Taisiya held out because she had exhausted herself soon after her stunt to spy on Aakifahlynn and Jairus. Being invisible was no easy feat, and she was pregnant.She'd started to spot and was ordered to rest and lay off from exerting herself. Taisiya knew these twins would get her where she needed to be, so she listened to the Doctor.Then, her babies were more important, and what was waiting a few days? She'd told herself after one week or two, she would be able to do some light magic to strengthen her hold on Jairus.Taisiya had come too far for anything to sully her plans now. She could no longer wait that long and did not have to.Taisiya had also used magic after the Doctor's warning to kill Aakifahlynn after the following night of Aakifahlynn's seduction.Jairus had started to lie to her, and she realized how much her influence was failing. So not thinking clearly or rationally about why they kept Aakifahlynn alive, to begin with. Taisiya was suddenly consumed with ending her li
Aakifahlynn stood on a rock, trying to balance herself and avoid falling into the raging dark waters. Her long blonde hair wrapped in a tight bun slightly loosened, causing tendrils of hair to escape their confines, and whipped around in a frenzy with the velocity and vigorous movement of the sea breeze that threatened to topple her over along with the body she carried.The noisy, aggressive waves roared as they thrashed against the slippery, broken-down slabs of walls and rocks. Aakifahlynn quickly braced herself and tossed the warrior in as far as possible, which was not far at all. He barely made it off the rocks. Then she stood there and watched as the waves did the rest. Thankfully, the waves literally scooped up the warrior.It was not that Aakifahlynn was weak. She was simply feeble in her rushed decision to throw the warrior out in the sea like this for the sea creatures to devour. Actually, she was contemplating a proper burial under the moon for him.But she did not have
Aakifahlynn sighed and continued her inspection.The beautiful furniture is royal, rich purple with intricate gold highlights.The luxurious couch set to her right was purple with gold trimming and feet, paired with a gold iron frame and glass at the top center table, with a mini bar area, a small fridge, and bar stools to finish the look. It did not go unnoticed to Aakifahlynn that she was in a room decorated in her favorite color, royal purple.Her searching, curious eyes slid past that and saw that there were double doors she assumed to be the exit. Straight ahead of her across the room was another double door, which Aakifahlynn thought was the closet because she believed the single left door was the toilet. Before that, a table with chairs, purple seating, a small desk with books and parchments scattered about, and an office chair were partitioned. The walls were painted in a warm lilac-colored pallet with gold moldings.The ceiling was the same lilac, and the two gold and purpl
As such, Emperor Demarion Dracul was prepared with the facts. He strolled over to a small table in the room they were all in, took up a few parchments of paper, and gestured it toward Aakifahlynn, his eyes never leaving her.'Why was Jairus so eager to find me?' This was a surprise to Aakifahlynn. She was in her thoughts.Aakifahlynn absentmindedly walked towards him, her blue eyes never leaving his. She now focused on him and looked for any sight of dishonesty, but she found none. Nonetheless, what she knew about the Ayacqueans outweighed her judgment.Too much was going on, so she must proceed cautiously and be suspicious, keeping her guard up until the end, and victory was hers or proven otherwise.Taking the small stack from Emperor Dracul's hand, Aakifahlynn's eyes widened at what she held: a sketch of her, offering five thousand gold coins, which is five hundred thousand dollars, to anyone with information about her, leading to her safe return.Her already widened eyes widened
"Oh, this is a surprise. I was expecting somewhere less..." Aakifahlynn gestured to her surroundings."Lavish." Emperor Dracul finished for her, his hands behind his back."Yes, I mean, I held out hope you were not taking me to the dungeons, but this?" Her hands rose and fell back onto her lap as she gestured to the room and environment.At her words, The Emperor hid his look as if she'd slapped him in his face. He would never dream of letting her stay in the dungeons.Emperor Demarion Dracul knew he had to tread carefully with how much he disclosed and how soon. And he would continue to hold out despite his advisor and second-in-command's warnings...But the bottom line is he would never let her stay anywhere less than his palace. "The Emperor had spoken. You and your family are safe and welcome here as long as needed."Aakifahlynn blinked, then blinked again, "I must thank the Emperor. When can I meet him?" Demarion was taken aback for a moment. She was always so relieved at hearing
"Just say my name if you need me." Emperor Dracul added and disappeared from the room in a flash before Aakifahlynn could digest what he said.'Say his name? Was that all she had to do to get his attention? She would surely put it to the test, but right now, Aakifahlynn needed a moment with her parents.As they chatted the night away, Aakifahlynn allowed her mind to relax and be at ease in the presence of her parents. Her entire body was cozy, for that matter.She shut out the questions she still had about the Emperor that were scorching her mind for now...Aakifahlynn had walked across the room and finally gotten a look at her disheveled self, and she was an eye sore. Her hair was a frazzled mess, wrapped haphazardly in a messy one. Dark circles were prominent around her eyes, as if she were sleep-deprived.Even though she'd been out for two days. Her lips were so dry that they looked cracked. Her cheeks seemed somewhat sunken slightly. 'Was that caused by her rejecting her mate and
Aakifahlynn felt like the sooner she learned about where was off-limits, the sooner she could visit the Emperor herself to relay her gratitude and pursuits.She flipped the covers off her, determination guiding her. She'd slept in the room she woke up in yesterday. Demarion told her it was now her room. After her delightful time with her parents, Aakifahlynn had Demarion escort her back to her room.Now, she was confident she could find her way to and from her room and her parents.Aakifahlynn strolled to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror. She soon realized that not only did she feel like herself, but Aakifahlynn looked like herself.Her cheeks weren't sunken, the dark circles were gone, and that hint of color was back. Aakifahlynn sighed in contentment and proceeded to get ready for her day.She brushed her teeth and showered. Aakifahlynn also felt like she did not need a messenger as she thought more of it, though she wondered if she should respect the Emperor's wish
Honestly, Aakifahlynn would like to believe that this was the opportunity she'd been hoping for, that they intended to storm the castle gates.'Who else was planning a war? Or had the means to get them into somewhere?' Aakifahlynn wonders as she recalls the hushed murmurs.Surely, they were talking about her unless someone here was planning their own war that they needed to assist with. Nevertheless, these were the Ayacqueans, and they were schemers at every turn.One never knows when they are sincere.Or worse yet, are they ever sincere in anything they do? Or is everything always calculated? As far as Aakifahlynn was concerned, this could be another elaborate scheme.She heard about their elaborate schemes and trickery, really going the distance in their folly, creating that illusion they want you to see and believe.Anyways, if she could not get to the Emperor directly and had to settle for discussing terms with Demarion, then she would, and only till then would she rest easy.Only
Jarrod had all but pledged his life to the man, grateful to him for saving it. The same was true of her parents. She understood why they were faithful, but they were all missing the 'why' in this situation. Aakifahlynn's mind was a whirlwind of confusion, unable to grasp the true identity of the man they all revered.It scared Aakifahlynn, not knowing the 'why' of Demarion's actions in saving them. This could be more sinister than they all thought or imagined. And what did her parents do? Blindly worship him.Now that she saw and understood where her parents stood on the matter, she would drop it and let the chips fall where they may, but that does not mean she would suddenly let her guard down. No way, no how.The rest of the day went by pretty quickly—it was almost a blur. Aakifahlynn had left her parents and visited her garden, where she'd started growing flowers for her scented soaps.She checked on the progress even though she knew they were already being taken care of, thanks
Perhaps this dinner was a stroke of luck. Aakifahlynn's primary goal was to avoid Demarion and direct all her focus toward the families present.This annual ball and fundraiser can be the start of her getting close to the Emperor. And if she was being honest, Demarion did mention this to her weeks ago, but it may have gone in one ear and come out the other. She was too busy with her 'kill list,' the people she sought revenge on for past wrongs.Since then, she'd already decided she would not attend, and she knew him getting her parents involved would be a way to get her there. So you know what? She would dress to kill, wine, dine with the elites, and maybe find herself a wealthy man. She rolled her eyes inwardly at her last thought as if."Fine, I'll think about it," Aakifahlynn said, not wanting to suddenly give in."Come on, Aakifahlynn, pleaseeee do it for me." Her mother's plea echoed. Aakifahlynn was not ready to give in so quickly, but she could not resist her mother."Okay, o
Aakifahlynn quickly flew off the bed. After eating, she brushed her teeth, showered, and dressed for the day. She wanted to return to visit her parents to tell them where she really was yesterday and give them the news about Jarrod, her father's friend, and Alpha, who was presumed dead.She knew her father would be thrilled that his old pal was indeed alive. However, she did not want Demarion to know about that development just yet, simply because she wanted to keep some things to herself. Goddess knows how much Demarion has been keeping from her.Aakifahlynn also planned to keep busy because there was a gala soon, but she had no intentions of attending.Meanwhile, last night was the most restless night Demarion had experienced, and he had been around for centuries, so that's saying a lot.And it was not because he slept by Aakifahlynn's door; that had been his norm since she arrived. No, that was not it.He was happy that Aakifahlynn was safe and sound. He'd gathered that she must ha
Aakifahlynn was still cloaked, and Demarion was wearing gloves, so she did not experience the full effect of his touch. And yet, for a second, she lost herself in his eyes, and her eyes fell to his lips. Then, she moved up to his eyes again and licked her lips.Her face suddenly moved closer to him.At Aakifahlynn's apparent intentions, Demarion wasted not another second; he had been waiting an entire lifetime for this again; he instantly closed the distance between them, his head swooping lower to meet her as she tiptoes wrapping her arms around his neck and kissed him.It quickly became hungry and heated, his hands moving down her back, caressing her waist, pulling her flush to him as he sat on the table, she between his legs.She grabbed the hair at the nape of his neck and slid her hand up, massaging his head. Her fingers ran through his hair as they melted in this passionate kiss, and they both moaned in pure pleasure.However, Aakifahlynn had been fighting this for the last few
Yes, she was cloaked. She had thoroughly cloaked herself so Demarion could not keep such a tight hold on her.And even though Aakifahlynn saw the errors of her ways because her father could not feel her through their bond, she would blame Demarion.It was his fault. "How could you?" Aakifahlynn shouted, her voice shaky with rage, not giving him a chance to respond. His gaze bore into her, so Aakifahlynn felt as if she could not breathe under his intense gaze.She continued anyway, refusing to let his allures get to her, "What gave you the right to raise such an alarm?""Why would you provoke such a raucous that would cause my mother and father such pain? They thought I was in serious danger and that something was seriously wrong when I only wanted to get away from you and your lies." she snapped.Her words, a cascade of pent-up emotions, not letting him get a word in.Now, she was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling. "Aakifahlynn?" Her mother's gentle voice called out to h
Demarion had come by earlier, but now it was dark out, and Aakifahlynn was still nowhere to be found. This was a bit unusual. And the fact that Demarion was worried, Aakifahlynn's mother was now.By Mrs. Arwen's response and stricken look, Demarion got his answer without even asking. They still had not seen her since. "Guards," Demarion shouted.There were guards at almost every post. How could Aakifahlynn slip past them, and neither of them saw her? "Yes sir," the nearest guard came almost at a run, "sound the alarm. Our Empress is missing." Demarion orders.Those words about 'his empress' flew over Mrs. Arwen's head as she was now stricken with fear, being consoled by her husband, Aakifahlynn's father, Mr. Ludwig Arwen. She had left the door wide open, and Danica walked in to get them up to speed. She mentioned her brief conversation with their daughter earlier today in an attempt to reassure them that she was certain Aakifahlynn was just fine. Demarion barked a few more orders
Demarion sighed. He did not mean to come off so aggressive, he thought for a moment. There were many reasons why he was holding off on bombarding Aakifahlynn with all the information he had about their past lives. "Because she never believes me at first, always... and always tries to escape me. Which always led to her death before I could." Demarion's voice cracked, and when he regained it, it trembled. He fisted.He was tough and mighty, powerful and feared by many; however, this one woman could bring him to his knees without even trying."Before I could even hold her in my arms and show her how much I loved her before she could ever love me, I simply cannot risk her life like that this time; I won't." He declared.Danica's heart ached for her brother. " What if you are wrong, and she does believe you this time?""Why would she? I haven't been completely honest with her, and it's damned if I do and still damned if I don't.""You should not think like that. This time, it is different
Aakifahlynn spun around, looking everywhere, wondering what was going on. She then shouted, asking Jarrod if he knew what was happening and if anything like this had ever happened while he was there.Jarrod thought momentarily, then told Aakifahlynn that the last time this happened, Demarion's sister was kidnapped, and they locked down the empire.They did not make it far with her.Aakifahlynn shouted, and Jarrod heard her when she said, "The emperor went through all this for the disgraced emperor's sister?"But before he could correct her and tell her the Emperor was not disgraced, nor ever was he. It was like an alarm went off in Aakifahlynn's head—the thought of her parents struck her. She needed to know if they were safe, her concern overriding everything else."Oh my goddess, my parents," she shouted over the blaring again. And an excited Jarrod, forgetting all about the Emperor, almost jumped up and down, jumping out of his seat, "Oh Goddess, my dear old friend is here." His e
Aakifahlynn was sorry she missed the opening but was too busy recovering from draining her strength after healing folks at a hospital and then having to recuperate. Nevertheless, she told him not to let her absence keep him from moving forward in their adventures; she would show up when she could to check on things.Plus, Aakifahlynn preferred the surprised visits; keeping him on his toes is always better. However, she must admit he still had that eagerness to help in any way she wanted after their encounter that faithful day she visited the Stygian.Nevertheless, Aakifahlynn learned that Taisiya does not exist, literally. She was found washed ashore at the age of sixteen with no family.And this Jarrod had confirmed as he lived it. He was there when Jairus brought her home. Taisiya had woven a web of lies throughout her life, leaving a lingering mystery about her true identity. Even Spencer, who had his men gather all the intel, was unsure. But he went on to explain his spy's find