SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I

this gonna be interesting...............next epi pls [hr] [b] [color=blue]LINK TO AVAILABLE EPISODES[/color] [/b] Episode 2-3 Episode 4-5 Episode 6 Episode 7-10 Episode 11-16 Episode 17-23 Episode 24-30 Episode 31-34 Episode 35-41 Episode 42-44

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SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I ? Episode 2 ?“Mr. Tall, dark and handsome" ✍️ Written by Jchrist (Africa Good Boy) __________________________________________ ?️ Victoria POV My target is kinda hot. I smiled as I picked up the tray and headed to the kitchen. Handsome men were so hard to come by with my job. Whistling, I ziplocked the two coffee cups and put them in my waitress apron. Oh, I wasn't really a waitress. (Not a creepy stalker either.) Speaking of creeps. "Hey there, kitty cat." The barista behind the counter chuckled. The guy was neither sweet nor cute, so when he leered down my modest white blouse, I had to resist the urge to punch him. In the nuts. With brass knuckles. Instead, I gave him a sweet smile. "How's it going?" Mr. Douche. "Good, good." He ran a hand through his hair. Yeah, baby. Dandruff is super sexy. " When did you start working here? I didn't see you sign in this morning." "I came in early." Okay, I was a good liar, but for what it's worth, I could've said "I'm a pretty mermaid" and he wouldn't have blinked. Not when his eyes were still on my boobs. "Eyes up here, soldier." "Hehe." More dandruff dislodgement. "Sorry about that." I don't think the moron knew what sorry meant. Pity. I'd have to educate him. Hey," I said, fluttering my eyelids and swaying my hips a little. "I spilt some coffee on my apron. I'm so clumsy. I forgot where the washroom is?" Yeah, because I have the IQ of a suckling pig and I'm too retarded to read well placed signs, I wanted to add. I let my knight in shining armour show me where the little girl's room was. Turning around, I made a show of bumping into him. "I-I'm so sorry. I just wanted to say thank you." "Why, you're welcome." I swear I heard him mutter püssy cat as he walked away. I rolled my eyes and locked the washroom door behind me. Men . There was a black duffel bag in one of the stalls. I'd stashed it in here earlier. I placed the apron with the cups inside it and stripped. It took me about two minutes to change into a blue cocktail dress and take off my blonde wig. I redid my makeup, going hard on the contouring and smokey eyes. I was proud to say I looked like a stripper minus the heels. The walk through the cafe earned me a few indecent stares. Mr. Douche's car keys were in my left hand. All I had to do was go to the parking lot, unlock his old rust bucket Chevy and drive to my apartment. That's the Oxford definition of "sorry", as in, "sorry, I might have stolen your car". Dear Mr. Douche, never trust a clumsy püssy cat . Glad to have furthered your education. The minute I got home, I was almost knocked over at the door by a little red head. "Did you find him? Do you know who he was? How old was he? Was he cute-" My sister didn't any waste time. "It wasn't a date, Ira." I told her, flopping down on the couch. My apartment wasn't fancy, though it certainly could've been. White walls, a fold out couch, a coffee table, two mattresses. That was about it. Ira arched a perfect brow. "So he wasn't cute?" "No." I told her, thinking back to the man in the black suit. Danny, his friend had called him. My target had crystal blue eyes, black longish hair and a jawline that could cut diamonds He honestly wasn't cute. He was hot. Make-your-panties-catch-fire hot. Yet this was my brain's assessment. This is what normal females feel about him , it told me. The rest of me was awfully quiet about all this. Guess that made me an abnormal female. Go figure. "Details." Ira quipped, annoyed when I didn't say much. "It's not a date." I repeated. "I was just scoping out the target." She gave my borderline slütty outfit a once over, skeptical. "Right." "Alibi" I explained, rolling my eyes. "If this blows up in my face tomorrow, I want the people in the cafe to remember I was there." As the bîtch in blue rather than the waitress. "Oh, that won't happen. We'll be fine." Ira replied, absently. It was her standard response every time I talked about 'negative' situations. "So do you know who he is?" I shook my head and gave her the ziplock bag, smiling a little. Funny, but if there was ever a tall, dark, handsome stranger - "Ha!" Ira punched the air, triumphantly. "I knew it. Does he have a nice äss?" Did I just say that out loud? Fantastic. "Very. Very . Nice äss." I said, a little exasperated. Anything to get her to work faster. "Now please find out who it belongs to." Ira hooked up her laptop to a DNA sensor. She snapped on some gloves and picked up a cotton swab. "Which cup is Somerhalder's? "Somerhalder?" "Ian Somerhalder. The email from the client said Blue eyes, black hair and you said he has a fine äss. Hence operation Ian." "The red one." I said, shaking my head. My sweet little sister was watching too much TVD. Ira took it out and swiped the rim of the cup, repeating the swipe on the sensor. I had to admit I'd been a little stingy about giving her the hundred grand she needed to buy the thing. Now I wonder how I ever did my job without it. What is my Oh-so-mysterious job, you ask? It was a simple three step process. 1) My clients sent me a name or description. 2) I found the target. 3) The target ended up in the bottom of the sea. It was the family business. I didn't ask any questions and I didn't care so long as I got the money. Ira was searching for a match across federal and state databases. I guess I knew that it wouldn't turn up anything. Which was why I'd put a microtracker on his blonde friend. Remember when I came back to the table and got snapped at by Mr. High and Mighty for no reason? Yeah, his friend had even smiled at me right before I attached it to his sleeve. It kinda made me feel bad. Kinda. Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm a terrible person. I told Ira about it and she brought up the screen. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. A red dot immediately popped up. It was moving heading toward the docks. I got up and began packing my - items. By items, I mean a variety of sharp objects. I worked best with guns, but there was something special about sharp cold metal that made me feel safer. Ira wasn't too happy. "Do you really have to kill him, V?" "You know how this works, sweetie." "Let me come with you-" "No." She was too young for this. "I want to see Ian." She gave me her best puppy dog eyes. "You know, before you kill him." I smiled, as I changed into a black leather suit. "Honey, for ten million dollars, I bet you can have dinner with the real Ian." *** Victoria : "I'M PRETTY SURE IAN WANTS YOU TO PRESS THAT LIKE BUTTON. SO DO IT. LIKE, RIGHT NOW AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TOO."

I hav come o

Mr @jchrist a new episode should be dropped inside the comment box of your first episode. not opening another topic to post an update.

SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I ? Episode 2 ? “Mr. Tall, dark and handsome” ✍️ Written by Jchrist (Africa Good Boy) __________________________________________ ?️ Victoria POV My target is kinda hot. I smiled as I picked up the tray and headed to the kitchen. Handsome men were so hard to come by with my job. Whistling, I ziplocked the two coffee cups and put them in my waitress apron. Oh, I wasn’t really a waitress. (Not a creepy stalker either.) Speaking of creeps. “Hey there, kitty cat.” The barista behind the counter chuckled. The guy was neither sweet nor cute, so when he leered down my modest white blouse, I had to resist the urge to punch him. In the nuts. With brass knuckles. Instead, I gave him a sweet smile. “How’s it going?” Mr. Douche. “Good, good.” He ran a hand through his hair. Yeah, baby. Dandruff is super sexy. ” When did you start working here? I didn’t see you sign in this morning.” “I came in early.” Okay, I was a good liar, but for what it’s worth, I could’ve said “I’m a pretty mermaid” and he wouldn’t have blinked. Not when his eyes were still on my boobs. “Eyes up here, soldier.” “Hehe.” More dandruff dislodgement. “Sorry about that.” I don’t think the moron knew what sorry meant. Pity. I’d have to educate him. Hey,” I said, fluttering my eyelids and swaying my hips a little. “I spilt some coffee on my apron. I’m so clumsy. I forgot where the washroom is?” Yeah, because I have the IQ of a suckling pig and I’m too retarded to read well placed signs, I wanted to add. I let my knight in shining armour show me where the little girl’s room was. Turning around, I made a show of bumping into him. “I-I’m so sorry. I just wanted to say thank you.” “Why, you’re welcome.” I swear I heard him mutter püssy cat as he walked away. I rolled my eyes and locked the washroom door behind me. Men . There was a black duffel bag in one of the stalls. I’d stashed it in here earlier. I placed the apron with the cups inside it and stripped. It took me about two minutes to change into a blue cocktail dress and take off my blonde wig. I redid my makeup, going hard on the contouring and smokey eyes. I was proud to say I looked like a stripper minus the heels. The walk through the cafe earned me a few indecent stares. Mr. Douche’s car keys were in my left hand. All I had to do was go to the parking lot, unlock his old rust bucket Chevy and drive to my apartment. That’s the Oxford definition of “sorry”, as in, “sorry, I might have stolen your car”. Dear Mr. Douche, never trust a clumsy püssy cat . Glad to have furthered your education. The minute I got home, I was almost knocked over at the door by a little red head. “Did you find him? Do you know who he was? How old was he? Was he cute-” My sister didn’t any waste time. “It wasn’t a date, Ira.” I told her, flopping down on the couch. My apartment wasn’t fancy, though it certainly could’ve been. White walls, a fold out couch, a coffee table, two mattresses. That was about it. Ira arched a perfect brow. “So he wasn’t cute?” “No.” I told her, thinking back to the man in the black suit. Danny, his friend had called him. My target had crystal blue eyes, black longish hair and a jawline that could cut diamonds He honestly wasn’t cute. He was hot. Make-your-panties-catch-fire hot. Yet this was my brain’s assessment. This is what normal females feel about him , it told me. The rest of me was awfully quiet about all this. Guess that made me an abnormal female. Go figure. “Details.” Ira quipped, annoyed when I didn’t say much. “It’s not a date.” I repeated. “I was just scoping out the target.” She gave my borderline slütty outfit a once over, skeptical. “Right.” “Alibi” I explained, rolling my eyes. “If this blows up in my face tomorrow, I want the people in the cafe to remember I was there.” As the bîtch in blue rather than the waitress. “Oh, that won’t happen. We’ll be fine.” Ira replied, absently. It was her standard response every time I talked about ‘negative’ situations. “So do you know who he is?” I shook my head and gave her the ziplock bag, smiling a little. Funny, but if there was ever a tall, dark, handsome stranger – “Ha!” Ira punched the air, triumphantly. “I knew it. Does he have a nice äss?” Did I just say that out loud? Fantastic. “Very. Very . Nice äss.” I said, a little exasperated. Anything to get her to work faster. “Now please find out who it belongs to.” Irahooked up her laptop to a DNA sensor. She snapped on some gloves and picked up a cotton swab. “Which cup is Somerhalder’s? “Somerhalder?” “Ian Somerhalder. The email from the client said Blue eyes, black hair and you said he has a fine äss. Hence operation Ian.” “The red one.” I said, shaking my head. My sweet little sister was watching too much TVD. Ira took it out and swiped the rim of the cup, repeating the swipe on the sensor. I had to admit I’d been a little stingy about giving her the hundred grand she needed to buy the thing. Now I wonder how I ever did my job without it. What is my Oh-so-mysterious job, you ask? It was a simple three step process. 1) My clients sent me a name or description. 2) I found the target. 3) The target ended up in the bottom of the sea. It was the family business. I didn’t ask any questions and I didn’t care so long as I got the money. Ira was searching for a match across federal and state databases. I guess I knew that it wouldn’t turn up anything. Which was why I’d put a microtracker on his blonde friend. Remember when I came back to the table and got snapped at by Mr. High and Mighty for no reason? Yeah, his friend had even smiled at me right before I attached it to his sleeve. It kinda made me feel bad. Kinda. Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m a terrible person. I told Ira about it and she brought up the screen. And ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner. A red dot immediately popped up. It was moving heading toward the docks. I got up and began packing my – items. By items, I mean a variety of sharp objects. I worked best with guns, but there was something special about sharp cold metal that made me feel safer. Ira wasn’t too happy. “Do you really have to kill him, V?” “You know how this works, sweetie.” “Let me come with you-” “No.” She was too young for this. “I want to see Ian.” She gave me her best puppy dog eyes. “You know, before you kill him.” I smiled, as I changed into a black leather suit. “Honey, for ten million dollars, I bet you can have dinner with the real Ian.” *** Victoria : “I’M PRETTY SURE IAN WANTS YOU TO PRESS THAT LIKE BUTTON. SO DO IT. LIKE, RIGHT NOW AND INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TOO.”

Ride on pls

Fire on

[color =red]should i sit for this ?[/color]

[b][color =green]LINK TO PART ONE THIS IS 2[/color][/b]

@roes just click on numbers on top to enter any pages

@thecomely thanks for the info earlier... please can you help me invite friends to read?

Episode 3 “Dirty, broken or both?" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) ________________________________________ Xavier POV "I'd call this a rat hole." Daniel said. "But I think the rats would take offence." I rolled my eyes, glaring at him. Okay, my apartment wasn't exactly The Ritz, but it had four walls and a roof. (Yes, they had holes and they were grimy. Bite me.) The beauty of this place was that this was a neighbourhood that literally gave zero fücks about you. While nobody would come running if they heard gunshots, at least they didn't nose around your business. Plus, the landlord had thrown in a slightly clean pillow. Wasn't that good enough? "On second thought, your highness should wait by the door." I said, tossing fake IDs into my backpack. "We wouldn't want to get them nails dirty." Danny punched my arm. I expected him to say "I did have them manicured today" by the looks of them. I didn't bother taking the few clothes I had left. I honestly didn't care about my stuff here - everything was dirty, broken or both. Well, there was one thing I really needed. Daniel was now examining the broken lamp, sitting cross legged on the mattress. "Love the decor. Shîtty is very in this season." "Move." I just said, ignoring him. "On the upside, you'll never need wallpaper. Dust bunnies got you covered." He said, trying to unscrew the bulb. "Why should I move-?" There was a loud shattering of glass as the only window in my apartment broke. Coincidentally, the lights gave out, plunging the neighbourhood into total darkness. I thought I saw a shadow slip through the cracked glass into the room. I rubbed my eyes. I must be imagining things. "Xavier." Daniel's voice was deathly quiet. "Where are you?" Shît. I'd forgotten Danny was scared of the dark. I kept an eye on the shadow just in case, moving to where the mattress was on the other side of the room. It was so still, I convinced myself it was just a trick of the light. Nothing more - A bullet whistled past my ear, leaving another hole in the wall behind me. Great. Another gun wielding maniac blowing holes in my apartment. Because why the fück not. "Danny, get down." I moved quickly dodging bullet after bullet, ducking just as I reached him. He seemed to be plastered to the ground, almost blending with the mattress. I knew he could see me, so I just put a finger on my lips. I took out the pocket blade in my jeans and ripped the corner of the mattress. All the while shots echoed around me. By now, I knew whoever this was hadn't come prepared for a blackout. They were just blindly taking shots. See, Danny. I thought, smiling. Shîtty is always stylish if it saves your äss. A moment later, I found what I was looking for in the feathery down of the mattress. Something cold and hard met my fingers. Palming it, I took out another one. I smiled as I heard the sound of an empty gun click. My turn, cupcake. Metal sliced through the air and there was a muffled scream, just as the lights came back on. The assassin was pinned to the wall. He was dressed in black head to toe with a bullet proof vest and a mask. One of my throwing blades pierced the fabric over his shoulder. The other cut through his left leg, leaving a deep gash. With a growl, he tugged the blades out. His eyes were fixed on Daniel who still hadn't recovered from the blackout. He advanced toward him. I stepped in his way, trying to punch him. He easily avoided it, drawing a knife. He kicked me in the gut, sucking the air out of me. Wow. I saw stars floating around me. Either I was way out of practice or this guy was really good. I threw a series of jabs and kicks. My opponent kept dodging me, managing to cut me more than once. Soon we were both breathing heavily, and I saw an opening. I caught his hand and bent it at an angle. He dropped the knife. I tripped him up and he fell to floor. Kicking the knife away, I pinned him to the ground. Much to my satisfaction, he was trying not to scream from the pressure on his injured leg. It was odd how much power he'd packed, considering he wasn't as muscular I'd assumed. "Who do you work for?" I asked, calmly. I knew the lines - I'd been through this multiple times. There was no answer. "How did you find us?" Nothing. "Who are you?" Nada. "Look, you better start talking." I ripped off the mask. "Before I -" Forest green eyes stared up at me, wine red curls spilling all around her on the floor. She was covered in sweat and her skin was decorated with bruises. She had a cracked lip and she spat blood in my face. I blinked. A girl. A girl hit me. I hit a girl. I'm still straddling the girl. Well, fück me. As I just stayed where I was in shock, Daniel finally chose to come around. He decided he had to do something about our situation. The future king calmly got up and hit our assassin on the head. With the fücking lamp. ***** Daniel : "HIT THAT FOLLOW THE AUTHOR BEFORE I HIT YOU. YES, WITH THE LAMP."

So Victoria's target turns out to be Daniel nice one

@henrymary Yes

Ride on

Episode 4 “Cookie monster" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ Victoria POV Have you ever been in a private jet, sipping vintage wine and dining on lamb steak, while Mozart played softly in the background? No? Me neither. I was in a private jet. Only I was tied to my seat, choking on a rag with a gun aimed at me. My whole body hurt. The cut on my left leg burned like a bîtch. I felt tired and queasy with motion sickness. None of that, however, pissed me off. If the lights had gone off five minutes later, I'd have ten million dollars in my bank account, a good night's sleep and takeout from Wang's Kitchen instead. That didn't piss me off, either. I'd been knocked out cold with a lamp, drugged and kidnapped. Nope. Did not piss me off. Not one fücking bit. No, there was only one reason for my misery. And he was lounging by the window like a lazy cat, eating his steak and sipping his wine. All the while aiming my own gun at me. (Reloaded, of course). And to think I'd felt 'kinda' bad for putting the tracker on him. When I woke up five hours back, the first thing I saw was Daniel's blonde friend, munching on an Oreo. I didn't know his name, so I came up with Biscuit. I soon realised Biscuit was on a one man mission to exhaust the plane's food supply. The guy went at it like he hadn't seen food in days. No judgement here, but he didn't have to eat his own weight in front of me. A.k.a the starving hostage. On the bright side, it could mean he was the only one on board who could use a gun. Or he just wanted to annoy me. In which case, he was doing an excellent job. I watched him slice the steak one handed, practically drooling. Keep it together . This is exactly what he wants- My stomach growled. Traitor. "You want some, shortcake?" I groaned internally, shaking my head. Dessert themed nicknames. How original. "Either you're hungry or you've got a motor shoved up your äss." I glared at him. Biscuit shrugged, chewing his meat nice and slow. "That was a cheap shot." He agreed, cutting a large piece. "But in retrospect, you trying to kill me wasn't real classy either." He put down the knife, picked up the piece with a fork and stood up, the gun in his left hand perfectly steady. Biscuit cleaned up nice. He was pretty tall, at least 6 3', wearing a form fitting white shirt and black slacks, which hugged his hard muscled frame. "Like what you see, shortcake?" Blood rushed to my cheeks. I was merely angry that he'd caught me staring. My cheeks always got red when I was angry. Biscuit put the fork between his teeth and ripped off the duct tape over my mouth. I coughed as he pulled out the rag. "Eat." He said, holding out the fork. I pursed my lips. "For heaven's sake, what are you five? Eat." I shook my head. "This isn't a fücking union strike. Eat this or die starving." I laughed at his melodrama. He gave me one look and I stopped. "What are you, a drill sergeant?" I'd wanted to sound sarcastic. I sounded like an asthmatic frog. Totally nailed it. "I'm not eating your food, and I'm certainly not dying from starvation." "Fortunately, there are other ways you can die." He said, pushing the gun into my cheek. I glared at him. "Save that cräp for when your brats don't eat veggies. You'll make a terrific father." "We can always try and see if you're right, shortcake." "Yeah, you wish." Before he could answer, and I could think too deeply about that, I blurted out. "Why the hell do you call me that anyway?" "Shortcake?" He smiled. "Wasn't it obvious?" "Because I'm edible!? " I wouldn't put it past him. "Because you have Strawberry hair and you're short." He lit up a cigarette, rolling his eyes. "Edible? Yeah, not so much. You aren't my type." "A) I am not short." I was 5 8'. He just happened to be freakishly tall. "B) This coming from the guy with baby talk literally five seconds back." Why did we keep going back to that. "And C) Not that I care, but how the hell would you know what type I am? You don't even know my name." Biscuit smiled slowly. A bad feeling settled in my gut. "Oh god." It finally dawned on me. "You know everything, don't you? My name, how old I am, where I live?" "Right down to the butterfly tattoo you got on your thigh in high school." He cocked his head. "I'd very much like to see that, by the way. You don't strike me as a butterfly person." It was such a simple statement but it chilled me to the bone. Everything. He knew every single thing about my life and I didn't even know his name. He also happened to be right. I hated butterflies and got that tattoo on a dare. I had to get out of here. Right now. "On second thought, I will have some of that steak." I said, trying to act pale and shaken. I didn't have to pretend much. "Good." He held the fork until I ate. I looked up at him and met his light green eyes. I knew they were contacts and they didn't really suit him. I wondered what the real color was. "Can I have some more, Biscuit?" "Biscuit?" He laughed. "You really are hungry." He turned around and went to his seat where the food was. I had about ten seconds to undo the ropes. They were done well, but I knew how to untie knots better than most people. I'd just been waiting for the gun to face away from me. I stood up, quietly. My legs felt sore from being tied up so long and I needed more time. I looked around. There was a silver ashtray next to my seat. It was heavy and I had to struggle to pick it up. I threw it straight at Biscuit's head. I expected him to pass out or at the very least drop the gun. No such luck. "Big mistake, shortcake." **** Victoria : "LIKE AND I'LL GIVE YOU A BISCUIT."

Episode 5 “Prince Charming" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) __________________________________________ Xavier POV A gentleman always respects a lady . When I was five, I was given etiquette lessons by a kind, old woman called Dutchess Arielle. I wondered what the Dutchess would think of my etiquette as I chased Victoria down the aisle, blasting a dozen holes in the plane. "Stick to your blades, Biscuit. I've seen ducks with better aim." Wrong . Not that I've competed with a duck, but if I wanted Victoria dead, she would be. I was just letting her get some exercise before I tied her up again. That's hugely respectful, isn't it? An airhostess entered the cabin with an uncorked bottle of wine. I lowered the gun as Victoria snatched the bottle from her. "Madame, that's a 2009 Château Margaux." She said, her eyes wide. "How expensive?" "$200,000." "Best news all day." Victoria drank it like it was water, while the hostess stared at her in horror. "Very, um, fruity." She hiccuped. "Here. Try some, Biscuit." She chucked the bottle at me and headed through the door. Before I could catch it, the bottle shattered against my chest, the glass tearing my shirt. I swore. If that was a lady , I was Prince Charming. I ran after her to the cockpit. Victoria found a pocket knife and held it against the pilot's throat. "Don't take another step, Biscuit." She smiled. "Unless you know how to fly this thing." I didn't. Fortunately, there was someone onboard who did. Unfortunately, that guy happened to sleeping like a baby. As much as he needed it, it was time to interrupt Danny's beauty sleep. "What do you want, Victoria?" I asked her, loudly. She eyed the trap door. "You have a parachute here, right?" "Yes." "Go fetch, Biscuit." I glared at her, tossing her the backpack from an overhead compartment. "I am not your goddamn dog." "Bîtchy enough to be one though." She caught it midair, putting it on. "Now be a dear and pull that lever too." I need more noise . I wondered which was the best way to get her screaming. Under you , a dark part of my mind suggested. I had to roll my eyes. Granted, that was the best option, but I very well couldn't do that right now. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be pulling anything, shortcake." I lit up another cigarette. "Pull the damn lever," She said, drawing blood on the pilot's neck. "Or the plane crashes and we both die." "Not happening." She was getting annoyed. Goodie . "I don't have time for your games." "Oh, but I've got all day. What do you want to play? How about some old fashioned Monopoly?" "You fücking idiot." She lost her cool. "I swear to God, I will kill this man. Then I'll kill you." "You go ahead and do that, baby." She looked at me like I was insane. "You soulless bästard!" She yelled. "Don't you have any regard for another person's life-" "FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?!" Daniel came inside, his eyes groggy and his expression murderous. I smiled. Now that we have a pilot - May the games begin. I shot Victoria's toe and as expected, she slit the pilot's throat. She swore and pulled the lever herself. A deafening blast of cold air sliced through, as the trap door opened. Victoria was about to jump off, when I grabbed her shoulders. Right on cue, the autopilot stopped working and the plane started plummeting. Daniel just stood there, half asleep. I couldn't believe this guy. "Yo, princess! We're kinda falling to our doom here!" Danny snapped out of it and took the pilot's seat. He expertly handled the controls and the plane was steady again. I closed the trapdoor, my breathing heavy and labored. "You owe me a thank you, shortcake." She was livid. "What the hell for?" "For saving your life." "More like ruining my escape." I cocked my head. "Check the backpack." She opened the zip. Inside, there was a thick grey cloth and metal sticks. She glared at me, then at Daniel. "Who. Keeps. A fücking. Tent . On an airplane?" She yelled at him. "Parachutes. That's what sane people keep near an exit!" We mutually ignored her for a moment. A look passed between me and Danny. He looked uncertain. "You have ten minutes left. Are you sure?" I nodded, understanding him. "You can handle the plane, right?" "Yeah." Danny glared at Victoria and continued their conversation. "Sane people use a pocketknife for cutting paper. You owe me a fücking pilot." "You hit me with a lamp. You owe me ten million dollars." Victoria tried to punch him. I pinned her hands and hauled her back to her seat. "Feisty one, aren't you?" I held her hands over her head, reaching for the ropes. "What's with the knots? Were you a Cub Scout or something?" She muttered. "Now handcuffs, that would've been a challenge." "I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She was blushing so much, I had to smile. "Kinky much, shortcake?" "Shut up ." She fumed. "And stop smiling. It's-" "Charming?" I suggested. "Irresistible? Turning you on?" "-Creepy." She finished, shooting me daggers. "Are you always this full of yourself?" "Are you always such a bad liar?" "Shut. Up." I gave the knots a final tug, satisfied. She'd get out of them soon enough, but I had no other option. I settled into the seat next to her. "Now, how badly do you want to live, Miss Victoria?" She rolled her eyes. "I happen to like living very much, Sir Biscuit." "Then, I suggest you don't so much as touch my friend again." I looked her in the eyes, dead serious. "Because you're not worth two cents to me, let alone ten million dollars. Next time, I won't think twice about cutting your soft body into bite sized pieces and feeding them to the fish. Are we clear?" She swallowed. "Crystal." "Good girl." I thought for a minute, silently looking at her. Despite everything, she didn't seem like a bad person. Just a terrified kid trying to make a living. And heaven knows, I had a soft spot for those. I sighed, taking off my silver ring and slid it on her finger. "This is not a fücking Tiffany commercial." Victoria bit out. "Just because I might not kill your precious friend, it does not mean we're getting engaged." "Honey, marrying you is probably my worst nightmare." I rolled my eyes, looking at my watch. One minute left, according to Danny. "Tell me, are you familiar with the International Treaty of Cooperation?" I didn't hear her answer. The plane shuddered violently, as a flash of light filled the cabin. Outside the windows, the scene changed from midnight to sunset and there was a flash of white wings in the sky. I smiled, taking a deep breath. Even the air was different. Damn, I missed this. "Welcome to Europe, flight 3906. We hope you enjoy your stay in the United Kingdoms of Vetresca. Human passengers are requested to have an Immortal liege before landing, in accordance with the ITC. Thank you for your cooperation." Shortcake looked at me. "You wouldn't." I gave her my best smile, as the blood drained from her face. See, no human could set foot in Europe today without burning to ashes. Unless they were bonded to an Immortal by silver - obliged to serve them and be under their absolute control. We called it The International Treaty of Cooperation. It was a peace treaty signed between the human world leaders and my kind after they lost World War III, signing over the entire continent to us Immortals. Terrific way of saying "get on a leash or get off our bloody land." "We're almost home." I leaned back, eyeing my ring on her finger. "Welcome to Vetresca, shortcake." **** Xavier : "GIVE THIS A LIKE BABY. WE'LL PLAY A FEW GAMES LATER." XD

@coolval222 @thecomely @ladyg

This is fight 2 finished, fire on guy.

This thing dea confuse me o. sheybi daniel z d prince nd danny z his best friend who work or serve as his guard? @jchrist hope i got this or the two name z just for daniel

Oh boy this story na dinger o

@thecomely Daniel and Xavier look alike, when Xavier ran away Daniel stepped in for him

Intriguing... next pls

? Episode 6 ? “Squirrels and firebirds" __________________________________ ? Victoria Whoever said angels were divine clearly hadn't met Biscuit. I refused to move when we landed, not even bothering to look out the window. Biscuit had taken that as an invitation to haul me onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Let go of me!" I tried to bite his neck. He snapped his head away before I could, though he couldn't see me. Which got me thinking. "Can you read my mind now?" "Sure." I could practically hear the eye roll. "I'm Batman." Guess that makes me Superman. "That's still not a 'no'." "I can't, Shortcake. I'd have to be a pure blood and it takes a lot of work. Plus," he said, the poster child of nonchalant. "What makes you think I'd want to?" "Oh, I don't know." I replied, innocently. In great detail, I imagined us alone on a beach somewhere. Him taking his shirt off. Me running my hands over his chest. Up his abs, then his chest, to his neck. And strangling the life out of him. Biscuit dropped me on my äss. "I knew it!" I yelled, triumphant. He merely gave me a confused smile, as the gravity of the situation slowly sank in. "Get out of my head! Right now." "Gee," he said, casually throwing me over his shoulder again. "I wonder why I'd do that." "Because I'm getting out of these godforsaken ropes sometime." I said, murderous. "And you're going to regret it." "You threaten people like an eight year old." He ruffled my hair with his free hand. "Next time be more specific. Maybe add body parts." Biscuit was petting me while teaching me how to deliver a death threat. What was wrong with this guy? Biscuit stepped out the door, and walked down the ladder. Bright sunlight fell on my face, and beyond the tarmac, all I could see was an endless expanse of forest. Daniel followed after us, eyeing me warily. "Can't you just shove her in a suitcase or something?" Before I could respond, a curt voice responded. "That can be arranged, sire." A sharply dressed man in black livery held open the door of a limo. He wasn't your stereotypical old butler - he looked about thirty with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. He would've looked handsome. That is, if he hadn't been eyeing me like I was yesterday's leftovers. "You know, a lot of things can be arranged." I told Daniel, plotting my revenge. "No need for any arrangements, Marcus." Biscuit muttered. Maybe this mind reading thing had its advantages. "Let's just go home." Before we got inside the car, Biscuit pulled me to the side. "Do yourself a favour." He said, point blank. "Don't run, don't plot and most importantly don't annoy me. You think you can do that, Shortcake?" "You know damn well I can't." I snapped. "I've got a family -" "A father who abandoned you and a sister who's expecting you to follow in his footsteps. Not exactly family goals, princess. "I have friends." "None of them know your real name." "I-" I couldn't meet his eyes. Was my life really that meaningless? "Well, I can't stay here with you and Lordship Horseface." "You don't have to." He said, vaguely grinning at my nickname for his friend. "Not for long anyway." I groaned, exasperated. "Yeah, be more vague, Biscuit. This is all just a game to you, isn't it? Newsflash - I'm not going to be your obedient little human bîtch. And I'm getting off this damn continent one way or another." "I know." He said simply, shrugging. "In all honesty, I had no real intention in bringing you here or holding you my prisoner. I merely wanted to make a point." "And what might that be?" I asked, flippant. "I could've easily killed you." He said, still nonchalant. "I could've handed you over to the Guardians. They could've killed you. I could take off the ring. You'd die in a minute." "I'm mortal. I get it, smartass - " I muttered. "That's not my point." He said, his voice low and dangerous. "You're welcome to leave." And the tone of that statement chilled me more than any of the threats he'd made. "You can get on that plane and leave right now, Victoria." He said. "But seeing as you're all about that customer satisfaction, if you try this again, hell is going to seem real nice after I'm through with you." I gulped. "Or, seeing as you're not stupid," He said, looking me in the eye. "You could stay and make my life easier. I'll double your offer. Twenty million." I thought about it. "Define 'make my life easier.'" "Well, I won't be asking you to make me dinner or do my laundry." I noticed just how close his body was. "I'm not going to be your whöre, Biscuit." "I can have any woman I want, Shortcake. For free." He ran a finger down my jaw. A shiver ran down my spine. He smiled simply. "So for ten million dollars, I sure hope you'll be more useful than a fückdoll, sweetheart." I never wanted to punch someone more than I did right then. "Go ahead, Shortcake. I'll just pin you to the car and Marcus won't be too hesitant about the suitcase this time." Biscuit said, cryptically hiding a bag. "So do we have a deal?" "What are you? Some kind of mafia boss?" I eyed the bag, suspiciously. It squirmed. "There better not be any squirrels in there." He burst out laughing. "Squirrels? Not snakes, cockroaches, scorpions. You're afraid of squirrels ?" The bästard had dimples. "What?" I fumed. "Squirrels have teeth. They're just deceptively adorable." "A lot like dimples?" He returned, reading my mind like it was a newspaper. I couldn't help it. I punched him. The bag fell open right then. There was a brilliant flash of golden wings and my fist came away burnt. The firebird rested on Biscuit's shoulder, gently nipping at his ear. It had red gold feathers and a wild, harsh beauty. "Fiesty chick." He said, petting her head. "How about this? If you stop annoying me, one of these days I'll get you one." "You want me to grow a fücking Phoenix ?" I managed to kill my first and only goldfish in three days. A mythical bird that can probably barbecue me for breakfast? Nope . "And just how is this going to make your life easier?" "It isn't." He admitted. "I want you to help me find out who your client is. He can't really touch any of us inside Vetresca seeing as we're Immortal, but I'd like to think he'd try." I wondered how far that was true. "So in that eventuality, you want a magical chicken to be my bodyguard?" I said, deadbeat. Biscuit covered the bird's head where her ears should've been. "Oh, dear God. You are definitely a crazy person." I shook my head, sighing. "Fine, Biscuit. You have a deal." He arched a brow. "You'll work for me?" "You have my word." Biscuit still wasn't convinced, but he opened the limo's door. The Phoenix rested on his lap as he settled in, eyeing me with caution. "Jesus Christ, what took you so long?" Daniel was busy with his phone. "Business." Biscuit said, coolly. He stared out the window, lost in thought. We passed through the rolling countryside and arrived at an ancient mansion that looked bigger than twenty football fields. "Remember what I said." Biscuit said, as the limo stopped at the foyer. "Don't do anything stupid." "As you command, Sir Biscuit." I gave him a mock salute. "Oh and Shortcake," he said, as we got out of the car. "What?" He smiled, wrapping his hand around my waist so we looked like a proper lovey-dovey couple. "Obedient or not, you were my bîtch the minute you stepped inside my apartment." *** Firebird : *SINGS SWEETLY AND MAKES YOU MAGICALLY HIT THE LIKE BUTTON* ;)

@thecomely @ladyg

enjoy it keep it up

Here to mark attendance :)

Next

? Episode 7 ? “Bloodsucking royalty" Written by Jchrist (AFRICAN GOOD BOY) __________________________________________ ? Daniel POV When you're pretending to be the Prince of a country, you never forget two things. A) You can't be late. Period. And B) your underwear probably costs more than your old house. So it's never a good thing when you lose them. "Stay a little longer, Your Highness." The woman in my bed was a supermodel with blonde hair and aquamarine eyes. Her body was wrapped in the sheets and she was still half asleep. I couldn't guess her name if it was three letters long and I was at gun point. Sighing, I removed her slender fingers from my hand, eyeing the bedside clock. Well, shî t . There goes rule number one. I quietly got off the bed, trying to find my clothes. Ten minutes later, I stepped out of the hotel room in my black suit, no sweat. Yeah. I was a pro at this. Which was fücking sad, if you think about it. Two bodyguards joined me the minute I stepped outside. Because being Immortal didn't mean I couldn't be kidnapped, drugged, tortured, mutilated - It was a long list. I walked to the elevator, went downstairs and headed for the lobby. Marcus was waiting. He didn't bow or kiss my ring or try any of that royal nonsense. Bless his soul. "You're late, sire." "I know, Marcus." "You've got an appointment, sire." "I know, Marcus." "You're missing a sock, sire." "I kno- wait, what ?" He arched a brow, eyeing my left foot. I groaned. Fantastic . Marcus smiled, and walked me to the car. He gestured to a hidden compartment in the seat. "You'll find everything you need in there, sire." "You mean a bottle of whiskey and another hooker?" I challenged. He laughed. "A sock. There's socks and ties in there, D." I couldn't help smiling. Marcus knew about our 'arrangement'. I haven't heard my real name in twelve years, except from Xavier. I haven't had friends, seen my family, or actually talked to a person out of my own free will. Try acting like an antisocial bästard sometime. See how many years it takes before you go insane. So Marcus humoured me occasionally by not acting like a programmed robot. "Thank you." I said, meaning it. "Don't mention it." He smiled. "Seriously. You aren't supposed to." "Yeah, fück that." More royal nonsense. Because apparently having manners wasn't very Princely . "I'm going to be a king. I do whatever I want." "Speaking of which." Marcus looked at me intently. "You think you can convince him? Xavier?" "I'm trying." I said simply. That was a problem I couldn't deal with right now. "Am I not late, Marcus?" He nodded, closing the door. "Have a good day, sire." I looked at my sockless left leg. "I doubt it." The ride to the countryside mansion was uneventful. Vetresca was a city of angels with more emphasis on the "city" part. The place was all glass and metal on the outside. I grew up on the streets and I loved the smoke, the traffic, the graffiti - all of it. Occasionally, you could see a pair of wings in the sky. A lot of humans wondered why we had roads and metros. We had wings. Why didn't we just fly everywhere? Funny. It was a lot like asking them, "You have legs. Why don't you just walk everywhere?" The scenery gradually changed from skyscrapers to town houses to rolling meadows. The car finally reached a pair of wrought iron gates and passed by the driveway to the mansion. A.k.a a Victorian Era monstrosity. I'd left Xavier and his little pet yesterday and headed home. Soon after signing a dozen or so papers at my desk, I'd gotten thoroughly drunk and would up in a hotel room. To be honest, I was a little drunk now. Yet no amount of alcohol could've prepared me for this. "Get the fück off my fountain, Victoria." The bîtch was sitting on the shoulders of a fairy statue at the centre of the fountain, somehow completely dry, taunting Xavier. "Biscuit told me to take a shower without annoying him." She managed to break off the fairy's head and throw it at Xavier. "Want to join us, Daniel?" I froze. "What did you call me?" "Daniel. Danny. Danny boy blue." Before I could respond, a calm voice replied behind me. "I believe you're mistaken, bella . See, this bästard here is Xavier Grigori, Prince of Vetresca, and future King of Europe." I didn't know if I wanted to smile or kill myself. Turning around, I saw a tall man, exceptionally well dressed with a mink coat draped over a dark grey suit. He had a diamond piercing over his left eyebrow and a dragon tattoo on the side of his neck. A black gloved hand rested on a black cane with an engraved silver dragon. "Darius." He kissed my signet ring. I grimaced. "You son of a bîtch. You're my important meeting today?" "Well, I did fly in a thousand miles." Prince Darius Azaria smiled, showing off his dagger like fangs. His silver eyes narrowed on Victoria. "Who is this, um, charming lady?" "Friend of a friend." I muttered, shooting daggers at both Victoria and Xavier. "Well, you'll have to excuse us, friend of a friend," He gave her another smile. "I have business to discuss. I hope to see you again, roza ." Victoria seemed flattered. Xavier? Not so much. Making like a caveman, he hauled her onto his shoulders again and carried her inside the house. " I hope to see you again, gentlemen." He said smoothly, despite the fact that he was soaking wet and carrying a kicking girl. Real classy. Fifteen minutes later, I was settled in the meeting room upstairs and Darius decided it was enough small talk. "Let's face reality, Xavier." He told me, sipping his wine. "Our nations aren't exactly on good terms and we haven't been that way in a long time." Vetresca and Kadria were frenemies at best. For a reason. Kadria was modern day leech capital. "And?" I asked, looking at the vampire. "And, we're friends, right?" He asked cautiously. "You puked on me last New year on that goddämn boat." I said deadbeat. "I'd say we go to war, bloodsucker." He laughed. "How about a small gift then? To make you forget that little accident." Darius opened the door to my office. The minute she walked inside, I knew she was easily the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She was a hundred out of ten from any angle. A long silver dress hugged her curves, exposing a modest amount of soft pale skin. Her hair was as black as midnight, falling waist length and her eyes were liquid silver. I stood up. "Quite the family resemblance, Darius." I told him, kissing her hand. She smiled at me seductively, looking at me under her long dark lashes. "Welcome to Vetresca, Lady Alexandra Azaria." "Now I'm going to ask you again, Xavier." Darius said, smiling. "We're friends, aren't we? Good friends. Perhaps even brother-in-laws ?" "Of course," I said, tracing her jaw absently. "Then it's settled..." Darius began talking about wedding plans but I interrupted him, remembering something. "I recall you have another sister too, Darius." All trace of humour left the vampire. "Don't go there, Xavier." He started to say. Suddenly the door opened and Xavier joined us as promised, with a minor addition. Two very obvious, very sharp throwing blades. "So." The Prince said conversationally, leaning against the wall. "What'd I miss, Your Highness?" ***** Daniel : "Like this. I'LL CONSIDER MARRYING YOU." XD

Xavier nailed it man. Nice start so far.. ??

still on it

? Episode 8 ? “Perfectionists" ? Xavier POV ________________________________________ "Adriana is not a fücking zoo animal." Darius wasn't too happy about introducing his baby sister. I poured myself a glass of bourbon and settled on the couch. I wasn't missing any more of this soap opera. I left Daniel alone for fifteen minutes and apparently now I was engaged to the leech's hot sister. Or rather, Daniel was. As me. Lady Alexandra Azaria had only spared me one glance. Those pouting lips were crafted only for kissing her. Repeatedly. Lucky bästard. "I know she isn't a zoo animal." Daniel said, patronising. Trust me when I say Daniel and patronising didn't go together. "Can you blame me for my curiosity?" See, Danny was pretty insistent on seeing the youngest Lady Azaria. I hadn't seen him this desperate for anything since we were six and I refused to share my Hershey bar. What? I was a greedy child. "Of course, I can blame you, you sick pervert!" Darius yelled. His knuckles were white on his cane. "You've already got one of them." The leech did have a point. Adriana was Alexandra's twin. Danny wanted to see the real life photocopy of his future wife? I swear he was getting spoilt. "And I like this one a lot." Daniel said, brushing his lips on Alexandra's wrist. "It's just that I've heard the rumors about her, Darius. I haven't seen one of those before." I didn't know if it was what he said or what he did that made Darius bare his fangs. In one smooth motion, the cane transformed to a blade and he was holding it against Daniel's throat. Good thing I was doing the same to his throat. "Not so fast, Your Highness." I said, stifling a yawn. "Unless you want to choke on your own blood. I hear it's rather unpleasant." "Who the fück are you anyway?" Darius hissed. "A friend." I shrugged. "Nice cane, by the way. Very 007. If he was an old man, that is." Darius glared at me, as Daniel sighed. "Darius." Daniel said quietly. "Please." The fake Prince was working his best puppy dog eyes. Damn him. "Since my friend is clearly a hormonal teenager," I muttered, glaring at him. "Prince Azaria, for the love of all things holy, just let him see the girl." "If you so much as touch her." Darius fumed, dropping his blade. "I'll cut him myself." I finished for him. "Now let's get this over with." Darius left the office to get her, swearing all the way. Alexandra followed behind him quietly. Daniel joined me on the couch. I poured him a glass of Scotch, because if I didn't keep my hands busy I'd probably smack him on the head. "What the hell is wrong with you?" I said, giving him the glass. "Why do you want to meet this girl so badly?" He shrugged. "I don't know." I gave him a look. You know, the look that suggested he needed immediate hospitalisation. "Oh, like you act completely sane." He said, rolling his eyes. "That bîtch Victoria, is batshît crazy. She tried to kill me, in case you forgot. You still haven't told me why you brought her here." "I have my reasons." I said, simply. "And I have mine. I guess." He ran a hand through his hair. "Where is she anyway?" "My old room." "She's going to burn this place to the ground." He shook his head. "That goddämn bird isn't helping things." I had to smile. "Just trust me." "Yeah, look how far that's gotten me, Xavier." Daniel's eyes were piercing. "I'm a twenty six year old nobody pretending to be a king when I can't even remember to put on a goddämn sock. I drink, I smoke and I fück around because I'm not even a real person anymore. I might look like you, but I'm not you, Xevi." I didn't know how to respond to that. Yeah. Daniel was an expert at hitting people right in the feels. Darius entered the room again, still swearing. "This is Lady Adriana." He said, holding the door open. As predicted, a photocopy of Lady Alexandra walked inside, only Adriana wore black silk instead. She had the same perfect features and soft curves as her sister, but she was a lot more timid. She didn't dare look up at any of us. I blinked. This was what Danny and Darius were fussing about? "Take it off." Danny said, softly. I arched a brow. If he was talking about her clothes while Darius was here - He was a dead man. Neither Darius nor Adriana flinched at the request though. She merely thumbed down her lower eyelids and took off her contacts. Daniel froze, staring into her eyes. Even I couldn't look away. Lady Adriana's eyes were mismatched. One was a light sky blue and the other was clear amethyst. And just like that, I understood Danny's curiosity and why Darius didn't want his sister anywhere near us. Royal society viewed anything out of the norm as an imperfection. A scar, a blemish, even mismatched eyes - they were treated as mistakes. No one was perfect, but deviate a little too much and you were an outcast. I knew this girl would've never gone to a ball, socialised at the luncheons or stood a chance at marrying a highborn like her sister. I knew Darius would have to save her from being called a mistake her whole life. I knew Daniel had a soft spot for such mistakes. Daniel went closer to her and she looked down. He put a finger under her chin, urging her to look up. She clearly hadn't had this much attention on her before and she looked at him doe eyed. "You said you'd cut him if he touches her." Darius reminded me, gruffly. "Gladly." I said, rolling my eyes. "Does Lady Alexandra have a fetish for Captain Hook?" He glared at me. "Who are you? Really?" I shrugged, looking at the promise ring on Danny's finger and the look in his eyes as he said his goodbye to Adriana. "A friend." I repeated, quietly. "Or so I hope." **** Xavier : "My WORLD'S FÜCKED UP. BUT YOUR LIKE MIGHT HELP ME FEEL BETTER."

Still ride on.,am trying to construct my comment

? Episode 9 ? “Netflix and alien fruit" Written by Jchrist (AFRICAN GOOD BOY ) ? Victoria's POV ....….............................................................. "You're not ugly. For a human." I could tell from his voice that it had taken Marcus a lot of effort to admit it. "And you're not nice." I replied, kicking up my feet. "For an angel." The butler was my baby sitter for the afternoon. Biscuit had locked me up in an ancient room on the third floor. It had an ornate bed probably older than my grandmother, a creaky desk and a closet. You'd think rich people could afford to lock a girl up with some Netflix. Nope . My first instinct was to break open the windows, then pick the lock, then flat out attack the walls like a mad woman. No give. Alcatraz should probably take notes. About an hour later, Marcus came inside with a tray of weird looking violet fruit. He didn't try to explain and I didn't give a fück about the botany. He just watched me eat my alien fruit like a gorilla. I had to imagine I looked highly attractive. "Biscuit is feeding me fruit." I said. "He must really want to torture me." Marcus rolled his eyes. "If by torture, you mean feed you something healthy, then certainly." "Is it just me or are you always this fun?" Now that my stomach wasn't growling, I pulled open the drawers on the desk. Nothing. "I merely state facts. That's all." Marcus sighed. "You aren't going to find a gun in there." "A girl can hope." I said, heading to the closet. I tossed out the neatly folded clothes, one by one. "A girl can also shut up and sit down." The butler said, trying to catch the shirts I threw. "Marcus, Marcus." I tsked. "Haven't we established that isn't going to happen by now?" After some digging, I found loose change and an old photo. I realized that it must have been taken in this very room. Two small boys and a little girl were smiling at me. All three of them had midnight black hair and blue eyes. It took me a moment to tell the boys apart. I looked at Marcus. He was staring out the window in annoyance, and he hadn't noticed me finding the photo. I folded it and silently tucked it in my shoe. "So." I said, trying to make conversation. "What makes Biscuit think I won't hit you on the head and hold you hostage?" Marcus looked at me like it was the dumbest idea he'd heard. "Because as much as he wants you to believe that it's for your protection," He stated, with an air of superiority. "That phoenix like me way more than you." I eyed the red bird nipping on fruit, fondly cooing at Marcus. When she noticed me watching her, she picked up her piece and flew into the closet for privacy. The chicken had more table manners than I did. "So she'll turn me into a human cigarette if I hurt you?" "If you touch me." He corrected. "This is a new coat." I shook my head, sighing. "And we were getting along so well." Marcus didn't have time to whistle for his pet, because I slammed the closet door, trapping the bird inside and held a nice, shiny dagger against the butler's neck. Earlier in the fountain today, I'd nicked one of Biscuit's blades. Purely for business. I'd also doused him in ice cold water, revealing his chiselled abs. For kicks and giggles. "Now. Why am I here, Marcus?" The butler was clearly not used to being threatened. He turned pale, his eyes fixed on the blade, not daring to move. "I don't know." He gulped. "Can this thing kill you?" I wondered to myself, observing him. "Yes." He said, hesitantly. I was surprised. I theorised something could kill them. I hadn't expected to find it so quickly though. "How? Why ?" "Guardian blades." Marcus said, swallowing. "Any Immortal with a even trace of mortal blood in their ancestry can die by them." Not so Immortal here then . I thought. From my limited knowledge about their species, I realized it certainly wouldn't have been easy to kill them in Haven where all of them would be pure breeds. Haven, being the dimension all these miserable bästards came from. The dimension no one could seem to cross over to again. Also, Biscuit seemed to have an awful number of Guardian blades for a common civilian. It hit me that I hadn't asked a very important question. "What's his name, Marcus?" Right then, the door creaked open. I hid the knife in my pants and shoved Marcus to the bed. I tripped on the floorboard and landed over him. I could only imagine what this looked like to my visitor. Biscuit eyed both of us suspiciously. Marcus opened his mouth, but looking at me, he closed it again. Wise choice. "We, um, I-" I tried to explain. What the hell was I trying to explain? "Well, your butler is too lazy and your floorboards are loose." Neither of which explained why I was on top of him. On a fricking bed . It didn't help that Marcus looked like road kill. Well, that's what you get when you didn't want me to ' touch' your coat . Karma's a bitch. I got off Marcus, and he almost ran down the hall. Now that we were alone, Biscuit cocked his head. I held up a hand. "Save it. It was an accident." "You don't have to explain." He shrugged. "Just thought I'd let you know he turns 203 this year. But no judgement if you're into that Twilight shît. You do you, honey." I wanted to hit him with something. Again . I quickly realised the SOB butler had taken my knife. So I settled for the next best option. I threw a pillow at him. "As much as I'm up for a pillow fight, because truly, I'm a twelve year old girl on the inside," he rolled his eyes. "I have your first assignment." First ? "How many are there?" "You'll know soon." I groaned. I forgot I was talking to Mr. Classified-Top-Secret-Must-Not-Tell-Victoria-Anything. Yeah, I needed better titles. "So what is it?" Biscuit had something draped over his arm that I hadn't paid attention to. It was one of those expensive dress covers. "No." I said, shaking my head even before he unzipped the thing. "Yes." He said, smiling, holding out a sheer silk ocean blue gown. "We're going to a little ball this evening." With heels and champagne flutes and socialising? Nope . "Give me a gun." I groaned. "Ask me to kill someone. Not fücking dance." Biscuit smiled. "Oh, I'm asking you to kill someone. While you dance." ******* Victoria :" I'LL SHARE MY ALIEN FRUIT IF YOU INVITE YOUR FRIENDS" XD

Following

? Episode 10 ? “Pearls and unicorns" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _____________________________________________ ? Xavier POV "Guns are for wimps." I regretted saying that even before she glared at me. Victoria was a lot of things : a liar, a thief, a murderer and a reckless idiot - "Give. Me. My. Heckler & Koch." She emphasised every word by hitting me with her fan. I grabbed the frilly thing from her, swearing. Overall, a fücking piece of work. But definitely not a wimp. I adjusted my tie, as she turned to the mirror. Shortcake was wearing a severe black coat, showing neither skin nor curves. I was oddly disappointed, but at least, she was ready - Victoria began pinning up her hair with pearls. I pursed my lips before I said something stupid. To be fair, she didn't know that this would probably drive me insane. It's her hair . I reminded myself. She can do whatever she wants with it. As she trapped another curl, my fingers itched. Why the fück do women do that ? All I wanted to do now was toss out those pins and watch that wine red river fall to her waist. She'll probably murder you if you try that . I told myself. Yeah, but I'll die a happy man. Shut up, you sappy idiot. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not Bruce Lee." Victoria said, snapping me out of my mental conversation. "I suck at fighting." "Guns aren't allowed in the castle." I explained. "And you're not the worst fighter I've seen." "Was that a compliment? Wow . High praise from Sir Biscuit." She rolled her eyes. Tucking the last pin, she turned to face me. "For once, be honest. At least tell me what it is I'm supposed to do." I sighed. I could've told her of course. It would've gone a little like this : " You know, Danny? My best friend? It's his engagement party, which is conveniently going to be held at the castle, where my 'sick' father is probably waiting to kill me. Also, someone wants the happy groom dead, which is why you're here in the first place. Oh, and let's not forget the abundance of leeches from the bride's family. So basically, your job is to make sure there aren't too many bodies on the dance floor tonight." As cheerful as that conversation was, I couldn't tell her everything. I couldn't tell her why I needed to be there for Danny, or why my father and I would need more than family counselling to fix things. So instead, this was all I said. "Just be prepared for some action." "Just so you know, this whole 'mysterious guy' thing got old, real quick." She muttered. "You think that's why I don't tell you things?" I laughed. "Because it makes me look attractive?" "Well, that and you want to annoy me." She said, blushing. "So I take it that it worked." She threw a brush at me. There were only two thoughts in my mind right then. Shortcake was kinda cute when she was angry (what the hell was wrong with me ?) and she had excellent aim. I sighed. There was no way she could protect herself, let alone anyone, with a hair brush. Flicking my wrist, a throwing knife fell into my palm. I gave it to her, buttoning the cuff again. "Blades are allowed." I said, as she studied it. "They're honorary for the royal guardians. We call them Kunai." "So you're a guardian?" She asked. I shook my head. "So you're not going to tell me how you got these, are you?" She said, exasperated. "Maybe some other time." I said, offering a hand. We walked downstairs to the foyer. There wasn't a limo today because Danny had to head out earlier. Instead a black Ferrari 458 purred to a halt on the driveway. The valet was kind enough to open the backseat door for Victoria. I held her back. She looked at me questioningly. "Keys." I told the boy. "Now." "But-" "But nothing." I said, as he gave them to me grudgingly. "Go home and have a nice dinner with your girlfriend." "Um, thank you, sire?" I opened the passenger door for Victoria and got in the driver's seat. I rolled down the roof and turned on the ignition. I didn't know what I was missing out on until I felt the roar of the engine. "It's not working, by the way." Victoria said, as I drove down the driveway. I was confused. "What isn't?" "The mysterious guy thing." She said, looking at me. "Not one bit." I hit the gas hard the minute we were outside the gates. Victoria laughed, holding into her seat. "Liar." I said, giving her a glance. "Show off." She shot back, laughing harder. I'll admit I hadn't felt this way in long, long time. We passed by the countryside, entering the city. A wave of nostalgia hit me. Even Victoria was stunned into silence. It was exactly the way I remembered it. Glass and steel reflected the night sky like mirrors, a skyline that took centuries to build. Wings flashed against the sky, as people went about their daily business, angels and humans alike. The lights never faded here and the city never slept. Yours . My mom had told me once. All of it is yours, Xevi. Isn't it pretty? I took a deep breath. It isn't mine. But it is beautiful. Victoria looked at me, oddly. "You're an angel, right?" "Of course not, Shortcake." I smiled, welcoming the distraction. "I'm a unicorn." She rolled her eyes. "Seriously." "Ask me what you want." I said, smiling. "Isn't this another one of your interrogations?" "Yeah, not that they've worked in the past." She muttered. "You have wings. Don't you?" "I do." I said simply, knowing where this was headed. "Why can't you fly?" I looked at her, surprised. I hadn't expected that. "What makes you think I can't?" She took a deep breath. "You don't seem like the type of person who'd leave all this behind and live in that shîtty human city. Not unless it reminded you of something you couldn't have here." I stayed silent. "I'm right, aren't I?" She said, quietly. I kept my eyes on the road. "Was it from birth?" "No." I said. I opened my mouth to say something else, but I couldn't find the words. "You don't have to tell me." Victoria said simply, giving me a small smile. "Maybe that mysterious thing does work a little." My lips twitched. "You're smarter than you give yourself credit for." "Of course not." She said, grinning. "I believe I'm very, very smart." We sat in silence after that. I noticed that she removed her coat, and took out the pins from her hair after a while. "This fücking wind." She muttered, letting her hair down. "But your updo." I smiled, innocently. "It was so beautiful. And time consuming." "Oh, don't tell me you didn't roll down that roof for a reason." She arched a brow. "I like your hair down." I blurted before I could think about it. Victoria laughed. A genuine quiet laugh that made me laugh too. Only, I knew I wasn't laughing with her. I was laughing at myself. That ice blue dress brought out the deep emerald green of her eyes. Her hair was a fiery red halo falling over her shoulders. In the moonlight, her every movement was graceful, catching my eye. I noticed how close her lips were and I couldn't help imagining what they'd taste like. Funny. I'm so screwed . ***** Xavier : "COMMENT ON THIS AND I'LL SHOW YOU MY WINGS."

? Episode 11 ? “World war IV ft. Jimmy Choos” Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) __________________________________________ ? Victoria POV "Stop groping my äss. Thanks." My efforts at being elegant were clearly not working. The 'gentleman' dancing with me narrowed his eyes. I stepped on his feet, admittedly not by accident. He winced, moving his fingers to my waist. God bless Jimmy Choos. The ballroom had about a hundred couples waltzing to the sound of violins. They were of different ages and races, but they all had two things in common. They were filthy rich and gorgeous as fück. Biscuit just gave me one of his meaningful "you know what to do" looks and disappeared an hour ago. Which, of course, meant I did not know jacksquat. When he said castle, for some reason I expected a Disney style monstrosity with magical turrets and singing birds. Rega Kastel was more like Mickey's office, if the mouse was a corporate businessman. Thirteen state-of-the-art skyscrapers were connected overhead and underground by bridges and tunnels. It was intimidating, cold and beautiful. Much like the people inside it. To be fair, I did make an attempt to socialise. I knew by now that this was an engagement party. So when a pretty girl tried to talk to me, the conversation went a little like this. "I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure to meet you, milady. I'm Adriana, sister to Prince Darius Azaria." Um ... "I'm Victoria." Shortcake to Sir Biscuit. "Whose side are you from?" "I'm a friend of the groom." "How did you and the prince meet?" "I tried to kill him." She assumed it was a joke. After an awkward laugh, she excused herself and walked away. I was clearly awesome at socialising. After that, I stuck to the buffet table and made friends with the waiter. He kept my wine glass full and told me something I was trying very hard to ignore. My target, a.k.a the annoying guy with the blue eyes, Danny or Xavier or whatever the hell his name was - well, he was the ruling Prince of Vetresca. I sat down, downing my glass in one shot. I almost killed the king of a continent. I almost started World War IV. I almost got only ten million dollars for it. This was when the 'gentleman' in the mask had asked me for a dance. I nodded without any real interest. The song was over now. I was lost in my own thoughts when he spun me around and led me outside.We were on an isolated bridge, at least three thousand feet above the ground. "Now that we're away from all that fuss," the man whispered, holding me against the railing. "We need to talk, Victoria." Chills ran down my spine. "You know who I am?" "Oh, I think a good boss should know his employees." The client. Shît. "Who are you?" I tried to make out his features under the silver mask. "Not important." He said, his violet eyes boring holes. "I gave you a job. I see you haven't done it yet." "It's a process." I muttered. "Killing someone isn't easy." "It is for you." He said. "I'm a patient man, but not for long." "I can't." I shot back. "The target is-" "I know who he is." He said, coldly. "Either you do it or I will. I don't like getting my hands dirty, of course, and I won't be nearly as gentle as a girl." My mouth fell open. "I-" "Shh." He put a finger on my lips. "Do what you're told, little red bird. Or I might have to punish you." With that, he disappeared into thin air. I hadn't felt this unnerved in my whole life. I realised how close I'd been to falling off the bridge and my vision swam a little. "Are you alright?" A dark haired girl in a black dress stood by the door, watching me. She had ocean blue eyes and a gold phoenix tattoo on her arm. She seemed vaguely familiar for some reason. "Yeah." I said, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine." "Cancer patients say they're fine all the time too." I looked at her. She shrugged. "Life is one big joke, so why should death be any different?" "I bet you find funerals funny too." I muttered, smiling despite myself. "Are you a doctor?" "I'm a guardian." She gave me a once over. "Are you my brother's new slüt?" " What ?" Suddenly, it became glaringly obvious why she seemed familiar. The little girl in the photo. "Kiera, don't walk away. I'm s-" Biscuit came through the door, pausing when he saw both of us together. "Leave before I kill you." Kiera told him calmly. "It's been twelve years. And you'll find I can actually use my knives now." I remembered his story about his guardian blades. I couldn't help it - I laughed until I was in tears. Both of them looked at me like I was crazy. "You stole your baby sister's blades, didn't you?" "You stole my blades?" Kiera yelled. "Thanks for that." Biscuit glared at me. He turned to her. "Technically, I was borrowing them-" "Shut. The. Fück. Up." Kiera went from calm to murderous real quick. "Not one phone call. Not one text. Not one "Hey, sis, I'm not kidnapped or starving or god forbid, six feet under the ground. No , you just show up here all of a sudden and expect everything to be perfectly fine, all hunky dory. Do you have any idea how worried I was, you bloody idiot..." Biscuit didn't move as she repeatedly punched his chest. She rattled out a string of obscenities, threatened to throw him off the bridge but he just stayed still. "I missed you, Kia." Biscuit said quietly, after a while. Kiera looked at him, falling silent. I thought she was going to hit him again when she almost toppled him over with a hug. Biscuit ruffled her hair, his eyes shining. "If you leave me alone in this godförsaken place again," Her voice cracked. "I swear -" "I won't leave you alone." Biscuit closed his eyes. "Promise." Was someone chopping onions ? "So about those blades." I started awkwardly. "Thanks for the reminder." Kiera looked up at him, sternly. "You owe me." Biscuit sighed. "You two are going to get along so well." ******* Kiera : "EVERY VOTE SAVES AN ORPHAN ANGEL."Xd

? Episode 12 ? “Gardens and weed" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ ? Daniel POV "With all due respect, go fück yourself." Marcus took that as an invitation to stab me with another pin. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I winced. "It's tradition to wear robes for the engagement." Marcus said, dryly. "Forgive me for not being an expert at making a human burrito." In about one hour, I'd be getting engaged looking like Red Riding Hood. Fantastic . "I miss my pants." I said, wistfully. "And my alcohol." "Don't we all." Marcus muttered. Ten minutes later, the butler was done making me look like the halloween cloth ghost. I peeked in the mirror. The robes were dark red with a gold lining. I cringed. Xavier's going to have a field day with this. There was a knock. Marcus opened the door and the temperature inside dropped about five degrees. "Where is my son?" King Anton Grigori slowly entered, leaning on his cane. He was a frail man with salt and pepper hair but presence shouted power. Marcus and I bowed in respect to the Crown King of Europe. "He's here, Your Grace." I hesitated. "He isn't ready yet-" "How many years?" Anton coughed. "Where is my son?" "I need time." I said. "I'll convince him. I promise." He stared out the window. "You always listen to me." He zoned out. "You're a good boy. You'll make a good king, son." I led him out and called for a maid. He kept going. "Just like your mother. Yes, you're a good boy." I felt tremors as I held his hand. "You're a good boy, Xavier." I sighed, as the maid helped him to his chamber. The King often slipped into these 'episodes'. I knew he'd never been kind to Xavier when he was growing up. So naturally, I felt like crap when he mistook me for his son. Despite the man's illness, Xavier deserved to hear this from his father. "Alcohol?" Marcus offered me a glass. "Pants?" I countered, downing it. "Don't push it." He held the door open. "Time for your grand entry, sire." Great. I thought, groaning. All I'm missing now are the heels and a fücking tiara. The ceremony wasn't too bad. Alexandra looked stunning in her white robes. As per tradition, we read our oaths, exchanged rings and greeted each other's families. Well, I did trip once and almost land face first on the ground. Xavier was standing next to me, the poster child of innocence. "You need any help there, milady?" He asked sweetly. Naturally, I was furious. "Did you push me?" "Nope. Just good timing." The bästard smiled. "Wonder Woman called. She wants her cape back." I groaned. And so it begins . "A rare sight, ladies and gentleman. Mario without his overalls." "Laugh all you want." I muttered. "You're never going to look this fabulous." "Spoken like a true Angry Bird." He saluted. "All hail the motherfücking Strawberry king." I sighed. "Are you done yet?" "For now." He shrugged, eying the buffet table. "Someone wants to meet you by the balcony." I arched a brow. Xavier sighed and dragged me outside. "Victoria better not be waiting there to pull some shîtty prank on me." I fumed. "I swear that woman is Satan's twin sister-" Lady Adriana was standing in the moonlight, her mismatched eyes looking at us curiously. "I'll be sure to pass along the message to Shortcake." Xavier said, deadbeat. "Also, you look like you sneezed on your period." My mouth fell open as Adriana stifled a laugh. " Now I'm done." Xavier smiled. "You kids behave." He left me alone with her. Which was awkward as fück. What could I possibly talk about with the sister of my future wife? The weather? "Um, it's a cloudy night." I managed. I groaned on the inside. That line with this dress : President of the great country of Lame. "Yes, I like cloudy skies." She said softly, looking up. "I like to think they're magical." "Yeah, I find evaporation fascinating too." Kill. Me. Now. She smiled politely. "Would you like to go for a walk, Your Grace?" "Sure." We headed downstairs into the garden in comfortable silence. A long time later, Adriana turned to talk to me. "I just wanted to congratulate you on your engagement, Your Grace." "Oh." I don't know why I felt disappointed. "Thanks. Your sister seems very, um, nice." The truth was I didn't even know her sister's middle name. This was a political marriage - heirs weren't expected and neither was love. "She is." Adriana said, quietly. "She's outgoing, smart, talented, beautiful-" "But?" I asked, as we sat down on a bench. "Nothing." Adriana looked away. "She's perfect." I put my hand over hers instinctually. "Perfection is overrated, don't you think?" I smiled at her. "Unique gets more points on my list." She turned to me and looked like she wanted to say something. But it began raining. For some reason, we just sat there. Her eyes looked like they were scanning my very soul. But then the moment was gone and the awkwardness returned with a bang. I just hit on my fiancé's sister . Shît . "I have to go." She said, bowing. "It was, um, nice to meet you, Your Grace." "The pleasure was mine, Lady Adriana." Suddenly, there was a painful wail. I ran toward the bushes and saw a man clutching his chest. I knelt down and realised he'd been stabbed. Adriana gasped, holding back a scream. The man tried to tell me something but I heard only two words. I looked around for the murderer and came up short. He died, clutching my hands. His blood seeped the ground and my robes. It took me a minute to process it all after which I called Xavier. He came running, along with Victoria. Xavier looked at me, then at the body. "What did you do?" "Nothing. I - I don't know what happened." My voice trembled. "He died. J-Just like that." Victoria gently pried my hands off the body and I let her. "Do you know who this is?" Xavier asked, quietly. There was a soft sob in the corner. Lady Adriana was shaking violently, eyes glazed. Her voice was barely a whisper. "That's my father." ***** Daniel : "COMMENT ON THIS AND I'LL SEND YOU A ROBE." XD

Episode 13 ? “Painting feelings" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ Xavier POV "An Immortal can't be killed." "An ässhole can't talk either, yet look what we have here." Darius was definitely not in the mood for "princely " etiquette. In one hour, the Guardians directed everyone to their chambers. Nobody knew what happened - just that there were now black flags over Rega Kastel and the city was under lockdown. The death of a pure blood vampire was unheard of, after all. The Court of Trials were called for an emergency meet. Twelve of the most powerful men in the world now sat in the empty ballroom, calmly discussing a murder over Earl Grey tea and muffins. It pissed me off and I didn't even know the dead guy. "Prince Azaria," Somebody started saying. "If you could just calm down-" Bad idea number one "Why the hell should I?!" Darius slammed his fist on the table. "The King of my country is dead. My father is dead. None of you have any answers, you aren't even trying - we're sitting here having a fücking tea party." "Investigations are underway." The man continued. "The Guardians are still looking for evidence-" Bad idea number two. "On someone who can kill a pure blood Immortal? "Darius shot back. "We don't even know what to look for. What makes you think he'd leave anything behind anyway?" "It doesn't have to be a he." Everyone turned to look at the only woman in the room. I sighed. Bad idea number three? Bringing Shortcake. "This wasn't just an accident." Victoria said, casually like she was talking about pizza. "Someone wanted him dead. And I bet they're going to go after everyone in this room." And that's when the Council collectively lost its mind. Because nothing is more cheerful than telling a room full of people that a serial killer's on the loose. I quietly moved to her side and dragged her outside while all hell broke free at the table. "Let me go!" Victoria yelled. "Unless you have a death wish, I suggest you shut up." I snapped. "Unless you have one, I suggest you stop dragging my äss around." I didn't. Shortcake began screaming like a banshee. "You're kinda turning me on with that." I said casually. "And I haven't even touched the good parts yet." Her mouth fell open. I took the opportunity to gag her with my tie and throw her over my shoulder. She managed to bite my neck but hey, at least I didn't have a headache anymore. "Wow, Shortcake." I winced, touching my neck. "It's almost like you were waiting to give me a hickie." She threw a punch, barely missing my jaw. "Nice foreplay. Save some for the bedroom." Shortcake spit out the tie, kicking me. She swore fluently in several languages while I managed to get us both into one of the chambers and threw her on the couch. "What. The. Actual. Fück. Is. Wrong. With. You?!" Shortcake yelled while I locked the door. "A King died and you're screwing around." "If you open your mouth one more time in front of the Council, you're shark bait." I said. "Or did you forget that you tried to kill a Prince too?" "Yeah, but-" She began, sheepish. "Yeah, but nothing." I said, firmly. "You want to help me, you find out who sent you." "I told you. My clients aren't easy to find." "Neither is my spine, but you seem to have managed just fine." I stretched, feeling the dull ache from where she kicked me. "Whatever you do, the Council can't see you like this again." Victoria smiled. "That I can work on." Two hours later, we were back at the mansion outside the city. Victoria - shockingly - went to her room without trying to break my bones. I headed to the shower after which I realised that without Daniel, I had a lot of free time on my hands. From the corner of my eye, I saw that my easel and brush lay abandoned. Making like Picasso, I dug out some oil paint from the cupboards and got thoroughly drunk before I touched the canvas. Because art's no fun without a hangover and a splintering headache . Today had been a horrifying day. A vampire died on angel grounds and my best friend got engaged to the dead man's daughter. Darius seemed like a great guy who didn't deserve either. End result though : I deserved a break. There was a knock on my door five minutes later. Shortcake entered wearing a short blonde wig and blue contacts. On the inside, I admit that she looked insanely hot. On the outside though : "You look like Tinkerbell's ghost." I muttered, still painting. "And you look like an artist." Victoria said, sweetly. Wait, what? "An artist who is currently homeless and friends with the sewage rats." That's more like it . I rolled my eyes. "Yet somehow, you still find me attractive, cupcake." "I do not." She fumed, blushing. "God, your ego is the size of -" She searched for a word. "My dîck?" I offered. Victoria hit my head with a book. All roads lead to a migraine with Shortcake. "What are you painting anyway?" "My feelings." I said, deadbeat. "I'm a 26 year old, well adjusted male. Boo hoo. Nobody understands me." "Gee, I wonder why." Victoria muttered, looking at me like I was mad. Shortcake tried her best at guessing what my painting was, and ultimately gave up by calling me a kindergartener high on acid. "Will you at least show me when it's done?" "Sure." I said, simply. "Oh, and did I forget to tell you something super important?" Victoria said, hands on her hips. "While you were playing Da Vinci, I did some actual detective work." Shortcake held out a strand of red hair. I was confused. "Um, you got a hair cut?" Victoria glared at me. "No, idiot. I found this at the crime scene." Still very much confused. "Are you telling me you have hair loss? Because there's treatment for that." Victoria threw a book at me. "If you know anything about me, I'm not the only person you know who has red hair." It took about two seconds for the impact to sink in. My mouth fell open as Victoria slowly smiled. "How old is your sister again, Shortcake?" *** Q : Victoria, Xavier, Daniel. Who would you fück, marry or kill? XD Xavier : "COMMENT ON THIS AND WE'LL PAINT A MASTERPIECE." ;)

? Episode 14 ? “YOLO" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _____________________________________________________ ? Victoria POV "Kiera, please stop feeding the squirrels." It was bad enough that we were spying on my little sister. Throwing bread crumbs at woodland creatures certainly wasn't helping matters. "Take my sister, Kiera." The wise, almighty Biscuit commanded. "She's a guardian. She'll help you. " "Aw, don't run away. Mommy's got more bread." Right . Five minutes in the park and Kiera adopted the squirrels as her own children. Such help. Much wow. "Does it run in the family?" I muttered. She looked confused. "Does what run in the family?" "The let's-annoy-Victoria-at-every-given-opportunity gene." She rolled her eyes. "Why don't you like squirrels, Vickie?" Aha . "He told you, didn't he?" Clearly, this was a coordinated plan by both of them to slowly drive me to the looney bin involving the 'oh-so-adorable squirrels' a.k.a the minions of Satan - "No." She said simply. "See, I happen to have eyes. Also, I'm capable of thinking, which may come as a shock to you." I sulked in my bush, as she crushed my conspiracy theories. To be honest, I was bored. Camping out in a bush whilst stalking my sister was the most unexciting thing I'd done in weeks. Living life to the fullest . I thought, as Ira sat on the park bench and took out her laptop. Creeping on a teenager. YOLO. This was my daily routine for the last two days. Buy some caffeine, hide by the trees, wait for my sister, Ira, to show up and try to follow her. She'd become good at covering her tracks. A part of me wanted to go hug her and tell her everything's fine. Another part of me wanted to smack her over the head . Fifteen was no age to start murdering people. At least, wait till you're seventeen. As always, five minutes later she texted someone and was about to leave. She packed her lappie and tied her shoelaces, as usual. Suddenly, a guy in a hoodie got in her way. He grabbed her hand and dragged her away . Don't get involved. I reminded myself. This is none of your business. Don't get- The stranger's hand grazed her butt. "Kiera, I need to, um, get more bread for your squirrels." I began running. "Aw, thank you. You're such a darling-" My sister's being assaulted. I like you but to hell with you and your squirrel babies. The guy and Ira left the park. Crossing the street I checked every alley, until I found an empty warehouse. The place was damp and musty. I heard the sound of a gun's safety click and I ran towards it. Ira, what the fück did you get yourself into ? The man had her pinned against the wall and was sticking his tongue down her throat. Perv alert . I clocked him over the head and sucker punched his jaw. Ira looked at me wide eyed. We just stared at each other for a few moments. Both of us were at a loss for words. Ira finally broke the silence. "I-I thought you were dead." "So, no hugs, no 'thank you for saving my life', no 'I missed you'?" I muttered. "Well, Ira, I'm a ghost. Boo." She launched herself at me, giving me a bone crushing hug. "I missed you. Oh my god, I missed you so much! You have no idea!" There were tears in her eyes. "Where were you? I was so worried-" "Shhh." I patted her head. "You're fine. I'm fine. It'll be alright." After a few more minutes, Ira calmed down. She looked at the guy in the hoodie on the floor. He was knocked out cold. Her next freak out began right about then. "What did you do?!?!" "I saved your life." I said proudly. "No." She knelt by the guy, checking his pulse. She shook him gently. "Cyril? Cyril! Wake up." Then I realised I had a brand new nightmare. Not only did my fifteen year old sister kill the King of a country, but she also had a - "This is my boyfriend, Cyril." Ira explained, pointing at Mr. Black Hoodie. "It looks like he's just passed out. Then again, you can't really kill him." She laughed, nervously. "He's kinda, well, Immortal." No. This was not happening. Nope. Just nope. Why ? Why couldn't she find like a thirty year old who lives with his mom or a serial killer or something? I didn't need another Immortal fücking up my life, thank you very much. "You're only fifteen." I said, still in shock. "I know!" She giggled. "We've got it all planned out. We're going to have a nice long life together. We're in love." I flinched at 'all planned out' and the way she said ' love '. "I-I need to sit down." "Oh, don't worry, Vic." She said, beaming. "You should talk to him. He's a great guy. Perhaps even your future brother-in-law?" Brother-in-law ? My head was spinning. "Ok." I said, calming myself down. Get your act together. You can deal with this later . "I need to talk to you about something important." "Is this about the mur-" "Shhhh!" I looked around. "Not here. We need to go somewhere safe where no one can hear us." Ira was confused. "What about him?" She asked, pointing at Black Hoodie. I refused to use the word boyfriend. Or God forbid brother-in-law. "Can't we just leave him here?" I said, groaning internally. Because hauling my sister's unconscious boyfriend to Biscuit's place was going to be such fun. "No." Ira said firmly, much to my disappointment. "We take him with us." Black Hoodie stirred and awoke slowly. He looked at me, then at Ira. Ira offered to help him up. He extended a hand toward me. "Hello." He said, politely. "You must be Ira's sister, Victoria. Nice to meet you, ma'am." I don't know if it was the fact that he was being nice or that he'd used the word ma'am. I hit him on the head again. Ira gasped, then glared at me. I shrugged. "My future brother-in-law better wear a helmet for that awfully soft head of his." *** Q : Black Hoodie or blue jeans? Victoria : "EVERY VOTE SAVES A GUY IN A BLACK HOODIE." XD

Episode 15 “Not a date" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy ) Xavier POV "Where the hell do you think you're going?" Victoria was standing at my door, hands on her hips, tapping her feet. Her expression was suspicious as she eyed my coat. Why do I feel like a fifth grader talking to the school principal? I shrugged. "I'm going out." "My sister won't talk to me till her stupid boyfriend wakes up." She fumed. "I've been stuck in this house for days." "You just went to the park this morning." I reminded her. "We went to a göddamn ball three days ago." "I have nothing to do here." She threw her hands up. "I'm bored." I sighed. "I'm going to a club." I said. "To get severely, thoroughly drunk." "I can do that." Victoria matched my solemn tone, saluting. I smiled. "Fine. You've got ten minutes, princess. Wear something pretty." Victoria arched a brow. "Is this a date?" "Of course not." I said, deadbeat. "I'm a psychopath and this is how I murder virgin girls." "That's actually believable." She muttered. I rolled my eyes. "If you want to come with me, this isn't helping your case." She pursed her lips and turned to leave. "And just for the record," Victoria called out, strutting up the stairs like a supermodel. "This right here ain't a virgin, psycho." I whistled low, running a hand through my hair. God help me. Exactly ten minutes later, I was still waiting at the front door because who were we kidding? Even if she was a professional assassin who could reload a gun in under a minute, it would still take this girl a decade to pick out what to wear. Shortcake managed to set the world record by showing up only five minutes later. In a trench coat . I groaned. "What part of ' pretty ' was unclear?" I muttered, getting into the car. "Because you look like a detective from 1975." "Of course, you'd know what those look like, old man." Victoria shot back, joining me. "I'm 26." I stated, rolling my eyes. "You suck at math." "Why do you care what I look like anyway?" She asked, as we headed to the city. "This isn't a date, right?" "Right." I said, eyes on the road. "Definitely not a date." Earlier, I'd noticed her shoes when she stepped out of the house. They were slender heels, pitch black and lacy. I bet they matched whatever she had on inside. She knew exactly what effect that would have on a man. And I happened to be a very impatient man. I drove downtown to Raven's Nest. It was a night club with a decent crowd, loud music and hard liquor. Danny apparently came here often. Looking at the girls walking inside, I could see why. I opened Victoria's door for her and offered to take her coat. Probably the worst mistake of my life. Victoria was wearing a short red sleeveless dress that showed off her long legs and hugged her curves with love. She still had on that blonde wig and contacts, which contrasted it perfectly. For some insane reason, she smelled like wine and dark chocolate. It was all I could do to just stare at her. "Close your mouth, Biscuit." She said casually. "There are mosquitoes out at this time." "You are -" I paused before I said something stupid. Like beautiful or gorgeous or sexy. She looked at me expectantly. "Pure evil." I finished, tucking my arm around her waist. "Daniel's right. You really are Satan's twin sister." She laughed softly. "You're nailing this whole complimenting thing." "This isn't a date." I reminded her gruffly, shooting glares at the men who were gawking at her. "Then why is your hand on my waist?" She challenged. "Because you're mine ." I whispered in her ear, much to her surprise."And I want them to know that I'm not into sharing." "This is -" She gasped, as I sucked her earlobe. "Still not a date, right?" "Of course, it isn't, Shortcake." I smiled, leading her inside. I had the satisfaction of watching her breathe just a little heavier. "We're just friends, right?" " Friends ? Since when?" She laughed. "We just try to kill each other." I grabbed two shot glasses from the waiter, proposing a toast. "To mutually trying to kill each other." Victoria clinched hers against mine, grinning. "May we never succeed." About five rounds later, Victoria wandered off to dance. And by dance, I mean try to move in the mass of sweaty bodies on the dance floor. I didn't get it either. I hammered half a bottle of Vodka when I realised a fight was breaking out on the floor. I made my way through the throng and naturally, Victoria was the centre of attention. She'd gotten drunk a lot sooner than I had and she'd challenged someone to a fight off. I sighed. If only that pretty mouth of hers could do something more useful once in a while. The man tried to hit her, but she dodged him and managed to land a solid punch on his abdomen. A few more kicks and jabs and he was on the ground. I smiled with a little pride. Attagirl . Suddenly out of nowhere, another hefty guy charged at her. Still, she saw it coming and kicked him but he caught her leg and twisted it. He landed a punch on her cheek. I stepped through and caught her before she hit the ground. Victoria's body shook in my hands and blood gushed from the cut on her jaw. The dumbass who hit her was being cheered on by the crowd. "Who are you, her boyfriend?" Dumbass challenged me. "This is between me and the lady." "Leave." I said quietly. "Why the hell would I do that?" He leered. "Go back to prissy little palace, fückboy. This is no place for you." "Leave." I repeated again. "Who do you think you are?" Dumbass roared as the crowd riled him on. "I sure as shît ain't leaving. What are you going to do about it?" "I'm going to kill you." I said calmly. "Immortal or not, you're a dead man." "Ooh, I'm scared." Dumbass cooed. "This little bitch wants to quote Shakespeare on me." So many mistakes there. I closed my eyes and went to that part of me I hadn't thought of in nearly a decade. Cold flames licked my body from the inside out. I slowly opened my eyes. My shoulders had blue wildfire rising over them and I knew my irises turned white, even through my contacts. Everybody backed off, including Mr.Dumbass. Not so dumb then, I figured. Messing with a pure blood angel was a one way ticket to hell. I carried Victoria gently. She was looking at my wings in wonder. "Oh my god." She said, trying to touch them. "They're pretty." "They're useless." I muttered, making them disappear before she burnt herself. She gave me a pout and hit my chest. "Where'd they go, Cookie? You're a pretty fairy." Wow, she was drunk . "Now if you'll excuse me, gentlemen." I said to the crowd that was still staring at me in horror. "The pretty fairy's got to go tuck his drunk girlfriend into bed." *** Xavier:"LIKE BECAUSE FAIRIES HAVE NICE ABS." XD

Wow... getting more interesting

Episode 16 “Hangovers and promises" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) ___________________________________________ Xavier POV ~(Because Victoria's severely, thoroughly drunk)~ "Beep. Beep. Beep." Shortcake poked my biceps, giggling as I tried to change gears. I should've recorded this so I could play it back to her later. She was pretending to be a fire truck for some reason. I stopped at a red light. Victoria took it up a notch - she got up on her seat and made siren noises. I pulled her back down and rolled up the roof. "Seatbelt. Now." She stuck her tongue out. I sighed. Reaching over her side, I pulled the thing over her waist and clicked it in. During that process, I may have brushed her chest. By accident. Honest . Victoria's eyes went wide and she looked at me appalled. I held up my hands, expecting a punch. "I didn't do it on purpose. I'm sorry." Shortcake put both her hands on my face, trying to smush it together. "Why are you so adorable?" What the fück is happening here? Shortcake caught my lower lip and tried making me say 'fish'. I admit this was more terrifying than when she tried to kill me. "I'm not six years old." I mumbled, trying to get home as fast as I could. "No." She agreed. "You're a teddy bear." I groaned. All I wanted to do was get wasted tonight. Was that too much to ask for? "That name better not stick when you're sober, Shortcake. I've got a reputation to keep up here." "You're my teddy bear." She laughed. "And I'm going to call you Mr. Cuddles." I took a deep breath. "I don't cuddle, Shortcake." I said patiently. "I do however fück redheads if they ask nicely." Usually, that would've shut her up. But Victoria was bringing her A game tonight. "All talk, no play, Mr. Cuddles." She grabbed my shirt and whispered in my ear. "So what're you going to do if I say pretty please?" My mouth was suddenly very dry. On any other day, I'd be all for pinning her and ripping that tight little dress off her. I'd treat her right and give her exactly what she needed. But not tonight . Not when she had no idea what she was talking about. It took every bit of control I had to shove her back in her seat. She gave me a strange look almost like she was hurt. I ran a hand through my hair. Fück me and my goddamn morals. She didn't talk to me the rest of the way back. I noticed that she'd fallen asleep after a while. I parked the car and gently got her out, carrying her upstairs. Her makeup was smudged and her jaw had a violet bruise from her fight earlier. She still looked beautiful. I'm definitely going to hell . I kicked open the door to her room and placed her on the bed. I took off her shoes, pulled a blanket over her and turned to leave. I definitely wasn't going to watch her sleep. That was some next level creepiness. It was just as I was about to close the door that I heard a timid voice. "Do you hate me?" I took a deep breath before going back inside. Victoria was sitting up, rubbing her eyes. Her contacts had fallen off. Her forest eyes were sad and confused. "I don't hate you." I sat on the edge of the bed. I knew I was going to regret this but what the hell. She was drunk anyway. "I happen to like you. A lot." She looked at me oddly. "And I don't want to hurt you." I said, closing my eyes. "God knows I've screwed up enough here. I never should've brought you out tonight. I'm such an idiot-" I felt her arms around me. Victoria rested her head against my chest, ruffling my hair. "Shut up, Mr. Cuddles." I smiled. I don't know how long we stayed like that. Eventually, Shortcake yawned and that was my cue to leave. "Tell me something." She said, as I tucked her in again. "Who are you? Honestly." I thought about telling her the truth for a moment. Then I realised I really didn't have an answer anymore. If Daniel was me, then that made me nobody. "I don't know." I kissed her hair. "Promise me you'll help me find out though, princess." Victoria gave me a sleepy nod. "Promise." I smiled. I left her and closed the door. I felt confused, happy and sad all at the same time. I decided I wasn't going to sleep anymore so I took a shower and got back to my painting. After a long time, the sun slowly came up and golden rays filtered through the curtains. I decided I should check on Victoria so I went to her room. She could clearly hear the creak of the door. "Leave me alone." Shortcake moaned, turning away. "It's too loud." Oh, this should be fun. I cheerily opened the curtains and let in the glorious morning sun. Victoria pulled the sheets over her head, swearing. "Rise and shine, Shortcake." I announced, beaming. "It's 6 AM. Sharp." "Since when are you a morning person?" She groaned. "I have a massive hangover." "I know." I said, sweetly. "Breakfast is probably ready. I should tell you everything we have. Loudly ." She covered her ears. "Please don't." "Eggs!" I smiled, as she threw a pillow at me. "Ham! Toast!" "You son of a bîtch." "Butter! Jam!" What else ? "Celery!?" She sat up, shooting me daggers. "Who the fück has celery for breakfast?" I shrugged. "Goats?" Shortcake got off the bed, coming at me. "I'm going to kill you." "Of course you're not." I smiled. "You think I'm adorable." Victoria palm hit her face so hard I heard a smack. "I said that, didn't I?" "Don't beat yourself about it." I said, reassuringly. "I think I'm adorable too." "You. Narcissistic. Self centred. Egotistic. Bästard." With every word, she took one step closer to me, her expression murderous. Which just made me laugh harder. "What's so funny, Biscuit?" She threatened, trying to hit me. "Is it my fist? Because I think it's hilarious how I'm going to break your jaw." "Nope." I shot back, pinning her hands. "Your hair looks a lot like cotton candy. Careful there." I winked. "You wouldn't want to look too - oh, I don't know - edible?" She blushed to her roots, fuming. "Shut. Up." With one more lunge at me, Victoria outdid herself and threw up on my shoes. Daniel walked inside right then, whistling. "Today is going to be a wonderful day." *** Xavier : "Like for this chapter - all proceeds go to the 'Let's make Victoria sober again' fund XD

Next pls

Episode 17 “Shapeshifter" Daniel POV Today was definitely not a wonderful day. Pancakes, maple syrup and strawberries remained untouched on my plate. Weird because food was the love of my life. The reason for this miracle were the four other people at the table. My best friend was making googly eyes at the girl who tried to kill me. That girl was busy giving zero fücks. Said girl's sister was feeding her boyfriend. Said boyfriend was trying to steal my Rolex. Breakfast was turning out to be a lot of fun. "Ira," I said, conversationally. "Do tell us how you murdered the vampire King. And while you're at it, please ask your boyfriend to keep away from shiny things." "Not a thief, sire." Cyril said, smoothly. "Not her boyfriend, bästard." Victoria added, moody. "I don't admit to doing anything, Your Highness." Ira shot daggers at both of them. I sighed. "This is off record. You're not going to get in trouble." I said, calmly. "Your sister tried to kill me and she's having breakfast at my table now. With her family." Gee, what does that say about me? Certainly wouldn't make me a spineless coward now, would it? "She's your prisoner." Ira said. "Cut her a deal and let her go. Then, I'll talk." I thought about that. Technically, Victoria was Xavier's prisoner. I honestly didn't care if she left. I was just about to accept when I heard one loud resounding word. "No." Xavier had been abnormally quiet all this time. He didn't look up, his voice dangerously low. I couldn't help noticing the nice, sharp knife in his hand. "There are no deals here, sweetie." The Prince said, deathly quiet. "You talk and I let you live. Welcome to the real world." Ira flinched. "You can't talk to her like that." Cyril spoke up, trying to defend her. "This girl killed the Immortal King of a country." Xavier said, coolly. "Sorry to break it to you, but she doesn't need you to be her knight in shining armour." "I didn't kill anyone -" Ira began. "Save it." Xavier looked her straight in the eyes. "How much did you get?" Ira hesitated. "Tell him." The quiet voice came from the other side of the table. Surprisingly, Victoria was supporting Xavier. What was weirder was the look in her eyes as she saw him. It looked a lot like - Respect? I'll be damned. Ira sighed. "Twenty million." She said, looking Xavier straight in the eyes. "There's a researcher in Bolivia who came up with a drug that renders purebloods mortal for an hour. It was pretty easy after that." "Smart girl." He smiled, impressed. He turned his attention to her boyfriend. "So what do you do, Cyril? Besides playing at being Robin Hood." The boy rolled his eyes. One moment he was sitting across me, the next a sleek black raven took his place on the table. It flew to Ira's shoulder and rested there, an intelligent glint in his hazel eyes. There was a collective 'ah'. Damn the shapeshifter. That was beyond cool. "You know how to pick them." Victoria muttered. "Four billion boys on the planet and my sister picks the one that can turn into an ugly äss bird." Cyril morphed again into a black snake, baring his fangs at her. "Ok, we get it." Victoria rolled her eyes. "Your boyfriend is a petting zoo." "Why do you hate me so, madame ?" Cyril said with a slight French accent, morphing back to a dark haired lanky boy in a black hoodie. His hazel eyes were mischievous, as he kissed Ira's hand. "Call me madam again." Victoria threatened, shooting daggers. "And the only animal you'll be turning into is roadkill." "And that's enough death threats for today." Xavier said, dryly. "You should probably save some for me, Shortcake." Victoria glared at him. "Think you can get Ira someplace safe, little birdie?" Xavier asked Cyril. "She needs to disappear." "Yes, of course, sire." He seemed thrilled at the aspect. Victoria? Not so much. Before she could protest though, Xavier dragged her away and wished them a good flight. Bless his soul. That was my cue to leave. I said my goodbyes and headed to the car. Marcus gave me my usual list of appointments. Only one name caught my attention. Princess Adriana Azaria . Because clearly my life wasn't fücked up enough. As the youngest royal, Lady Adriana would come by today to invite me to the King's funeral. I spent a good portion of my day thinking of what to say to her. "I'm sorry your father is dead. On a side note, I just had breakfast with the chick who killed him." Yeah, I was really good at giving condolences. Five hours went by faster than the speed of light. Soon, there was a soft knock on my door and I was looking for a window to jump out of. "May I come in, Your Highness?" Lady Adriana asked in a demure tone. I sighed. "Yes, milady." I said, adjusting my tie. Lady Adriana and her bodyguards stood at the door. She took a slim envelope from her handmaiden and walked inside alone. She gave me a small bow and held out the letter, her face showing no emotion. "Thank you." I said gently, offering her a chair. "I-" Her neutral expression faltered a little. "I should leave, Your Grace." I looked into her otherworldly eyes. "Do you really?" "No." She pursed her lips. "I mean, yes. Yes, I should leave." I gave her one last chance. "Are you sure you're fine?" "I-" Adriana's voice faltered. "I am." I should've opened the door and led her outside. I should've told her that speech I practiced. I should've done anything except what I did. I went to her and held her in my arms. She didn't complain or fight. I felt her breathing become ragged and how fragile she truly was. Violent sobs racked her body. Tears fell on my shirt and her nails dug into my skin, drawing blood. And it was alright. I knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. If you didn't feel like your world was falling apart, you weren't doing it right. After a long time, Adriana wiped her eyes, hastily. She looked down and stepped away from me awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Your Grace." Her voice broke. "I shouldn't have done that." "Hey." I said, holding her shoulders. She looked at me, hesitantly. "Don't be sorry. Your father was a good man. And he didn't deserve what happened. I'll find out who's behind this, if it's the last thing I do." And Haven help me, I was dead serious. "Thank you." She said, softly. "Your Grace." Adriana gave me a small bow and turned to leave. "Call me Daniel." "What?" She turned to face me. What the fück was I doing ? "It's my middle name." I lied. I played it over in my head. Xavier Daniel Grigori . Not bad. "I - I just like it better." "Of course, Your Grace." She gave me a small smile. "I mean, Daniel." I felt something warm inside hearing her say my name. My real name. I also felt like a bästard for lying to her, but I couldn't damn well tell her the truth. I was screwed times infinity. It was only after she was out the door that I realised that this amazing woman was still my fiancé's sister. *** Daniel : "COMMENT ON THIS FOR A FREE TOUR AROUND MY OFFICE." XD

Episode 18 “Dark chocolate" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ Victoria POV "I want candy." Normally, I was a mature, responsible, grown äss adult. But I had a weird habit of turning into a spoilt, whiny brat when gummy bears were involved. "So, you want me ?" Biscuit tipped his hat, as we went to the shop in the airport. "Sorry, Shortcake. I'm taken." "By aliens?" I shot back. "Would explain so many things." "Why is it so hard to believe I might have a girlfriend?" He shrugged. "I'm a sweet guy." "Right." I rolled my eyes. "And I'm the Queen of England." He muttered something that sounded a lot like "you could be." It was official. Biscuit was losing his mind. "You're about as sweet as diet soda." I said, deadbeat. "Ain't no sugar there." "You'd know." He said, absently touching his neck. "You're the one who gave me a hickie." I was blushing again. I never thought I'd hate my own blood vessels, but right then I did. Damn him. Damn him and his - We entered the shop. Biscuit took off his hat and flashed a smile at the lady behind the counter. His very damnable dimples. He paid for a small bag of gummy bears without asking any questions. I held out my hand, beaming. "They're not for you." I glared at him. He didn't say a word as he went back outside. I followed him, silently fuming, 100% sure he was doing this simply to piss me off. We walked till entrance of the airport, until I realised what he was doing. Vetresca was for the most part a rich country. Yet like everywhere, there were still homeless people. And outside the airport's cold, all glass entrance, sat one family dressed in tatters. The old man, his wife and their little daughter were dejected, unnoticed for the most part. Biscuit walked up to the child and gave her the bag. He smiled at me as he headed back inside. "Let's go get you some chocolate, Shortcake. Because candy is for little girls." I didn't protest as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "You dropped your wallet outside." I noted. "Oops." He shrugged. "My bad." I knew for a fact that he'd had at least five thousand dollars on him. And this was a man who didn't do anything by accident. "She's a lucky girl." "No, she's not." He said, his expression blank. "But I'm trying to fix that." In that moment, I felt an insane attraction to the man who was holding me here against my will and mocked me at every chance he got. Damn him. Again. "So chocolate." Biscuit asked, as went back into the shop. "What kind?" "Dark as my soul." I muttered. "I don't think they can make that variety." Biscuit bought a bar of semi sweet chocolate and gave it to me, for once not making a fuss. "Thank you." I said, genuinely. He smiled, showing off those annoyingly adorable dimples. "You're welcome, Shortcake." We went to the departure lounge. Ira was sitting there with Cyril, her bags packed. Her hair was now dark and her eyes matched his hazel ones. The primary reason we were at the airport was to say goodbye to my baby sister . Going by the way Cyril had his arm wrapped around her waist, I realised she wasn't a baby anymore. Except, well, maybe his. I was going to the seventh circle of Hades for that thought. "You all set?" I asked as her flight's name flashed on the board. Russia must be charming this time of year. What with the tundras and all. "Yep." Ira said, getting up. "I, uh," Wow, I suck at this. "I'm going to miss you." Ira gave me a hug. "Come with me." She whispered, glaring at Biscuit. "I can get you out of here. We don't have to find the client - it's not our job, V." I knew for a fact that if we didn't find out who was behind this - and soon - there was going to be war. The last time that happened, the humans lost a continent. We might just lose a planet this time around. "No." I whispered, petting her black dyed hair. "I have to stay." We were both on the verge of tears so I let her go and we both smiled awkwardly. "Promise you'll visit sometime." Ira said with a shaky smile. "When all this is done." I promised. "We'll go ice skating like old times." Cyril just stood to the side all this time. I grabbed his collar. "Now you listen here, animal boy." I said. "You keep her safe, or I will hunt you down and make you a rug." Biscuit pulled me back, laughing. "That means she loves you both very much. Take care now." "Since when are you my translator?" I muttered as they waved goodbye. "Since I understand you." He winked. "I'm your Google." I groaned. "Can you get more cheesy?" He laughed, shrugging. "I can try." "And while you're at it, could you please turn off the dimples?" I muttered. "They're kinda distracting." "Turn them off?" Still smiling. "Does my face look like a fücking light bulb to you?" "You don't want me to answer that." It was as we were standing there, laughing about something so insignificant that the guardians came in. Ira was almost through the gates when ten of them surrounded her and pinned her to the counter. She put up a good fight, but she was no match for them. Her hands were in cuffs in less than a minute. I was about to run towards her, when Biscuit dragged me behind a wall. "Let me go!" I was yelling. "That's my sister!" He covered my mouth. I was about to scream when I noticed the expression on his face. A crushing sadness filled his eyes. And that's when I understood. "In the name of Your Highness Prince Darius Azaria, you are under arrest for the murder of the late King of Kadria." The guardian announced. "Anything you say can and will be used..." "We need to leave." Biscuit said, quietly. "They've seen us with her." "I-" I was numb inside. "I can't. They're going to kill her. I promised." I can't breathe . "I-I promised my father I'll keep her safe. And - and now. Now I can't. She's going to die." "Hey." Biscuit shook me. "Look at me. Look at me, Victoria." I slowly focused on his eyes. "I will make sure that doesn't happen." He said, clearly. "But we need to leave. Right now. Do you understand?" "We need to leave." I repeated, feeling cold. "Yes." He said, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around my shoulders. "Breathe slowly. Nice deep breaths. We need to go home now. Do you trust me?" I did as I was told and I let him lead me out of the airport, away from my only family. "I trust you." *** Victoria : "COMMENTS for MY BABY SISTER." ;

SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I Episode 19 “Corsica, the Burger " Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) ________________________________________ Xavier's POV "Run, Xevi." The lady's voice echoed through the hallway as I tripped. My breathing was hard and my heart hammered in my chest. I was tired and hurt, but I couldn't stop. I could still hear his footsteps. "Run as far away from here as you can get." Hauling a barely conscious Victoria into the car, I got in and slammed my foot on the gas. The sirens started wailing from behind us. Glad to know my mother's advice still holds good after twelve years. The guardians didn't waste any time coming after us. I had no idea how they'd figured it out or what they were going to do to Ira All I knew was that this wasn't Grand Theft Auto - I sure as hell couldn't drive and shoot at the same time. I took a sharp left into a smaller lane, losing them for a few minutes. "Victoria. Dashboard. Guns." She didn't move. Fück. My. Life. I pulled the brake. The Ferrari screeched to a halt in the middle of the narrow street. I reached over and opened the dashboard, taking out two loaded guns. You've still only got two hands, Einstein. Now what ? "Victoria." I said, frustrated. "For a person who kills people for a living, it ought to take a whole lot more than this to shake you. The badass bîtch I know wouldn't just sit here and do nothing." "You know nothing then." Great. I'm Jon Snow . I looked at her. Victoria's eyes were hard and cold. Her face was like a mask, pale and expressionless. "Give me your guns, Biscuit." "Don't miss." "Don't talk." The sirens were getting louder. I drove out of the street and onto the main road. Two guardian cars caught up to us soon. Victoria didn't miss. I didn't talk. Some fancy driving and dead guardians later, both of us realised the main problem with our situation. As cool as it was, a shiny black million dollar Ferrari wasn't exactly under the radar. A few more guardian cars got in the way. I took a sharp turn into a mall and scared the living daylights out of a bunch of people. The car was about to crash into a Target. Both of us dived outside just in time. The thing blew up with a bang, teddy bears and all. Danny's going to kill me. Yay . I grabbed Victoria's hand and ran up the stairs. The guardians were coming through the main entrance and we had no where else to go. "Can't we take the elevator?" Victoria muttered, breathless. "Sure, princess." I shot back. "Next time we're in a high speed chase, remind me to wait for a goddämn metal box to make our getaway." "No need to get snappy." Victoria muttered. "It's just that stairs are probabl bad for your knees." "Just how old do you think I am?" I groaned. "I'm pretty sure a dinosaur was present for the baby shower." And now I'm a caveman. "Why can't we ever have a normal conversation?" "We're running from the cops in a mall after blowing up a Ferrari in a toy store." Victoria said. "You want normal conversation? Fine. How was your day, Biscuit?" "Really shîtty. Thanks for asking." We reached the top floor and the guardians were still following us. I kicked open the door to the terrace and we ran across the empty expanse. "So what's your plan again?" Victoria asked, as we reached the railing. "Because last time I checked neither of us is a pigeon." I looked at the distance between us and the next building. The ground in between seemed awfully far away. As in, break-your-bones-if-you-miss far away. "We jump." I said, sounding more confident than I felt. Victoria was understandably not on board with my amazing plan. "Are you fücking kidding me? I'm all for Mission Impossible but this is the real life. It's too far away, Biscuit." A bullet whistled past my ear. The guardians were closing in. Victoria pressed the trigger on her gun. Empty . "Now what?" Victoria's nails bit into my arm, as a bullet hit her ankle. She swore. "Well, Biscuit, this is the end. It wasn't really nice knowing you but I felt like I should say something here." I searched my thoughts to find a way out, coming up empty. Well, there was still one way. "Close your eyes, Shortcake." I caught both her hands and tried something both illegal and impossible. In one second, we were no longer on the terrace with the guardians. The rhythmic chirping of insects engulfed us. Sunlight filtered through emerald green leaves and the forest floor was carpeted with moss. The faint smell of salt water mixed with fresh rain covered us like a warm blanket. Victoria opened her eyes. "What the hell was that? Where are we?" "Shh." I said, helping her rest against a tree bark. "How's your leg?" "It's hunky dory." She said, deadbeat. "I was shot. What did you expect?" "Let me have a look." "No." Victoria shied away from me. "Now tell me how we got here." I sighed. "Dematerialisation is a form of forbidden magic. Call it teleporting, if you will." I explained. "I came here as a child. I believe we're near the coast of Corsica." "The island?" Victoria's eyes were wide. "No. The burger." I said, straight faced. Victoria took a moment to look around in amazement after punching my shoulder. The obvious conclusion slowly dawned on her. "You're a pureblood, aren't you?" I'd counted myself lucky that she hadn't remembered my wings when she was drunk. Guess what? Luck didn't really like me. Surprise . "Yes." I said slowly. "And it doesn't matter. So don't go there." She wasn't listening. Somewhere two and two got together in her head and she told me the one thing I didn't want her to know. "You're a royal." "I was." I took a deep breath. "Not anymore." Victoria looked at me with a mixture of confusion and wonder. Which gradually turned into annoyance. "You're not going to tell me more, are you?" "Nope." "We're in the middle of nowhere, with no money, no leads and my sister is in prison." Victoria said. "You owe me some answers." "I saved your life." I said simply. "You owe me a thank you. Again." "And if I say that, you'll tell me your story?" I thought about it. "Deal." Victoria looked me in the eyes, sincere. "Thank you. For saving my life." I leaned against the tree, finding a cigarette in my pocket. "You want to hear my story, Shortcake? Fine. Here goes. In a charming land far far away, there lived a prince. His life was perfect, his parents loved him, he married a lovely bride and he ruled over his kingdom, wise and just. His whole life was just one big rainbow, start to finish and the whole world adored him." She looked at me curiously. I sat down next to her, and closed my eyes. "I am not that guy, Shortcake. The end." *** Xavier : "COMMENT ON THIS AND WE CAN GO GET A BURGER TOGETHER."XD

SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I Episode 20 “Fruit Ninja" Written by Jchrist (African Got Boy) ___________________________________________ Victoria POV " Mi scusi, signore. Possiamo rimanere qui per un giorno ?" Of course, Biscuit would know the one language that would magically remove a woman's underwear. Because why the fück wouldn't he know Italian? "What did you tell him?" I asked, as the farmer led us inside his house. Biscuit helped me up the stairs. I awkwardly held on to him, limping like a disabled llama. During this slow process, I had a lot of time to observe his rock hard muscles move like clockwork. Being shot in the leg wasn't so bad after all. "I told him he gets two hours with you tonight." Biscuit replied, seriously. "Hope you don't mind taking one for the team." I smacked him over the head. "Pervert." "And yet I'm not the one drooling over the nice guy helping me walk." My cheeks were probably cherry red. "Newsflash : you are not nice. And I was not drooling." "Whatever you say, baby." His eyes were playfully dark, as he gave me a once over. "I personally find the view quite fascinating." My insides turned into hot liquid. I smacked him again. "Bad Biscuit." I muttered. "You bet I am, Shortcake." He winked. "Feeling a little weak there?" "Funny, that's what most people feel after they're shot." I said, dryly. "Right." He lifted me off the ground, bridal style. I couldn't help laughing. "Bet you're still a little dizzy." "Maybe because a maniac picked me off the ground?" "Maybe because you kinda like the maniac." Biscuit's green eyes were playful and the morning sun cast a warm halo around his golden hair. His smile was the stuff GQ models got jealous of. "That's one theory." I admitted. "One?" He was amused. "I'd love to hear the others." "Maybe I will go out with this charming lad tonight." I said, smiling at the farmer. "Maybe he ends up not breathing tomorrow." Biscuit said, casually. "Hey, you brought it up." I reminded him. "Jealous much?" "Fück yeah." He said, quietly. "I told you already, Shortcake. You're mine ." Why did I suddenly feel warm inside? Snap. Out. Of. It. I had enough problems without my hormones screwing me over, thank you very much. We got to the bedroom and Biscuit set me down on a chair. It was a clean place with simple necessities - a bed, a cupboard and a desk. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted from the kitchen downstairs. " La corona riconosce il vostro servizio, signore." Biscuit's Italian was on point as he gave the farmer what looked like a gold coin with a Phoenix engraved on it. The man couldn't seem to believe his eyes. He fell to his feet. "Grazie. Grazie, re." After he left us, I looked at Biscuit curiously. "What was that all about?" He shrugged. "Nothing." I let it go for now. "So have you any plans, almighty Biscuit? I need to save my sister in case you forgot." Biscuit fell back against the bed, tossing me his phone. I caught it midair. "Ira's account has 20 million dollars now. Think you can find where it came from?" I looked at him like he was insane, not for the first time today. "You want me to hack into the Bank of America from your iPhone?" "No." Biscuit said dryly. "I want you to play Fruit Ninja while the guardians execute your baby sister." I glared at him. "We're in the middle of a village, Victoria." Biscuit stated. "This is your only shot." I sighed. "It's going to take time." I said, cautiously. "And a lot of work." "Which I bet you're willing to do." He stretched like a cat. "Chop chop." "Nope." I smiled, cheerily. "Seeing as I can't walk, it's only fair you get me my coffee." Biscuit got off the bed, groaning. "Why do I have to be the good guy?" "Because bad boys are for little girls." I pursed my lips. "A woman likes a gentleman." Biscuit smiled, giving me a small bow. "Espresso or latte, Lady Shortcake?" I spent the better half of the day, learning about boring stuff like firewalls and DDoS. Biscuit kept the coffee coming and I kept on going. By midnight, there was a breakthrough of sorts. I couldn't figure out the exact account the money had come from. Only where the transaction was made. "You're not going to believe this." Biscuit stirred in his sleep. I swore softly. Naturally, he'd dozed off - I could hardly blame him. We'd had a long day. But I was still a little disappointed that my big discovery wasn't getting any attention. A silencer went off and a bullet grazed my cheek. How's that for attention? I got on the floor, knocking the phone out of my hands by accident. A shadow loomed at the window with two guns aimed at me. I put my hands in the air. "I give you one job." The voice was familiar and ice cold. I felt shivers run down my spine and my stomach churned in fear. The client. "Your kind is so weak." He said quietly, almost floating through the room. "Useless." After the initial shock, I realised why he was here. The phone. I quickly grabbed it out of his reach and tried to back away. "Foolish child." He said, coming closer. "I'll just take it from your cold, dead hands. Then I'm coming for your sister." My back hit the wall. I couldn't move. My whole body was paralysed and I couldn't find it in me to scream "You know what they say about the weak, child." He said, his gun mere inches away. "They don't survive." "Evolution's a bit overrated, don't you think?" Biscuit's knife whistled through the air, clipping the shadow's shoulder. With a curse, the man disappeared into thin air, just like the last time. I was shaking when Biscuit helped me off the ground. Nothing of what he said made sense - I knew he was trying to reassure me, but I wasn't hearing it. He knew. He was going to come after us. "... At least tell me what's on the phone, Victoria." Biscuit said, giving up. I handed it to him, wordlessly. My efforts for the day and the reason for my attempted assassination showed up in one line on the screen. Place of transaction : Rega Kastel. Inside the royal castle of Vetresca. **** Victoria : "LIKE FOR MY OVERNIGHT HACKING SKILLS." XD

SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I Episode 21 “Ketchup and tattoos" Written by Jchrist(African Good Boy) ________________________________________ Daniel POV Funerals were a great time to not think about your fiancé's sister. "Would you like a drink, Your Highness?" The server offered me an intricately carved goblet, the contents of which looked a lot like the pretty red stuff in my veins. "Yeah, I think I'll pass." Because when you're in the vampire capital, you couldn't damn well expect grape juice. Nah, alcohol is so last year. Let's just serve some blood instead. O negative is all the rage this season. I'd flown down to Kadria this morning to pay my respects to the vampire King, on behalf of my country. As patriotic as that was, the highlight of my trip had been the air hostess who was better at spreading her legs than the butter on my toast. And yet somehow, you're still thinking about her. Lady Alexandra had been the picture of a good hostess, greeting everyone by name and running a tight ship. She didn't show a shred of emotion, carrying herself like a thoroughbred royal. She'd make a great wife. But you're still thinking about her. Darius made no such attempt to conceal how he felt. Anybody who was dumb enough to start a conversation with him got a good dose of "shut the fück up and mind your göddamn business." He was ice cold and intimidating, like a sword destined to reap vengeance. And since you clearly didn't mind pissing that guy off too, you're still thinking about her. The truly sad part though? Adriana isn't even here, you sappy, pathetic bästard. The guests to the ceremony were exclusively from the eight Royal families. Angels, vampires, shapeshifters, faeries and Otherworld beings stood united under one name. The Immortals. Looking at the mahogany coffin at the head of the church, I realised even that wasn't true anymore. "I'm afraid I haven't had the chance to speak to you. How are you, Your Grace?" Lady Alexandra's voice was composed and polite, as she gave me a bow. I absently kissed her ring. "There's a glaring lack of liquor without bodily fluids in it. But otherwise, I'm good." She smiled. "It's not blood, Your Grace." "So ketchup?" My future queen laughed. "It's a vintage red from the Naples. It's rumoured to be an aphrodisiac, so perhaps not the best choice for my father's funeral." I was distracted by how similar yet different she was from her sister. "Is something bothering you, Your Grace?" "No." I said, smiling. "It's just that I feel a little jet lagged. Would it be too rude if left early?" "Of course not." She pursed her lips. "You are the King." "Not yet." I reminded her. She looked at the promise ring on her finger. "Wouldn't really matter." Alexandra smiled. "You are Xavier Grigori of the royal family of Vetresca." Well, not really. Then again... My eyes were drawn to the black silk hugging her sinful curves. She could've called me Kim Kardashian and I'd be cool with that. Alexandra led me out of the church, and through the maze like hallways. For a country of blood sucking leeches, Kadria had an immense respect for religion. The castle was built through the Vatican City, preserving its ancient architecture. Steel and glass wove through modern day Italy like a complex web. The royal quarters were heavily guarded. They were all mansions surrounded by endless gardens. Black roses and violets grew outside my room, beyond which there was a lake. Alexandra led the way, though I'd assured her multiple times that I had a functional brain and I could find it myself. She didn't believe me. Couldn't really blame her . "So you must like it here." I said, trying to make small talk. "Killer view." "I like the lake." She said, conversationally. "I used to love getting wet." " I bet you still do." I blurted. I ran a hand through my hair, as she laughed. I desperately needed some bleach for that dirty little head of mine. "You can find out for yourself, Your Grace." She said, her silver eyes sultry under her long lashes. "We're going to be good friends, Lady Alexandra." I said, meaning it. Adriana was right. She was smart, funny and drop dead gorgeous. Why couldn't I just fall for this one? Almost reading my thoughts, Alexandra grabbed my tie, pulling me close. Her back hit the wall and her lips met mine. She tasted like vanilla and cinnamon, her lips soft and warm. By instinct, I slammed her wrists over her head and kissed her back, making her whimper. It was only a while later that I realised I could taste blood. Alexandra's canines were like daggers, nicking my lower lip. She drew away from me, her silver eyes now amethyst. "I sure hope we're more than friends, Your Grace." Her breathing was ragged, as she eyed my neck with raw lust. "May I?" I didn't protest, as she undid my buttons. I let her push me back against the bed and watched her body move over mine. I stroked her hair, as she tugged my collar away. I knew there was something intrinsically wrong with this. But I didn't care. This is your future wife. And this is the closest you'll ever get to her. Alexandra's teeth cut into my skin, hard and fast. It hurt like a bîtch but I didn't make a sound. I let her drink from me for as long as she needed, tracing circles on her skin. Once she was done, she gave me another kiss, which roughly meant "thank you for being my lunch." "Well, that was fun." I said, feeling the dull ache in my throat. "So on a scale of bread to Pizza Hut, how delicious was I?" "Ketchup." She answered promptly. I laughed. The vampire princess stayed on my bed for a few more minutes, watching the puncture wounds heal. She made good use of that time, getting rid of my shirt. "What do those mean?" Alexandra asked, tracing the tattoos on my pecs. "Nothing." I said. "They just help me get laid." She laughed. "They're doing an excellent job in that case." In all honesty, they meant something a lot more sinister but I was definitely not bringing that up. Alexandra fell asleep in my arms after a while, and I was about to do the same, when the phone rang. I swore. Alexandra got up with a start, propping herself up on her elbows. She watched me with curiosity as I answered the call. "Enjoying the funeral, Danny?" "As a matter of fact I am," I smiled. "You have the worst sense of timing, you know." I could just imagine Xavier taking a bow for annoying the crap out of me. Again. "Why thank you, princess." He hesitated. "Well, you need to sit down. I have to tell you something important..." I wasn't listening. The window was wide open and by the lake, I could see a gleam of ebony hair and white satin. Her face was expressionless as her mismatched eyes met mine. Adriana looked away quickly, leaving in a hurry. I realised I had no idea how long she'd been out there. Xavier's voice pretty much summed up my situation. "So basically, we have a big problem." *** Daniel : "SHARE BECAUSE MY PROBLEMS NEED SOLUTIONS." :(

SMOKE AND MIRROR Royal Angel I Episode 22 “Cotton and crows" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) ________________________________________ Victoria's POV " You're a fighter, not some prissy little princess." I took a deep breath, adjusting the grip on my leg. The son of a bîtch guardian had missed my ankle by a mere inch. Earlier, I'd tried a makeshift dressing with some cloth dipped in spirit, but I knew that bullet was going to cost me my leg if it stayed there. "Don't ever wait for a hero to save the day." I bit down on a rag and picked up the tweezers. I looked at the clock with some apprehension. I only had a few minutes left to finish the job. Biscuit was away only for so long. "Quit being such a wimp and handle it like a woman." I did my best not to scream as I found the metal and pulled it out. It was beyond excruciating and despite my self control, a painful whimper got out. And then it was done. "That's my girl." Yeah, my dad did always have his own special brew of tough love. Imagining his voice in my head, I swallowed a lump in my throat. I knew it wasn't just because of the pain in my leg that time. Quit being an emotional wreck. We have enough to worry about without a hugely depressing flashback. Right on cue, Biscuit stepped out of the shower, looking alert. He cocked his head. "I thought I heard something." "A crow came in through the window." I offered lamely. Biscuiy looked at the blood on my hands, understanding dawning on him. He sighed. "Was the crow also trying to take out a bullet?" "Naw." I shrugged, super casually wiping my blood stained fingers on a piece of cloth. "The crow stole my sandwich. So I beat that bîtch and got it back." "Right." Biscuit smiled, softly. "Totally." "Totally." I echoed, sheepish. I should probably mention here that Biscuit was wearing only a white towel. His dirt blonde hair was soaking wet, his every muscle accentuated and taut. For the first time, I saw his real eyes. Endless pools of ocean blue stared through to my very soul, silver and gold flecks dancing in the sunlight. "So, um, are you going back inside?" I asked, my eyes automatically going to that muscular V disappearing under that awfully small cloth. "Because the, um, crow might come back and steal your towel too." Awkward level 1000. "You'd like that though, wouldn't you, Shortcake?" He winked. I rolled my eyes. "Might peck off more than your towel." Biscuit gave me a fake gasp. "What do you and your pet crow have against my dîck?" I blushed. "Nothing personal." "Well, I believe we should change that." He suggested. "Please shut up." I muttered, as a nice little picture of how that would go played in my head. "And- and go put some clothes on." Biscuit looked at me curiously, pursing his lips. "You'd have to be awfully flexible to do that though, Shortcake." Wait, what? Motherfücking perverted son of a bîtch. "You promised." I said, murderous. "You promised you'd stay out of my head." "I also promised myself I'd never say no to free porn." He shrugged. "Priorities." "You should be glad I can't walk." I said, dangerously. "Don't worry, there's still plenty of things we can do, baby." Biscuit said, straight-faced. "69 of them, to be precise." I didn't have anything heavy nearby to throw at him. But I was too furious to consider the laws of Physics, so I threw some cotton in his general direction. It floated to the ground near his feet, almost caressing his toes. What the hell, cotton? Even plant fibre wanted to get it on with him. "You think about sex way too much." I said, fuming. "Go get laid, Biscuit. Fück some stable girl or something." Biscuit was now in the process of using a blow dryer. He was being pretty aggressive, like he could wrestle the water away with sheer heat. His poor hair looked like it was being beaten into submission. I sighed. Shifting my position on the bed, I gestured to him to get another towel and sit on the floor, in front of me. "And you'd be okay with that?" Biscuit asked me, as I used the towel gently to dry his hair. "With me fücking a random stranger, that is?" I thought about it. "Yes." I said. "Of course, I'd be fine." Only after I said it, did I realise I was lying both to him and to myself. "Right." He turned to look at the expression on my face. "Totally." I ran my hands through his hair, messing it up in the process. His muscles were tense, but his deep blue eyes had a soft undertone beneath their stormy surface. It looked a lot like affection. "Totally." I repeated, feeling hollow. I rested my hands on his shoulders after I was done. Biscuit took my fingers in his palms and kissed my nails. It was so innocent and tender, I didn't have it in me to pull away. "So, um, clothes?" I suggested awkwardly, not sure how to respond to that. "I'm all for Tarzan, but loin cloths don't work in the real world." A necessary reminder because this guy seemed to be in his zone when he was almost naked. Biscuit laughed and tugged on his clothes from yesterday. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere meant you couldn't be too picky. I looked away as he pulled on his pants because a) them abs. b) them, well, everything else. "Will you let me look at your leg now?" He asked, cautiously, after he was done. "I'm not going to bite you." I rolled my eyes. "Well, if the past has been any indication." He said, touching his neck vaguely. "Like that's ever stopped you." I muttered. "Go on. There's nothing to do anyway. I've taken out the bullet and it's clean now." He resumed his position on the ground, only this time facing me. "You said you trust me." He said, looking me in the eyes. "Did you mean it?" All the crap he'd pulled on me since day one played over in my head. Every insult, every threat, every annoying little thing he'd done. And even after reviewing all that, I still had the same answer. "Unfortunately, yes." I sighed. "I do trust you. But only because I hit my head or have a stroke or something." "Whatever floats your boat, baby." Biscuit smiled as he tenderly touched the skin next to that angry gaping wound. Suddenly a bolt of electricity shot through me and I felt the most pain I'd ever been in in my entire life. It only lasted a minute but it felt like a century. When it was done, I noticed that I'd thrashed around violently, managing to scratch Biscuit quite a few times in the process. "What the fück is wrong with you?!" I yelled, getting on my feet. "I'm definitely not into masochism. Maybe some bondage, but that's it-" Biscuit was quietly laughing, looking at me. "Good to know." He got up. "Now aren't you going to ask me how you can stand?" I looked at my leg, my mouth falling open. "Magic." I said, quietly looking at the unbroken skin. It wasn't even red. "This isn't legal either, is it?" Biscuit shrugged, as the nail marks on his face disappeared before my eyes. "If we're going rogue, might as well do it the right way." There was a reason magic was illegal. Apparently, it worked through the very life force of the user and to play with your soul was a highly dangerous game. This guy was playing with it like it was his pet kitten. Who the fück are you, Biscuit? *** If you could have one magical pet, what would it be? (Personally, I want Toothless. Because Toothless is life.) Victoria : *POLITELY OFFERS A COTTON BALL* "LIKE BECAUSE I JUST GAVE YOU A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION."

Episode 23 BONUS #1 (RIP to black panther) CHADWICK BOSEMAN Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) Xavier POV "Is there anything you can't do?" Victoria was standing behind me in the kitchen, hands on her hips. Because suddenly making scrambled eggs was rocket science. "Well, I can't speak Pig Latin." I said, deadbeat. "But I think that's pretty much it." I tossed the pancake over in the other pan. Shortcake was looking at me like I was the winner of Masterchef. "Sit down and stop staring." I said, whistling. "You look like the startled emoji." She smacked me over the head but did as she was told. The farmer had left earlier, having loaned me his kitchen for the morning. I'd made him breakfast too then. It was the absolute least I could do for him for letting us stay here. "When did you learn how to cook?" Victoria asked me, as I set down a plate. I shrugged. "Fourteen? Fifteen. I don't know." Working in a kitchen meant you picked up a few things besides washing dirty dishes. "Do you need any help?" "Well, not really-" Victoria was standing next to me in a minute, expectantly. I sighed. "I'm just making pancakes." I said, as she examined the flour. "They're almost done-" "You've got something on your cheek." I wiped at where she pointed. "Nope." She said. "Still there." I tried again. "Let me get it." Victoria ran a finger over my jaw. A second later, she lunged my face, getting a nice fistful of flour on my cheeks. She danced away from me before I could catch her, laughing like a child. I switched off the burners. This means war. I spent a good fifteen minutes, chasing after her through the house, then the field outside. She didn't tire out, but I managed to corner her near the wine yard. "Don't come closer." Victoria warned, holding out a bunch of grapes. "Fruit." I rolled my eyes. "Wow, I'm scared-" Shortcake squirted them at me, the violet berry squishy stuff getting on my shirt. I groaned. "Do you only call it a day when you've ruined my shirt?" I didn't hesitate to catch her this time as she tried to escape. Both of us tripped and fell to the ground, my hands around her waist, her hair sprawled in the dirt. We laughed for a long time, eventually realising how close our bodies were to each other. Then there was only silence. Suddenly the farmer stepped through the vines. He looked at her, then at me, then at the flour on my face. I think it's safe to say we couldn't stay at his house anymore. *** Xavier : "Like whilst I try not to kill a certain farmer."

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Episode 24 “Guns and butlers" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) __________________________________________ Daniel POV "Who the hell are you again?" Royal families had a rule about hiring staff - butlers were supposed to be at least over twenty. My new one didn't look more than eight. "My name is Charles Andrew Milsworth II, Your Majesty." The guy buttoned his cuffs nervously, bowing for the third time. I walked over to the doorway, watching him fidget with a piece of card stock. The guy was sweating bullets. On a normal day, I would've gone easy on the young and impressionable Mr. Milsworth. Unfortunately, today was the day I almost fücked the woman I was supposed to marry in front of the only woman I'd cared about. Normal had been half a bottle of Vodka ago. "So Charlie." I said, arching a brow. The guy bowed again, real low. "Ground rules : Don't bother exercising your back at my front door. Don't call me 'Your Majesty' and don't ever call yourself 'The Second' at anything just because your dad had sex and wasn't creative about it. We clear?" He nodded vigorously. "Yes, sire." "Good. Now where's Marcus?" "I believe he's in Vetresca, sire." He said doubtfully. "King Anton requested his presence." I let it go after that. I personally had rules, seeing as I was staff here myself. What the Royals wanted, they got. No questions asked. "So are you here to give me something or just admire the view, Charlie?" The boy looked at the paper he'd almost torn, sheepish. Embarrass a random stranger for kicks and giggles? Check. "The, um - the Council of Trials has called an emergency meet at the church, sire." He said, handing me the official document he'd been torturing. "It's in one hour." I groaned internally as the headache set in. Get hammered for a super important meeting with world leaders? Check. "Now, Mr. Milsworth." I said, absently thinking about Marcus. "How good are you finding my socks?" Half an hour later, I walked down the same street to the church I'd come down before, with no visible blood on my clothes. Charles wasn't bad at his job. He was just new and I was just bîtchy. I was a little lost in my thoughts so I didn't pay attention to the road. So it was completely my fault when I bumped into a woman head on. My bodyguard aimed his assault rifle at her head before I could even apologise. And boy, did I have a lot more than that to apologise for. Adriana didn't look at me, managing to steady herself. The awkward silence between us seemingly stretched on forever. Her own guardian was eyeing the gun with apprehension. After a long time, I happened to find my voice. "Please get that gun far away from the Princess." Or shoot me. That would work better. "My apologies, Your Grace." Adriana said, stiffly. "I wasn't aware of what was happening around me." I flinched at the double meaning . Well, that makes two of us. "Adriana." I run a hand through my hair. "I need to talk to you. I am sorry. I really am." She looked up at me. For a moment, I could see the pain flash through her beautiful eyes. Then it was gone. "You have nothing to apologise for. Have a nice day, Your Grace." She said simply, walking away. I could've asked her to wait. I could've gone after her. Hell, I could've built a fücking shrine in her honour and apologised to her on my knees, because that's how sorry I was. But today I was Prince Xavier Grigori. The bästard who was supposed to marry her twin sister and have tons of vampire babies with her. I sighed. Screw up my life? Again? Check. I'd hoped that the meeting would be boring enough that I could zone out, pass out, whatever. As the guardians hauled in a little girl with flaming red hair and calm green eyes, I knew I had no such luck. "Darius." I said quietly, as Ira was made to bow in front of us. Her lips were chapped and she was wearing what I'd last seen her in, only the pretty pink top was now covered in dirt and scars. "What have you done?" " My homework." The vampire Prince said, calmly. "Would you care to explain who this is, Your Highness?" Ira barely glanced at me. But I understood what she needed me to say. "I don't know." I said, for the first time in my life, lying for the right reason. "Darius, don't you see what you're doing? This is a child." "This child killed my father." He said, as there was a gasp from the other members at the table. The King of Lirin, the country of shapeshifters, scoffed. He was a handsome older man with salt and pepper hair, in a crisp grey suit and a raven at his shoulder. "That can't be true." He said, voicing what everyone was thinking. "What possible motive could she have, Prince Azaria?" " King." Darius corrected him, icily. "As of my father's funeral, this is my first day as King. And as for motive, they don't need one. They've hated us since the start." I don't think I'd ever prayed in my life despite being an angel. Sitting in the middle of a church as Darius was preaching war seemed like a great time to start though. Please don't say it. Don't go there. "This right here is a human." Darius said, fire in his silvery eyes. Ira flinched. "I wonder what it means when a human girl murders an Immortal King." As the whispers and the arguments started up, I looked at Ira. She was still calm, but there was a chilling bleakness under that composure. "It doesn't have to mean anything." I said, in one last ditch attempt. "What if someone hired her? Someone Immortal?" "That's a theory." The King of Lirin agreed. "One that's a bit too convenient?" Darius asked, looking at me dead in the eyes. "You'd be surprised to know who we found with her. A friend of friend, one would say." I swallowed. Victoria. And Xavier . Suddenly, the stained glass window at the head of the church shattered and coloured glass showered over the coffin of the dead King. A figure of a man moved stealthily and a red dot hovered over my chest. Fück . I got under the table as shots rang out. Before the guardians could even reach for their guns, the King of Lirin's wine glass hit the ground and his body followed suit. The shadow disappeared just as quickly as it had come. Everyone was in shock. In place of his raven, a lanky boy with black hair and hazel eyes kneeled next to the body. Ira's cool facade finally broke, as Cyril closed his father's eyes. As an afterthought, I realised the irony that I'd accused a Prince of stealing my watch. The chaos that followed was sparked by one question. "Still think that a human did it, King Azaria?" *** Daniel : "LIKE IF YOU DON'T WANT ANOTHER WORLD WAR."

Episode 25 “Pirate King" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ Victoria POV Watching the sunset by the beach was supposed to be romantic. Biscuit took a long swig from the bottle he'd stolen from the farmer's cellar, as the waves touched our feet. "Yo ho ho, and a bottle of rum!" He called out, whistling the tune. I rolled my eyes, grabbing the bottle from him. Screw romantic. Sun down meant prime time for creeps . "So do we have a plan, Captain Biscuit Sparrow?" I asked, crossing my legs. "We scurry forth. Seaward and to the great lands beyond, wench." I had sand practically everywhere, I hadn't showered in two days, and my last meal had been a crab, unfortunate enough to snap its claws at me. I would've thrown the bottle at him, but I needed the alcohol too much. "Cut it out." I punched his arm. "What are we going to do? Aren't you the one with the assignments and the big plans?" He lay back against the sand. The sky was golden red painted with a tinge of pink and faint green, the waves glistening with the fading lights. "The biggest plan we have now is to wait." My stomach growled. Damn poetic. "Great idea, Sherlock." I muttered. "We'll just wait until I lose twenty more pounds. Because I really want to audition for Victoria's Secret in the middle of fücking nowhere." Biscuit sat up on his elbows. "We'd have to wait an awfully long time in that case, Shortcake." I smacked him not for the first time today. "You just called me fat." He gave me a once over. I couldn't help noticing how he spent about five seconds longer on my breasts and my butt. "Honey, I'm calling you perfectly fat." Biscuit lay back down, smiling like an angel. "I'm calling you perfectly tactless." I mimicked his tone, fuming. I didn't notice his hand as he tugged at my wrist. I fell back into the sand next to him. His arm snaked around my waist and he pulled me close so I was a mere inch from his face. I should've punched him. "How's that for tactless?" Biscuit looked me in the eyes, his own an endless ocean reflecting the sky. "You fit in my arms the right way and that's all that really matters, baby." I couldn't punch him. Damn it. It was a weird thing. I could rewire a bomb without a single doubt but it was times like these when I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Was I supposed to say 'Gee, thanks. I think you're insanely hot too'? Was I supposed to act all shy and shît? Was I supposed to kiss him? Biscuit was still looking at me. Say. Something. "Cheesy much?" I smiled, on the borderline between awkward and creepy. "Did this actually work on the other chicks you've banged?" Rejected a compliment, killed the mood and brought up all past lovers in one sentence. I'm clearly amazing at romance. Biscuit laughed. "No." I arched a brow. "Because I'd never use that on them." He finished, his eyes dark. "They were too easy for me. You're the best challenge I've had in a long time." "The thing is," I put a finger over his lips, drawing close. His eyes were smouldering and his body was taut. One minute he was holding me, the next I was on top of him, pinning his wrists with one hand and holding one of his blades against his throat. "I'm not your challenge, Biscuit." He simply smiled. It took him the same amount of time to break my grip, toss the knife away by the blade and pull me down to his chest. I could hear his heartbeat through his shirt and feel his lips brushing my hair. "I sure hope not, sweetheart." He said, calmly. "Because I happen to win at everything I try." I pulled away on principle, despite the fact that this handsome, infuriating bastärd was finally seeing me as something other than the bîtch who tried to kill his friend. "Not this time." I said, firmly ignoring the voices in my head. "This time you shut the fück up and think of something useful for us to do." He gave me a cryptic smile. "I already have." The sun sank below the horizon and night fell fast in a matter of minutes. Once it was dark, the strangest thing happened. Beneath the water, pale blue lights began glowing. It was like a dance, flickering and waning until finally, it emerged from the surface in the form of a person. From behind us, near the shore the same breed of light people emerged from the trees, only these were golden. I was legitimately scared I was going to be kidnapped by aliens and have something shoved up my butt. I looked at Biscuit. He appeared to have no such worries, which was a little comforting. "Should I be scared?" I asked, as quietly as I could. "Yes." He said, deadbeat. "You should probably dig a hole and shove your head in the sand like an ostrich. That should help immensely." I glared at him. One of the light people floated close to us. Biscuit extended his hand towards it and a thread of gold connected him to the light. In response, the thing - Bowed? "There's a reason Corsica still has humans." He said, as the light transformed into a whirlwind. I noticed that his eyes were paler than usual. "This is a sylph, an air spirit. They inhabit mortals until nightfall, dead or alive. They also happen to be amazing at flying. This kind lady's agreed to take us to Vetresca." As the sylph lifted him off the ground, I wondered if my day could get any weirder. "Why do they like you?" Biscuit looked like the Flash in slow motion, as the spirit surrounded him. "And how do you know that it's a 'she'?" "Probably because I don't ask questions like that." He said rolling his eyes. "I read her mind." Reading minds, teleporting to islands, controlling random glowing lights, cooking stuff, constantly ruining my life - Biscuit had a super diverse skill set. "So." I muttered, as another light began pooling at my feet. "What's the assignment again?" Biscuit should've been crowned the king of master plans. "Save the world. And try not to get seasick." *** Victoria : "COMMENT FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL SYLPH." XD

Episode 26 Sock wars Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ Xavier POV Irony was being an angel terrified of flying. "Are you scared two ninety year olds are making out in the clouds, Biscuit?" Victoria's voice was super causal for someone dangling ten thousand feet above the ground. "You're missing the view, Biscuit." "That's the whole point, baby." I muttered, my eyelids sealed shut. "Come on, Xevi. It isn't too far down." It was a rainy day, the first of that year, as we stood on the rooftop of the clock tower. We were great at climbing, possibly the only thing we had in common. We skipped class again, eating chocolate and finding haunted buildings. "You can do this." I'd looked at him standing on the very edge of the roof, confidently spreading his arms out like he was the god of the wind. "Watch me." As he fell, I couldn't help but notice how breakable he was, his eleven year old body flailing as he fell. The rain seemed to pour down harder, making it impossible for me to see after a while. I only heard him scream. I didn't hesitate then, though I knew now that I should have. I stepped off the ledge. "Are you scared a crow's going to peck your eyes out?" Victoria thankfully snapped me out of that memory. I shrugged it off, focusing on her voice. "No." I answered, as she tried to get creative about my eyes-shut-tight policy. "Are you scared of flying squirrels?" "No." I smiled. "That would be you, Shortcake." "Are you scared the moon's prettier than you?" "Also you." I pointed out, which earned me Victoria's signature smack on the head. How she managed to do that midair was beyond me. "You're closing your eyes like you're offended by condensation." "I actually am." I muttered. "Physics was the bane of my existence." "I like chemistry and biology." Victoria said abstractly. I smiled. "Oh, I could definitely teach you both." Smack number two. " What?" I said, innocently. "I happen to be an excellent tutor." I could practically hear her blush. "Well, there ain't going to be any learning here, mister." "Bad students tend to get spanked." Smack number three . "How are you doing that?" I asked, rubbing my head. "Practice makes perfect." She shot back, deadbeat. "Anyway, you know what I've always wondered about?" I groaned internally. "I can honestly say no." "Why do you think socks need to be the same colour?" Victoria ignored me, sounding like a psych professor from Harvard. "Society makes us conform as a way to enslave our minds..." I sighed. Here we go again. Sylphs were the hippies of the Immortal world. They loved to take things slow, which was fantastic and all - But we had a thousand miles to cover and we were moving slower than a sloth on weed. Plenty of time for Victoria to discuss the great mysteries of life. Like a fücking government conspiracy behind socks. "...And that's probably why we have wars." "Yep." I said, matter of factly. "Let's wear different coloured socks to promote world peace." Because clearly it wouldn't have anything to do whatsoever with your fifteen year old sister killing a monarch. Victoria seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Do you think Ira's aright?" She asked quietly, all playfulness gone. "I don't know." I said honestly. "But she's a tough one. A lot like her sister." Victoria suddenly asked me the one question I should've asked myself a long time ago. "Why are you being nice to me, Biscuit?" Her laugh had a tinge of sadness. "God knows I haven't given you any reason to." I thought about it. "I don't know." I said after a while. Only I knew I wasn't being entirely honest this time. Victoria was a far cry from being nice. But somewhere between shooting at me that day and smacking me now, I realised she was the closest thing I'd had to a friend after Daniel. Great. Let's get sappy because clearly being stupid isn't good enough. Fan-fücking-tastic. "So what're we going to do?" Victoria changed the subject when I didn't say anything. "They're probably showing crappy mugshots of us on TV now. I bet the tag phrase is "Batman and mad woman on the loose."" "I bet Batman wouldn't crash his car into a bunch of Barbies." I muttered. Danny told me about the murder of the Shapeshifter King on the phone earlier. I knew I had no option. "We need to go into the city. There's an important person I have to meet." Victoria groaned. "It may come as a shock to you but phones have been invented. Texting is also a real fun activity. You should try it sometime." I would've rolled my eyes if I had them open. "I can't do that." "We're walking into a place where they're going to say 'Sup!' using an assault rifle." Victoria sounded mad. "At least tell me why we're doing this, oh, all knowing Biscuit." "Long story." I said simply. "I'll tell you when we get there." Smack number four. "You're incredibly frustrating, you know that?" "Thank you, Lady Shortcake of House Obvious." I lost count of the smacking after that . After a while, we both fell silent. I was lost in my thoughts, listening to the faint sounds to traffic from down below and feeling the cold wind rustle by when she spoke again. "You're scared of heights, aren't you?" I shook my head, expressionless. "Not exactly." I said, trying to explain it. "It's the idea, I guess? The idea of not being able to fly." Victoria was quiet for a while. "You don't like being weak." She said simply. "No." I said, smiling sadly. "I don't like making mistakes." " Xavier." I heard his voice from afar. "Please. Please, please wake up, Xevi." I slowly opened my eyes. My whole body was in pain, bruises covering every inch of my skin, most of my bones broken. I knew I was healing fast - I always did, but nobody ever said that had to be painless. "I'm so sorry." He said over and over again. "I am so, so sorry." "It's fine." I said, simply. It took the longest time but eventually I could sit up. It was just the two of us alone by the city's edge near the forest. We'd fallen through the trees and I realised I'd caught him before we hit the ground. It was only when I looked around that I noticed why he still didn't stop apologising. Blue feathers lay scattered on the ground. A pair of wings lay severed and stabbed by branches, surrounded in a pool of blood. It slowly sank in. My body had healed. But my wings never would. "I didn't mean to." He'd said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "This is all my fault." "It's not." I'd assured him, though I felt like a part of me had died. I'd loved flying. Wildfire spread behind my shoulders in place of the sapphire blue feathers. "See." I said, trying to smile. "I'm fine." There was a long silence. "You saved my life." Oddly, when I looked at his piercing blue eyes, they looked resolutely empty too. "I owe you, Your Highness." "You don't." I told him, meaning it. "You don't owe me anything." As Victoria's hand laced through mine, I knew Danny never did believe me that day. *** Xavier : "COMMENT FOR A FREE TICKET TO VETRESCA." XD

? Episode 27 ? “Tiger cub and her puppy" ? Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _____________________________________ ? Victoria POV "Welcome to the Grigorian Library, area 512. Section : The Otherworld." An automated male voice announced. "Access beyond this point is restricted." Biscuit was doing an amazing job at not being himself. The guy had on geek glasses, a grey sweatshirt and comfy pants (all of which we'd stolen from a thrift shop) and he was reading a digital book, making it a point to act shy and socially awkward. Which naturally meant all the girls were eyeing him like he was an abandoned puppy they wanted to take home. Right. Try a T-Rex on steroids, and we're just a little closer to the real deal. I, on the other hand, was doing a much more useful job of trying to close my mouth. The Grigorian Library was the largest in the world and I was struck by its sheer beauty. It was built like an ancient cathedral with high ceilings, complex woodwork and wide open spaces. Yet there were no books. At least not the traditional kind. Row after row, every shelf was stacked with glass screens. The titles were revealed on the side once they were touched. Each digital book stored the human equivalent of the American Library of Congress. Biscuit covertly gestured to the door on the right. It had a sign that said ' Authorised personnel only' with a retina scanner on the door. I didn't know what he wanted here or who he was supposed to meet. But he knew there wasn't a door I couldn't break into. "We need a distraction." I told him, as he tucked a pen behind his ear. I swear I heard a giggle from the other aisle. "You know, before the girls here get pregnant from all that pen action." He held back a smile. "You're a girl, aren't you, Shortcake?" "Of course not." I shot daggers at him. "I'm a fücking penguin." "Naw." He said, looking at me intently. "You're a tiger cub." "Because it has claws and can potentially kill you?" I asked hopefully. He smiled. "Because they think they're scary and that's just adorable." I'll show you adorable. "Help!" I yelled suddenly. "Help! This man is having a heart attack!" Biscuit looked at me in shock for a moment. He didn't have any other option but to glare at me, then to act like he was collapsing. Once he was on the ground, I punched him for good measure. Surprise, surprise - there was soon a throng of girls around the fainting Biscuit who was in very real pain. "He also has cancer, bless his soul." I said sadly, as one of them tried mouth-to-mouth. Even though he was breathing perfectly well. He shot me a look which definitely meant " I'm going to kill you by hiring a bunch of squirrels." "I hear diseases must be awful." One of the girls said, pitifully. "You poor thing. You're a human, aren't you?" No . I wanted to correct her. He's just a pretty fairy who underestimated a grown äss tiger. I slowly slipped away from the crowd to the door. It took me about two minutes to disable the scanner and open the door. I quietly slipped through and walked down the hallway. I'll admit I was feeling kinda proud of myself - "You're one cocky bîtch, aren't you?" Biscuit appeared out of thin air in front of me, wiping off lipstick stains. I'll admit I kinda felt like statistics right then. Completely and utterly useless. "Why did we need to break in when you could've just done this hocus pocus thing?" I asked, puzzled. "The door." He explained. "It's lined with lexonium. You can't use magic in these corridors when it's sealed off." Biscuit led the way forward through the hallways, occasionally turning right or left. I noticed the cameras turned off when we passed them. More hocus pocus. Because why wouldn't you use your soul to switch off CCTV? "I should thank you though, Shortcake." He winked, running a hand through his hair. "That's the most action I've got in a while." "You're welcome." I said deadbeat. "I'm really glad you liked that chick sticking her tongue down your throat." "I didn't." He admitted, smiling. "But gee, look who's jealous." "Who?" I asked, genuinely. "I've seen sandpaper with more chemistry." He laughed. "And yet somehow you still want to rip that pretty blonde's head off." "For totally unrelated reasons." I justified. "If you were dying for real, what she did was necrophilia. She sure as shît wasn't helping." "Can't blame her." He said, casually. "I'd be a very hot dead guy." I swear his head's as big as Jupiter. "I could definitely make that happen if you'd like, Biscuit." I returned. "One funeral coming up." He held up his hands, as we reached the end of the corridor. I could hear footsteps on the right. Belatedly I realised we were underground - the corridors were tilted downward. "There's a door on the right with bio scanners, number locks, the whole deal." He said, quietly. "Outside there are two guardians and they're trained to kill you in less than two seconds." "Thanks for sugar coating it, coach." I muttered. "I'll take care of the guardians." He said. "You need to unlock that door. But no matter what you do, don't leave it open." "Because there's an ancient evil force behind it?" I said, joking. "Well, kinda." He said, seriously. Well, shît. **** Victoria : "Like because we all need CPR lessons. With Biscuit." XD

? Episode 28 ? “A bold weakness" ???????????Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy )????????????????? _____________________________________________ ? Victoria POV "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Let's play a little game." Biscuit walked into plain sight of the guardians. Shots were fired. There was some kicking. Thrashing. Muffled screaming. Then there was just silence. I stepped over their bodies and figured out the locks one by one. It was one fancy door, but in fifteen minutes, said fancy door clicked open. Biscuit walked through the door and gestured for me to follow, shutting it instantly behind me. I didn't know what I expected. But a cold pristine white room with nothing inside it definitely didn't scream 'ancient' or 'evil'. Biscuit pressed one of his blades into my hands. "Use it in ten minutes. Don't miss and don't hesitate. And don't move." Wait, what? Suddenly a white mist crept up from the floor. It moved ominously through the air, unnaturally slow. It came towards me and I felt a chill run down my spine. I tried my best not to move. Just as it was a foot away from me, Biscuit aggressively got in its way. It was quite simply the most horrifying thing I'd seen in my life. His irises turned pale and his back arched midair almost like it was going to snap. His hands were like claws and his clothes began tearing. Light came out of his mouth and the voice seemed both otherworldly and familiar at the same time. "Welcome to my prison, child." Biscuit's body was contorting at unnatural angles, midair. Belatedly I realised I was screaming. "Why are you here?" It , whatever whoever that was, asked me. "Why do you disturb my peace?" "I-" I tried to find words. "I- I don't know. You're hurting him." "Oh, that's unfortunate." It said. "He must have had a good reason to offer his body then." I didn't know what I supposed to do. "People come here to ask me questions." It explained. "I happen to be wise. Or so they say." Ok, then . I tried to ignore the silent scream on Biscuit's face. Questions. You got this. "The murders." I finally realised why we were here. "You can tell us who's behind it." "For a price." It said. "My freedom." I nodded numbly, not sure what exactly it meant by that. " Seek the child, of birth by blood and storm. A horizon of ice and smoke, a portal to the nethers and a dead soul revived I see in the shadows rewriting history." I'd never been more confused in my entire life. And I'd tried to learn Mandarin once. "I get you're being dramatic and all." I said, looking at Biscuit's body writhing. I held on to the blade harder. "But for fück's sake, just tell me what we came here for." I heard a cold laugh. "I already did." Biscuit's head rotated to look at the dagger. "Do it then. Do what you came for, my child." Oh, no. Ten minutes he'd said. Ten minutes if this thing was still in his body. He wanted me to kill him. "I can't." Biscuit's body drifted close to mine. I was part terrified, part mesmerised so I did nothing but stare as It touched me. I felt a sudden jolt and white hot searing pain on my back. "You always were bold." It smiled. "But the bold are the weakest." I realised that I'd failed Biscuit on both counts. I'd hesitated. I'd missed my chance. A blast of cold air shot through the room, a flash of light so bright I could've gone blind if my eyes were open. From above ground I heard the sound of a million shards of glass breaking, the fall of two thousand years of Immortal history in those books. Absolute silence fell over us for a moment. Then came the noise all at once - of screaming people, burning buildings and cracks breaking. Biscuit collapsed to the ground, his wounds healing fast. In a minute, he was sitting up, dazed and confused. I shook him, feeling the sudden urgency. "We need to get out of here. Anywhere. Just go." Biscuit took a few moments to figure out what was happening. His deep blue eyes went wide. " Fück my life." Biscuit got to his feet, clearly in pain. He held onto my hand and suddenly were on a rooftop overlooking the library. The whole building collapsed a second later, reduced to rubble. I wondered if the people inside got out. "You should've used the dagger." He said after a while. I hesitated. He looked at me intently. "I couldn't, alright?" I finally broke. "Marcus told me it can kill your kind. And-and I can't do that. I just - I couldn't." "It can't." He said simply, looking away. "Iron Ice can't kill a pureblood. Unless it's used with what your sister gave the vampire King." "Oh." I felt sheepish. "Then why-" "It could've trapped him." Biscuit said, shaking his head. "It's alright though. I figured this was going to happen anyway." I shuddered, looking at the destruction below. "What could possibly do that?" "An Archangel." Biscuit said. "You just spoke to Israfel, or as your kind calls him Raphael." Right. Ok. Just spoke to an ancient mythological being who trashed the world's best library on a whim . Nothing to see here, folks. Just a totally normal day. After a long time, Biscuit looked at me with his deeply probing ocean blue eyes. "You said you couldn't kill me." I pursed my lips. "I couldn't do a lot things." I said, shrugging. "Power Yoga, make eggs Benedict, read Fifty Shades of Grey, kill you - it's a long list. Don't feel too special." He ruffled my hair, smiling. "You know me." He said. "Special is my middle name." "So your name is Sir. Biscuit Special Ässhole." I said, deadbeat. He laughed, putting his arm around my waist. I winced, remembering the pain in my back from earlier. "What happened?" Biscuit arched a brow. "May I take a look?" "Were you just waiting for a reason to take off my clothes?" I muttered, letting him cut the back of my shirt with his blade. I swear I heard him say yes. He traced along the lines where it had hurt the most, looking at me in pure wonder. The look was gone a moment later, replaced by concern. "It's just a wound." He said, shrugging. "It'll heal, don't worry about it." I shrugged it off and put on the hoodie he lent me. Biscuit's phone rang a moment later. "What. The fück . Did you just do?" I could tell by the way I could hear his voice a foot away that Biscuit's friend was having a great day. But I wasn't really paying attention to the phone call. Twenty minutes after calling me a baby cat, I realised the bästard's ringtone was Eye of the Tiger. *** DOUBLE UPDATE BECAUSE HERE'S A UNICORN SHAPED BISCUIT. XD Victoria : "LIKE WELL, BECAUSE HE'S WATCHING US ALL IN THE EYE...." ;)

ROYAL ANGEL I ????Episode 29????? ????“Flowers and losers"???? ????????Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy)??????? .......................................................................... ? Daniel POV "Happy birthday, Xavier." Darius walked into my room, his resting bîtch face suggesting anything but happiness. He dressed like a king, spoke like a ghost and looked like a god. And seeing as I'd woken up exactly six minutes ago : I was in my underwear. King or not, if you enter my sacred space without knocking, just prepare to be scarred for life. "Please make yourself at home, Darius." I muttered, running my hands through my hair. "I'll just look for my pants now." There was a small crack in that icy exterior as Darius tried not to smile. "Should I come back later?" "Just wait outside." I was still under the sheets. The minute he turned his back on me, I got dressed faster than you could say "underwear". Because nothing is more manly than purple boxers with little paw prints on them. "Come in." I said. Darius came inside with caution this time. "And will you be mentioning this little incident again?" "Yeah, I'd rather die, thanks." He said, meaning it. Darius sat down, and lit a cigar. He took the liberty of pouring me a glass of whiskey, despite it being 7 AM. If his knuckles hadn't turned white over his staff, I would've mistaken that gesture for companionship. Darius was the only Royal I'd ever seen without bodyguards. That staff wasn't just to make him look like a rich ässhole. Although it did add some flair to the job description. "I need to talk to you, Your Highness." He said, evenly. "As do I." I replied. "I need to go home." See, a good friend of mine (whose birthday is coincidentally today) just trashed the most iconic building in Europe. So it would be totally awesome if I could go congratulate him for giving me a migraine again. "I'm afraid you can't. The city is under lockdown. No flights in or out." "Right." That wasn't entirely true. I knew some of the other royals who'd flown in had left. The simple truth was that Darius wanted me here. And there was nothing I could really do about it. "Now who is that friend of yours and that lovely lady with red hair?" He asked, accusingly. "She looks an awful lot like the assassin we presented at the trial." I was hoping we wouldn't have this conversation. "He's my financial advisor, Andrew Hilton." I said, lying as best as I could. "And I don't know her. He brought her to my house as a visitor." Darius looked at me for the longest time. "So you don't know anything about this?" He asked. "Answer me honestly if you value our countries' future at all. You don't know anything about my father's murder?" "My advisor is a good man, Darius." I said. "He told me he only met her two weeks ago. He hadn't known anything about her and neither had I." Loopholes were pesky little things. Xavier had met Victoria two weeks back and we hadn't known her back then. Darius didn't entirely believe me. But I was giving him no choice. He couldn't touch me without a fair trial and he didn't have a shred of proof on me. "So." I said, extending a hand. "Are we good?" After a long time, he finally shook it. "For now." I took a deep breath. Good enough. "I'm sorry I didn't buy you a gift." Darius said, relaxing a little. "How old are you again?" "Twenty seven." I said, knowing I was the worst person in the universe for not calling Xavier today. "And it's alright. Just mail it to me for Halloween or something." "How about I mail you two chicks in a sexy nurse costume and we'll call it a bachelor party?" Shît. The wedding. "I prefer doctors." I said, absently. "When is the wedding, by the way?" "Alexandra wanted a white one." He was clearly uninterested. "So I'm assuming before Christmas." Three months to go . "I need to be somewhere." Darius looked at his watch suddenly, getting up to leave. "Alexandra wanted to see you, by the way. To discuss themes." The vampire King distinctly shuddered. I couldn't help smiling. "She's been planning this wedding for a long time, hasn't she?" "Hell, yeah." He grimaced. "Ever since she was eight. I'll give you the Sparknotes version - say yes to the white elegant crap and no to the pink flowery crap. It's all ultimately crap but she'll fall in love with you." And my wife falling in love with me is oddly the last thing I need. Darius left, giving me time to complete my day's work. I decided to pay a visit to Alexandra after all, but when I got there, she wasn't home. Having downed half a bottle of liquor before noon, my judgement wasn't too clear. So naturally, I went to her sister's place instead. Like I needed an excuse. I knocked on the door and waited for a good fifteen minutes. When she didn't answer, I should've taken the hint and left like a pathetic loser. But no, I did something far worse, cringeworthy of the president of the pathetic losers club. I turned the knob of the door. It was open, so I headed inside. Like a professional stalker. Adriana's house was a lot like her, a variety of mismatched things that worked amazingly well together. The furniture ranged from patched up beanbags to glass desks with pieces of simple modern art gracing them. I suddenly heard a sound from upstairs. I'd assumed she wasn't home - There was a muffled cry of pain. I ran up the stairs and followed the voice to her bedroom. I realised how big of an idiot I'd been in coming here when I saw her through the open door. Adriana was kneeling on the ground, her hands stained with blood, a kitchen knife on the ground. Her arms were exposed showing deep gashes that were already healing, but the tears kept running down her cheeks. She'd cut herself. Because of me? I felt like something snapped inside, a flood of pain filling my chest. I felt hollow and broken like some part of me died. I'd never hated myself more than I did right then. "Please leave." She wasn't looking at me. She didn't have to. She knew I wasn't going to listen. I went to her slowly, taking the knife away. It was all I could do to cover her with a blanket and wipe the blood off her hands with a towel. "Promise me you'll never do that again." I said, stiffly. "It hurts." She said, quiet. "If it hurts, talk to someone. Anyone." Adriana was silent. "I used to talk to my sister." She finally said, not looking at me. "But well, I can't. Not anymore." That's it. Just go find the tallest building in Vetresca, set yourself on fire and jump off, and maybe then you'll be worthy of being in the same room as her. "If you want to hurt someone, punch me in the face or stab me, anything you feel like." I said, meaning it. "Because I deserve it. But don't ever hurt yourself." "See, that's the thing." Adriana smiled sadly. "You don't deserve it either. You're hers. You've always been hers." I took a deep breath. This girl I'd hurt in so many ways in so little time when we knew barely anything about each other. All I needed to know was that we both didn't really fit in here and we didn't really have much of a choice in any part of our lives. It was about time I changed that. I got down on my knees, joining her on the floor. I held her hands in mine, marvelling at how fragile and dainty they were. "If I promise to take care of you forever, to take time to know you and fall in love with you the right way and treat you like the queen you're born to be, will you let me, princess Adriana?" Adriana looked at me in shock. That would make two of us. "Are you asking my hand in marriage, Your Highness?" She was stunned. "And what of my sister?" "Your sister deserves a perfect person. A good King." I said, meaning it. "I know I can never be that guy. But I can promise to try. For you." She pursed her lips and closed her eyes, her voice so faint I had to ask her twice if I heard it right. "Then I'd love to see you try, Your Highness." *** Daniel : "WEDDING CAKE FOR EVERYBODY WHO LIKE" XD

??Episode 30?? ??“Morons at midnight” ??Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy)?? _________________________________________ ?Xavier POV Peace and quiet was overrated. Victoria was asleep on the only bed of the shîttiest motel I'd ever stayed in. Every inch of it was carpeted in filth and I was pretty sure I'd get hepatitis just by looking at the walls. Vetresca was arguably the most competitive country in the world. So if a human country could offer a rodent infested excuse of a house for $8, we could certainly beat them and make it worse. Just add more insects, blood stains and kill the electricity permanently. Prime time real estate right there. Victoria snored, her lips forming a perfect O. For a woman who killed people for a living, she slept like a baby - no saucy dreams, no creepy nightmares, nothing. Which unfortunately meant, I had no entertainment. She'd told me what the Archangel had said earlier. I'd wasted a few hours thinking about it and I had no ideas. Yet I couldn't fall sleep. Insomnia was amazing like that. "Happy birthday, Xevi." Suddenly, a shadow of a woman was standing by the window, her dark hair reaching her waist, a cheeky smile on her lips. I looked at Victoria. Still sleeping. Kiera jumped out the window just as quickly as she'd come in. I swore, watching her land perfectly one storey below, on the balcony. God help me, I followed her. "What are you doing here?" I asked as my sister hugged me, almost crushing my bones in the process. "You're getting older." Kiera smiled. "And I'm always up for rubbing that in your face. The birthday party's theme is the Bronze Age. You'll fit right in." "Good one." I said, rolling my eyes. "Why aren't Victoria and you best friends yet?" "Oh, we'll have plenty of time for that." She said, matter-of-fact. "Seeing as she's going to be my sister-in-law." Why in heaven's name did I come here? "Excuse me?" I asked, exasperated already. "Oh, I know you heard me. Or are you actually admitting you're old enough to have hearing loss?" I sighed. There was no winning with Kiera. Unfortunately, the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. "I'll put it simply : you like this chick, I like this chick." She gave me a silver wrapped box. "You could do a lot worse, by the way." "Um, thanks?" I wasn't sure if I was replying to her gift or her statement. "And no, there's definitely no "doing " here." Let me just explain the glaring lack of sex in my life to my little sister real quick. Because I'm just whimsy that way. Keira gave me an all-knowing smile. "Some people might say you're saving yourself for your little crush." "Some people would say this is not fücking high school." I unwrapped the paper, rolling my eyes. Briefly, I thought back to Christmas when we were both younger. We'd have an annual ball in the winter and there'd always presents much like this one. Kiera loved telling me how horrible I was at dancing, and while I hate to admit it, I'd been jealous of good she was. As I opened the box, I realised that was the only time Kiera ever acted like a princess. " Do you like it?" She asked, a little hesitant. It was a small marble carving of a Phoenix in the Royal family's crest, tied to a silver chain. It wasn't perfect but that was why I wore it around my neck. I knew that she'd made it. "I love it." I told her, solemnly. Kiera gave up her titles the year she became a guardian. She had no right to the throne anymore though I knew she'd make one hell of a queen. "Great." Kiera smiled sweetly. "Now be a dear and tell me when your wedding is." "Tomorrow." I said, deadbeat. "Excuse me, while I go mail order a bride." "The one upstairs is a lot closer." She suggested. "Why are you so obsessed with her?" I laughed. "Poor Anna. Bored with her already?" Oh, did I forget to mention my little sister also happened to be a lesbian with an insanely hot girlfriend of three years? Whoops. "Hey, you haven't been around here in a long time. Maybe I like to switch things up a bit." I looked at her in mock horror. Kiera laughed, ruffling my hair. "How do you even know about her anyway?" She smiled, fondly. "Are you stalking me, brother?" "It's part of the job description." I admitted, pretty much shamelessly. "And also, I'm pretty sure Victoria's straight." Kiera absently played with the safety on her gun. "How about you do your research on that last part instead of the women I fück next time?" I laughed. "Dear God, I've missed you." "You mean, you miss getting your äss handed to you?" She said with a straight face. "Yeah, I missed that part too." We sat on the railing, one floor above the ground, laughing and talking for hours, just like old times. The moonlight filtered through a cloudy sky and the streets were quiet and deserted. "Why'd you leave, Xevi?" Kiera asked me, after a while. "I didn't need to stay." I said, simply. The horrors I'd seen within those castle walls, Kiera never had. My mother and I had made damn sure of that. And she'd never know it, but the day she left to the Academy to become a guardian was the day I left to give up my kingdom. I still remember that sigh of relief when the gates shut close behind me. "Whatever it was, it's over now, isn't it?" Kiera asked me, her deep blue eyes earnest. "So will you stay now?" "I don't know if I can." I couldn't lie to her. " I don't know if I want to." "Who wants that ugly ass chair anyway?" She said, trying to keep things light. "We'll just buy a real fancy sofa from IKEA and rule this dark and dangerous alley." I smiled. "All hail the shîtty motel king." My phone rang and both of us laughed. Danny always did have excellent timing . "So I may have accidentally, and this is totally by accident, proposed to the younger vampire princess, by accident . Please note that this was completely out of my control and-" " Let me guess," I rolled my eyes. "By accident . " I couldn't believe this guy. "I'm all for experimenting," I said, dryly. "But a threesome with twin leeches on your wedding night is a little too risqué, don't you think?" "Please stop." Danny groaned. "Help me out here." He hesitated. "I- I think I might be in love with her." I sighed. "What do you know about love, Danny?" He was clearly frustrated. "A lot more than you, for starters." "You don't know anything about her." I said, simply. "You don't know what it's like to hold her or kiss her hair or touch her face. You don't know if she'll annoy you so much you want to rip your hair out, but when she's quiet if you just want to hear her voice again. "You don't know if seeing her smile makes you happy or if you'd rather play with your soul than lose her. You don't know if she's saving you just as much as you're saving her. "And you don't know if forgetting all that means you'll lose yourself too." "I know that I can learn to love her." Danny said, quietly. Kiera was looking at me, an odd expression on her face. "You sure you were talking to him, Xevi?" I smiled. "Who else would I be talking to?" Yourself. A voice in my head said. You were talking to yourself, you sad, pathetic moron. And that's precisely when I heard the soul piercing scream of a woman. From upstairs. **** Xavier : "LIKE BECAUSE A SAD PATHETIC MORON ASKED YOU NICELY." XD

Cool story ?

Episode 31 “Challenge accepted" Written by Jchrist (African Goodboy) _________________________________________ Victoria POV I wasn't good at being a damsel in distress. It took a little more than creepy clowns or real life monsters or being on the brink of death to scare the crap out of me. Seeing my dead mother pinned to the ceiling came awfully close though. Her eyes were open in what I could only describe as inhuman curiosity. Her skin was translucent, her dark red hair, so like mine, floating in the air like she was underwater. She looked just she always had : the intimidatingly intelligent, amazing woman who was the only ray of sunshine I'd had growing up. I had tears in my eyes and I didn't know what I wanted to do. Because as much as I was up for a super emotional family reunion, there was just one problem with this situation. Nothing could bring back the dead. With all their fancy parlour tricks, there was one kind of magic the Immortals could never do. She opened her mouth and spoke, only there were no words. Just a shriek so high pitched, the windows shattered. I shielded myself, pulling up my tattered blanket, gripping Biscuit's blade harder. "You're not real." I whispered, as she reached out. Her expression was so sad, it tugged at my heart. You can't be real. I closed my eyes, throwing the blade upward. There was a brilliant flash of light when I opened them again. She was gone. Biscuit jumped through the window at exactly that moment, giving me my second heart attack for the evening. "What happened?" He looked around, alert. "Are you alright?" "I was." I muttered, swallowing. "Have you heard of a door, Biscuit? I totally dig the whole burglar thing you got going, but you should try that next time." He joined me on the bed, looking at me intently. "You sure you're alright?" "Yes." I took a deep breath, but I let him wrap his hand around my waist. I wasn't entirely lying. There was a time when I'd been used to this. My mom had died when I was eight in a car accident. Over the next two years, this had been a daily affair. Even as a kid, I'd understood that this wasn't normal. I'd get scared and throw something at her, but she'd always come back the next day. Yeah, between the chitchats with my mother's ghost and my father teaching me to be a professional killer, my childhood was totally average. "Will you tell me what happened?" He asked, eyeing his blade on the ceiling. "Because you sure as hell didn't throw that up there for kicks and giggles." "Eventually." I said, serious. "I may or may not choose to tell you based on your behaviour." He looked at me incredulously. "Are you fücking kidding me?" "Nope." I smiled. "And that's all I'm going to say about this." Biscuit rolled his eyes, at my spot-on impression of him. "You're just doing this to get back at me, aren't you?" "Absolutely." "That is not what I sound like." He muttered. "You're right." I pursed my lips. "I should just add a cheesy pick up line in there for good measure." His smile reached his eyes. In the dark, they had silvers of light dancing in their ocean blue depths. "You talk like they didn't work on you, Shortcake." "They didn't." I said, trying my best to keep a neutral face. "Then perhaps we should try something else." I noticed how close his body was. And also the fact that we were conveniently sitting on a bed. He didn't do anything for a long time though. Why the fück was that making me impatient? You should be happy Sir. Biscuit the Pervert wasn't giving a damn about you. What was the world coming to when I needed to follow his lead? He seemed to be lost deep in thought, and eventually his fingers closed around mine. Almost mindlessly, he shifted his ring on my index finger to my ring finger. It was such an insignificant gesture, but it made something ache inside me, looking at my hands in his. "Well, it doesn't mean anything." He hesitated. "It just looks better like that." I looked into his eyes. I'd never seen a man more vulnerable in his life, and I knew then that I had the power to break him with one word. Oddly, that made me feel weaker than ever. "It does." I said, softly. He looked me in the eyes, hesitantly reaching forward. I held my breath, watching him. A flash of what would happen played in my head : my palms sweaty, my hands around his neck, his kiss so deep I questioned my whole life - I panicked and put a finger on his lips. Biscuit removed it, exasperated. "Well, don't tell me you haven't thought about it." He said, frustrated. I swallowed. Busted. "It's not the right time. Or place." Because forgive me for not wanting the cockroaches seeing me getting it on. "So what is the right time and place, Lady Shortcake?" He asked, genuinely curious. I thought about it and came up with the farthest place from here. "The Great Wall of China, midsummer." Biscuit laughed. "Wow, you're high maintenance." "Say that more often." I rolled my eyes. "That's definitely going to get you in my pants." His eyes were dark. "What I'm planning doesn't really require pants, baby." I was blushing so much, he gave me a wolfish smile. "Aren't you just a little curious, Shortcake?" "You're not the Discovery channel." I fired back. "You're not going to show me anything I haven't already seen." Biscuit looked at me, intent. "Then I'll make you forget." He said, simply. "All those stupid little flings, all those ässhats who dared to hurt you, and all those pansies who don't know how to get a woman screaming the right way." He came closer. My breathing hitched, and I moved back on the bed, some primal instinct kicking in. "Every little problem we have right now. Every second thought you've ever had about this." My back hit the headrest. Biscuit's lips were inches from mine. Before I could move, he pinned my arms over my head, his body trapping me. It felt like a hundred degrees in here as he looked at the flimsy torn shirt I was wearing. His sapphire eyes screamed pure animal lust. "I'll make you forget your whole world. I'll make you forget your own name." Hot. Fücking. Damn. For a second, I was sure he was going to do one hell of a lot more than kiss me. For one second, I was scared that I wouldn't want to stop him. Biscuit kissed my neck tenderly and let go of my hands. "But I'd like to earn that right, cara ." Biscuit said, looking up at me. "So tell me what I have to do for one kiss." I couldn't help it. I held him tight, laughing partly out of relief, partly out of wonder. He wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his head on my chest, listening to my heart beat. "One dinner." I said, ruffling his soft dark gold hair. "If you can act like a non-perverted filthy minded bästard for one date, I'll kiss you myself." He arched a brow, his expression absolutely serious. "Challenge accepted." Well, shît. What did you think he was going to say, you idiot? "So, um." I said, trying to be casual. "Ground rules : no fancy ten-thousand-dollar-a-plate bullshît, no flowers and no innuendos. Oh, and I happen to like dessert." I can't believe this is happening . "Got it." Biscuit said, just as casual. "Oh, and I happen to like cherry flavoured lipstick. For dessert." I rolled my eyes. Like he's going to win, anyway. *** Victoria : "LIKE IN THE NAME OF DESSERT."XD

? Episode 32 ? “Hurricanes" ✍️ written by Jchrist (African Goodboy) ___________________________________________ ? Daniel POV Adriana was freakishly smart. "Metaphysics is probably my favourite subject of all." Her eyes were bright and excited. "Are you familiar with the Butterfly Effect?" "Sure." I said, conversationally. "That's when you think you have insects in your abdomen after talking to someone you want to bang. I hear it's quite romantic." She laughed. I couldn't help smiling, watching her. The shy, quiet girl I'd proposed to had agreed to have dinner with me. Two glasses of wine later, she'd gone MIA. In her place was a gorgeous mind who spoke of the universe, its mysteries and life beyond with so much passion, I couldn't help but share her curiosity. "Enlighten me, my dear." I said, using my fork. "For the only wisdom I have is that I know nothing." Watching her face light up, I was finally grateful for all those philosophy classes I suffered through in college. "Socrates." Adriana said. "He was a great man." "Totally." I agreed. "We used to play golf together. Real deep guy." There was something addicting about making this woman laugh. "Yeah, Shakespeare used to join us on the weekends." I straightened my tie. "It was a bloodbath." Yeah, something about the way she's humouring you even though you have a PhD at being an idiot. "So," I said, trying to be casual. "Tell me about your butterflies." Adriana blushed. "The, um, effect." I corrected, internally smacking myself. "The metaphysics thing." She smiled. "It's quite simple, Your Highness." Adriana absently played with her spoon. "The wind from a butterfly's wings has the possibility to create a hurricane." I thought about that. "Little things can create greatness." She nodded, sipping her wine. I was a little distracted by the way her hands moved, the way her hair flowed in the light breeze and the way her lips touched the glass. Also by the way the other men in the restaurant were looking at the V in her dress. "Come with me to Vetresca." I blurted. I groaned on the inside. Yeah, because asking a woman to move to another country on the second date doesn't seem desperate at all. Darius had finally been okay with me leaving. I hadn't told him about the slight change in my wedding plans yet because that staff of his hadn't seemed real friendly about that idea. Adriana, however, seemed amused at my misery. "Are you asking me to run away, Your Grace?""More like fly away." No, that's not right . "With me. Well, not with me, but on a plane because I can't carry you." So much nope. "Well, I can but I don't think we'd get very far. I don't work out much. In the winter, I mean. Would you like to see my muscles?" Please. Shut. Up. Adriana laughed. "Of course." She pursed her lips, blushing. "Fly away with you, that is. Not that I wouldn't like to, um, see your muscles, Your Grace." I laughed, running a hand through my hair. "Love the way you talk dirty, Princess." More blushing . "Well, I'm kind of new at this." "Well, so am I." Filthy. Liar. You've slept with more women than the guest list at the Ritz. "So when shall we leave, Your Highness?" She asked, curiously. I shrugged. "Well, we can leave right now if you have your bags packed." "I always do." "So do I." I chimed in. Yeah, now make like middle schoolers and go "OMG, we're legit awesome for doing the same things. We're totally soulmates." You desperate, desperate son of a bîtch. "Skip dessert?" I suggested, taking out my wallet. She nodded eagerly. I paid the bill and we were in my car in a few minutes. It was a long drive to her apartment and then to where I was staying. We spoke about everything from first pets to her least favourite song. And in an odd turn of events, my shy quiet new fiancé liked rock music. So much to my satisfaction, we spent a good deal of time lip syncing Highway to Hell like we were on American Idol. Looking at this woman as she shattered every perception I had about her, I knew I was definitely headed for a very personal meeting with the devil. Once we were at the apartment, Charles made quick work of arranging the flight back to Vetresca. He also intuitively left both of us alone in the room after a while. Six digit salary well earned, lad. "I can't wait." Adriana smiled. "I've always wanted to see the Grigorian Library." I ran a hand through my hair. Thank you, Xavier, for fücking with my life in ways you couldn't even possibly imagine. "Yeah, I don't think that's going to happen." I muttered. "This trip is just like a vacation, of course. You'd need to come back here after a while-" "I don't want to." Adriana looked into my eyes, her own reflecting every misery she'd felt here. Suddenly the doorknob turned. I should've been more elegant with my response. I pointed to the curtains, much to Adriana's confusion. "Hide." I'd never felt more like an ässhole than I did right then, as she quickly covered herself in the drapes. There was only one bästard who was brave enough to still not knock on my door. Right on cue, Darius Azaria came inside, for once looking happy. Naturally I was sweating bullets. "So the rings for the wedding just came in today." I looked at the curtain. It stayed perfectly still but I could imagine her face. "She's really excited about it. You might want to come down and meet her -" Darius paused, finally noticing the lack of my personal things in the room. "Are you leaving?" "Urgent matters in Vetresca." I said, leading him out the door. "This has been nice, Darius. We should totally do this again. Give me a call sometime and we can get drunk. Have a great day, Your Grace." "Um, thanks?" I closed the door on a very confused Darius, and locked it behind me, swearing softly. "You didn't tell him." Adriana's voice wasn't even accusing. She was still giving me the benefit of the doubt. I went to her and held her hands. "I will." I looked into her eyes. "Very soon. I promise." "But the ring-" "Will only go on your finger." I said, kissing them. "You're the one I want." She didn't seem to believe me. There wasn't much I could I do though. After a while, we left the room and got inside the car. "You know, I've been thinking about what you said." I said, once we were alone again. "About the butterflies, right?" "Yes, Your highness?" She looked at me curiously. "So if I say you're the most beautiful soul I've met in a long time," I said, watching her lips twitch. "If I moved a little closer and held your hand." She let me do that, watching me with her beautiful mismatched eyes. "So if I kissed you right now, Princess," I loved the way her breath hitched. "I wonder what could happen?" She closed her eyes, as my lips met hers. Adriana's fingers tangled in my hair, and I held her by the waist. Her lips were soft against mine and she tasted like red wine. It was a slow, passionate kiss that consumed me whole, that rocked me to my very core. This was a kiss that would be burnt into my memories forever. Eventually I let go, and we were both breathless. We just looked at each other for a while, and I felt like I'd finally found something I'd been looking for all my life. Adriana finally answered my question. "Greatness." She said, her eyes sparkling. "Little things create greatness." *** Daniel : "LIKE BECAUSE OF THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT"

? Episode 33 ? “White roses" ✍️ Written by Jchrist (African Goodboy) ________________________________________ ? Xavier POV "Pro tip : try to act like a Lady, Shortcake." "Pro tip : I am a lady, Sir Ässhole." I didn't even bother with a comeback. My mind went blank as I saw the wrought iron gates. They were gilded to look like a Phoenix's wings, cast in the Royal Family's crest. It would've looked nice - But then two huge marble statues of 'artistically' robed half naked women stood to either side of the arch. The guy who designed this probably went, "Dude, I just saw a Roman style threesome when I was high on LSD. Let's just put that on a huge äss iron gate with a bunch of feathers. Because that's tasteful as fück." When Kiera invited me to stay at our aunt's house, I'd refused because a) the house matched the monstrosity that was the gate. And b? Victoria was already making weird faces at the CCTV mirror outside. But as resolute as I'd been to not come here, our little motel got shut down last night because there was a murder downstairs. And while we didn't have anything to do with it, the guardians weren't exactly going to give us a gold sticker and a pat on the back. I was down to my last pound. I was used to being on the streets, but I sure as hell wasn't letting Victoria follow me there. Rolling down the window, I let the cameras see me. The penniless Prince and his starving tiger cub. Power couple right here, folks. "So," Victoria propped her arms behind her head, as we headed down the dark driveway. " You haven't actually asked me out yet." I looked at her. "Eager much? Because we could skip that whole deal and do it in the car right here, Shortcake." She smacked me. "What part of being a gentleman do you not get?" "Oh, I'll be gentle." I shrugged. "But that's not what you really want now, is it, baby?" I didn't even have to look to know that she was blushing. "I want you to shut up." "I want you in black lace." I said, looking up in mock prayer. "But alas, we live in a cruel universe where you're wearing jeans." "What's wrong with my jeans?" She fumed. "They're not on the floor." She hit me with a rolled up newspaper. I probably deserved that one. "I don't even care anymore." She muttered. "Ask me, don't ask me, you can go fück yourself, you riled up horny son of a bîtch." I pulled the brake so suddenly, Victoria gasped. We were under the cover of trees in a stolen car, a long winding road ahead, alone for all intents and purposes. "What are you doing?" Victoria asked, quietly. If memory served me right, there was a garden here a short distance away. I needed a little time, so I played with my blade absently. "You want to kill me now?" Victoria said, putting her hands up in annoyance. "After blowing up monuments, stealing for you, running to another country, you want to kill me because I encouraged fapping?" I couldn't help it. I laughed, putting the knife away. "Why in God's name would I kill you?" "For starters, I almost killed your friend, I insult you at every given opportunity, I give you a constant headache, you'll get bored with me -" I looked her in the eyes, rolling down my window. She fell silent looking at my expression. "There's a good chance I may never get bored with you, Victoria." I said. "And honestly? That frightens the crap out of me." "Well, there's another reason why you'd want to kill me." She suggested. "I'm far too interesting for the world." I ruffled her hair, smiling. Right on cue, a single fresh cut white rose floated through the window. Victoria looked at me, then at the rose wide eyed when it rested on her lap. Magic was a big pain in the äss, but it had its moments. "I said no flowers." She held it carefully, avoiding the thorns. The rose had gold veins, a rare variety that I'd only ever seen here. Victoria watched it glow in the moonlight with wonder. "Well, thanks for not listening to me." I smiled. "So Lady Victoria," I watched her carefully. "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow evening?" She smiled. "Unfortunately yes, Sir Biscuit." We drove down the road to the front door. Somewhere along the way, Victoria's hand covered mine over the gear shift. It was a small thing, but I'd always noticed how her hands weren't all too soft. Probably because she'd handled rough metal most of her life. It was all I could do to take her hand and kiss her fingertips. She looked at me. "What was that for?" I shrugged. "You have nice hands." She didn't say anything, but she let me hold her hand again as we walked to the door. Which I came to understand was Victoria's way of saying thank you. A frail old lady opened the massive oak door, her small body covered in a russet gown that looked way too heavy for her fragile body - Grand Dutchess Terencia Riccardi twisted my ear, after recovering from the initial shock. "I've waited for you for ages, dear boy." She said, tears in her eyes. "Kiera told me, but I didn't believe her. Oh, we didn't know if you were dead all these years. And your clothes! Madre Mia, you look like you haven't showered in years -" There was a soft laugh beside me. "And who is this, young lady?" The Dutchess turned her attention to Victoria. "Where did you find this one? I really hope you'll marry one of these days, son. Yes, this one should do nicely - she has wide childbearing hips." Leave it my aunt to bring up bridal prospects in less than ten sentences. No wonder Kiera got along with her so well. Victoria shifted uncomfortably. It was my turn to laugh, as I put my arm around her. "That's a compliment." I whispered to her, as the Dutchess ushered us inside. "I don't think they teach your kind the right definition." She muttered, shocked by the sheer grandness of the mansion. "How do you know her, anyway?" Yeah, meet my mom's sister. She's a stickler for punctuality, loves cats and also happens to be second-in-line for the Throne after Danny. No big deal. "My maids will show you to your rooms." She said briskly. "We need to talk, boy. Twelve long years it has been." "Yes, we should, madre ." I kissed her on the cheek. She looked at me affectionately. "I hope I'll get to taste your cooking soon." "I hope you changed your mind coming back here." Her eyes were sad. "Your father is not well." I pursed my lips. I knew this was coming. "We'll talk about this over dinner." I said, diplomatically. "Victoria needs to rest." She gave me a cryptic look, which was gone a moment later. "Yes, of course. Be on your way." She smiled. "We have all the time in the world after all." A butler showed us to our rooms. Much to my relief, they weren't too over the top. Well, if you didn't count the twin chandeliers, the TV the size of a wall, the mini golf course and the marble and glass on everything else. Lady Gaga would've fit right in. I left Victoria in her room, letting her settle. I was walking down the hallway to my room, when I almost bumped into a woman in a black silk gown. "I'm terribly sorry." Her voice was so perfectly beautiful, all I wanted to do was listen to her. I smiled, getting on one knee. "I'm to apologise, High Priestess." I said, not looking at her face until she gave me the permission to rise. A high priestess was the chosen vessel of an Archangel when they came to this planet. They were usually women, revered beyond the king himself, and almost worshipped by some. This girl was probably the most powerful being on this side of the planet. Just a coincidence that my sister happened to be banging her. "You must be Xavier." Anna said, smiling. "Kiera has told me a lot about you." "I'm sure she has." I muttered. She laughed. "Only good things, Your Highness." "Please don't call me that." I said, looking at Victoria's door. Anna looked at me curiously. "You didn't tell her." I shrugged. "She doesn't need to know." "Will you take a walk with me?" Anna asked. "There's something I'd like to show you." I nodded, so she led me down the hallway, past my room. "So how are things going with my sister?" I asked, trying to be conversational. "Oh, they're well. Kiera is a beautiful person with a kind soul. I tell her but she rarely believes me." Anna smiled, meeting my eyes. "I do believe I should be honest with the woman I love." And I knew she wasn't just talking about Kiera anymore. "Here we are." Anna showed me a glass cabinet. Inside was a life size replica of the Royal crown, gold inlaid with diamonds, the family crest engraved at the very centre. I swallowed. "Jewellery is not really my thing, Priestess." Anna touched the glass. "Then do it for your people. We need a good King, Xavier." "Daniel is -" "A lost child." She said, her amethyst eyes serious. "Please don't let him pay for your mistakes." I took a deep breath. "I'll think about it." "At least, do it for her ." Anna said softly. "Be brave enough to show her your demons." In that moment, my reflection in the glass lined up with the crown, so it was over my head. In that moment, all I could see was the torn clothing I wore, the sweat and dirt on my skin and how much that offended the beauty of the gold beyond the glass. I turned away. "I shouldn't." I said, firmly. "She hasn't done anything wrong to deserve that." Anna put a hand on my shoulder, her eyes otherworldly as they looked into my very soul. "She's shown you the stars in your darkness, Xevi. That's the gravest sin of all. To steal another's heart." **** Happy holidays! XD Xavier : "Like for a white rose." :

? Episode 34 ? “Picky cat lady" ✍️ Written by Jchrist(African Goodboy) _________________________________________ ? Victoria POV "So my brother wants to fück you. Congratulations." I took a long hard look at Kiera. The woman was munching on potato chips, sitting cross legged in front of my TV watching reruns of Project Runway. Because clearly there weren't any other flatscreens in this huge äss house that would've put the Playboy mansion to shame. "Gee." I rolled my eyes, trying to pick a dress to wear tonight. "I should be so lucky." "Oh yeah." She held up a chip in narration. "He's very, um, picky." "Biscuit wouldn't know 'picky' if it hit him over the head multiple times." Picky was me going through a hundred and six dresses in the last hour and still not have something to wear on a stupid little dinner date. Perks of being a neurotic adult female. I sighed in annoyance at the glaring lack of clothes here that didn't have frills or satin or anything else I'd want to be buried in. Everything looked like it belonged to Jane Eyre's great grandmother. I gave up and joined Kiera on the sofa, watching a woman in a lime green patchwork dress walk down the runway. I almost sobbed. Unfortunately, even that monstrosity would've been acceptable. Hell , a plastic bag would've been an upgrade to what I was working with. "Why do I smell reeking desperation in the air?" Kiera asked, her eyes still glued to the screen. "I don't have anything to wear." Kiera looked at me. "So what are we going for?" Her eyes lit up with excitement. Honestly, that terrified me. "Romantic, classy, modest, decent?" "Raunchy." I said, without hesitation. "See, your brother and I have a little bet going." I explained my terms to her. She kept her face strictly professional. "I see." She gave me a once over, pulling her dark hair into a bun. "You want to give him something to talk dirty about." "I want to give Mr. Picky a very hard time being holy tonight." Kiera got up, her eyes mischievous. "I have just the thing." An hour later, I was in her room all ready, standing in front of the mirror. Kiera had exceeded all my expectations, going above and beyond the call of duty. "One last thing." She put an oversized black coat over me, that covered every inch of my skin, except my fingers and my face. I looked at the potato sack that I'd turned into. I almost groaned. "This isn't helping." "Trust me, it is." Kiera's tone was educational. "Don't take off your coat until you get there, keep things light and don't talk about sex." Wait, what? "Didn't you hear me -" "I did." She said, all knowingly. "Honey, trust me when I say you can bring a man to his knees without saying one word." I nodded slowly, taking in her words of wisdom. This was the almighty Biscuit's sister after all. "Thank you. If there's nothing else, I'll leave now." "Well, there is." Kiera said, holding her door open. "He's a piece of work but it's only because he's been through a lot." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Biscuit and I are on the same boat : the SS fücked up. You know I won't hurt him." Kiera smiled. She walked me to the foyer, where Biscuit was waiting in a black Aston Martin that looked more expensive than all my life's earnings. As I left, she was thinking about Biscuit in mock pity because I swear I heard her say this to herself. "Oh, my poor, poor brother." __________________________________________ ? Xavier POV Dear Virgin in Haven, please kill me if this woman ever shows up in a humongous black coat again. It was the stuff of nightmares as I watched Victoria climb into the car looking like a redhead hybrid Death Eater. The only part of her body that showed past that horrid black rectangle was her nails and I instantly knew I was screwed. They were long, glossy and deep crimson. Oh, she'll feed on your soul alright. "How are you this fine evening, milady?" I mustered up. "Splendid." Shortcake replied, all charming. "Nice suit, James Bond." On Kiera's suggestion, I'd invested a lot of money into a black-on-black suit. Also, on Kiera's suggestion, I was to talk about kittens anytime things got a little too feisty. I'd liked to believe my sister had my best interests at heart, but I was just a little suspicious seeing her at the door. I waved at her. Kiera smiled back. Come on, man. What could she possibly do? "Well, I've got the car." I answered Victoria, civil. All I need now is the girl. "Shall we begin?" Victoria's smile mirrored Kiera's and I suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. "Let's." It was a short, comfortable drive to the restaurant. Victoria, oddly, didn't bring up anything to tease me and we talked about silly things like politics and sports. The only close call was when I noticed her shoes when I opened the door for her. They were four inch white stilettos with inlaid diamonds that shone with every little turn. "God dämn." I whispered, as they disappeared under her coat again. "Excuse me?" Victoria asked, confused. "Kittens." I said, swallowing. She looked at me oddly. "What?" "Kitten. Tiny cat child." I pursed my lips. "Planning on getting one. They're kind, gentle creatures, wouldn't you agree?" "Sure." Victoria said. "They have claws and teeth entirely for kind and gentle purposes." I was still thinking about her shoes. "I can live with that." I managed to say. "Did you know that they lick themselves entirely clean?" "Good luck with your self-cleaning animal." Victoria said, as we headed for the restaurant. "Decided on a name yet?" "Um, Diamond?" I said, lamely. "Are you getting a kitten or a stripper, Biscuit?" If I don't get any action tonight, probably both. "If I got one hypothetically, you can name it." I said, solemnly. "My gift to you." She rolled her eyes. "How hypothetically thoughtful." The restaurant was small and cosy, run by a local family who made the best pasta I'd ever had. I'd been here with my mother and Kiera once when I was younger. Nobody had recognised us here then but they'd treated us like we were part of their family. "It's not fancy." I warned Victoria. "No." She said, as an old woman greeted us inside with a warm smile. "It's perfect." We found a secluded booth in the back, and Victoria finally shrugged out of her coat. I should note here that I'd never been into religion. Victoria's dress was ice white, sleek and tight, fitting her perfectly. There were no sleeves or even a back, just multiple pearl strings holding the whole thing together. The white lace straps that barely showed underneath screwed with any sense of sanity I had left. Funny. Why then was it that all I wanted to do was worship this woman? "Why are you doing this to me?" I muttered, mostly to the universe. "Because I like winning." Victoria answered instead, taking her time to walk around me, showing off her heels and taking my coat off too. I caught her hand, taking a deep breath, going against my only instinct to pin her on that dinning table, and bite those straps off. "Do you really, Victoria?" "Careful there." She looked at my hand around her wrist, her eyes dangerously dark. "Do I really what, Biscuit?" I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I opened them, unfortunately the dress was still there, the girl was still there and I was still very much fücked. Get. Your. Head. In. The. Game. "Do you really want a kitten, Shortcake?" I said, lamely. Victoria laughed, knowing she had me wrapped around her little finger. "Oh, don't be silly, Biscuit. You're the crazy cat lady." I realised there was a good chance my head would explode if I had to watch the way that dress danced around her body, not even bothering to conceal what waited underneath, for ten more minutes. And we haven't even ordered our food yet. *** Victoria : "CRAZY CAT LADY NEEDS YOUR VOTE." XD

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? Episode 35 ? “Gentleman's playbook" ✍️ Written by Jchrist (African Goodboy ) _________________________________________ ? Victoria POV "Welcome to Casa Nostra. I will be your server tonight. Shall I list the specials, sir?" Sir Biscuit was doing an exceptional job of reading the menu. I swear he studied the thing like he was prepping for the SATs. "Sure." He barely looked up as the man rattled out something very Italian. After a minute, Biscuit fluently held a conversation with the guy for a minute straight, still hiding behind the menu. For all I knew he could have ordered me a McSpicy, French fries and a coke. And honestly, I'd have cheered him on because stuffing my face with five billion calories sounded downright amazing. "So what did you order?" I asked, as the waiter left. He mumbled something that sounded like pasta carbonara, still looking at the menu. I rolled my eyes. "Are you going to read the menu all night, Biscuit?" "Yep." "And why is that?" I asked, knowing damn well I had Kiera to thank for that. "Is it because you can't handle a little heat?" "Pffft." I could tell just from that, that I'd nailed it. "I'm trying to learn fancy ways to say stale bread. See, I'd like to try my hand at Masterchef." "Right." I muttered. "Because all the cool kids are doing it." "Damn straight." I reached over and grabbed the card from him. I'd like to think we looked like exceptionally mature adults right then, playing tug of war with a menu. Naturally, I won and stuck my tongue out at him. He pursed his lips, caught between trying not to laugh and trying not to say something inappropriate. "How about this?" I said, helping him out. "You say something stupid, I'll giggle like I have only one brain cell and we'll pretend it's okay to share each other's food. You get five free passes to look at my boobs and I'll even let you hold my hand because that's how dates work, right?" Biscuit smiled. "Pretty much." "So will you play fair?" I held out my hand. He shook it in all seriousness, but then he turned it over and kissed my ring. I arched an eyebrow. "Piece of advice?" He said, his expression sultry. "You should never make a deal with the devil, Shortcake." "That's cute." I smiled, despite the sudden wave of heat I felt. "And delusional. You're an angel." He adjusted his tie, his piercing eyes holding back stormy skies. "Well, so was the devil." I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. Biscuit did his best to stick with the plan despite that. I found out his favourite colour was blue, he'd seen Ocean's Eleven fifty six times and he hadn't been home in twelve years. "Why did you leave?" I thought it was an innocent enough question. By the way his shoulders tensed, I was clearly wrong. I let it go, remembering what Kiera said. "You don't have to tell me." I said. "Let's talk about New York." "My father murdered my mother and made me watch." Biscuit said, simply. He didn't meet my eyes. "He burnt her alive with wildfire. I couldn't even get close to her to save her." I couldn't find my voice. "Yeah, I don't really remember it that well." He ran a hand through his hair and I knew he was lying. "I haven't told a soul. My own sister thinks she left us. I honestly don't know why I'm telling you and now. But there you have it." It took me a full minute to process that. I didn't even think about it, I went to his side and sat next to him, putting my hand around his shoulder. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing I could say. His smile didn't reach his eyes. "So am I." We didn't say anything for a while. "Well, I've been incredibly stupid." Biscuit finally said, playing with my hair. "It's your turn to giggle now." "I suck at being girly." I muttered. "You're in luck." Biscuit said, seriously. "I happen to be very good at tickling." I looked at him in mock horror. "You wouldn't dare." "Try me." I was hoping to be saved by the waiter who'd come back to the dining area. That didn't stop Biscuit from running a finger down my neck. It wasn't so much a tickle as a tease and it took every last bit of my will not to lean into his hand. "You're walking on very thin ice here." I warned. "There's nothing against innocent neck touching in the gentleman playbook." He countered. "For all you know, I could've saved you from a dangerous insect." "Does this look like the fücking Amazon to you, Biscuit?" I asked him, honestly. "Name one insect could have found its way to my neck." "Oh, I don't know." His hand grazed my thigh, right over that godforsaken tattoo. "A pretty little butterfly, perhaps?" I was blushing so bad, I cursed my poor little blood vessels to the seventh circle of Hades. "My legs are strictly off limits." I fumed. "Check your playbook." "Well, it says I can touch you anywhere I damn well please." He whispered in my ear. "Because all a gentleman should do is treat you like a lady. Tell me when you stop feeling like one." His hand went higher over my dress. I caught it before he went any further, turning into a hot, wet, thoughtless mess in all of two seconds. "Touché." I managed to say, when I could breathe again. Biscuit smiled, his eyes dark and devious. Fück the devil, this bästard could beat him at his own game. The waiter eventually came to our table, setting down our food. The man seemed familiar but for the love of God, I couldn't recognise him. He poured us both a glass of wine and left with a bow. "So what works better here?" Biscuit asked me. "Should I feed you like you're a preschooler, or should I steal food from you like I'm homeless?" I laughed. "I'd like to eat like a normal person, thank you very much." "Gee." He muttered. "Where's the romance in that?" Biscuit's cutlery skills were like poetry and I realised he could be plenty civilised when he wanted to. The pasta was beyond amazing and for dessert he'd ordered chocolate cake. "Man after my own heart." I muttered as I saw the thing almost melting on my plate. Biscuit was the poster child of innocence. "Have I given you the impression that I'm after anything else, Shortcake?" "At. Every. Single. Chance." I rolled my eyes. "Your intentions are about as pure as my dress." "Then let me take it off." He returned, almost by habit. "For the holy purpose of ridding the world of temptations." I smiled in triumph. It slowly dawned on Biscuit, and as he slammed his fist on the table, it took every last bit of my self control not to laugh like an evil scientist. "I win." *** Victoria : "Like because double update. XD"

? Episode 36 ? "Losing battles" ✍️ Written by Jchrist (African Goodboy) ____________________________________________ ? Victoria P. O. V "At. The. Last. Fücking. Minute." Biscuit groaned, going full-on mope mode. "Just smack me already and call me a dirty bästard. I'll just go home, watch Baywatch and die alone." I was doing my best to keep a stern face as I got up. "Come on. I can smack you in the car." He took out his wallet, resigned. The waiter came to our table, looking at the food left on our plates. "Is everything alright, madam?" He asked me, concerned. "Is the food not to your liking?" I gave him a genuine smile. "The food was lovely. I just have an early day tomorrow. We'll definitely stop by again sometime." Biscuit looked up hopefully. It was plain weird how much he resembled an orphan puppy right then. I gave him my best bîtch face. He went back to moping. We put on our coats, and headed to the front door. Biscuit almost subconsciously held the door open for me and while he didn't notice the gesture, I certainly did. We walked back to the parking lot, him mumbling, me trying my hardest not to ruin this by doing something stupid. Like laughing. Not yet. The parking lot had a few cars parked, but otherwise it was dark and deserted. Biscuit just about to get in the car when I caught his shirt in a fist. I pushed him back against the window glass, one hand on his chest, the other holding his tie. He looked at me in stunned silence : for once, I knew I'd caught him completely by surprise. "What are you doing?" He asked, quietly. "I'm giving you another chance." I said, pulling his tie down, so his lips barely touched mine. Biscuit's breathing got ragged real fast. His arm snaked around my waist and pulled my body close to him. The other broke my grip and in a moment, he'd hauled me onto the hood, hitching my legs over his hip. And just like that, my breath hitched and I was hot in places way too close to his chiselled body. I definitely hadn't thought this through. In this light, Biscuit's hair was dark as the night, his crystal blue eyes saturated with lust. He smelled like cologne and fresh spice. His muscles were tense and he reminded me of a caged animal. I felt the cold metal of his ring as he brushed my lips. "You told me you wanted a gentleman." He said, his deep blue eyes darker than ever. "So I'll give you one last chance to save yourself and find another one. Because we both know I'm not going to stop with one little peck on the lips." I ran a hand through his hair, as he looked at me like I was the centre of his universe. "Stick to your playbook then." I said, sounding bolder than I felt. "Shut up and don't stop." He didn't bother being gentle. His kisses were hungry and passionate, raw in the wildest sense of the word. His fingers went straight for my shoulders, snapping the chains so the pearls fell to the pavement. His tongue skilfully made me forget everything but him, his hands tracing that low neckline with thinly veiled curiosity. My fingers tangled in his hair, as he got me hot, hungry and hurting. I was completely at his mercy, and in that moment, I needed him like the very breath he'd stolen from me. I knew then I was the only one who'd lost tonight. I'd lost my control, my soul, my very sanity to this adorable, infuriating son of a bîtch. As his lips left mine to kiss my neck, I whimpered in annoyance. He smiled in victory, nipping at my tender skin, leaving a mark. " Mia." He whispered in my ear. "Mia per sempre." I took a deep breath. "What does that mean?" I needed to know. "You're mine." Biscuit said, simply. "You've always been mine." I saw no point in protesting it anymore. In that moment, he'd created our own little world, he'd stopped time in it, and he'd started a miracle. If I didn't believe in magic, I sure as hell did now. Biscuit suddenly let go of me, and I almost fell face first on the ground. What the actual fück? I was one good explanation away from punching him. I sat cross legged on the car, extremely pissed off. "After everything I put you through, that's all you've got?" I was fuming. The saddest part of this being that I was still very much hot and bothered. Dear God, I was definitely going to hell . "Some game you talk, mister." He wasn't listening to me. "Do you hear that?" Biscuit asked me, looking around, his eyes sharp. And through my heated haze, I finally heard it. The rhythmic muffled beeping. It seemed to be coming from the car's chassis. I jumped off the hood, looking underneath the car. Four glowing red digits stared back at me, counting down. 00:27...00:26...00:25... Fück . "The car's rigged. We need to get out of here." I almost grabbed Biscuit's hand. "Go on, do your disappearing gig." Biscuit closed his eyes and I followed suit, expecting that now familiar choke-the-air-out-of-you sensation of travelling a thousand miles a second. When I opened them again, I expected to see the Taj Mahal or something. All I saw was a stunned Biscuit stranded in a car park, with a fücking bomb ten inches away. "I can't." The waiter, the wine, all of it came rushing back to me. And suddenly I knew why he seemed so familiar. Why I couldn't possibly have recognised him. I'd never seen his face after all. The client. I couldn't help but think about how I got here in the first place : stalking Biscuit in a waitress costume. I would've appreciated the irony. If I wasn't scared of blowing up to bits, that is. "Run!" We didn't have time, so we ducked behind the farthest car here, hitting the asphalt hard. The pearls on my back bit into my skin and my heels broke, but I didn't care. For the first time, I knew there was a very real possibility we could both die tonight. The heat wave followed a blast of light and we were tossed away like paper dolls. I could feel the flames almost licking at my skin and the shards of glass piercing my arms. I closed my eyes, feeling Biscuit's hand in mine, suddenly feeling sadder than I ever had. If that bästard dies after all this, I will fücking murder him. *** Victoria : "Every LIKE saves a life."

Hope you will survive this...nnext

? Episode 37 ?Death and Wiskipedia ✍️Written by Jchrist (African Goodboy ) ___________________________________________ Xavier P. O. V Pain is good. Pain means you're still alive. At least that's what I kept telling myself. Fun fact : most Immortals hadn't seen death all up in their business, but I had. Death didn't bring you a bunch of roses, buy you a beer and carry you off to a hunky dory afterlife. Death hit you over the head, dragging away your pathetic soul kicking and screaming, while everyone you loved watched you leave this dust mote of a planet. At least that's what happened to my mom. Yet being the dumbäss I was, it never hit me once that it could happen to me. Until today. For all I knew, Death was probably sipping a dry martini on a beach somewhere going, "Well, this is what you get for being a cocky bästard. Tick tock, motherfücker." "Pardon me, but Azrael would never be so uncouth." The voice in my head was familiar and instantly I was reminded of the last time I'd met this guy. He was older than time itself and had a fetish for breaking my bones. Israfel. I opened my eyes, trying not to scream. My body felt like a truck had run over it, and I could barely breathe without hurting something. Everything around me was reduced to rubble and ashes from the bomb's explosion. Everything, except Victoria's body floating overhead. Her eyes were rolled back, and she was barely breathing. That son of a bîtch Archangel was possessing her this time, breaking her wounded body further. I knew for a fact death would've been an upgrade to that. "I could always just ask Azrael to come and get you both, Xavier." The Archangel said. " Death is my brother, after all." Let her go, Israfel. I thought, knowing he could hear me. "Oh, but I can't do that." He said, casually. " How else would I talk to you, Prince Grigori?" Take a nice, long look at me. I thought. Do let me know if I look like I give a fück so I can try and change that. Victoria's body twisted. "Disrespectful child." He tsked, and I heard a bone break. " If I were you, I'd shut up and listen." I turned my head away, welcoming the pain. If I kept watching him play with her like a rag doll, I'd lose my mind. " I owe you for setting me free ." The Archangel said, with a hint of annoyance. " And I hate debts. So I traded your soul back from Azrael. With great difficulty, I must add." I would've laughed if I could. So technically, I had died. Azrael was the Archangel of death, after all.With great difficulty? I thought. I bet he took one look at my soul and "Nah, you can have this one, bruh." I heard a laugh. "Again, Azrael talks like he's Shakespeare's uncle." Victoria's body relaxed a little . "And I don't know why you believe your soul is tarnished, child." You're kidding, right? I thought. Or didn't you see me use magic to turn off a CFL? The Archangel scoffed . "Babysitting you, believe it or not, isn't high on my priorities." Why then are you saving my life? I asked him, honestly. And don't give me all that "I owe you" bullshît. You broke out of that library yourself. Victoria's body went perfectly still. "I'm saving your life because some lives are worth saving." The Archangel paused, not saying anything further about that. "And why would you imbeciles imprison me in a library in the first place? Do I look a fücking Wikipedia to your kind?" Israfel was a proud ässhole, but he was the only proud ässhole who could see the past, the present and the future. Fair enough. He muttered, letting go of Victoria, so her body fell next to mine. " Oh, and try not to use your soul to roast marshmallows next time, Prince Grigori." I gave him a small twitch of my lips and he was gone. I coughed up blood, my throat feeling like sandpaper. All I wanted to do was collapse all over again. But I did my best to stay awake and examine Victoria. Her dress was almost entirely ripped and burnt, glass embedded in her skin, a pool of blood under her. I forced myself to move closer to her and physically that was pretty much the extent of my capabilities. Magically however? I noticed that the effects of the wine had worn off. Under whatever willpower I had left, her body rose in the air and began healing itself. The glass pieces fell out and her skin closed over her wounds. The blood returned to her body, through the vein she'd bled out of, leaving the dust behind. Eventually, she opened her eyes with a scream because forcing half a gallon of blood back into you couldn't have felt amazing. I did my best to set her back on the ground gently. Going by the swearing, I probably didn't do a good job. "Biscuit!" Her voice sounded very far away. "Biscuit! Please wake up!" As I closed my eyes again, I was sure I saw a bright light in the sky and a tsking in my head. I smiled. Tick tock, motherfücker. *** When I opened my eyes again, I was looking at myself lying on a bed, reflected in a ceiling mirror. I noticed I could cringe at the tackiness without feeling like I was in hell. Always a good sign. Kiera was sitting on the sofa, and in typical Kiera fashion, yelling at the screen watching F1 without noticing that I'd woken up. Victoria, on the other hand, was looking at me from the corner of the room like a ghost. I got off the bed, slowly stretching to test for pain. "How are you feeling?" She asked, quietly. "Good." I said, hoping that would make her happy. I was clearly wrong. She stood up from her seat, taking long strides toward me. Her expression rivalled Medusa's on a bad hair day. "You fücking idiot!" She yelled, trying to punch me. "You could've bloody well died! What in heaven's name were you even thinking trying to heal me? You idiotic, miserable son of a bîtch..." It went on for a while. I dodged her jabs by instinct, not taking into account that I probably deserved it. Kiera looked at both of us, startled. "I-I think I'm going to go now -" She began to say. "Stay!" We both yelled. Kiera sat back down, almost in fear. "Aren't you two glad you're alive?" "Yes." Still chorusing. "Then shouldn't you sit down and discuss that like adults?" "Of course not." Kiera sighed. Eventually, I let her punch me. Victoria looked at me in shock, as I rubbed my jaw and winced. "Shît. I-I didn't really mean to. Does it hurt-" I laughed, pulling her into my arms and kissed her forehead. Victoria hit my chest, her voice shaky. "Idiot." I ruffled her hair. "You punched me for saving your life and I'm the idiot?" "You're always the idiot." Kiera said from the sofa. "Shut up." Always a good sign when you say it together. *** Xavier : "Every Like gets a lesson in magic." XD

✏ Episode 38 ?"Yoda in the spotlight" ✍️ Written by Jchrist (African Goodboy) __________________________________________ ? Daniel P. O. V Bringing a vampire to a beach was either the worst idea I'd ever had - Or considering the fact that I could use sunscreen as an excuse to rub her shoulders, a stroke of pure genius. Yes. We've established I'm a horrible, horrible person. Moving on. "Do you come here often, Your Highness?" Adriana was wearing shades that covered half her face. It would've made her look like a moth, but she was also wearing a pink sundress with dainty white ribbons on it. Too damn adorable for a moth. The sunlight wouldn't burn her kind, but it did make her a little uncomfortable. I held her hand, feeling the waves touch my feet. "This is my favourite place." I answered her, honestly. I smiled, thinking about it. "I used to come here with a friend. See, we'd have a bet on who could make the most impressive jump off that cliff." I pointed to the sharp dangerous thing that hovered overhead. I'd managed to find a path down today for Adriana, but Xavier would've just pushed me off. Because routinely trying to kill each other is clearly what strengthens friendships. I'd always pull up when I fell, just before I touched the water. I was terrified of the ocean for some insane reason. "So you'd fly?" Adrian asked, excited. "Yep." I replied. "The winner would be the guy with the fastest pair of wings." "So did you win a lot?" I smiled sadly. Xavier's wings always had been a work of art. "Not once." Adriana turned to the sea, sensing the change in my mood. She didn't say anything, but she shifted just a little closer to me so her feet touched mine. Odd how much that made me feel better, just knowing she was there. What's wrong with me? "So being a Princess." I started, awkwardly. "Ever been locked up in a tower or anything?" Seriously. What is wrong with me? Adriana laughed. "No, but I did lose the key to my apartment once." "Gee, I wonder how many dragons you slayed to get inside." "Vampires don't slay dragons." She said, simply. "We just slay. Especially in heels." Well played. "Well, you know what angels slay?" She looked at me curiously as I got up. I offered my hand, happy with that gasp of surprise when I pulled her close to me. "The air." My wings spread in two great arcs over my shoulders, pure white feathers with a brush of gold at the edges. Adriana looked at me in awe, taking off her glasses. "Can I touch them?" She asked me, a little shy. I smiled. "Sure." She reached out and stroked one feather. Angel wings were very sensitive, so I could feel every tremor in her touch. "They're amazing." Her eyes sparkled. "Hold on." I said, smiling. "It gets way better." I swept her off her feet in one move. Adriana gasped, gripping my T shirt as I took off. The air against my wings and the sweet burn from the exercise made me feel like I was finally home after the longest time. Adriana, on the other hand, had her eyes shut tight. Eventually I reached a height I could comfortably hover at. "Open your eyes." I told her gently. "Are you sure? Because I tend to get sea sick and -" "Do you trust me?" She slowly opened her eyes, blinking as they adjusted. It was intensely satisfying watching her wonder as she looked at the city beyond the beach and the forestry. Vetresca's metal and glass skyline glimmered in the sunlight, far away. "It's beautiful." She said, looking at the city then at my wings. I felt a sudden pang of guilt. It's not mine. Neither my wings nor my kingdom. I dove downward, almost touching the waves. Adriana reached for the water, drawing a line with her finger in the sea, laughing. I noticed a good deal of my clothes were soaked when we returned to the shore. I took off my shirt, squeezing the water out. I hardly thought about it until I saw Adriana shrug out of her dress, wearing a thin petticoat underneath. I'd suddenly forgotten a lot of useless things. The value of pi, my address, how to close my mouth, how to use my lungs - Not. Fücking. Important. The Princess blushed, watching my reaction. It was just my luck she was wearing hot pink underwear under that soaking wet shift. Keep. It. Together. "Lord, have mercy." I said under my breath, turning away to give her some privacy. "Excuse me, Your Highness?" She asked, genuinely curious. "Mercy." I repeated, softly. "I didn't really peg you as a thong girl." "I'm not." I heard a laugh. "But I like surprising you." It didn't take too long after that for me flip a middle finger to my chivalry and chase her down on the sand. Adriana danced away from me, grinning each time. Eventually, I caught her and she tripped, dragging me down with her. From far away I heard a faint clicking, but I shrugged it off. Adriana was on the sand, all playfulness gone as her body pressed against mine, her breathing ragged and her heart hammering. "Mercy." Adriana whispered, as I kissed her softly. "I think I'm falling in love with you." "I think that's amazing." I said, my wings shielding her from everything we wanted to run away from. "Because I think I already have." When we got back home, it was almost night time. We'd gone out for sushi, I'd shown her the ruins of that poor library and we'd discussed why Yoda was awesome. "Sleep together, let's?" I'd asked as a joke. "May the force be with you." She'd shot back. Marcus opened the door to the mansion and from his expression, it took me a minute for it to sink in that I was enjoying myself a little too much. "Whatever it is, it can wait." I'd told him naively, heading inside and showing Adriana to her room before I went to my study. Marcus came inside after a few minutes. "Check your phone, sire." "Wow." I muttered, finding the thing. "No 'hey, sup? How you been doing-'" My notifications had blown up way more than usual. It took me a while to get through them but I understood the basic pattern. They could all be traced back to a couple of photos leaked online. Of a very provocative young woman on the beach. Under the future King of Vetresca. Who accordingly to the world, was still engaged to another woman. "Sup?" Marcus said slowly. "How you been doing, Daniel?" *** Daniel : "LIKE BECAUSE YODA SENDS HIS REGARDS."

Episode 39 “Pretty things and little lies" Written by Jchrist(African Good Boy) _______________________________________________ Victoria P. O. V I'm going to meet my friend. There's fruit on the table. Don't do anything stupid. Biscuit I woke up to that super polite note and I didn't know what annoyed me more. The fact that he'd given me fruit or the fact that there was only an empty bowl left. Courtesy of a certain magical chicken eyeing me in disdain. I had no idea how the thing came inside, considering the windows were all locked and the curtains drawn. The Phoenix looked at the crow's nest that was my hair with marked judgment. "Yeah, like you're on the cover of Vogue." I muttered, getting up. "Did that bästard let you in?" Now I'm talking to a bird. Fantastic. I brushed my teeth and took a shower. Wrapping a towel around myself, I headed to the wardrobe. Said bird followed, watching me with curiosity. "If you're a girl, it's ok to feel a little jealous - not all of us have feathers for an ass." I muttered, going through the hangers. "If you're a boy, congratulations. Biscuit's trained you look at half naked women real well." I found a pair of oversized PJs with little unicorns on them and I knew I had a choice. I could've played nice. I could've stayed in, watched some Breaking Bad and pined over Biscuit like a bored housewife. Should've, would've, could've. I put on a pair of skinny jeans and a black shirt. Grabbing the gun under my pillow, I looked at the note on the dresser and turned it over. PS - If you're going to pick the lock anyway, use a bobby pin and not my gun. Lady Terencia likes weird äss doors and that woman is not to be screwed with. I rolled my eyes, smiling a little. One smart cookie I'd picked. Opening the door as suggested - because of course, he'd locked my door as it was his Biscuitly duty to try to annoy me even when he wasn't around - I walked past the hallway of expensive, tasteful and ultimately meaningless stuff. I was about to turn left toward the stairs when one of the cases caught my attention. A crown of gold and diamonds stared back at me from a glass case. A smaller circle of rubies and silver rested on a cushion beside it. Oddly, it was never the craftsmanship, elegance or the significance of jewellery that caught my eye. My mental estimate of a million dollar price tag always did the trick though. Kleptomania was useful like that. "I could just give it to you." A woman's voice said behind me. "But you will have to promise me you'll wear it someday." I turned around to see a woman with amethyst eyes and short platinum blonde hair. She could've easily passed as the most stunning person I'd ever seen, intricate gold ink tattoos running down her neck and arms along her veins. She was wearing a long black dress, just standing there still like a shadow. "Done." I promised. "I'll even post a picture on instagram. This definitely beats that flower crown bullshît." She smiled wisely. "You must be Victoria." Did Biscuit distribute my biography to everyone in the whole dämn country? "And you must be Storm from X-Men?" She laughed. "Good guess. My name's Anna. I'm Kiera's partner." "Biscuit's sister's girlfriend ." I muttered. "Why should I expect nothing lesser than the angel version of Halle Berry?" "You flatter me." Anna smiled. "Yes." I said, stating a fact. "I'm always nice to people who intend to give me shiny things." "I'll give you that crown or I can tell you where your Biscuit is. You are looking for him, right?" "Gee," I rolled my eyes. "An idiot or a huge diamond crown that would put me on the Forbes list? Tough choice." She looked me in the eyes. "Indeed." I thought about it and unfortunately there was only answer. I sighed. "Tell me where that son of a bîtch is." I shrugged, wistfully. "I'll just steal this thing later." Anna smiled. "He's at the mansion." She even gave me directions to get there. "And I wouldn't steal this one if I were you." "Why not?" "Replicas aren't worth half as much as the original." She said, distinctly. "Oh, and piece of advice? You should ask your boyfriend for his name sometime." "Not my boyfriend." I corrected her by habit. She simply smiled. "The best lies are the ones we never talk about. Have a nice day, Victoria." I thanked her and headed to the garage, feeling more than a little confused despite the simplicity of what she'd said. I realised that in the aftermath of that bomb, I'd never spoken to Biscuit about that kiss. I'd simply been hoping to get it all out of my system, or keep it a casual thing at best. It was nothing but a little animal attraction. It couldn't be anything else. Right ? I knew nothing about him. And honestly, I didn't want to. An ageing, dying mortal and a perverted, pureblood angel simply did not go together. Why are you trying to find him then? A small part of my mind thought. You don't give a dämn? Stay here. Better yet, break your sister out of prison and leave Vetresca. I need to find the client. I thought reasonably. I started this. It's not right if I leave now. I should've laughed at myself. A trained professional murderer and thief. Since when do you give a fück about doing the right thing? And now I was talking to myself. At least the bird hadn't called me out for the filthy little liar I was. The garage had a lot of beautiful cars and as much I would've loved to hotwire the brand new Aventador, they were all too conspicuous. That's when I noticed the shiny black Ducati with the leather jacket and helmet hanging from a hook. Let's go for a little ride. *** Victoria : "LIKE BECAUSE SCREW TIARAS. REAL QUEENS WEAR LEATHER JACKETS ." XD

Episode 40 “Short, red and smoking hot" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ Xavier P. O. V "I can explain." Danny began. "I bet you can." I propped up my feet, downing a glass of Scotch. "Only I can't hear you because your head is so far up Adriana's äss." Daniel sighed, running a hand through his hair. Going by the photos, the vampire chick was similar enough to pass as her sister. Probably the only time in history The Daily Express prevented a war by getting their headline wrong. " Crown Prince of Vetresca, Xavier Grigori shows new found affection for fiancé, Princess Alexandra." I read out, rolling my eyes. There were so many things wrong with that, it was like Autocorrect wrote it. "Could this be the start of a feisty marriage for the hottest new power couple in town? Extra, Extra, read all about it." Daniel cringed. "What do I tell her?" "Danny, Danny, Danny." I shook my head. He truly was lost. "The more important question would be "What do you tell him ?" It was the tiniest, most inconsequential thing most of the papers had missed. The leech's pretty mismatched eyes. "Darius is going to want a damn good reason for screwing with the wrong sister." I said, knowing it would be the first thing he would notice. I smiled. "The devil is literally in the details." "No." Daniel threw his head back, hopeless. "The devil is going to mount my head on a spike and feed my balls to his dog." He paused, considering it. "What dog does Darius have?" I rolled my eyes. "The three headed kind that rolls out the welcome mat to the underworld." "I just happen to have a German Shepherd called Cerberus." A voice said from the bar's entrance. "Then again, you'd make good kibble for a fücking beagle." Daniel turned white as snow. Somehow he put on a good show of acting like his worst nightmare wasn't standing at the door, leaning on a cane with a foot long blade inside it. "I can explain -" Danny started all over again. "He truly can't. May I take a shot at this?" I interrupted, subtly making sure I was standing between him and Darius. "Shut the fück up and leave." Darius could've given Antarctica a run for its money with the ice in his tone. "This stays between royalty." God bless mother irony. "Lol, Your Highness." I told Danny, rolling my eyes. "As your oh so loyal subject , what do you think I should do?" "I think you should make sure I leave here with my head still on my shoulders." Danny muttered to me. The temperature dropped about two degrees. "Yeah, I don't think that's a possibility." Darius answered for me, that cane turning into sharp metal with one flick of his wrist. I had a two guns on me and we could've had a fun day, playing the family friendly game of Leech King vs. Beggar Prince Round 2. But as Darius advanced towards me, all I did was hold my hands up. "Do you know I can bake red velvet cake?" "Why the bloody hell would I know that?" I was surprised the windows weren't frosting over. "Now please excuse me. I need to kill you, then the ungrateful son of a bîtch who's fücking my sister." "Is that really necessary though?" I asked, dancing out of his way as he came at me with his blade. "Let's just chill and talk about French pastry, bro." " Bro ?!" Darius paused to glare at Daniel. "Where the hell did you find this idiot?" "Well," Daniel shrugged. "He called my first grade English teacher a hot bîtch with a fine äss and got away with it. We've been best friends ever since." "You have my respect." Darius told me solemnly, going for my neck. "And my condolences." "Oh, I can teach you how to do that." I offered, missing the tip of the blade by an inch. "And bake. And eat the stuff you bake. In style whilst flirting with Miss. Robins." "What is with you and the cake?" Darius was livid. "Cake tastes damn good, bro." I emphasised, smiling. "Especially when it's short, red and smoking hot." Daniel groaned knowing exactly what I was talking about. "Please tell me your cake is locked up in an oven or something?" I thought about it. "Well, I did put some fruit next to it." "Are you fücking kidding me right now?" Darius was deathly quiet. "I don't have time for your Bake off bullshît." The temperature in the room dropped further. "Yo, Elsa." I said, swiftly dodging his steady advances. "Trying to have a meaningful conversation here." "Oh, don't mind me." Darius worked the blade so fast I couldn't even see it anymore. "I'm just trying to carve your heart out. Would make a great little topper for that cake of yours. See, I can discuss pansy stuff too." "You should relax more." Our little blade dance was getting intense. Darius managed to cut me twice. "Maybe I should put some weed in it for good measure." "I think I need it more than him." Danny muttered, sweating profusely just watching us. "Enough!" Darius yelled, thrusting the blade with one final move into my chest. I fell forward, as he pulled the thing out, coughing blood. It would heal soon enough but I couldn't breathe. The vampire King went for Daniel next, and I couldn't do anything. I felt entirely powerless as pure raw fear clouded Danny's expression. Just as Darius was about to go for his throat, a woman dematerialised in front of him, closing her eyes. I had to hand it to him. Danny certainly knew how to pick his women. If I'd thought Adriana was shy before, she looked nothing like it now. Her eyes were both gold with magic, as she stood her ground between her brother and her Prince. "Move." Darius said, roughly. "No." "Please don't do this, Adriana -" "I'll do whatever I want." She said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I love this man and I'd like to marry him." "And what of your sister?" Adriana hesitated. As much as she liked Danny and despite their differences, it was evident she loved her sister. Breaking this wedding off was blatantly insulting her in front of the world. She couldn't answer him. So I did. "Alexandra doesn't care about you, right?" I asked Danny. He shrugged, and after twelve long years with him, I'd come to understand that with Danny that always meant "well, I may or may not have slept with that woman." I sighed. "If you can convince your sister and put on some contacts," I told Adriana. "You two could still get married." Everyone in the room contemplated it. "You want me to pretend to be my sister?" "You want me to marry Adriana without breaking it off with the other one?" "You want them to fool an entire continent?" Wouldn't be the first time I tried that. Adriana thankfully took up my cause and convinced Darius. He eventually calmed down enough to consider the possibility. Daniel downed his Vodka, the fake Prince watching his fake bride in adoration. "One hell of a scandal if we pull this off." "Scandals are for royalty." I muttered, catching a glimpse of red hair through the window. "Some gentlemen prefer cake." *** Xavier : "I'm WRITING A COOKBOOK CALLED LIKE FOR THAT RED VELVET." XD

Fake prince and a fake bride... loving this

Episode 41 Devil can draw Written by Jchrist (Good boy) ___,______________,___________,_________,__ Victoria P. O. V "I get that you can't keep your hands off me, Shortcake. But stalking me is illegal." I turned around slowly from my viewing spot behind the window. Naturally I'd zoned out for minute and Biscuit had to be standing behind me, looking like an incredibly self-satisfied statue of Adonis. I wanted to punch those goddämn dimples off. "I am not stalking you." I glared at him, mostly mad at myself for getting caught. "And since when do you care about breaking the law?" "I don't." He admitted. "I do however care about handcuffing criminals to my bed." Why was I still blushing like a neon sign at his cheesy pick up lines? Dear hormones, can you just stop? "Why are you here, Shortcake?" He took a moment to size up my outfit, leather jacket and all. He whistled low. "You could definitely ride more than a bike if you keep that thing on." Why was I here? Besides the ultimate purpose of showing off the excellent blood flow in my cheeks, that is? "I wanted to talk to you." I said, after the cursory head smack. "About something important." He led me upstairs to a study. It had a large oak desk with neatly lined stationary, wood furnished with glass cabinets and the no nonsense air of a professional workspace. Thankfully I had more to discuss than a petty little kiss, which honestly would've been insulting the room. "So I've been thinking about that night." Biscuit didn't need a reference. "I couldn't sleep at all the last couple of days, and I just realised something." "What might that be?" "We saw the client, right?" I sat on the desk, as Biscuit settled into a chair. "Did you recognise him?" He thought for a moment. "No." "But you know who might?" I said, pausing for the big reveal. "His victims." Biscuit arched a brow. "Think about it." I said. "No one would give someone ten million dollars to murder someone unless it was something personal. Someone they knew. "You always hire an assassin when you don't want to get your hands dirty. Because you're too recognisable." "That's a nice theory." He said, shrugging. "Only his targets are all paying their dues to the ferryman right now." "Except one." I said, meaningfully. "And he had a beer with you ten minutes ago." Biscuit finally had his eureka moment. Which unfortunately vanished just as soon as it had come. "We're the only ones who saw him. We don't exactly have a selfie with that guy." I crossed my legs, smiling. "We do however have an artist." I said slowly. "Think you can draw him from memory?" He nodded, cautiously. "Well, I might need to use yours too." I took out a sheet from one of the drawers, and handed him a pencil, rolling my eyes. "Like you've needed permission to get inside my head before." Biscuit did a little more than read my thoughts this time, picking through my mind so thoroughly, it was like I was reliving that night at the diner again. His hands were precise and skilful even when his eyes weren't on the paper. He took less than an hour to finish the sketch and somehow I knew that if he took more time it could get damn near close to a photo. "How are you so good at this?" I muttered, ruffling his hair without thinking about it. Biscuit smiled, winking. "I have very patient hands." He was still playing that mental reel of our date in my head and it moved on to the parking lot. "Well," I joked. "Your patience bar was kinda running low then." "Some would say you burnt it all up." His eyes were hooded with heat, as he saw it through my eyes. I was still on the desk, inches away from his sketch. Biscuit pulled me down, so I was sitting on his lap, my legs on either side of him. I arched a brow. "Oh, we don't have to do anything." He said, stroking my hair. "This is just way more comfortable." I laughed. "Because at 145 pounds, I'd make a great pillow." "Especially since the pillow likes dirty talk." His arms wound around my waist and his lips traced my jaw, whispering sweet nothings. I couldn't help smiling, looking at the sincere affection in his eyes. "What are you doing, Biscuit?" I asked him, honestly. "You're not allowed to look at me like that." "Why not?" He said, simply. "I like you. And you like me." "That's not true -" I began to say. He kissed my earlobe, and he didn't have to read my mind to know how far gone I was. That desperate whimper sent more signals than a fricking lighthouse. "Ok, maybe just a little." I muttered. He laughed. "If that's a little, I'd love to hear what's a lot." "We can't do this." I told him, trying to be the voice of reason. "Well, maybe we can do that but don't, you know, get all mushy on me." Because feelings were a guaranteed one way ticket to the messy shîtshow called a relationship. "Honey, if I was after your body, you'd be on the floor right now wearing nothing but those pretty heels." His eyes were dark, his voice husky. "I could rip off your clothes with just my teeth and you wouldn't have done anything to stop me. Am I right?" I nodded slowly, knowing he'd nailed it. "A woman's body might excite a mortal but I'm not one of those, remember?" His lips brushed my cheek softly, his eyes telling me everything I didn't want to know. "So what are you after?" "I'm your personal devil, Shortcake." He said, kissing me. "I'm after your soul." The door to the study creaked open and in an odd turn of events, I was the one swearing. Biscuit laughed, helping me up as his friend came inside. The guy looked at us, shook his head and went to the glass cabinets. "Oh, don't mind me." He muttered. "The Best friend of the year award goes to you for banging the chick who tried to kill me and I do not want to hear the acceptance speech." "There was no banging." I muttered. "Ladies and gentlemen," Biscuit began. "I'd like to thank Princess Shîtty Timing here for the glaring lack of banging in my life." "You're fücking welcome." He glared at me. "Glad you dodged that bullet." "That bullet is going to punch you in your pretty little face and have a nice time counting the number of teeth that fall out." I said, meaning it. "Dodge that, ässhat." Biscuit got up, wrapping an arm tightly around my waist so I couldn't move. "Let's all just calm down, shall we?" He said. "And we have something to show you." "If it's your sextape, I'll pass, thanks." I squirmed out of his grip and punched him. Biscuit didn't stop me, trying not to laugh as his friend threw his hands up. "Well, you kinda deserved that." Biscuit admitted fairly, but he pulled me away for good measure. He gave the guy his sketch. "Do you recognise this man?" There was spark of knowledge in his eyes but he was confused. "You've never met him." He said, hesitantly. "How did you draw -" "Just tell me who he is." Biscuit said, serious. "For kicks and giggles." He opened his mouth to say something but then he looked at me in a "I can't talk about this with her here" kinda way. "Give us a minute?" Biscuit asked me earnestly. "Of course." I said, generously with a mock curtsy and a wide smile. I made no move to leave because fück him and his little games. I had this idea, I sure as hell was seeing it through. Biscuit sighed. "Tell me." He said. "It's alright." The Prince looked at Biscuit unwaveringly, like he knew what he said would mean something significant to him. "That's my brother." He said simply. "Why did you want to know?" *** Victoria : "lik"Well, I might need to use yours too." I took out a sheet from one of the drawers, and handed him a pencil, rolling my eyes. "Like you've needed permission to get inside my head before." Biscuit did a little more than read my thoughts this time, picking through my mind so thoroughly, it was like I was reliving that night at the diner again. His hands were precise and skilful even when his eyes weren't on the paper. He took less than an hour to finish the sketch and somehow I knew that if he took more time it could get damn near close to a photo. "How are you so good at this?" I muttered, ruffling his hair without thinking about it. Biscuit smiled, winking. "I have very patient hands." He was still playing that mental reel of our date in my head and it moved on to the parking lot. "Well," I joked. "Your patience bar was kinda running low then." "Some would say you burnt it all up." His eyes were hooded with heat, as he saw it through my eyes. I was still on the desk, inches away from his sketch. Biscuit pulled me down, so I was sitting on his lap, my legs on either side of him. I arched a brow. "Oh, we don't have to do anything." He said, stroking my hair. "This is just way more comfortable." I laughed. "Because at 145 pounds, I'd make a great pillow." "Especially since the pillow likes dirty talk." His arms wound around my waist and his lips traced my jaw, whispering sweet nothings. I couldn't help smiling, looking at the sincere affection in his eyes. "What are you doing, Biscuit?" I asked him, honestly. "You're not allowed to look at me like that." "Why not?" He said, simply. "I like you. And you like me." "That's not true -" I began to say. He kissed my earlobe, and he didn't have to read my mind to know how far gone I was. That desperate whimper sent more signals than a fricking lighthouse. "Ok, maybe just a little." I muttered. He laughed. "If that's a little, I'd love to hear what's a lot." "We can't do this." I told him, trying to be the voice of reason. "Well, maybe we can do that but don't, you know, get all mushy on me." Because feelings were a guaranteed one way ticket to the messy shîtshow called a relationship. "Honey, if I was after your body, you'd be on the floor right now wearing nothing but those pretty heels." His eyes were dark, his voice husky. "I could rip off your clothes with just my teeth and you wouldn't have done anything to stop me. Am I right?" I nodded slowly, knowing he'd nailed it. "A woman's body might excite a mortal but I'm not one of those, remember?" His lips brushed my cheek softly, his eyes telling me everything I didn't want to know. "So what are you after?" "I'm your personal devil, Shortcake." He said, kissing me. "I'm after your soul." The door to the study creaked open and in an odd turn of events, I was the one swearing. Biscuit laughed, helping me up as his friend came inside. The guy looked at us, shook his head and went to the glass cabinets. "Oh, don't mind me." He muttered. "The Best friend of the year award goes to you for banging the chick who tried to kill me and I do not want to hear the acceptance speech." "There was no banging." I muttered. "Ladies and gentlemen," Biscuit began. "I'd like to thank Princess Shîtty Timing here for the glaring lack of banging in my life." "You're fücking welcome." He glared at me. "Glad you dodged that bullet." "That bullet is going to punch you in your pretty little face and have a nice time counting the number of teeth that fall out." I said, meaning it. "Dodge that, ässhat." Biscuit got up, wrapping an arm tightly around my waist so I couldn't move. "Let's all just calm down, shall we?" He said. "And we have something to show you." "If it's your sextape, I'll pass, thanks." I squirmed out of his grip and punched him. Biscuit didn't stop me, trying not to laugh as his friend threw his hands up. "Well, you kinda deserved that." Biscuit admitted fairly, but he pulled me away for good measure. He gave the guy his sketch. "Do you recognise this man?" There was spark of knowledge in his eyes but he was confused. "You've never met him." He said, hesitantly. "How did you draw -" "Just tell me who he is." Biscuit said, serious. "For kicks and giggles." He opened his mouth to say something but then he looked at me in a "I can't talk about this with her here" kinda way. "Give us a minute?" Biscuit asked me earnestly. "Of course." I said, generously with a mock curtsy and a wide smile. I made no move to leave because fück him and his little games. I had this idea, I sure as hell was seeing it through. Biscuit sighed. "Tell me." He said. "It's alright." The Prince looked at Biscuit unwaveringly, like he knew what he said would mean something significant to him. "That's my brother." He said simply. "Why did you want to know?" *** Victoria : "LIKE BECAUSE LIFE GETS BETTER WITH YOUR OWN PERSONAL DEVIL"

Episode 42 “BONUS Episode #2" Q&A with Biscuit in the comments Xavier P. O. V I see the flames rage, In the depths of your ivy eyes. I'd watch your soul age Lost in your little lies. A sea of ice in the void Where your heart once was. Any love you avoid You leave before you get lost You melt in my embrace, Felt the warmth of my touch. Teach me your hunger I'll show you desire. So scarred as you are, Walk with me, angel divine. I've fallen oh, so far - You own me, but you are mine. When I fix your wings, I know you'll fly away. Your light will consume me, And I'll perish within my darkness. But I care not for the ashes That come after the flames. I'm glad for you showed me the stars In the eternal midnight of my past. Victoria P. O. V Shortcakes are red, Biscuits aren't blue. I don't do sappy poetry, Great, now I'm hungry. Just don't get any pizza for me. You're already real cheesy.

Episode 43 “Diaries of a wimpy Shortcake” Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy] __________________________________________ Xavier P. O. V Half a bottle of Ambien, six Coronas, two cigars and you're still talking philosophy like you're Nietzsche and Newton's love child. My mind wasn't doing a great job at shutting up. I probably needed toothpicks to keep my eyes open, yet I couldn't fall asleep. Rain fell in sheets against the window panes, lightning flashing against the dark void outside. Thunder quickly followed, the smell of fresh, moist earth surrounding me like a warm blanket. I could've thought about Daniel's brother. About Darius. About anything at all, that was borderline important. Instead I was thinking about the pressing question of why dogs chased their own tails. Because restlessness was bad. But making sleep deprived half ässed conclusions was outright retarded. So it was as I was lying in my bed having an internal monologue about dog butts that I heard a knock. I got up and hastily tugged on a pair of black pants before I got the door. A very wide eyed Shortcake stood there with a pillow, her lips pouty and her hair all messed up. She also happened to be wearing something frilly, pink and feminine which I could only assume was Marcus's efforts at providing her night clothes. About time that guy got a raise. "Sup, Barbie?" "Not much, Karate Kid." She shot back, eyeing my pants. I didn't miss her also checking out my very shirtless chest. "Objectifying innocent men." I tsked, leaning against the frame. "I'm super offended." "I've offended the Sith Lord of dirty talk." She muttered, rolling her eyes. "I should be proud." "No, you should be worried. " I said, meaning it. "He's kinda turned on even though you look like Dora the Explorer right now." She blushed. "You're weird." "And you're not?" I arched a brow, looking at the pillow she'd abusively dragged from her room. "Nope." She fired back. "Perfectly functional adult member of society -" Lightning struck outside and she jumped, strangling that poor pillow till her knuckles went white. It was only a few seconds later after the thunder subsided that she calmed down. Victoria looked at me sheepishly. "Is the tiger cub scared of a little cloud action?" She shrugged, putting on a huge show of how it was no big deal. Another rumble from the skies and Victoria was shuddering so violently, I actually felt bad for teasing her. "Would you like to sleep with me?" "Yes." She answered promptly, then realised what she'd said. She blushed. "No. Well, I mean sleep somewhere in your room."

Episode 43 “Diaries of a wimpy Shortcake” Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy] __________________________________________ Xavier P. O. V Half a bottle of Ambien, six Coronas, two cigars and you’re still talking philosophy like you’re Nietzsche and Newton’s love child. My mind wasn’t doing a great job at shutting up. I probably needed toothpicks to keep my eyes open, yet I couldn’t fall asleep. Rain fell in sheets against the window panes, lightning flashing against the dark void outside. Thunder quickly followed, the smell of fresh, moist earth surrounding me like a warm blanket. I could’ve thought about Daniel’s brother. About Darius. About anything at all, that was borderline important. Instead I was thinking about the pressing question of why dogs chased their own tails. Because restlessness was bad. But making sleep deprived half ässed conclusions was outright retarded. So it was as I was lying in my bed having an internal monologue about dog butts that I heard a knock. I got up and hastily tugged on a pair of black pants before I got the door. A very wide eyed Shortcake stood there with a pillow, her lips pouty and her hair all messed up. She also happened to be wearing something frilly, pink and feminine which I could only assume was Marcus’s efforts at providing her night clothes. About time that guy got a raise. “Sup, Barbie?” “Not much, Karate Kid.” She shot back, eyeing my pants. I didn’t miss her also checking out my very shirtless chest. “Objectifying innocent men.” I tsked, leaning against the frame. “I’m super offended.” “I’ve offended the Sith Lord of dirty talk.” She muttered, rolling her eyes. “I should be proud.” “No, you should be worried. ” I said, meaning it. “He’s kinda turned on even though you look like Dora the Explorer right now.” She blushed. “You’re weird.” “And you’re not?” I arched a brow, looking at the pillow she’d abusively dragged from her room. “Nope.” She fired back. “Perfectly functional adult member of society -” Lightning struck outside and she jumped, strangling that poor pillow till her knuckles went white. It was only a few seconds later after the thunder subsided that she calmed down. Victoria looked at me sheepishly. “Is the tiger cub scared of a little cloud action?” She shrugged, putting on a huge show of how it was no big deal. Another rumble from the skies and Victoria was shuddering so violently, I actually felt bad for teasing her. “Would you like to sleep with me?” “Yes.” She answered promptly, then realised what she’d said. She blushed. “No. Well, I mean sleep somewhere in your room.” I smiled, letting her inside. "I can sleep on the couch." She mentally sized up my height and the length of the furniture. "No. I'll sleep there." I arched a brow. "Some would say you care for my comfort, shortcake." "Of course not, moron." She shot back, annoyed. "I'm being selfish. Go sleep on your giant äss bed so I feel less like a wimp." "Don't worry, champ." I ruffled her hair as she settled in. "You'd make an adorable wimp." She blushed. "Shut up." With Victoria here, I'd had slightly better luck sleeping, but I woke up a little past midnight since I was freezing. I got off the bed to offer her a blanket - The couch was empty. "Victoria?" I called out, feeling slow panic. The storm was still raging outside and there was no way she was hunky dory. I was about to pick apart the whole house when I heard a small whimper. From my closet. Oh dear Lord. Victoria was curled into a nice little ball of fear on the lower shelf, asleep but shaking with nightmares. Her muscles were rigid, her eyes clenched shut and her lips parted in a silent scream. I swore softly, realising this was how this kid probably solved all her problems. Alone in the dark, hiding away from the rest of the world. Gee, I wonder who that reminds me of. I picked her up gently and carried her to my bed, and it hit me that there was a good chance she hadn't told anybody about this. If I fücked this up, there was a good chance I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. I set her on the bed and found a pair of earphones. I put on some classic rock music just loud enough to drown out the sudden bouts of thunder and popped them in her ears. She stirred, but her body slowly relaxed. I smiled with simple pride. Which reminded me of something important. I was scoring real high in the pathetic idiot department. I was about to leave Victoria and find a way to fit my ladder like feet into that almost microscopic couch when she caught my hand, her grip iron solid. I sighed. I settled in next to her, one arm in her death grip, the other propping my head up because surprise, sleep was flipping me the bird again. It was about as comfortable as being tied to a chair. "Spooning is definitely for wimps." I muttered. "And contortionists." In my discomfort however, my head had cleared enough to consider Daniel's elder brother. All I knew about Daniel's family is that they'd come here from Valkyria and he'd lost his brother at sea when that guy had been twenty. Danny had been quite young then and while he'd never admit it, I knew that's why he was scared of the ocean, despite coming from a family of sailors. "Seek the child of birth by blood and storm ." Would certainly fit. There was just the small question of the guy being dead, and all. "A soul revived in the shadows I see." I smiled. Gotta love Archangel Wikipedia. I kept playing with the words until I couldn't think anymore. Eventually I fell into a dreamless sleep, waking up only late into the morning. Victoria was almost awake, the sun falling on her face and showing off the soft angle of her shoulder. Her pink top rode up just enough so I could see an inch of her waist. I ran a finger over the exposed skin, almost compulsively. Her spine arched back under my touch and I couldn't help skim under her dress to trace the lines of her old scars. She moaned, sensitive having just woken up. I pushed up the back of her dress and playfully unhooked her bra with my teeth. "Why didn't I let you sleep on the couch?" She muttered, completely flushed. I laughed, knowing I'd gotten her all hot and bothered. "Because you're a wimp in frills." I answered, kissing the small of her back. She buried her head in the pillow, trying not to moan. "And I find frilly wimps incredibly hot." **** Xavier : "LIKE BECAUSE TIGER CUBS ARE HIGH MAINTENANCE." XD

? Episode 44 ? “Prince hates Pixar" Written by Jchrist (African Good Boy) _________________________________________ ? Victoria Biscuit sang about as well as a pigeon. A goth pigeon that OD'd on heroin after spending five years in pigeon juvie. Boy could rap but give him Sweet Child O' Mine and you'd shoot yourself with a Gun and lay some Roses on your own grave. I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry as I watched him singing karaoke in the bar, thoroughly drunk. His friend strode into the bar right then and literally stopped in his tracks. I raised a glass to him, deciding to play nice. "Top of the evening to you, Your Royal Bästerdliness." He rolled his eyes. "Good one, Lady Bîtch Face of the Not-so-Assassin's Creed." He shot back, sitting on the furthest bar stool from mine. "What the flying fück did you do to him?" Clearly, Prince Blue Eyes - Xavier or Danny or whatever his name was - hadn't gotten Biscuit drunk enough to see this miracle. "I gave him the adult dosage of whiskey." I answered. "I think he deserves a Grammy, wouldn't you agree?" Right then, Biscuit climbed on top of a table, ripping the buttons off his shirt in what I could only assume was the start of a strip dance. The Prince was mortified. "I don't know what's funnier." I told him, downing a tequila. "Him singing like a drowning dog or you gaping like Nemo's dad." "Odd." He said, shuddering. "Because I'd like to forget this is happening. You know, like the weird blue fish?" "Dory?" I was outright offended. "Wow, you really do have memory loss." "Well, that's not possible mostly because I haven't seen the movie." He admitted. "It's official then." I pronounced. "You will henceforth be referred to as Princess Dory of House Living-under-a-rock." He rolled his eyes. "Sorry I didn't spend my time watching Disney Princess rip offs." He nursed his Cognac. "Some of us actually have a country to run." "You sure make time for ripping vampire Princess's clothes off. Careful, Disney's going to feel neglected." He glared at me. "It's not like that." He hesitated. "With her it's never been about that. It's on a different level, I guess." He thought about it real hard like he was trying to explain Planck's constant to me. "I'm in love with the way she always hesitates before she talks. The way she looks at a child like they're all little miracles. The way her eyes sparkle when she gets lost in her own world. I don't know if I'm in love with her yet but I'm certainly in love with simplest things she does." I looked at the idiot on the table, smashing a bottle on the ceiling, thinking he was juggling. The simplest things make me want to gag him and throw him in the back of a trunk. "A toast to you, Sir Ässhat." I said, solemnly. "Because one glass of liquor in you and you become Casanova. I'll be sure to pass that on to Princess Bella Swan." He definitely didn't get the reference and mumbled something in response before he went back to drinking. I rolled my eyes and went to the table, where Biscuit was in the process of tossing his expensive shiny Rolex off. "I'll take that." I said, catching it midair. "You wanna get down now, Biscuit?" "Oh, I definitely want to go down." He said. "On you." He was too high up to smack. "How about you lay off on the alcohol?" "How about you give me a dollar bill and I'll give you a private dance?" "Virgin in Haven, I will pay you everything in my bank account not to take your clothes off." The Prince fired from the counter. "Annndd... that's what she said." I shot back at him. "Ka-Ching." Understandably, his middle finger was getting a work out today. I was about to get on the table and drag Biscuit by any body part I could reach, when I heard a slow hiss. A shadow appeared by the far end of the bar, steel glinting in the dim light of the near empty room. "And the whole party's here." The client said, not bothering to hide his face anymore. "This is going to be fun." The Prince gasped through the haze of the alcohol, instantly recognising his brother. We'd told him our theories of course, but he'd been quick to dismiss it because apparently his brother would never want to kill him. The sharp metal in the client's hands told an entirely different story. "Jared." He said, quietly. "How - How are you here? I thought you -" "Oh, I died." The shadow replied evenly, moving stealthily towards us. "I have a generous friend trained in the Olden Arts." I could only assume that meant necromancy from their exchange. The Prince looked at him in wonder and it only dawned on him when a blade missed his collar that the guy was going to kill him. "What are you doing?" His eyes went wide. "I'm your brother. Jared, look at me!" The client's eyes showed no spark of recognition and it was only then that I caught the almost robotic way he moved. Almost like he had no free will. "You're Prince Xavier Grigori." He said, lips twisting in disgust. "And all of your kind deserve to die." He didn't make an effort to move, only threw his blades at the speed of light. The Prince finally came to his senses ducking down under the counter. The client turned his attention on me and I felt that familiar chilling panic. I had no guns, no blades, nothing. Barely avoiding his blades, I looked for something. Anything at all to defend myself. It was only a moment later when I got on the floor, that I noticed something very obvious. The client wasn't standing on the ground. He was floating an inch over it. The Prince finally got the courage to grab a bottle from behind his hiding spot and aim at his brother. "Don't!" I yelled. He dropped the thing out of sheer surprise. "What the fück, Victoria?" "He's not real." The words felt so familiar in my mouth. "He's a ghost. He'll vanish if he touches anything." The Prince thought about it. Thankfully, he didn't skip a beat, pulling some next level parlour trick and conjuring a gold thread that bound his brother's form from thin air. The shadow went still and lifeless, just hovering in the air. I took a deep breath. This means it's over, right? I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around full well expecting to be stabbed or something because my luck was just that awesome. A very drunk Biscuit, wearing nothing but boxers and dimples stood behind me, just chilling, like we hadn't just captured a serial killer ghost. "Still waiting for that dollar, baby." *** Victoria : "I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO The simplest things make me want to gag him and throw him in the back of a trunk. "A toast to you, Sir Ässhat." I said, solemnly. "Because one glass of liquor in you and you become Casanova. I'll be sure to pass that on to Princess Bella Swan." He definitely didn't get the reference and mumbled something in response before he went back to drinking. I rolled my eyes and went to the table, where Biscuit was in the process of tossing his expensive shiny Rolex off. "I'll take that." I said, catching it midair. "You wanna get down now, Biscuit?" "Oh, I definitely want to go down." He said. "On you." He was too high up to smack. "How about you lay off on the alcohol?" "How about you give me a dollar bill and I'll give you a private dance?" "Virgin in Haven, I will pay you everything in my bank account not to take your clothes off." The Prince fired from the counter. "Annndd... that's what she said." I shot back at him. "Ka-Ching." Understandably, his middle finger was getting a work out today. I was about to get on the table and drag Biscuit by any body part I could reach, when I heard a slow hiss. A shadow appeared by the far end of the bar, steel glinting in the dim light of the near empty room. "And the whole party's here." The client said, not bothering to hide his face anymore. "This is going to be fun." The Prince gasped through the haze of the alcohol, instantly recognising his brother. We'd told him our theories of course, but he'd been quick to dismiss it because apparently his brother would never want to kill him. The sharp metal in the client's hands told an entirely different story. "Jared." He said, quietly. "How - How are you here? I thought you -" "Oh, I died." The shadow replied evenly, moving stealthily towards us. "I have a generous friend trained in the Olden Arts." I could only assume that meant necromancy from their exchange. The Prince looked at him in wonder and it only dawned on him when a blade missed his collar that the guy was going to kill him. "What are you doing?" His eyes went wide. "I'm your brother. Jared, look at me!" The client's eyes showed no spark of recognition and it was only then that I caught the almost robotic way he moved. Almost like he had no free will. "You're Prince Xavier Grigori." He said, lips twisting in disgust. "And all of your kind deserve to die." He didn't make an effort to move, only threw his blades at the speed of light. The Prince finally came to his senses ducking down under the counter. The client turned his attention on me and I felt that familiar chilling panic. I had no guns, no blades, nothing. Barely avoiding his blades, I looked for something. Anything at all to defend myself. It was only a moment later when I got on the floor, that I noticed something very obvious. The client wasn't standing on the ground. He was floating an inch over it. The Prince finally got the courage to grab a bottle from behind his hiding spot and aim at his brother. "Don't!" I yelled. He dropped the thing out of sheer surprise. "What the fück, Victoria?" "He's not real." The words felt so familiar in my mouth. "He's a ghost. He'll vanish if he touches anything." The Prince thought about it. Thankfully, he didn't skip a beat, pulling some next level parlour trick and conjuring a gold thread that bound his brother's form from thin air. The shadow went still and lifeless, just hovering in the air. I took a deep breath. This means it's over, right? I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around full well expecting to be stabbed or something because my luck was just that awesome. A very drunk Biscuit, wearing nothing but boxers and dimples stood behind me, just chilling, like we hadn't just captured a serial killer ghost. "Still waiting for that dollar, baby." *** Victoria : "I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO SAY ANYTHING. HAVE A NICE DAY." XDANYTHING. Have a nice day." XD

Interesting

Bring it on

Wow