, but he stops me with a motion of his hand. Helga and Nellie are gone, and it’s just him and me now. I don’t move, but he comes to sit next to me on the bed so that his hip is right next to mine.“Are you all right?” he asks, his voice full of concern as he gently brushes my hair away from my face.I am lying in an awkward position to be able to talk to him, and I do feel it is necessary that I let him know what happened, at least to a degree, so I roll my hips toward him and scoot up a bit on the pillow, while holding the ice bag in place over the lump on my forehead.He takes it from me, and once again, his fingers touch my skin, just briefly, but it is enough for a fire to begin to grow in my flesh, rippling through my body to create a knot in my core.“I’m all rig

KaneKissing Emory was likely a mistake, but as I rush down the hall to the room where my brother, Prince Jacob, all of Opaline’s consorts, and the princess herself are awaiting my arrival, I can’t say that I regret my actions. The warmth of her lips lingers on mine, and I can still taste her on my tongue.She may regret letting me kiss her, though. It seems she is confused about the relationship I have with the princess from Scarlett Thunder, and I honestly can’t blame Emory for not fully understanding something I can’t comprehend myself. It doesn’t make sense that I would marry someone I hate simply to have a child unless I thought I was going to die and leave my throne to no one, but I plan on living a great deal longer, and my brother can always rule in my stead if I decide this isn’t the life for me.I will have a child because it is expected of me….I push those thoughts aside and try to do my best not to think of Emory either as I enter the room off of the library where I asked

EmoryI am trying my best to fall asleep, but my mind continues to spin with thoughts of Kane and the kiss we shared earlier in the night. The feeling has faded from my flesh, but it continues to burn in my mind, and I can’t help but wonder if there’s any possibility he is still thinking of me.Dinner has to have ended long ago, so I wonder what he is doing now. I imagine him sitting behind his desk in his office or lying in his bed sleeping. Vampires do sleep a bit, don’t they? My father used to say they did, so it would be the perfect time to attack, except he never figured out how to take advantage of that.I sigh and roll over, thinking I will force myself to sleep when an odd feeling settles around my middle. I feel a tightening in my core, and my breathing becomes shallow.Immediately, I sit up, my eyes focused on my bedroom door. I sense that he is there before the door even opens. He steps into a beam of moonlight filtering in through the window, standing there with his irides