Henry watched Basil swing and nearly miss for what felt like the millionth time today. He was pretty sure that his nephew wasn't going to be able to work much longer like this. What had happened to him?A couple of days ago there had been another change in Basil's behavior. He showed up still stumbling around, picked up an ax, and got to work without saying much of anything, reeking of alcohol and looking exhausted. He looked a little past nauseous today, yet he didn't let up on his clumsy, though decent, pace. Henry wasn't sure what to make of it though he and Raven had spoken about Basil's strange behavior lately. Maybe he was fighting with his wife. Henry knew that anytime he and Raven were at odds it was hard for him to focus, but something told him that that wasn't the case.Basil’s ax skittered across the stone uselessly before falling from his hands, and Henry decided that was enough.“Basil, sit down for a second.”Basil turned blinking at him before obeying sitting on the st

The walk to the temple from the ballroom wasn't long, but it was very scenic. The path had been cleared of weeds and replanted with fresh paving stones to guide the way and new flowers that seemed more vibrant than any flower had the right to be after being planted less than a week prior.Oliver, the gardener, had outdone himself.“Are you all right?” Laurel looked up at Adolph. His expression was pensive and troubled. “Are you feeling okay?”Adolf lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles, “I am overjoyed. You look lovely.”“Somehow, temple wear suits you.”“Do you think I can get away with wearing it all the time?”“I doubt it would do anything to lessen your very menacing reputation.”“Probably not.”Laurel gassed as they rounded the corner and she got her first look at the temple. The columns looked new. She couldn't even tell that it had been in a state of disrepair. The steps gleamed as if they had been polished and were lined with moonstone that glinted a silvery-blue in the even

The reception ended slowly. People were mostly too drunk to leave that night and ended up staying in the various guest rooms around the castle. Laura and Adolf retired as soon as Raven said that they had the rest of the cleanup in hand. Laurel was a bit nervous as she realized that she wouldn't be returning to the room she had been staying in that night. Raven had already told her that they had already moved all of her things to the luna’s quarters and Adolph was clear that he intended to spend the night with her.What would that mean she wasn't exactly sure. She didn’t have much of a concept of what he intended to do to consummate their marriage. Was sleeping in the same bed enough or would he want sex?“Are you okay?”Laura wasn't entirely sure she could answer that question. She supposed she had been preparing for it in some way. In her past life, she had tried to prepare herself. She shuddered at the thought. She didn't think Adolf would leave her the way Basil had left her, but t

Slowly, the world came back to her. Light. Sound. Then shapes and smells. It smelled like fragrant wood and polish. The seats were covered in plain fabric. It wasn’t a royal carriage, but it could have been a basic transportation carriage used to transport families between cities. The world rocked violently, jostling her against the side of the carriage. She groaned at the pain in her neck. Where was she? The first thing she saw was silver and black shackles around her wrists, connected by a short silver chain. They felt heavy, but her whole body felt heavy. Had she been drugged, or was she just exhausted?"...Adolph?"She looked up and across her but the face there was not who she was expecting. She froze. She didn’t recognize him or the woman sitting beside him. Their eyes stared at her unblinking and they were unnaturally still.*Vampires.*Her heart sped up in fear. A scream built and stopped in her chest expanding almost painfully, but she held back. She had to keep calm.

“Stop.” Eden’s eyes flashed with golden light like the sun. The air shook and Laurel felt something shimmering in the air. The general and the vampires who were going to attack him froze in place. “Kill each other,” He sneered with another flash of his eyes. “Painfully.”The general turned first, cutting through a man who was just beside him. The vampire holding Laurel gasped and started to tremble as her stomach churned at the sight. They hissed and cried out as they attacked each other. Blood splashed through the air, pooling around the bodies. They drove their swords through each others’ chests, stabbing until the bodies grew still and silent. They severed each other’s heads and tore at each other until only the general remained alive, swaying on his feet.A head rolled towards her. The eyes looked up at her, the expression was twisted in horror.“You…” he choked out and turned toward Eden. “I…”“Kill yourself,” Eden said with another flash of his eyes. The general cried out and