Christian sat next to Xandar, and Greg sat next to Lucianne. The alliance and remaining ministers took their seats alongside them. Greg followed Lucianne’s worried gaze and noted the vampires’ freshly beaten-up face.
He then muttered her way, “I have a very good feeling about this meeting, My Queen.”
Lucianne tore her eyes away from the vampires and narrowed her eyes at the duke, who tried hard to press back an amused smirk. Toby sat next to Greg just to make sure that if Lucianne needed a good comeback to silence Greg, he would be there to help. But knowing his best friend, she’d most likely wouldn’t need it. Still, one could never be too careful.
Xandar’s anger was seething again at the sight of Maddock, who had still not got
Octavia was the first to exclaim, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SUGGESTING?! THAT THE EMPRESS ABDUCTED HER OWN PEOPLE?!”Lucianne asked a little more calmly, “Yes, Duica. What are you suggesting? Was this only detected at the window?”Duica gulped and tried his best not to shake when he said, “No, in fact. It was…” he looked to his comrades for support, who all gave him an ominous nod for him to disclose the whole truth, so he did, “We realized that it was the empress’s scent at the window, but when we sniffed the rest of the castle, we found that the scent was…in every room and corridor.”Before anyone could say anything, Lucianne commented in a pondering manner, “Odd.” She turned to a still-shocked Pe
“NO!” Lucianne didn’t know how many creatures growled that word her way, but their combined volume was enough to make her animal cover its ears in discomfort.Xandar turned Lucianne to face him, and gently shook her by her forearms as he reminded her, “Babe, when we talked about this, we said we’re putting our prisoners there, NOT YOU.”“The prisoners won’t necessarily do things our way or ask what we want, darling.”Juan exclaimed, “Lucy, are you out of your mind?! No one knows how that thing works and you just want to trespass like it was your own territory?”Lucianne argued meekly, “Well, we’re not trespassing if we have the forest&rsqu
With the rising tension in the pindrop silence chamber, the other decipios in the room shrunk further into their seats despite not having anything to do with the attack in Blue Crescent. They simply felt ashamed of sharing that innate power with those who caused the diplomatic conflict.Xandar’s grip on Lucianne’s small hand tightened when he explained, “It was a nightmare. I felt like I was being caged at first then released into a world that is supposed to be real but really isn’t. When the manipulation started taking effect, what I saw around me were only enemies, creatures that we’ve put behind bars and in solitary confinement less than a year ago. My friends and family who were fighting alongside me miraculously disappeared from sight. My wife…was missing.”He paused for a moment
Xandar met Lucianne’s orbs that were sparkling with curiosity before he smiled at the beautiful sight and ran his fingers down her soft hair as he explained, “Bernard IV was the Director-General of the Secret Service that used to exist, sweetheart. The Service started with him, who took in creatures of any species as long as they possessed enough aptitude, attitude, mental stamina, emotional stability and psychological mastery. They operated independent of governments and monarchies, loyal only to civilians but…”He took an uneasy gaze around the room and continued, “His successor didn’t possess the same vision or nobility that he had, and soon, it became evident that politics played a role in how the Secret Service operated.”Lucianne looked around, and then back at her slightly guilty husb
Toby agreed to discuss with Tate about the practice schedules and make arrangements with Rafael. The meeting was dismissed, and everyone went home. Xandar and Lucianne picked Reida up from Christian and Annie’s place and put her into bed before getting into bed themselves. As soon as Lucianne made her space in Xandar’s arms and was about to drift off, Xandar kissed her forehead and muttered, “I am so sorry, Lucy.” She looked up at him with droopy eyes and murmured, “Darling, again, it’s not your fault. It’s not his fault either.” Her hand traced his cheekbone, making his animal coo as it made Xandar pressed his forehead against hers. She continued whispering, “Stop blaming yourselves and each other. Neither of you would have done such a thing. We found a way to s
“I’d like to know more about your father, Pelly. What was the late Emperor Kosh like?” Lucianne asked after she and Pellethia sat down on a wooden bench facing a large pond with a few papilionibus (singular: papilio) - small, blue-colored animals that each had the body of a bee and the wings of spring azure butterflies.“Father was…strict and protective, like most fathers, I suppose. We lost mom when I was three and my governess brought me up after that. Father was often busy with royal duties,” her emerald eyes met Lucianne’s orbs.She continued, “He really liked you, Rosalie I mean, not as an intimate partner, but as a friend or, in his words, a trusted ally. He used to say that Rosalie was someone one could turn to for the cold, hard truth. She was the one who…made him
Pellethia’s self-doubt was not only laced heavy in her voice, but emanated strongly from her bright green eyes. Lucianne wouldn’t have guessed that Pellethia had any problems with leading the empire had the empress not shown this side of herself to her.When Lucianne thought that Pellethia was strict and ferocious to her own people, the empress was actually…scared. The fear she instilled in her governing members was a defense mechanism to shield herself from her own fear of being stepped on, being overlooked, being a puppet to more than willing puppeteers.The fear was also probably another reason why Pellethia never found it in herself to channel the Empress’s Authority. Pellethia probably couldn’t draw out her power because confidence and emotional security wasn’t something that she had pr
Despite having already met her a couple of times and spoken to her, Tate was still nervous about seeing Margaret, who was still kept in a holding unit with her followers. Tate wanted to ask for more leniency in terms of freedom and accommodation by pointing out that Greg’s followers were free to go wherever they pleased and do whatever they wanted.But the difference was that Greg had proven trustworthy when he gave himself up after exposing the Kyltons, pledging loyalty to Lucianne. The duke and his followers even kept her safe during the Blue Crescent attack. Margaret and her people had not done anything close to those things, so there wasn’t a strong enough reason to satisfy granting more leniency than they were already offered.Tate wore a light green shirt and black jeans. Stella was in a white shirt and dark s
Dear readers,Thank you for giving “The Rogues Who Went Rogue” a chance, and for following through to the very end. I hope that this sequel was entertaining enough to keep you engaged, and empowering enough for you to draw strength from it whenever you need the boost.I hope you can spare a few minutes to rate this novel and leave a review here and on Goodreads. It'll help a lot in seeking new readers and sharing the love!To anyone who dropped comments with encouraging words from time to time, thank you. You have no idea how helpful these have been on the days when I experience severe fatigue or writer’s block.Now, with regards to what’s in store for the next book in the Coalescence of the Five Series, it’s this - in Book Three, we’ll be acquainted with hunters and a potential duchess, but the publication date cannot be confirmed as of yet. I am discussing the contractual terms of a writing project with another platform, and if that proceeds, I would be working on that book in the s
As he gently took the baby girl from her mother, everyone braced themselves for the deafening screams that would usually follow. But what came next was just soft coos as Enora leaned against her uncle’s shoulder, resting her head there with a soft smile. After a few quiet moments, Greg glanced at the child before looking back at Xandar and Lucianne when he questioned, “What did you two feed her this morning? What sorcery is this?” Christian had a theory, which he shared as he walked over to Greg, “Maybe she’s starting to warm up to us. Let me try.” As soon as Greg reluctantly detached Enora from his shoulder and the baby realized that she was going to a different adult that was neither one of her parents, she screamed and started tearing up as she pressed herself again
The ceremony to return the title was held in the abandoned castle next to the Forest of Oderem. Pellethia had an unexplainable feeling that it had to be there, as did Lucianne. When the servants went to have the place cleaned up, all praying that they weren’t going to encounter anything out of the ordinary when they did their job, two among the sixty cleaners entered a room on the highest floor that was covered with a very thick layer of dirt and dust. When the two servants assigned to clean this particular room opened the windows to let in some air, a dash of breeze came from the forest and blew at a part of the dirt on the floor, making the poor servants flinch before instinctively holding each other as they quivered in fear. When nothing happened for the next few moments, they slowly released their hold of each other. Th
Gerella walked gracefully down the aisle, and while all eyes were on her, her sights stuck to her groom who looked like he was close to tears as he beamed at her. When she reached him, he offered her his hand to help her onto the platform. The music stopped, and the guests took their seats once more. After the marriage officiant recited from the Scriptures of Matrimony, he announced that it was time for the exchange of vows. Toby began, “Ella, from the moment we met, I knew that my life was never going to be the same again. Not only can I now boast about being the only one among my friends to get the most beautiful hybrid for a wife, your mark practically gave me the license to also gloat about being able to see a discretus when they cannot. You have no idea how much fun I’m going to have lying about a discretus’s presence when we’re training.”
7 weeks later “I’ve actually already had two. They taste pretty good.” Toby told Lucianne as they stood by the table with the trays of cupcakes. He then added, “I’m glad she decided to start a business out of this. Her baking skills are fantastic!” Hailey made those cupcakes. She was now a probationary kindergarten teacher on weekdays and a baker on weekends. She and the other mavericks still worked for Greg, but they were free to indulge in their hobbies and passions when they didn't have maverick duties. Some even pursued career paths that earned a salary the 'normal' way. Jade opened a cyber café which attracted lots of youngsters, and Hailey baked cupcakes or made pastries to sell to Jade’s customers. She offered him a small percentage of her earnings for his space. Some even came in just to buy her baked goods.
After Margaret managed to compose herself, she cleared her throat, looked into Tate’s eyes that held so much love and assurance, and began reciting her own set of vows, “Tate, when we met, I thought that our bond wasn’t going to last. I thought that a rejection would follow, from you or me, or even from the both of us. You haven’t the faintest clue of how relieved and happy I am that I’ve been proven wrong. Very wrong.” “I was wrong to think that our bond is a mistake; I was wrong to judge you based on the title you inherited; and I was wrong to think that you could never love me the way I didn’t know I needed to be loved. Never in my wildest dreams could I’ve imagined falling in love again, and never did I think it was someone as perfect as you are, Tate. I held so much hate from my past, carrying it throughout my life, even scaring away a few acquaintances with my untamable inferno, yet y
The Alpha of White Blood got cheers and claps even before the bride emerged. He was pleased to see that his pack members were not giving the vampire guests odd looks, and he was proud that, when he raised this matter with everyone weeks before the wedding, they seemed more excited and welcoming than reluctant and disapproving. What surprised him most was that the vampires didn’t sit at one place, but were scattered among the wolf and lycan guests. The Alpha wanted the integration but he definitely didn’t expect to get it this soon. Tate took a good look around to commit the sight before him to memory - the memory of his closest friends and pack members here to celebrate his and Margaret’s special day. When his eyes fell on Lucianne, she linked, ‘Margaret’s more t
3 months laterAlissa was pulling Gabriel by his arm through the rows of white, yellow and beige flowers in a nature park where Tate and Margaret decided to have their wedding ceremony. In the sea of White Blood pack members, Alissa finally found the creature she was looking for.“My Queen, this is Gabriel, my second-chance mate and husband. Gabriel, this is our queen.” Alissa said with the widest smile that Lucianne had ever seen. Alissa and Gabriel tied the knot two months ago in the marriage registrar’s office, with only the attendance of her triplets, Gabriel’s brother, Greg, Hailey, Desmond and Ivory.Lucianne smiled warmly at the nervous-looking man in a tuxedo. “Well, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Gabriel. We’ve heard a
Alissa’s furrowed brows and puzzled eyes shifted to the door, and her defensive instincts kicked in. She extracted the hard drive from her laptop and slid it into the custom-sewn compartment in her jeans. Reaching for the loaded gun and heading for the door, she tried to guess who that could be. The property was bought under an alias. Her landlady never came up in the last ten years she stayed here. Greg and the others usually gave her a heads-up before dropping by.She looked through the keyhole to see if she was able to get anything from the slit. All she saw was a sand-color shirt. She was also picking up a delightful yet somewhat familiar scent of oak and rain. The knock came again. She pressed her ear to the door, where she heard a heavy sigh before something was placed on the floor as the footsteps retreated.Alissa waite