Roseanne’s heart is thumping loudly against her chest. Everywhere she looks, it is only pitch black darkness surrounding her. The starless sky above her is shrouding the earth like a dark blanket, inviting them into its midst. Long shadows loom over her as they walk deeper into the forest.
She shivers with cold. The Duke has put his coat around her but it is not enough to fight the coldness of the night. The Lycans around her are not affected by the mist but she is shivering. They have a natural affinity to the weather because their bodies keep them warm. For humans like her, the extreme cold is a curse.
A hand wrapped around her shoulders. Startled, she looks around to find herself being cocooned by the Duke.
“This will put you at ease,” he said to her but Roseanne is defensive. Even if the
Her eyes widened in awe. The first rays of the sun are falling on the land, slowly illuminating the dark sky. As they float along the river, several balls of tiny blue lights emerge from the grounds. The little balls mode in random motion, colluding against each other but floating merrily in the air.Everywhere Roseanne looks, the balls follow her gaze. They are playful and with minds of their own. One of them comes close to her as if to study the blonde haired maiden out of curiosity. Roseanne gasps.“Fairies,” she realizes in wonder. The fairy near her is a tiny little doll-like creature with delicate features of a small girl. It watches her with curiosity and then smiles widely.Beside her, Dmitri is lazily watching his mate. She might be reserved but her eyes lit up with glee when she saw the b
The heavy footsteps are echoing the long corridors of the palace. The lights from the grand chandelier above are shining on a group which is heading deeper into the castle. At the head of the party is a woman in her late fifties. She is of tall stature with high cheekbones and sleek ginger hair with grey streaks in it. Her long purple gown is stitched with thousands of diamonds while her neck and hands are adorned with the finest jewelry in the land. She is elegant and dignified but there is a cold glare in her eyes. A ruby crown is fitted on her head and everyone else is walking three steps behind her, not daring to cross that limit. Behind her, Stefan is trying to reason with her. He is the only one who can walk alongside her. “Your majesty, you m
The boat is anchored at the foot of Mount Evastus. Roseanne cannot help but look up at the mountain in front of her and she gulps.Evastus is the tallest mountain in the land. Situated in the no man’s land, Evastus separates Sloria from Ezealyra and is known to be a highly dangerous place. There are not many creatures lurking there but the mountain has a tumultuous weather and avalanches are common. The snow capped mountain reaches till the sky, disappearing into the clouds. A frosty chill lingers in the air, making Roseanne feel very cold.The Duke’s soldiers are waiting for them at the foot of the mountain and some of them are carrying spare clothes. Dmitri had sent a message to them earlier via mind link to prepare clothes for Roseanne. The soldiers are standing there obediently, waiting for their leader to arrive.
The guards are surrounding them as they walk towards the mountain. Roseanne expects that they will be climbing the mountain to get to the other side because there is only one route to Sloria. She is dreading the thought of having to climb that large mountain. What if they freeze to death? Or worse? “Please step back,” Timur says. They are at a small gap in the mountain. To her astonishment, there is a small cabin at the bottom of the mountain which is attached to a series of thick wires which Roseanne has only seen at the palace. The wires at the palace connect the Emperor to several phone lines so that he can talk to diplomats from other nations. But unlike those wires, these are thick and heavy. She has never seen such wires in her life. The wires are attached diagonally to the mountain top. Roseanne is a
The little girl was watching the old woman in awe. Draped in a red shawl, the woman had snowy white hair and a wrinkled face which was barely recognizable. Her dark eyes peered under the soggy eyelids, studying the child. Next to the child sat a man in his early thirties. He had the same blonde hair as the girl, but his eyes were jet black and he had a crooked nose. They were at a strange cave which was adorned with colorful beads. Candles lit all around them, giving off fragrances of rose and lilies while an altar lay in front of them on which the old woman was sitting upon.The child was hardly four years old, but very inquisitive. Her amber eyes were on the old woman, as if trying to recognize who she was. The old woman was also studying the child with interest.“Thank you for allowing us to receive your blessing, Maman!” the man said in a grateful tone. His name was Mikhael Vadimovna, a simple witch who worked in the village down the valley. No one knew he was a witch. In fact, he
The pull was sudden and his lips crashed on hers. Roseanne feels his warm lips capture hers in a fierce manner. His honey scent hit her and her heartbeats quickened. Hypnotized by his scent, she closes her eyes and kisses him back. Something came over her and she was enjoying the sweet cinnamon taste of his lips.Dmitri breached her defenses, his tongue meshing with hers in an urgent manner. He pried into her mouth, making her gasp. She moans against his lips, blown away by the heat of the moment. He is beguiling her thoughts with his brazen kisses and she is unable to stop herself from doing anything. Her mind is in a daze as their lips puckered together, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.Suddenly, the cab comes to a halt. They are jerked out of their lustful stupor by the abrupt stop. Roseanne frowns and blinks several times. Dmitri flashes his m
The surprises of the day did not end there. Roseanne is so overwhelmed by the city that she cannot help wondering how much of the rumors were actually true?All around her are large buildings made of the finest stones and bricks. They are larger than the ones back in Ezealyra with advanced chimneys which release non-toxic smoke. The shops are thriving with traders selling all sorts of things like freshly made pastries, bread and many more. People in the town are cheering for her, merrily welcoming her while a small festival of sorts was also taking place. Several roadside stalls are selling food and giving them for free to the bystanders who are attending the festival. There is no degradation between the citizens; werewolves, vampires and humans. Everyone was welcome to take their fill.Several women are cooking large amounts of food while the guards are
Aria slightly smiles at Roseanne and bows in front of her. “Welcome, my lady,” she says respectfully. But Roseanne is staring at her scar, unable to believe her eyes. It is Aria Semenov, a former servant at the Ezealyran Royal Family and one of Roseanne’s closest friends. She was also the Crown Prince’s mate. If Moon Goddess was unfair to Roseanne, she was completely ruthless to Aria. Two years ago when Aria turned of age, she felt the mate bond with Ivan. The Crown Prince was enraged that a lowly servant was his mate and rejected her. But that was only the beginning of Aria’s nightmare. Ivan had her smuggled out of the palace one night and Roseanne never saw her again. News came the next day that Aria had killed herself out of grief of being rejected but