It was all in the portfolio. Someone compiled this very well for the Emperor, and she could almost see the fear in the person’s soul as they put pen to paper while laying this out.
Now she needed to get the interviews done to know whether she could trust them. Ana knew she could work with people, but that didn’t mean she would trust them. That was all part of the Vampiric court. Backstabbing was everyone’s specialty, and she doubted it would differ from where she was going. Well, at least, among her staff. Someone would be charged with getting the dirt on her and telling the Emperor. Another would do the same thing for her mother. They would leave Ana in the dark about it until she did something unforgivable.
Speaking of doing something unforgivable, what was she to do about that walking tasty treat of man the Emperor put in control of her safety? She highly doubted he put them together to encourage them to play with each other in the manner she was so tempted to. His eyes said the same thing. Ana was sure he’d watched her hips sway all the way to the sitting room.
It had her worried because it wasn’t just a sin, but a crime against the morals of the Throne and Vampiric Society. Crimes against the morals of the Throne and Vampiric Society were usually punishable by death. Because that went against the foundations and fundamentals of their society. What better way to destroy the empire than to destroy what they built it upon?
The guilt felt real, yet she’d done nothing. Yet, she couldn’t get his wind tossed hair and sky-blue eyes from her mind. Or the thought of his chiseled chin and sculpted cheekbones. Was the rest of his body the same way? If it was… No, Ana knew her mind couldn’t go there. But it had been doing just that this entire time.
It couldn’t mean anything. He wasn’t from the same caste as her and people didn’t rise or lower castes at a drop of the hate. So she couldn’t beg the Emperor to allow him to move from one caste to another. It didn’t happen.
Before she knew it, he was back. He’d looked good before, but now he was in his dress uniform. They tailored the grey and blue uniform to his body, and he looked like he was all but chiselled out of stone. Each gold button was shining brightly in the gentle lighting of the blue sitting room. He’d tied his hair back in a neat ponytail and his collar was high enough to accent his freshly shaven jaw.
“Well… At least, you clean up well. I’m surprised the Emperor didn’t punish you for entering his presence like that.” Ana deliberately used her prickly and hostile tone to try to push him away subtly. She hated to do it, but it was her first line of defence when she needed to distance herself from others.
“When the Emperor calls and you’re told it’s urgent, then he gets what he gets. I’m sure he knew I was training before he summoned me. If I offended your sensibilities, I apologize. It wasn’t my intention.”
“You didn’t, just don’t do it again. If you are in that state, then send someone to tell me why you’re delayed. If I can’t wait, I will send word of that.”
“Fair enough. Shall we secure your portfolio from prying eyes?”
“Definitely, thank you.” Again Ana led the way out of the Blue Sitting Room, and she could feel his eyes on her backside. She tried to tolerate it, but soon found herself rolling her eyes and turning around to glare at him. “Please refrain from staring at my hips. If your eyes are on it, then you aren’t doing your job of keeping me from behind, killed or kidnapped.”
George had the decency to blush and give her a rueful smile. He’d been caught and called out at the same time. “I apologize. I wasn’t aware I was doing that, and I will attempt to stop doing that.”
“Thank you.” She turned back and continued down the corridor into the Royal Family’s Wing, where their quarters were. “I would like to ask you to accompany me to interviews with my new staff. Not as my bodyguard, but as an advisor. You showed how observant you are and I’d like to see if we can’t get it to work for us. So when the interviews are being conducted, I want you to pretend you are there to guard me, but you’re truly there to assess their character and their intentions.”
“That’s an interesting endeavour. I will do my best when they occur to do exactly as you ask. Is there a reason you want me to do this?”
“I want to know who is planted within my staff to report to my mother and who will report to the Emperor. Also, the potential risk to my being betrayed or backstabbed by a member of my staff.”
“Ah… Yes, that’s an excellent idea. Am I to assume that your parents will have different people on your staff working for them?”
“Yes, I would expect so, and they’ll probably be working at cross purposes with each other. Here we are. I’ll leave it in the vase by the door. Anyone looking for it won’t search there for something like that. I’m not known for my imagination.”
“You don’t say? What are you known for?”
“Since my room is finally clean and all my mother and sisters’ things are gone from my room. It’s safe for me to lose these foolish pairs of shoes for something a little more comfortable.” Ana walked out of the high-heeled shoes her mother insisted she wear and pulled a pair of black Doc Marten’s with red roses and vines details on them. With a cheeky smile, she held them up. “Comfort and common sense. Pretty, no?”
“Definitely unique. Though I was aware of your choice in footwear before. It’s well known within the ranks of the guard.” George smiled as he said that and watched her lace them up.
On most women, they’d look like a couple of heavy weighs on them, because their proportion was out of whack to their bodies. George had to admit that Ana could pull them off with ease and an interesting form of grace.
He had to stop himself from licking his lips as her skirt climbed a little higher above her knee.
He could see the light playing between her inner thighs and he felt the temptation to get a closer look. George wanted to know if those white thighs were as soft as her creamy skin promised. He had to clear his throat to halt his groan of sexual interest.
George turned away from the sight of her and steeled himself for a long evening. “We should go before we’re late. The Emperor wouldn’t be please about that.”
“Oh, yes, of course.” Ana couldn’t help it. She was falling on old practices. Push the person away and then tease them. Rinse and repeat until they gave up in frustration and went away. But this time she could feel his eyes on her, and the warmth of awareness formed deep within her. She felt the need to clench her thighs closed and the Moon Goddess save her, rub herself against him.
She didn’t know how she’d survive this. They’d only been introduced an hour ago.
There was no way he could stay in the room without him doing something completely foolish. They also were running out of time, and he didn’t want the emperor to become upset with his incompetence. “Alright, just don’t tell anyone that I changed them. Poor Mary had so much to clean up in here. My mother can be so thoughtless at times. Well, I guess there’s an end in sight for that. Once we leave here, I won’t have to deal with her or my sisters. You didn’t hear me say that, understand? I shouldn’t be telling any of this to you at all.” George held the door open for Ana and she stepped from her apartment. “Next time, I believe you need to stay outside of my apartments. It doesn’t look right if you enter with me and we’re alone.” She said to him after she ensured there was no one in the corridor to see them both exiting her apartments. “I understand. We will work this one out in time. All you need to do is bring any of your concerns to me and we can fin
Adriana powered through dinner conversation with a surprising skill and wit that George found fascinating. He would have enjoyed listening to her speak for hours. Alexi, however, appeared to prefer the sound of his own voice and opinion. She eventually backed out of the conversation and pretended to listen as she finished the last course before dessert was served. It was torture to watch Alexi finally smile at Adriana and whisper he wished she was the dessert instead of the sweet young thing offering him her wrist willingly. Adriana glared at him and said nothing as her fangs sank into the wrist of the young man standing beside her chair. These were humans from the feeder caste, humans who willingly gave of themselves for the survival of all other castes. Nameless members of society, yes there were laws against feeding too deeply and if death accidentally occurred, there were laws to deal with that as well.But what Alexi inferred was something that
Ana threw open the doors to her apartment as she stormed into it and threw herself into a gilt chair. Her face was a storm cloud of mixed emotion. Just her luck that her father and everyone else heard her side of the conversation and none of that asshole’s. Now she’s gone and screwed it all up. “I’m the one that gets punished when he’s the one that tells me I’m not good enough to marry. Then he gets the bright idea that I can be his mistress. This is not fair in the least. If the emperor thinks, I’ll accept that he’s got another thing coming.” Ana was fuming. “If he thinks I’ll degrade myself like that, then he’s deluding himself. I’ll leave before I do that. I’ll… I’ll turn my back on this place and everyone in it.” “Princess, I believe your father is avoiding you so that you both can speak after you’re both calmer.” “Oh, it doesn’t work that way. I can’t believe he wouldn’t hear me out. That was entirely unreasonable.” “He’
The electricity that flowed between them, even if we didn’t lock eyes, was there and it went straight to his dick. It was almost a relief when the bathroom door suddenly shut behind her. He had to get himself in order. Her father, the emperor, could appear at any time and the gig would be up before he laid down his punishment on Adriana. The goddess preserve him, this wasn’t fair. He’d never reacted like this to any female before. He had to retract his fangs consciously. Her flesh was just so tempting at that close of range. There was no way she couldn’t feel it. Not by the way she slammed that door. Her scent filled the room, and it did nothing to help him calm down. He had to take himself out to the balcony for fresh air. How was this going to work? They needed boundaries, and one of them was not close contact. That was obvious. Touching Adriana was like touching a live wire. It shocked his system to life, and all he wanted to
Ana came from the bathroom and stopped dead in her tracks. Her father was already there, and he, of course, brought his guards. They didn’t leave his side ever. What disturbed her the most was he was telling the bodyguard her punishment like he had all the control over her. He didn’t spare her a glance. Though he did mutter something about her, being the only daughter he believed wouldn’t fail at this. Ana wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or a threat if she failed. Six months away from this place. Away from her mother and sisters. The snide remarks of courtiers, maybe even away from the prying eyes of everyone. That, she figured, was a little too much to believe. After all, she would have staff from here around her, and she now knew who the bodyguard answered to. It wasn’t her; it was her father. So much for any bond forming there beyond this strange physical need to touch him and be touched. That she could resist and without an emotional bond,
“Ambassador, I would first like to grab a quick bite before we leave, since all this time here is when I should have been having my dinner. I would like to leave on a full stomach.” George didn’t want to be at his worst when he got there and right now, he was starving. For a vampire, that was an awful state to get into. Instincts would heighten and they would make mistakes. Actions best avoided could happen, and judgement could become impaired. “As time is ticking, Edger made that observation to me. I took it under advisement and brought something you could take with you. I wouldn’t advise to take a mage portal on an overly full stomach. It could lead to a rather embarrassing event on the other side. There are overnight bags waiting for you. They were packed while you were at dinner, because it would ease everything because unpacking will take some time that I’m not sure you’ll have once you get there.” Maximus seemed to have an answer for everything, but he hear
Ana watched as George unlocked the large double doors that led from the elevator corridor. They had to go past the delivery room, storage room, and stairwells to other places within the building. He handed Ana one of two key rings that bore all the master keys for their new domain. The Vampiric Empire was moving in today. Someone left the lights on as they entered. The maps were easy to find. They bore details of the entire building, the public areas spread over several floors, and each floor boasted it’s own map. They remembered to add a map that helped them identify where everyone was to be housed. There were two floors, actually. The first floor where they were now, was where Ana would work, and her staff would live. The floor above was where apartments for herself and George were, with another for guests. They found beautifully appointed rooms for working outside of the ruling council’s sitting times. Everything they’d need was there, supplied for them. Or
George finally left to get things done and Ana could relax for a moment or two. What was she going to do here with everything as it was? There were still a few days before the North American Ruling Council would sit for the first time. George said she was the face people would think of before the emperors from now on. Did he know that when he gave her this position? Of course, the emperor knew, or George wouldn’t have a position here. If he wanted her dead, then he would have placed an incompetent fool in George’s place. So, what did the emperor expect her to do? Succeed? Fail? Accept defeat? Ana didn’t have a clue. All she knew was it was difficult having George so close. He embodied temptation and, for a vampire, temptation ran a close second to life’s blood. Irresistible, to say the least. Somehow, the word distraction wasn’t strong enough to describe what she felt. The emperor couldn’t have known there’d be an attractio
Please Note: If you hate the idea of it never happened that way or a cliffhanger ending. Please don’t read past Chapter 153. Ragnar, you can’t do this. I know the timeline is altered and I understand it could have devastating consequences. But we can’t go around using magic to change things back the way they should have been. I’m sure things have changed like this before, and you didn’t do anything then.” “It’s out of my hands. The Dragon Council is sitting right now discussing this issue. I’ve got no say in it beyond my report. If they feel everything that’s happened must be changed, then that’s what will happen. It’s a last resort. But Maximus Lioness isn’t the vampire who should have that name. Something went wrong there, and that’s just one problem with the timeline, as you call it, is wrong. Adriana and George shouldn’t be in the positions they are in. All the things that happened to Adriana weren’t supposed to happen. Her mother shouldn’t be h
North American Ruling Council - Two Weeks Later Ana walked the halls again of the NARC Headquarters, doing her thing. The meetings did not differ from they’d been before. Her plans were falling into place. Her father was pleased and Caun finally could do his original job before easing into his position as a titled royal. The talk around the building didn’t stop with creatures awake at all hours of the day and night. From wild affairs to several battle royale, Ana was busy catching and keeping up with it all. She’d already been requested to assist with preventing a war from breaking out between the Nanaue, a Hawaiian shifter race of sharks, and the Merfolk, mermaids, and mermen. Fun times for all, as there are more than enough sharp teeth and injured pride to go around. This wouldn’t be a simple mediation, and Ana craved the challenge. The Dragon Ambassador did something. Ana suspected magic, because when she retur
Four Days Later - Meeting About the Future Ana woke that evening to find Caun wasn’t beside her, which was odd. When she found him, which took some effort, he was in Tatiana’s night garden exploring it with several of their guards. She had to ask several people to track him down. “Caun, what’s the matter? Why are you here?” “Oh, good evening, love. I was speaking to your father and the attacks on Tatiana came up in our conversation. You were still asleep, and I didn’t want to interrupt you. While we were talking, your father said that no one could tell me how her attackers from the first incident entered here. Since we have several excellent investigators as our guards, I thought we’d take a look around to see if we could find something that could explain how, if not, who did this.”“Oh, good grief I can understand my father not asking me how she pulled this foolishness off, but Caun I’m surprised you didn’t ask me.” That had Caun
Caun stood in line with the last of the guests filing through past him. He’d lost count of the hundreds of hands he shook. There were guards everywhere, and it made him uncomfortable, be he as George, who he still identified as, belonged with them. He kept his eye on his mate and marvelled at how she pretended not to be bored and uncomfortable with the many comments on her unique dress. The side-eye glances and the judgemental glares. It would be a difficult and busy evening. Caun hoped things would get better from here on out. That they’d be busy enough that she wouldn’t be able to brood or her the courtier’s opinion on anything.“So far, so well, this evening. Let’s see how far we can go with no scenes with any of the superficial fools who think they are powerful people.” He whispered this into Ana’s ear. It was a joke, because no matter what he said to Ana, she wouldn’t believe him. She now was a secretly powerful person. “We’ll see the night is sadly still young
Evening of the Celebration of the Life Partner Pairing Adriana thought it was crazy to see the clothing laid out for Caun and her. She’d never seen Caun every in such regalia and her own unique sense of fashion so intricately woven into the more traditional garb of a formal event. Instead of a full-length gown with sashes, ruffles, and silk flowers enveloping it. Ana wore a full dress with a closed slit up the front of the gown. Beneath it, she wore a pair of trousers and boots. Her bodice was a beauty with false draping that allowed her to wear a short, cropped jacket that Matched Caun’s jacket only it was far shorter. It was feminine, but allowed her to show her rank as the Vampiric Ambassador and a soldier within her father’s military. Which pleased her greatly because it meant her skills weren’t a dirty secret or an embarrassment to her father. Ana’s lady’s maid didn’t have a comment or criticism about anything she assisted Ana
Ana could see the sigh of relief at her words in the way her father relaxed and Eva, too. As if even this setting didn’t quite keep her father’s anxiety at bay and Eva somehow shared in it. Could she really be supporting this?Ana couldn’t see how this would be in her best interest to let this happen. If she even pretended to go along with it and encourage it, then Ana could, too. “I am relieved to hear you say this. Eva has been pressuring me to get this done before we celebrate anything because she doesn’t want there to be any miscommunication between us. I admit I agree with her. There’s been too many things keeping me from being fully in your life and now with most of that gone, I hope you will accept my attempts at rectifying that.” Her father stood up at saying this. “Come here. There’s one thing I’ve missed since you could talk.” Ana frowned because she wasn’t sure what he was speaking about and took a step back.
Ana couldn’t help it. When they entered the private well-lit moon garden of the Vampiric Emperor, she had to marvel at the artistry of it’s many curated garden paths. It was like a maze laid out before her and put Tatiana’s garden to shame. Here her father could find a little quiet solitude away from the prying eyes of his courtiers and guards alike and he guarded that privacy as if it were more precious than gold itself. She held onto Caun’s arm as they entered the space and stepped down toward the pathway Edger used to lead them to her father. The gravel that made up the surface of the path crunched softly under their feet as they followed. The sounds of night birds in the trees floated down to them as a few random lightning bugs flitted between the trees, and the space looked like someone had infused it with a sweet healing magic that was full of warmth and gentleness.“I have to say I like your father’s choice of private spaces. Between this and
Edger did return after they’d relaxed a little and changed. Ana still couldn’t help it. When she discovered the clothing, her father had commissioned for her, she’d stopped dead in her tracks in disbelief. Her new lady’s maid gave her a note written in her father’s handwriting which spoke volumes that he’d not dictated it to someone. He’d taken the time to write to her. Ana knew that wasn’t a normal relationship between child and parent, but they weren’t exactly normal people. [Adriana love, this note is to ensure you understand that situations of safety and security forced my hand to do and say things I never wanted to say to my daughter. You aren’t hidden or an embarrassment to me. I am relieved to have proven you are my daughter. Your mother tied my hands when it came to raising you, but I kept eyes on you at all times. Your life partner and you will find I’ve arranged for clothing for you in the tastes you are comfortable in, with a touch of nob
Ana entered the suite first, followed by Caun and finally Edger. A smartly dressed couple stood there waiting for them. They weren’t in the royal livery, though they clearly wore a livery. It wasn’t unusual in the days before Adriana’s birth for other leaders to have their servants in their own livery. There were a few these days, but many were no longer used since the houses no longer existed. “The Emperor took it upon himself to outfit your servants in your personal livery. This is Jacque and Rachel. They will ace as your personal maid and valet.”Ana nodded at them in recognition. These were people her father hired for them, and that was fine. They knew enough not to say anything suspicious in front of them. The pair curtseyed and Ana dismissed them. “We’ll speak later. I’m sure you have plenty to keep you busy. Are my weapons going to be a problem for her Edger?”“No, Princess, she has received training to look after, maintain, and store your weapons appropriately should the need