Two star crossed lovers.
Nations divided by blood and power.
A war to end all others.
She is heir to the brutal Darkling kingdom and daughter to the most vicious king ever known, Vlad the impaler.
He's the Demon prince ru...
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I awake with a start, head aching and mouth tasting sour. Without moving, I blink away the sleep from my eyes, taking in what I can of the bedroom. There's an open window, through which poured a humid breeze filled with the scents of flowers and lush greenery I possessed no names for. Pushing aside the drowsiness, my eyes move from the dark, satin canopy of the bed to beyond the window frame, a drenched garden that went for miles; the light flat and silvery, as it filtered through thick clouds. The only sound was the faint pitter-patter of rain...
And that of a female stepping lightly into the room.
Relaxing my breathing into neutrality, I motion myself upright, in angle so as to face the presence from my place on the bed.
An extraordinarily striking woman, perhaps not that much older than myself, stands in the entryway of the chamber.
"You scared me." I chastise, swiping at my eyes with a hand. "You shouldn't barge in like that."
Her long, midnight curtain of hair is tied back, allowing for better appreciation of the ornate, loose-fitting shirt; it's delicate yet lengthy at the sleeves in stark contrast with the fine leather trousers and ankle boots.
"It was not my intention." The way she cocks her head makes me uneasy.
I nod in response. She looks strangely out of place in the room, against the carved, elegant furniture that is polished to an annoying shine and the immaculate, black marble floors, dappled with tiny pieces of gold layerings in tortuous design.
"I am ready to be dressed. You may approach." I then signal to the door on the other end which goes to a bathing chamber. One I felt chagrined to use the last few nights.
"I am not an attendant." The female says in a rigid voice.
My eyes nail her to the spot. "Then who are you? Why are you here?"
"My name is Ran Ryugazaki; Fourth Seat in the grand Imperial Army of Inphramundus."
"A soldier?" They'd sent her here, which meant they did not trust me. No surprise there. "So, the Flame of Helsen has finally sent for me to be assassinated!?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet!?" I fume. "Shall it be when I loose all usefulness that I be killed off, then!?"
"It's certainly how I handle things." She gives me a shrug. "But be grateful it is not our Regis' way."
Refocusing my gaze on the female, I ask, "And what of Helsen's spawn? Is it his way as well?"
