LolaI’m not used to living in such a big place. The castle is too big. I don’t know why people want to live here when it takes forever to get from one room to another. I know vampires move fast, so it might not be a problem for them, but I have short legs and climbing all the stairs is not fun.Emory doesn’t agree that they need to install elevators in the castle, but she’s taller than me and doesn’t understand how hard it is. I don’t like being out of breath because I want to go to her room or visit the library. I like the library a lot because most of the vampires seem to avoid it, and the librarian is really nice. Miss Willow is usually the only person at the library, and she recommends books to me and even sits down and talks to me if I ask her questions.She’s seated at her desk and looks up when I come near here. She gives me a soft smile in greeting. Miss Willow is pretty, and she’s not mean like some of th
EmoryI hear about Lex being sent off as a hostage at Scarlett Thunder from my maids after he’s already left. I don’t get the chance to say goodbye. Lex and I may not have started out on the right foot, but I still feel bad he’s essentially become King Peter’s prisoner. I want to talk to Kane about what happened but hear he’s in a meeting. I’m able to find Rainier who has a rare spare moment where he’s not doing something for Kane.“Lex said it’s better this way,” Rainier tells me. “It would have been an awkward scene if he stopped to say goodbye to you, and Lex doesn’t find that entertaining. That chaotic little shit has a dramatic flair.”“I still wish I’d had a chance to say goodbye to him. It’s not easy being a prisoner in a castle filled with your enemies.”I understand that feeling more than anyone. Kane treated me more like an honored guest rather
EmoryBernard looks a mix of horrified and furious. His gray eyes are wide, and he stares at me dumbstruck for a full minute before he lunges. Dr. Martin and Helga grab him before he can get off the bed. They push him down, and Bernard is no match for their superior vampire strength. It doesn’t help that he’s lost a lot of blood and is malnourished.“You have to get rid of it!” Bernard yells. “You can’t keep that thing inside of you!”“That is not your decision,” I reply firmly. “This is my baby, and I get to decide-”“It’s going to be a monster!” Bernard’s gray eyes look more scared than angry. “Whatever comes out of you, it’s not going to be a shifter or a vampire; it’s going to be an abomination.”My hand cradles my belly protectively. “No, it’s not. My baby is going to be normal.”“Normal?” he sc
LolaI never see Willow outside of the castle, and I want to have a picnic, so I convince her to have lunch with me one day. She’s reluctant at first because she doesn’t like leaving the books alone, but I tell that the books will be fine for an hour. They can’t get up and run away.Emory isn’t feeling well that day and is resting in her room. She tells me not to stay cooped up with her, so Nellie is there to make sure I don’t get lost on the castle grounds. Sometimes, I get lost in the castle because it’s way too big. Emory doesn’t agree that we should move to a smaller castle or at least install an elevator in this one. I point out to her that she’s going to have a tough time with the stairs once she gets a big baby tummy, but she just laughs at me.Nellie carries a picnic basket with us as we make our way to the rose garden. She and Willow know each other as they used to work in the kitchens together. They
RainerAfter trying to rack my brain for hours about how I know Willow, I decide to ask Kane if he knows anything. He’s always had a better memory than me. He has a good head for remembering the smallest details. I’ve always been more of a bigger picture kind of guy.I wait until after dinner to get Kane alone. We go to his room, and he pours us both a glass of blood mixed with whiskey. We have done this plenty of times before, so we don’t rush into talking. We sit on the chairs by the window and are halfway through our drinks when I bring up the woman.“Do you know the new librarian?” I ask.“The one that replaced old Gaius?”Gaius had been the castle librarian before either of us had been born. He had practically been part of the wallpaper with how much of a staple he was in the castle.“Yes. The pretty brunette. Kind of flighty. She likes to hide herself in the library.”Kane ta
LexI had expected the court of Scarlett Thunder to be an unpleasant place to be trapped in, but I hadn’t counted on boredom. For all the whispers behind my back and the fake smiles, the courtiers do not have the gall to directly harm me. As often as King Peter likes to throw threats in my direction, he has kept his part of the bargain with my brother. I get to skulk through the dark hallways of his castle and hide away in a comfortable suite instead of locked up in the dungeons with the other prisoners.Opal vacillates between antagonizing me and pretending I don’t exist. Her morning sickness still makes it hard for her to do anything but be miserable in her room. I try to visit her to make sure she’s not dead, but she refuses to let me in. When she does decide to talk to me, it’s only to shout insults in my direction before shutting the door to my face.King Peter has forbidden me from leaving the castle to take walks on the grounds, ci
LexOpal is having her first ultrasound today. She initially refuses to let me come with her to the appointment. I manage to sway her into letting me be there since she has no one else to accompany her. Her brother is in the dungeon of Castle Graystone, and her father is too busy to give her his time for this.“You’re not the real father,” she insists. “I’m only being gracious by letting you be here.”“Of course,” I agree to whatever she wants to avoid any conflict. “I’m here as a supporting ‘uncle’ to your child.”Her blue eyes narrow in annoyance. “You are the uncle.”I blink innocently like a baby deer. “Of course, I am.”She would probably have cursed me out if the doctor hadn’t started with the ultrasound then. He spreads a clear gel on Opal’s stomach, moving the transducer probe over her skin gently. The image on the monito
KaneQueen Olga leads us to the adjoining throne room. At a long table sits the majority of our allies, old and new. Half of them have been ruling before I was even born, and the other half came into power with me around the same time. There are a few new faces, no doubt hoping to raise their cache through associating with more experienced monarchs.I nod to several of the people at the table as I take my seat at one end. Queen Olga sits at the head of the table comfortable being in charge of this meeting. There is not much time for small talk. We launch immediately into discussing the war with Scarlett Thunder, the expense and potential casualties.“I don’t see why I have to help fund another war you’re embroiled yourself in, Kane,” King Matthias remarks. “That pointless battle of wills with the wolves didn’t do you any good. It was a waste of time and resources.”King Matthias was a peer of my father’s. He