Ana sat in her cell. The lighting in it was horrible and she could barely see a foot in front of her face. That might be a benefit. She feared she didn’t want to know the state of the cells or if she had furry companions. A shudder ran through her body at the thought of the mess rats and mice leave behind. She knew she must overcome this and accept it because she didn’t know how long she’d be locked away down there. Time passed, her eyes closed in the darkness because of how boring it was to watch a blackness that never changed. With no windows, natural light didn’t exist here. All three lights came from the corridor outside her heavy door. It seeped in through the cracks and small openings in the door. Eventually, Ana turned to training and exercise to keep the boredom from crashing in on her and turning her life to mush. It wasn’t easy within the tiny cell. The cell held no more than one or two people at any giv
Franco couldn’t believe how difficult it was to sit there and sentence his own offspring to his dungeons. Edger promised him Adriana would stay separated from the rest of the prisoners. He didn’t want her harmed or killed by a prisoner trying to seek revenge on him. That was the official reason Edger used to have Adriana placed where she was. A second reason for that cell was that it lay near an escape tunnel that only a few knew existed within the dungeons. The emperor who commissioned this palace made, ordered several tunnels throughout the palace be secretly built. Then the construction crews were all executed to maintain the secret of them. The only people within the walls of this palace now that they knew where all the tunnels were, himself and Edger. “Is this really the only way to do this, Franco? You and I know Adriana didn’t have anything to do with what happened to you.” Eva lay beside him now, after eve
George recovered Xavier from Adriana’s rooms along with the few things she brought with her. He needed to smuggle the dog and items out carefully. Otherwise, he might raise suspicions. This wasn’t easy. He had to do it during the day when there were fewer prying eyes. The gossipmongers were out in full force at the moment. The truth is, he had to wait three days to catch a break and bribe the mage portal manager to allow him to use it to send a package to a site the dragon shifters gave him. He couldn’t register who would receive the package on the other end, and he couldn’t have a record of him using the portal. Finally, he sent the package with Xavier and her things off to them. He’d used an untraceable phone to contact them and warn them that Xavier was coming. George struggled with not knowing if the little dog made it through to them for two days before he could reach anyone safely to ask. L
It felt like forever sitting in the cell waiting for George or anyone to rescue her. It always felt cold down there and she could imagine spirits of those who died lost down and forgotten down there stood with her still. It wasn’t the most comforting feeling or thought to think of. Many of the spirits would be enemies of her father and his predecessors. She couldn’t see them thinking much of her. Then Tatiana kept returning to question her. That was a highlight of Ana’s time there in the cell. She could be as obnoxious as she liked. Tatiana didn’t have any power over what happened to her down there. All Tatiana could do was question Ana or accuse her of various things. She grew desperate to catch Ana up on something, anything.Tatiana went all the way back to when they were all in the nursery and accused Ana of reading her diary. Ana smoothly reminded Tatiana that at the time she accused Ana of reading her diary, Ana wasn’t old enough to know how to
George finally put the shuttered lantern down on the natural stone floor and, as he cleared his throat, he turned around, giving Ana his back. “Please hurry and change. We don’t want to be late for any of our connections. It’s dangerous enough as it stands, but delays may get noticed and reported.” He said to the wall, his nose almost touched. Ana sighed because she could see that there would be no way of avoiding this. She also was happy to get out of the clothes she’d worn for weeks. Ana wished she could wash herself, but that was too much to hope for. So changing her clothes would have to do for now. “I really don’t see how changing my clothing will change much of anything. The only way I can fix this is if I take a bath.” “It’ll have to do, Ana. I’m sorry, this is the best I could come up with until we’re out of here. We’re down to fifteen minutes now. Please love hurry.” Ana opened the bag a
George knew this escape was risky, dangerous, and foolhardy at worst. But this was the Emperor’s wish. Remove Ana from the dungeons and don’t let him know where he’s hidden her. He’d handle the rest, whatever that was.George didn’t like the timeline, either. The emperor didn’t set a date or even a timeline. George needed to keep Ana hidden until he hear otherwise. How would the emperor do that if he didn’t know where George and Ana hid? This didn’t make any sense right now, but if the emperor wanted this. Then George would do it.George tried to focus on the plan, but the seam up the back of Ana’s calves kept distracting him. Not because they were crooked, but because they disappeared beneath her skirt. That tempted him more than a bleeding enemy while he was hungry.That would be another problem. He needed to work out. They both needed to feed, but they couldn’t trust just any feeder to keep their secret.He hated the idea, but the Emperor and Edger were no help on
The door closed behind her and, once the lock was in place, Ana leaned against it. A long, slow, tortured sigh came from her, and she said to the empty cabin. “That’s another steppingstone down the path to destruction. But if it’s all like that, it’ll be worth it.” George had left the backpack inside the cabin when he opened the door. Ana moved it out of the way and kicked off her heels. Did she have the time to bathe before George returned? Maybe if she was quick. She could wash her pants and shirt while she was at it. They’d go into the backpack damp, but at least they’d be clean. Her jacket was another story. That she’d need to find someone that cleaned leather to remove the smell from it if airing it out didn’t work. Ana didn’t want to remove too many things right now from the bag because if they needed to flee the boat early, it they might force them to leave something behind. That’s when she decided that bat
“Take this blood sample. I want to test this sample and have it compared to all royal house lineages. If there’s a match, I want to know about it immediately. Do I make myself clear? Focus on the Van Der Naught bloodline.” “Your eminence, that bloodline ended…”Franco summoned the head expert who recorded and verified the lineages of the Vampiric Empire and its families. “I said focus on it! Are they a member of the Elite or Royal Caste? Do they hold the seat of the Van Der Naughts? I want the results as soon as possible, and you are to keep this quiet. No one and I repeat, no one is to learn of this. Including the Crown Princess Tatiana, she will now know nothing about this. Leave the same way you came in.” Franco didn’t want to hear this. All he wanted was to know he’d not sentenced Adriana to death because fate gave her a life partner who wasn’t a member of the correct caste. If he was Violetta and Caun’s son,
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