The Tale of a Vampiress Book 2

by Arra Lindemann

The next book in my Tale of a Vampiress series, it continues on from where the first book finishes.

3. Chapter 3

The Tale of a Vampiress

Part Two

Chapter Three:

I am in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, I have finished my Generals' Duties for tonight and now I am having something to eat, I do not often have the time to eat whilst I am on duty so I always eat as soon as my work is completed, I feed the wolves first as they take priority, once they've been fed I'll get myself something to eat, as I'm a General I get a wider choice of meals, although as Prince Mika's unofficial mate with privileges I technically can ask for whatever I like when it comes to food, although it has to be within reason because we don't have access to a lot of things, we live off the land mainly, we eat a lot of fresh meat and wild fruits, we do have honey, we also have access to a few other things like milk and eggs because we keep mountain goats and a flock of chickens which we harvest these foodstuffs from, we also grow certain modified crops like oats, rye and wheat which we grind into flour to make bread that goes with stews or soup, we modified the crops by crossbreeding them with hardy mountain plants, regular crops won't last out here because of the extreme weather conditions, but the modified crops last pretty well, having said that it did take quite a while to get a successful crop to grow, but once a crop did grow we harvested it, we kept growing these crops, now we have grains for feeding animals, making food with, more importantly than this is the fact that we make beer and ale out of the grains we produce.

We'd have far less to drink if we had no beer or ale, after all we get through several barrels per week, one barrel fills up maybe thirty tankards with each tankard holding a pint, and each Clan member can drink up to ten or fifteen pints in a night, plus more on special occasions, and at feasts where there are no limits every Clan member drinks as much as they like without any judgement.

I have grabbed a rack of ribs for my dinner, I'll eat the meat, and throw the bones on the ground for my wolves like always, I can get quite a lot of meat on a rack of beef ribs, they are deceptively filling, but they are also quite fatty so the wolves enjoy them very much, besides that it gives them something to do because the bones are quite thick, the pack will quite happily lay beside my feet, and gnaw on bones without so much as a sound unless I move or they sense danger.

If my wolves sense something they'll leap to their feet and start pacing, if the danger is nearby then they'll either pull me away from it or surround me in a protective ring, but it depends upon what they are sensing, and how close it is, they can hear and feel vibrations from enemy footsteps before I do sometimes, likewise if a natural disaster hits they can sense any micro changes in the atmosphere before it hits, they're very tuned into the environment, it is partly instinctive, and partly due to their intense training, after all a wolf won't just alert me if there is danger, they have to be trained to do that, but I've also had to learn their body language, and what it means because some alerts are subtle, they are not meant to be obvious in case enemies are watching us, not that many enemies are still alive, most of them were killed in the last major battle we were all involved in.

I miss Gavner terribly, losing him has taken its toll upon all of us, but especially myself, Larten, Jade, Seba and Alicia because we were his inner circle of friends, I mean Gavner was Larten's Best Man when we became Blessed Mates, he had the rings, at the gathering afterwards he gave a speech that was absolutely hilarious, it was full of innuendo and stories about Larten's youthful escapades which I had known nothing about, Larten got himself and Gavner into some sticky situations, but no matter what somehow they had always managed to find a way out with their lives intact, and I was naturally grateful for that.

I've finished eating, and thrown my scraps to the pack, there's not much left because I was starving. I've only left the bones and some fatty bits for the wolves, but all the meat that was on the ribs is long gone, I feel very full now, and the best thing to wash it all down is wine, but not just any wine, I mean the decent stuff from Larten's personal wine collection, he's got some extremely rare and valuable bottles which we do not crack open very often, to be fair I usually drink vintage Champagne which we've got plenty of, Larten keeps his bottle numbers stocked up because I drink a lot of it, and we hate to run out. I don't even have to ask him for it either, I can help myself whenever I like, I just ask him to pop the corks open for me because I'm not very good at doing it.

The following events happened half an hour ago...

I went to my quarters, well mine and Larten's I should have said, Larten was playing a game of cards when I walked in, he liked playing card games such as Solitaire and Poker, but Poker could not be played as single player game, instead we played Poker on Friday evenings, a group of us got together, and played a hand or two, we played for real money, jewels, bottles of wine and other valuable prizes that players were willing to risk on a hand of cards, the only stipulation was that the prizes had to be of equal value so that whoever won was not ripped off, for example if somebody won a diamond and someone else won a barrel of ale they'd be a bit miffed, after all a diamond was obviously worth a lot more than a barrel of ale.

"Guten Abend, mein Liebling," Larten said when he saw me. "Wie geht's?"

"Gut danke. I came to get a bottle of Champagne, I ate a rack of beef ribs, and now I want something decent to wash them down with."

"You know where the Champagne is kept, help yourself Anna," he answered. "We are running low on the Dom Perignon, there are only six bottles left so I shall buy some more when we are able to find a Wine Merchant."

"Good idea, I drink it like it is going out of fashion, it is one of my favourites, but nothing beats the really expensive diamond one, I still cannot believe how much one bottle costs," I was shocked when I had found out the price of a single bottle, but it was worth the money. "I save that one for special occasions, and talking of special occasions it is Christmas again soon, only this year I'm throwing a party for the entire Clan."

"Sounds like my least favourite thing to do, I hate organising parties and hosting them, I shall leave that bit to you Anna whilst I sit at a table, and drink several barrels of ale."

"It'll be a vampiric style party with combat challenges, not a regular party," I added. "You'll enjoy it, you love to show off your prowess."

"I think that idea will go down well with your fellow Generals, and the Princes."

"I think so too Larten, hence the reasoning behind my decision to host such an event," Larten nodded in approval before opening the bottle of Champagne which I'd selected to drink. "It will be a party to remember, I promise you that."

"Maybe it will not be so bad, I like being challenged every so often, it gives me a chance to reawaken forgotten skills, and it also means that I can show off my muscles," he said with an almost demonic grin. "The ladies love to see a man with a fine physique."

"I have always found you to be very good looking Larten, but that wasn't what attracted me to you to begin with, it was your voice and your eyes which I found to be positively entrancing, they are almost hypnotising in fact," I had always been attracted to men with blue-green eyes and German accents, Larten had both. "I love your eyes, they're like two cornflower blue sapphires with emerald bits, sometimes they look blue, other times they look green."

"That depends upon the light levels, and whether or not I am using my vampiric abilities, my eyes turn a shade of ultraviolet-blue when I use my hypnosis power, and they look blue-green in the torchlight," he replied. "I find that performing hypnosis drains my energy because it takes a lot of mental concentration."

"Yes, I can imagine that it does. Having never tried it I don't know, I find searching for mental signals, and sending waves to other Clan members tiring enough," I was able to locate certain Clan members by using my mental waves, but it took a lot out of me. "I never have had much psychic or mental energy, my vampiric abilities lay elsewhere."

"That is often the case with vampiresses, they gain agility, balance and feline reflexes, but their mental powers are lacking, with vampires we gain speed, strength and psychic abilities plus our ability to perform sexually becomes greatly improved, although I was already more than adequate before I joined the Clan," he answered. "I have spent decades perfecting my skills, I can tell what the body of every woman responds to best when it comes to foreplay, it does not take much to make a woman climax if you know what you are doing."

"I know that all too well Larten, having experienced it for myself countless times over the years, I have no complaints either," I was more than happy with the physical side of our relationship. "You are still the best I have ever had, nobody matches up to you, not even Prince Mika, he is adequate, but not in the same league as you, he is able to satisfy me, but it never feels as strong as it does when you do it."

"Do not allow him to know that, and do not say that to anybody else, the Princes pride themselves on being objects of desire, and highly sought after, if word were to get out that the Princes are in any way flawed then they would lose the support of the Clan," Larten was right. "The Princes rely upon their legendary status in order to keep their thrones, slaughtering enemies on the battlefield is no longer enough, the Clan are looking for more from their leaders, they have to be the whole package which involves being phenominal warriors, amazing in bed, fair minded, but firm, and devoted followers of our laws without any deviation."

"I understand."

"If you ever wish to gain a throne for yourself then these are all things which you will have to put into practice, although you do most of them anyway," he looked pleased. "I am very proud of you Anna, not just because of who you have become, but for everything that you have achieved, and for your continuing work as a General, you have far surpassed my expectations, and the Clan has great respect for you."

"That is good to know Larten, thank you for telling me." it was rare for Larten to complement me like this, however I liked to hear that I was doing a great job...

I have returned to the Hall of Khledon Lurt with my wolves, I am going to take them outside for some exercise because they need it, and so do I. I exercise my pack every night, I take them outside, and let them roam freely for an hour or two, but they always come back when I call them or if they sense that something is wrong they'll rush to my side no matter how far away they are because they are my loyal companions.

"Anna, where are you going?" Jade asked, we have just bumped into each other in the corridor.

"Outside to exercise my wolves, wanna come along?"

"I can't, I am working a double shift, but I will come another time for sure," she replied. "I love my work so it is no big deal, how's Larten?"

"He's fine. I'm so happy that he is alive, I cannot even begin to tell you what it means to have him back," living without him was one of the hardest times in my life. "I love him so much Jade, I really do."

"I love him too, but in a different way, it is more of a lustful desire for him, he is like an all consuming fire, when he's with me every inch of my body burns in a good way, I want him to do things to me that I dare not mention," she said with a wink. "I know you understand what I mean."

"I do indeed. I'm going outside now, I'll catch up with you later, bye Jade."

"Bye Anna, see you soon."

I'm outside with my wolf pack now, all twenty of them are roaming arund sniffing things, and doing their business which is a good thing, the wolves have reflective, LED collars around their necks, they flash with LED lights in different colours so I can see where they are, and I can tell them apart because each wolf has a differently coloured light assigned to them.

I'm keeping a close eye on the young pups because they're too young to be left on their own, but they need to familiarise themselves with their territory, and its boundaries, plus they need to learn that going to the toilet outside is the right place to do it instead of using a litter box in their den, it is a temporary measure which I use whilst I'm on duty, and cannot get my wolves outside in time, the adults go outside to the toilet on their own, but the pups can't do that yet as they're too young, the litter box was the best solution that I could come up with, and it works rather well which I'm pleased about.

We've been outside for a while, the skies are clear for the first time in ages, the moon is shining brightly, the stars are on display as well, it is wonderful to look upwards, and see all of the constellations because they all have stories attached to them, I don't know all of the stories, but I am somewhat familiar with Mythology, and the tales of legendary warriors from centuries long gone, I even know the stories about the Palace of the Damned, and the icy caverns that lead to it, not that anybody has rediscovered its location since the new maps were destroyed after Kurda's betrayal, we destroyed them so that they would not fall into enemy hands, but we memorised most of the routes which were on the maps because they're ones that we use frequently...

The following events happened an hour ago...

Jade's P.O.V

After speaking with Anna in the corridor near to the main entrance I returned to fulfil my second shift, I went to the Medical Wing and checked on my patients, luckily I did not have many to deal with, I had one patient who'd picked up food poisoning from some undercooked meat, he was throwing up so I'd given him a bucket which I emptied regularly, and lots of fluids to drink so he could replenish the ones he'd lost by being sick, I did not want him to get dehydrated until his condition deteriorated because that would have been dangerous, I did not know much about medicine, but I knew that dehydration caused headaches and delusions along with other issues.

I made some herbal tea which was meant to settle down sickness and diahorrea, it was gentle on the stomach so it would not cause my patient to throw up, plus it had no sugars or anything in it that the bacteria could feed upon, and use as energy in order to multiply, if anything it would help to expel the bacteria by killing it because herbal tea was served hot, bacteria died when they were exposed to high temperatures, and dead bacteria didn't multiply.

After I had served the tea I checked on my other patient, he'd been admitted with bad wounds which he'd gotten whilst fighting off a bear who'd crossed his path, the bear had been killed in the attack as it was suspected of being rabid, but as a result we had to keep this patient isolated in case he showed any signs of a Rabies infection, also it gave him a chance to rest so that his wounds could be cleaned out, and bandaged up with healing paste applied to the areas that needed it.

"Only two patients to monitor tonight thankfully, one is sick and one is injured, the injured party is in quarantine to check for Rabies or signs of it due to being attacked by a bear, and the sick patient has food poisoning which isn't contagious, but he's throwing up, and having diahorrea," I told the Chief Medic whilst filling in my paperwork, I kept a small piece of paper by each patient with their basic details on such as why they were admitted to the Medical Wing, what their illness or injuries were, how long they were expected to stay for, what medicines they'd had, and any treatments they'd received. "Apart from these two patients all of the other bays are empty, and we've had no-one else requiring our services except for Prince Paris who is on end of life care, but he's since returned to his quarters."

"I see, well keep up the good work, and call me if you get any emergency cases in Jade," the Chief Medic replied. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Okay, I will do, that's no problem." after I said this the Chief Medic returned to his office and I went to check on my patients again, we did checks every forty five minutes just to make sure that our patients had not deteriorated.

When my shift was over I threw my uniform into a bucket of boiling water to sterilise it before I washed it properly with soap, we did not have washing powder or fabric softener like humans used in their washing machines, but we did have a kind of plant-based soap which we made from ground up flowers and other natural ingredients, it worked pretty well too, it lathered up and it smelt pleasant which was good.

I hung my uniform up to dry on a wooden beam I'd had installed for the purpose, and got changed into some regular clothing, well I say regular clothing, but almost everything I owned had a designer label on it, I had been spoilt rotten, I had far more pieces of jewellery than I knew what to do with, I wore them alternatively because I had outfits which matched with the jewellery I had, anything I needed was provided for me by Larten, he'd been giving me a monthly allowance for a while so I used it to maintain my new lifestyle, I was getting used to it too, I had been born into poverty with next to nothing, but all that had changed thanks to Gavner, Larten and Anna. Gavner had left me a fortune in his Will as he had no living biological heirs, vampires did make Wills sometimes, but it was not that common, Larten had made sure that I had more than enough money to maintain my lifestyle, and I was grateful for that, he didn't have to do anything for me at all, but he'd chosen to, and I always let him know how appreciative of it I was.

Anna got an allowance as well, I wasn't sure how much she was given, and it was not really any of my business, however I did know that she drank a lot of Champagne, plus her wolves were well fed, and looked after properly, that wasn't cheap to say the least, the bags of dried dog kibble she paid for were expensive enough, not to mention her wolves' collars, they had a platinum tag attached to each collar with their name engraved onto it, and they also had jewels set into them just for good measure, it was like Anna was making a statement to the Clan by showing off how wealthy she was, you only had to look at the size of the gemstones in her rings to know how rich she was, add that to her diamond tiara along with her diamond choker necklace, and you could tell that she was loaded, not that she ever wore them very often, but when she did the stones sparkled so much that you could see them flashing in the light from the torches, in fact even without enhanced vampiric vision you could see the stones sparkling from the opposite end of whichever hall we were standing in, they were really impressive pieces of jewellery which must have cost an almost obscene amount of money, but hey, if that is what Larten wished to do with his vast fortune then that was down to him, and she was his Blessed Mate which gave her certain financial privileges, I had no idea where all of his money had come from either, maybe he'd saved up all of his wages from the Cirque Du Freak, I knew he got paid weekly by Mr Tall whether he performed or not, and the money was obviously exempt from tax deductions so he got to keep all of it...

I have gone to the Hall of Khledon Lurt, I want to eat and catch up with my friends, I don't get to socialise much when I have to work a double shift in the Medical Wing. I've got my wolf with me, I'm thinking about going hunting before the sun rises again because she's hungry, it is good to eat fresh meat, besides that I need to feed, and I like the taste of fresh stag blood, it'll sustain me until I can get some from a human donor, I try to feed weekly, but it isn't always possible with my schedule.

If I do go hunting I'll have to get changed again because I don't wish for my designer label clothing to get damaged or dirty, and covered in blood from the kill if we're successful, not that bringing down a stag with a single wolf is easy, it usually takes a pack of them to bring the animal down safely, and kill it, but with only one wolf it is going to be a challenge, I may ask Larten if I can borrow Ghost, I'll have more of a chance if I use two wolves instead of just one. I'll sit at the table he normally uses, I'll search for him using my mental waves, he usually picks up on my signals pretty quickly, and responds to them by sending back his own pattern in response.

I won't have to wait for long, Larten is not far away from the Hall of Khledon Lurt, and he'll join me here so that we can talk.

"Jade, I felt you searching for me, are you alright?" Larten looks concerned. "Do you need my help with something?"

"I'm fine Larten, I just wondered if I could borrow Ghost for a hunting trip, I can't bring down a stag with just one wolf," Larten knows all too well how strong stags are, and they can gore you with their antlers quite easily if you aren't careful. "I stand more of a chance with two wolves tackling the stag as well as myself, not that I am very strong when it comes to bringing down large animals."

"If you wish I can come with you, my schedule is clear, and I have not been hunting recently," Larten's looking at me suggestively like I'm a snack. "I may even take you somewhere remote where we can be alone."

"I'd like that Larten." I love it when we're alone together.

"Very well, we should change our attire first though, for neither one of us can go hunting in the clothing that we have on, mine is too bright, and would be seen whilst yours is far too expensive to risk being ruined or stained," he replied. "I shall meet you outside in the main valley, there are lots of stags down there, we are bound to find one that is suitable."

"Alright, see you soon."

I have gotten changed, and now I'm heading towards the main valley, it is not far away from the mountain's South East entrance tunnel either, if we catch a stag we will not have to carry it very far, once it has been gutted and jointed it'll be far easier to carry than if it were whole anyway, we always get rid of the guts and inedible bits outside for the local wildlife to eat, it also lessens the weight of the animal, after all if we only carry the meat back in jointed pieces instead of the entire animal it will be much easier to do, however we have to catch and kill a stag first, that's where Larten's experience as a skilled hunter will become useful, I am not that good at hunting, I usually trap birds or snare rabbits instead of going after large prey like stags or mountain sheep...

Larten's P.O.V

Having decided to join Jade on a hunting trip I am now walking towards the main valley, this is where most of the stags come to feed on fresh shoots of grass and tree bark, there's not a lot of other food around in the mountains, but the deer herds manage to survive, they usually migrate to a warmer location, but in order to get to their destination they must pass through the valley, and that is where we will choose a target to kill. The valley is open with lots of room to move around, it gives the wolves plenty of space to maneuvre before they strike, they can run down a stag until it collapses, and then they will move in to finish it off, wolves are after all built for stamina, they can run for miles without getting worn out if they have to in order to pursue their prey.

I like spending time with Jade, after the hunt I might take her to the natural hot springs I discovered, I had no idea that the mountain had hot springs, but it does, and it certainly makes bathing more enjoyable because the waterfalls in the hall of Perta Vin Grahl are freezing, they are refreshing, but somewhat torturous at the same time. I know about torture because I have performed acts of torture upon my enemies, and been subjected to it as well, not that I ever gave away any truthful information during the time that I was actively being tortured.

If we go to the hot springs after our hunt we can clean ourselves up, hunting and gutting animals can cause a frightfully bloody mess if you do not do it correctly, you almost always get covered in blood at one stage or another whilst gutting, and butchering animals, but that is a part of it, and we try to drink the blood so it is not wasted.

"Jade, when we have finished our hunt I have discovered a secluded area where we can rest for a while, and wash because hunting can get messy," I have not told anybody about the hot springs, not even Anna knows about them, it is something that I want to save for just Jade, and myself to share privately before any other Clan members discover it. "I have located some rather nice hot springs, and I thought that perhaps we could use them together, we can get ourselves clean in the hot water, and enjoy their health benefits."

"Do you mean the ones that are North of here? If you do I've known about these hot springs for years Larten, Gavner took me there and he never told anyone about them either."

"Those are the ones, yes," Jade has never mentioned the hot springs to me, but maybe she forgot. "How come you have never mentioned them?"

"Gavner made me swear not to tell anyone, it was his private meditation space, and he did not wish to be disturbed whilst he was there," this answer from Jade seems plausible. "I did as Gavner wished Larten, I kept the hot springs and their location a secret, I have used them many times in the past."

"I appreciate you keeping your word to Gavner, I shall not reveal the location of these hot springs either, I will keep it to myself," I respect the wishes of my friends, and I can protect a secret if I am asked to.

"Will you not even tell Anna about them Larten?"

"No, I do not believe so. If she discovers them for herself then that is fine, but I will not show her where they are located, and nor will I mention them to her either unless she tells me about them first." I want to keep the hot springs as private as possible, it means that Jade and I will have a secret place where we can meet up regularly, and enjoy the warm water whilst we mate, the hot springs are in such a remote location that nobody will hear Jade either, this is a good thing as she can be quite loud when she orgasms...

Jade's P.O.V

The hunt is over, we have been successful in bringing down not one, but two large stags which will feed us, and our wolves for a while, we've butchered them, and hung up their hides ready to start the leather making process, deer hide is a very useful commodity to have, we use it for all kinds of things once it has been turned into leather.

We are now walking over to where the hot springs are, they are quite a distance away from the main valley, and they are almost hidden by trees, you could easily miss them or walk past if you did not know of their existance.

I am looking forward to jumping into the springs, I need to wash the blood off of me. I did get quite muddy, I was also covered in deer blood during the hunt, but it'll wash off thankfully, and my clothes are washable or replaceable which is great because what I'm wearing is pretty trashed, I did not ruin my clothing deliberately, but these things happen sometimes.

I have just strpped off my clothing, and jumped into the hot water, I have not washed in hot water for a long time so this feels lovely, the water is deep enough for me to put my head into it, and wash my hair properly too which it needs desperately because it is greasy, it has also got blood spattered in it from where I gutted one of the stags.

The water feels lovely, it is hot, but not hot enough to burn my skin, the wolves have jumped in as well, they're covered in blood from where they've fed on a fresh kill, their muzzles and heads are the worst, but the hot water and some elbow grease from me will get them clean in no time. I'll use a wash cloth, and rub some of my herbal shampoo into their coats until it lathers up, then I can rinse them off, and they'll be clean, the herbal shampoo works wonders when it comes to washing off blood, Ghost is supposed to be greyish white, but he looks partly pink at the moment because blood is red, red colouring on something white looks pink, I may have to shampoo him twice in order to get his coat back to being its original colour, but it won't take long.

The wolves are clean now and they're drying off, it is quite windy so it won't take long, the wind is acting like a cool hairdryer, and they've already shaken most of the water out of their coats anyway, wolves have waterproof top coats that protect them from harsh storms, and a thermal undercoat, if they get wet it is fine because they've evolved to dry quickly whilst staying warm, it is one of nature's solutions to living in an environment like this one where rain and snow falls frequently...

Larten's P.O:V

The following events happened an hour ago...

I watched Jade washing Ghost and her own wolf, she took great care of them both, it was nice to see how much she really cared about animals, I was not one for pets, but the wolves were an exception, they had chosen to live alongside us, they were free to leave if they wished to, but they stuck around, and became a vital part of our survival, we really could not manage without them in certain situations, for example on the battlefield they had made the difference between victory and defeat, they also played a key role in getting the injured to safety, without their help far more Clan members would have died, but they survived thanks to the wolves and their unique training. It took months to train a wolf as a Medical Assistance animal, and not all of them were suitable either, but for the few that had been trained they were a key part of the Medical Wing, and its operations. They fetched things out of medical kits, they alerted the Medics to deteriorating patients, they provided companionship and comfort to those who were scared, in pain or both, they also stayed by the sides of those who were in need of close monitoring, and they even fetched items like blankets, or flasks of water for immobile patients who couldn't get things for themselves.

After Jade had finished washing the wolves I got into the hot springs with her, before I got into the water I stripped off until I was nude, and Jade had done the same thing, there was no point in getting our clothing wet for no reason. I washed the blood and crap off of my arms and hands, I was covered in blood up to my elbows from where I had gutted and butchered the two stags we had caught, deer were big animals so butchering them was a messy job, but if I had not gutted them quickly enough then decomposition would have set in, and turned the meat rancid which made it inedible.

The hot springs were not that deep so I was able to stand up and wade through the water with ease, I made sure that I was properly clean before I made my way towards the hot spring that Jade was sitting in, she was inside a small pool of warm water, being inside it was like having a Jacuzzi without the rolling bubbles, and temperature controls.

"This is really relaxing, it is doing my muscles some good too, I love hot springs," Jade said as I lowered myself down into the hot spring properly until I was next to her in the water. "I can understand why Gavner wished to keep this place secret."

"I can too, however I am glad that I came across these hot springs by accident, they are a great place to relax and wash or do other things in," the water was clear so I could see through it. "I can see your body through the water, you are just as beautiful now as what you were when we first mated Jade."

"That is sweet of you to say," she smiled. "I love looking at your well sculpted body too," Jade turned to face me as she said this, her eyes were glinting in the moonlight, I thought that she looked very attractive, as such I was getting some naughty ideas in my mind. "May I kiss you Larten?"

"You may kiss me, but we have already mated for this month. I do not wish for you to get too carried away." I told her firmly. It was not that I did not wish to mate, but rather the fact that I had promised Anna to only mate with Jade once a month.

"I understand. We'll have to come here next month, that way we can mate in these hot springs, and see how different it feels." Jade leant forward and kissed me, she put all of her passion into it, our tongues faught against one another as she ran her fingers through my hair, I held her around her waist whilst I allowed our kiss to continue for a few more moments, when we broke apart she had her arms around my neck, I could hear her heart beating faster than it normally did, and she looked at me with pure lust in her eyes.

"That was enjoyable, I really like kissing you in case you could not tell," she spoke softly because she was a bit out of breath. "I think you liked it too."

"I have no complaints. I can tell when a woman truly desires me Jade, and I know that you are falling for me, I can see it in your eyes whenever I look at you," an idiot would have been tell how she felt about me, and I was certainly no idiot. "After all you lost your virginity to me, and then some. As such we share a unique bond that nobody can take away from us."

"I am relieved that you were the one who I gave myself to, I had total trust in you, and it paid off, Gavner wanted to break me in himself, but I told him that as he was like my Uncle it did not feel right for him to do it, as such he passed the job onto you, and I am glad that he chose you, Gavner knew that you had the knowledge, and experience required to do what had to be done for my own sake," she explained. "It was an experience that I shall never forget."

"It pleases me to know this Jade, whenever I perform this service for young ladies I do my utmost to make it a positive experience, I am very gentle and patient which counts for a lot."

"Is it alright if we share one more kiss? I have to wait for over three weeks before we can mate again as it is," she had a point. "After all I have the same needs and desires that every other Clan member has."

I let go of Jade's waist, instead I placed one hand on the back of her head, I held her hand with my free hand, we linked our fingers together, her lips brushed against mine before our tongues met once more, this time our kiss was slower, but it was still playful, and I was able to tell that Jade wanted more than just my kisses...

Anna's P.O.V

I have had a successful hunt, with help from my wolf pack I brought down a stag and a mountain sheep, the sheep is for the wolves to eat and the stag is mine, I've already gutted it, and cut it up into pieces, now I just have to return to the mountain with it, and put it into our cold store so it'll stay fresh until I am ready to eat it.

Before I return to the mountain though I am going to go to the hot springs I discovered and have a wash, I am covered in blood from the hunt, and so are my wolves. I must tell Larten about the hot springs when I see him later, but right now I need to get cleaned up...

The following events happened twenty minutes ago...

I took my wolf pack in a Northerly direction after they'd finished eating the mountain sheep we'd caught, all of my wolves were filthy, they were in need of washing, drying and grooming, the hot springs were in a hidden area that was hard to find, I stumbled across them a week ago whilst I was out foraging for fruits and nuts. After I tried the hot springs I simply had to go back again, one of them was the perfect size to use as a wolf bath, and the other hot springs were ideal for me to wash myself in, this was rather than using the freezing cold waterfalls, and it got me thinking that if we had pipes then maybe we could divert some of the water from the hot springs, and plumb it in so certain areas of the mountain had hot water, this would be useful to have in the Hall of Princes, the Medical Wing and the kitchens, I'd ask for advice at the next Generals' Meeting where we'd vote on it, and decide if hot water was necessary or not.

I had not gone all the way to the hot springs when my wolves picked up a scent, they had obviously smelt something or someone, their ears were pricked up, and their noses were firmly on the ground, I hung back for a moment or two so that the wind would blow any scents towards me, as a vampiress I had a keen sense of smell that was far stronger than a human, I could pick up on a scent from a Clan member who'd passed by an area I was in up to three hours beforehand, however I had to be familiar with the Clan member in question in order to recognise their scent, and be able to tell who'd passed through the area.

I walked a bit further along the hidden path which led to the hot springs, I had my wolves pacing alongside or infront of me, they were air scenting, sniffing the trees and sniffing the ground, but they hadn't alerted me to any dangers, I hadn't smelt anything either, usually I could tell if a bear or a big cat had passed through the area because I'd smell them, even after they'd left a trace of their scent still lingered in the wind which I was able to pick up on, but I hadn't smelt anything musky and strong like a bear, nor had I smelt anything feline either so I believed that I was safe.

I got closer to the hot springs, the wind was blowing towards me, it carried both scents and sounds which I recognised almost immediately, I smelt Larten strongly, he was nearby, and pretty soon after I'd detected his scent I smelt another, familiar scent, it was Jade's scent I'd picked up on, her perfume had given her away, as I got closer to the hot springs I heard talking to start with, but then I picked up on other sounds too like the noises that were made by women during sex, I heard Jade loud and clear, she was being very vocal so she was probably in the midst of having an orgasm, as I got closer to the hot springs I saw what was taking place through a gap in the shrubbery which surrounded the area, I witnessed Jade and Larten in one of the hot springs, they were naked and kissing each other, then I saw Larten's hand going underneath the water, and towards Jade's body, it did not take long for me to realise what he was doing, he was fingering her, and she was loving it because she cried out his name as she climaxed again, he'd obviously been stroking her clitoris or maybe he'd found her G-Spot, either way Jade said his name loudly more than once as he touched her, after a few minutes it was all over, and that was when I entered the hot springs...

I have taken my clothing off and jumped into the deepest hot spring, Larten and Jade look a bit surprised by my presence, they are obviously not expecting company.

"Evening, lovely night for a dip in these springs, especially after a hunting trip, I am covered in blood and crap, but at least I caught a stag, and my wolves caught a mountain sheep which they've eaten already, I did however save the fleece before they ate the rest of it, the only thing left is the skull and the guts," Larten and Jade look very guilty. "I heard everything by the way."

"We did not mate, as we have already done so this month. I have kept my word to you my love," Larten's cheeks are as red as his cloak. "I merely used my fingers in a skillful fashion, I do not think it counts."

"I never even thought about whether oral sex and other forms of stimulation are permitted to be carried out on more than a monthly basis, usually it counts as foreplay which leads onto full intercourse, but you did not go that far on this occasion, you achieved your aim which was to climax, and then you stopped," I do not like seeing my husband pleasuring another woman sexually.

"The deal was that Jade and I can only mate once a month on a certain night in order to mate, there was never any discussion as to whether we can meet up, and take part in other forms of sexual contact without the act of intercourse itself, I do not believe that oral sex or fingering should count because it is foreplay, foreplay is not the same as mating, it is only done for enjoyment and mutual benefit," Larten's got a point. "I made Jade climax because I touched her intimate folds with my fingers, she gets aroused without much effort on my part, and I can hardly leave her wanting more, it would not be fair to her if I did."

"I see. I appreciate your honesty Larten, and I see no harm in the two of you continuing this arrangement as long as you stick to the rules, you may meet once a month to mate properly, but you can also meet up twice a week to enjoy some sexual foreplay like oral sex or fingering if you so wish, however I expect you to prioritise me, and my needs."

"Very well, I accept your terms Anna." he is still blushing.

"I also agree to your terms." Jade's just stated, she's blushing almost as much as Larten is.

"Word to the wise though Jade, you are louder than most so you may wish to practice some self control, although I admit that it is not always that easy," I am very good at controlling my volume levels, I always have been. "As Larten's Blessed Mate sometimes I find it hard to hear the sounds created by him giving another woman sexual satisfaction."

"I understand where you are coming from Anna, in future I will try to be a bit quieter," Jade has stopped blushing now. "I did have such an amazing time earlier though, I never realised that fingering on its own could lead to such powerful orgasms."

"It does when I do it because I know where to touch and when, I am highly skilled at knowing how to give ladies mindblowing orgasms," Larten's right, he is very good. "I aim to give at least two per session, but often three or four climaxes can be achieved in waves of varying intensity."

"We are grateful for your attention, and appreciative of your skills Larten," Jade has just added. "We are thankful for your financial assistance, and we love the gifts we receive from you."

"I take care of my ladies properly, having a Blessed Mate is expensive, and it always has been. Jade, last month I spent nearly five thousand Euros on Champagne alone, but I have to keep Anna happy, she drinks Champagne by the bottle on a nightly basis, it is not a cheap habit to have, but we all have our vices." Larten is correct, I do drink a lot of Dom Perignon.

"I am used to living a certain way, and it is not cheap to maintain my lifestyle, my jewels and my wardrobe of clothing is worth over two million Euros, our wine collection is upwards of half a million Euros and my Champagne habit costs between five and six thousand Euros a month to maintain," I'm aware of our financial situation because we discuss things. "Larten is generous, and he spoils me more than he should, but I am not complaining."

"May I ask where you get your money from Larten?" Jade is pushing the boundaries by asking such a question. "I just do not see how you have acquired such a large fortune."

"Jade, how I have gained my fortune is none of your concern, however I will say that I was frugal in my youth, I spent very little, I saved a lot, and I won a few high stakes Poker games, the prize money from those games was a large amount, I also inherited some of my wealth from Clan members when they died, and the rest comes from my Cirque Du Freak wages, I get paid weekly whether I perform or not," at least Larten is honest about his finances. "I do not require much money for myself or my needs so naturally my main expenses are you, and Anna, the vast majority of my money goes towards looking after you two ladies properly, I use a bit for helping the poor, and needy and I help out the odd Clan member if they are struggling, but I do not like to brag about or discuss my wealth because it is a personal matter."

"We are both well looked after, I have no complaints, and I want for nothing," I am more than happy with the monthly allowance I get from Larten, he's very kind. "You are right though Larten, looking after two ladies properly is not cheap, and we do not ask for anything either, unlike some people I could mention, but won't."

"When I met you initially Larten I was terrified of you, but after you and I mated for the first time I found out just how sweet natured, and gentle you can be, I trust you with my life now, and I would not have it any other way," Jade has just declared.

"I wanted to show you the right way of having sex when the lady in question is untouched, and pure, however I did not have sex with you Jade, I actually made love to you properly, I took my time, and made it worthwhile. I wanted your first experience to be both positive, and unforgettable," Larten is no fool, when it comes to sex and mating he is an expert. "I still remember how you reacted when I gave you your first ever orgasm Jade, your eyes widened and you moaned my name quietly as I penetrated you, you tensed up slightly, but I kissed you continuously and you relaxed after that, being relaxed is the key if you want to climax strongly, and that is exactly what I helped you to do."

Larten and I are in our quarters, we'll be going to bed soon.

"What a night, we had two successful hunts, Jade is the happiest I've seen her since Gavner died, and we are getting more time together alone," I am putting my pyjamas on. "Can you please go down on me?"

"Maybe," Larten sounds like he's in a playful mood. "I had other ideas though."

"Ideas like what?"

I'm curious to find out what he is thinking.

"I like to tease, I do not want to give you a release straight away, I want to drag it out, and make you beg for it," he's got a look of animalistic lust in his eyes. "I know you want me to satisfy you, and I will do that...eventually."

"I am as ever loyal to you, and under your command Larten, whatever you say goes because I know my place."

The following events happened a couple of hours ago...

I got into the coffin and Larten joined me, I was lying out flat with my legs open wide, I was still wearing my pyjama trousers and underwear so I removed them, I threw them outside of the coffin, Larten closed the lid, but to start with he did nothing, he merely looked at me directly in the eyes, I placed my hand on his neck, and kissed him softly, it was slow and passionate, my tongue wrestled his as we kissed, I moaned into his mouth and ran my fingers through his hair, he pushed me down gently so that he was on top of me, his manhood was already rock solid, it never took much. We stopped kissing, Larten sucked my neck, and marked me up good to show that I was his, and nobody else's, afterwards he sucked my breasts gently, and worked his way downwards, he inserted one finger into my vagina, and rubbed it along my inside wall, it made me wet, and tingly, he was going for my G-Spot, I moaned softly as the tingling increased, however he stopped, he then stroked my clitoris with the same finger which made me tingle even more, he took me so far, and stopped, it was a technique called edging, when it was done properly the eventual release would be worth it, I felt my body coming alive, Larten adjusted himself and swapped his finger for his tongue, he licked me slowly twice which made me shudder, he licked me once more even slower, the tingling sensation was increasing, it felt intense so my breathing got harsher, I shook a bit as the first waves of satisfaction washed over me, they were not that strong, but I felt them all the same. Larten continued with his slow, teasing licks upon my intimate area, he got me almost to the point of orgasm and then he stopped again.

"Don't stop, not now," I pleaded with Larten. "I'm getting close."

"I think I want to make you wait a bit longer," he remarked. "I like teasing you."

"But I was almost there, I could feel it." my words fell on deaf ears.

Larten lined himself up with my body, he penetrated me, and started to thrust very slowly, every thrust brought me closer to my orgasm, however Larten knew this so once more he took me right to the edge, and pulled out before I climaxed, he had taken me to the stage of moaning his name before he stopped, by this stage I was feeling some really intense sensations, and he knew it too.

"Please Larten, let me climax, I am so close, I cannot take much more of this," I was at his mercy, and he knew it. "Give me my release."

"Seeing as you asked so nicely I shall oblige, I could not ever leave you wanting after all." he kissed me with passion, and penetrated me once more, I felt his rhythmic thrusts deep inside my body, I locked my legs around his waist, and moved in time with him, our tongues batttled one another as I ran my nails down his back, each second that ticked by seemed to take an age, and every thrust was the means to an end. I broke our kiss, but not our eye contact.

"I love you more than anything, I am and always will be yours my Dark Lord," I whispered breathlessly in his ear. "Send me to Paradise."

Larten quickened his pace slightly, moments later with an animalistic roar of power he released his vampiric fluids into my body, and I climaxed so powerfully that it was beyond intense, it made my entire body writhe in ecstasy as I orgasmed more than once in quick successesion.

"AHHHH YES, OH FUCK!" I screeched as yet another orgasm took hold. This was way too much, even for me, I lost all control of my body, all I could do was go with it and enjoy every second. I did not usually swear, but on this occasion it was warranted. "AHHHH LARTEN OH FUCK, OH YESS!" I had not had an orgasm this powerful in a long time, Larten was obviously making up for being away from me for so long, and for what I had witnessed between himself and Jade which I was not supposed to have seen.

When we had finished having sex I snuggled into Larten, he put his arms around me and held me close, I felt the heat from his body, we were both sweating. I looked deeply into Larten's eyes, the coffin lid was open so the light from the fireplace and torches made them shine, we kissed each other softly before I whispered into his ear words of love, and devotion just like I had done on the night that we'd become Blessed Mates, and consummated our union officially. Larten kissed me back, and whispered things into my ear too such as how beautiful I looked, and how much he truly loved me. I yawned and stretched, I was exhausted so I fell asleep without delay...

I woke up about twenty minutes ago, I don't know how long I was asleep for but I needed it, I feel warm, safe and I'm still feeling the aftermath of Larten's skills as my lover, all of my muscles are hurting, but I don't mind because he made it worthwhile, his performance was better than mindblowing, and I cannot describe it in any other way, I am so lucky to have him as my Blessed Mate because not only is our love for one another real, but we get to share encounters like the one we had yesterday.

I have to get up, but I'm so warm and comfortable that I don't want to move, I've got Larten's arms around me, as usual he has draped his cloak over me, and it smells like him which I like.

"I have to get up now," I have just rolled over and sat up. "I need to report for my duties, and I have got a meeting to attend as well."

Larten has just woken up, although he hates being woken up sometimes it is unavoidable.

"What is the problem Anna?" Larten is still half asleep, he's not with it yet.

"No problem, I have to get up and report for my duties, that is all, sorry I woke you up,"

"Duties at this hour?" Larten looks puzzled. "Surely not."

"Generals' schedules are subject to change at short notice," I am getting dressed, and trying to stretch the tiredness out of my joints. "Maybe something has happened, but like it or not I have got work to do. I'll see you afterwards, I promise."

"Very well Anna, I am going back to sleep, I used a lot of energy yesterday, but I had to make up for lost time because we have not spent many days or nights together recently."

"I know that, I'll make more time for us to be intimate somehow, it is important," I have missed Larten so much, but my workload is intense because I'm a high ranking General. "I love what you do to me and how it makes me feel, you are a very intense and passionate lover, it is as if you know what I need before I know myself, our bodies are in tune with one another."

"That is all part of being a highly skilled lover Anna. I read your body language and respond accordingly, I know exactly where to touch you even before you know where you wish to be touched," he knows me better than I know myself. "I like hearing you say my name as well, it means that I am doing a good job of satisfying you."

"A good job? Incredible more like," I have to be honest. "I cannot put into words how amazing you are when it comes to the physical side of our Blessed Mateship."

I am in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, I need to eat before going to the Hall of Generals for the first of two meetings tonight, they will be boring, but I must attend them as that is one of my duties, meetings make up thirthy to forty percent of our time, the rest is spent on implimenting the things we have voted for, and passing judgement upon those who have done wrong, I do not like doing it, but it is essential.

I feel tired, but I have to focus upon the tasks I need to complete because that is my job, if I don't complete my duties then someone else has to, and that's not fair on them. I try and get everything done before the early hours of the morning, as I am nocturnal I usually wake up at around six in the evening, and I go to bed at around three in the afternoon, I have a watch that tells me whether it is daytime or nighttime which is useful, it tells the time, but it also has an AM or PM indicator which changes when the watch hits midnight or midday. I had to wake up at four in the afternoon today because of an early meeting, as the meeting starts early it should finish before too long, afterwards there will be a gap of an hour before the next meeting begins, when the second meeting is over I will have a list of other duties and judgement calls to make, not that I am very good at deciding the fates of those who've done wrong.

I usually get criticised for being too lenient, but I don't have it in me to be harsh, it is not in my nature, however if the matter is serious enough then I will follow our laws, and guidelines in relation to what judgement call I have to make, sometimes my hands are tied so to speak, I do not have the authority to change the set sentences either, although I would like to show mercy occasionally for those who've done things wrong by mistake, mistakes happen and so do accidents, speaking from experience I know this all too well; for example when the wooden beam snapped during my fourth Trial which was The Gauntlet, the wood was rotten, it was nobody's fault, but I still failed the Trial because I was injured, and unable to make it to the finishing post within the time limit. I had grounds for mitigation, but it was Larten and Seba who saved my life by reminding the Princes of our equal rank law, it states that if you are the Blessed Mate of a Clan member you share the same rank, as Larten is technically a Prince due to the unique situation with his former assistant being a Prince who is underage he passed his rank onto me when we became Blessed Mates, Princes cannot be executed if they fail a Trial of Death, as such I was spared by the equal rank law because I am technically a Vampire Princess, not that there ever has been an official Vampire Princess, but there may be one in the future.

I've just walked into the Hall of Generals which is otherwise known as the Hall of Gavner Purl, we name our halls after vampires of Good Standing, Gavner gave his life to save mine in the midst of battle so naturally a hall was named after him, we also have a hall named after Arra Sails, her hall is otherwise known as the Hall of Ceremonies, a portrait of her on the Bars hangs up on the wall inside the Hall of Ceremonies, and there is an alter where Clan members can leave tributes to her if they wish, we hung her staff up high above the Bars with black ribbons attached to it, it is a lasting tribute to her, and her legacy. Arra trained some of our best warriors to duel, she also taught many young vampiresses how to behave when they first arrived here, she lives on through her former assistants who were all female, they keep her memory alive, and they are expert duellists on the Bars too.

Arra insisted that every vampiress learnt to duel so she taught them everything she knew about it, they know all of her signiture moves, and counter moves, but so do I because Larten taught me how to duel, and he duelled Arra many times so he learnt how to block, strike, and counter strike all of her combination moves, I also know how to parry a skull-cracking strike, and counter it because Arra was famous for her signiture skull-cracker moves, that was the first thing that Larten taught me, but I was trained to duel properly by Arra's former assistant, she also happens to be Larten's ex Blessed Mate, it was awkward at first, but we were civil towards each other at least.

The following events happened an hour ago...

"Sorry I'm late," I overslept so I was running behind schedule. "What have I missed?"

"Nothing yet, the meeting has not been called to order," Vanez Blaine replied. "We're still waiting."

"Waiting?" I queried.

"Yes, Prince Arrow is supposed to be taking the meeting, but he has not arrived yet. I wonder what the delay is," Vanez explained. "It is not like him to be late so maybe some urgent business has popped up."

"Perhaps. I'll go and find out, shall I?"

"Yes Anna, if you could that would be great." Vanez agreed. There was collective murmuring and head nodding so I stood up, and started to walk towards the Hall of Princes, it was not far away.

When I arrived at the entrance I was surprised to find no Guards there, usually two Guards and a wolf were posted outside the entrance, but there was nobody present, this was highly unusual. I used my mental waves to contact Prince Mika because I could not open the doors, only a Prince could open the doors into the Hall of Princes and the Princes' Dome. I waited for what seemed like an age before the doors eventually opened, and Prince Mika admitted me into the Hall of Princes.

"Prince Arrow is supposed to be presiding over a meeting of the Generals, but he has not arrived yet, and I've been sent to find out why," I explained to Prince Mika after he'd hugged me and kissed my forehead gently. "Is there a problem? Is he sick or something?"

"No, Anna. Prince Arrow is fine, he's running late because Prince Paris has passed away, naturally we have many things to organise so all meetings which are usually hosted by a Prince will have to be postponed," the Vampire Prince revealed. "We will be making an announcement shortly, but for now please keep this news to yourself Anna."

"Yes, of course. I understand."

"Return to the Hall of Generals and wait for further instructions." the Vampire Prince was struggling to hold it together emotionally, but he was putting a brave face on for my sake.

"Of course, I am sorry for your loss, I mean that," I added quietly. "Even in death may he be triumphant." we both made the Death's Touch Symbol and I left the Hall of Princes.

Prince Paris's death had been expected for a while, but hearing the news was still a shock, and I knew that the entire Clan were going to be devistated by it. I went to find Larten, but I could not locate him so I used my mental waves, I picked up on his signal, and knew exactly where he was, he was in the Halls of Sport, I headed towards the Halls of Sport, and he met me outside.

"Anna, I felt you searching for me, are you alright?" Larten looked concerned.

"I'm fine, but I have to tell you something that you must not repeat to anybody," I answered. "It is Prince Paris, he has passed away. Prince Mika told me, but there has been no official announcement yet."

"I see. Thank you for notifying me of this news. I will not share it with anyone," a look of great sorrow appeared on his face. "What are you doing now?"

"I was in a meeting that Prince Arrow was supposed to preside over, but he did not show up so I went to the Hall of Princes to find out why he was late, and that was when Prince Mika told me the news," I explained. "How are you spending the rest of your evening Larten?"

"I was on the Bars with Jade, I promised her that we would have a duel, the duel had just finished when I felt you searching for me Anna, I hung my staff up in the rack, and met you here."

"I see. Who won?"

"Jade did, but I did not take it easy on her, it was a proper duel, however I left myself open, and she capitalised on my mistake, the next thing I knew I lost my balance, and she side swiped me, I landed on my feet, but still I have not been knocked off the Bars in a long time," he answered. "It was a good match, you would have enjoyed watching it Anna."

"It is a long drop if you are not able to control your landing, luckily you know how to land on your feet, I do my acrobatic dismounts or I am caught in the air," I was remembering the time that Gavner had caught me, it was a total fluke, but I had not been injured thanks to him. "Gavner caught me once, he saved me from what would have been a nasty landing. You were there when it happened."

"Yes, it rings a vague bell. That was a long time ago, back when I first brought you here Anna, and you had just started learning to duel," he agreed. "You were very lucky that Gavner was there, I was out of position, and would not have caught you in time."

"That's why he did that fluke symbol thing with his hand in your direction, I remember it well, he held me bridal style for like ten minutes afterwards," I was able to recall the whole affair. "I remember telling Gavner that he could put me down, and he did, but not before he stole a kiss from me, and it made you go mad."

"Gavner liked to cross the line, and take liberties sometimes, but his heart was in the right place even if his brain was not."

"I miss him Larten, I really do. Gavner was a good friend, mentor, a powerful warrior, a fair minded General, and a lovely man," I could not think of anything bad to say about Gavner. "If not for him and his ultimate sacrifice I would not be here now, I owe him my life, the only thing to do is to make his sacrifice count by proving that I was worth saving."

"I agree with that statement Anna," he nodded approvingly. "I will see you later, I am sure that the other Generals are wondering why you've been so long."

"That's true." I stood up on my tiptoes so that my head was level with Larten's, he was holding my waist loosely. I kissed him, I had my arms around his neck and he kissed me back, however they weren't passionate kisses, doing that would have been inappropriate...

The Princes have gathered us all into the Hall of Khledon Lurt, it is one of the few halls that has seating, and no rank distinctions, by that I mean that certain halls are off limits to unranked vampires or new Clan members, but the Hall of Khledon Lurt is open to all, plus the Princes have a raised platform with their High Table on it inside the Hall of Khledon Lurt, this is where they can sit down or stand, and make announcements.

I already know what the Princes are about to tell us, but I have to be in attendance because I'm a General, and all of the Generals have been summoned officially.

"Ladies and gentlemen may I have your attention please?" Prince Arrow has just asked. "I have an important piece of news to tell all of you," he looks sad. "I regret to inform you that earlier on this evening our most esteemed Prince, Prince Paris Skyle passed into Vampire Paradise earlier on tonight, and we know that the news of his death will come as a shock. We shall mourn our friend and colleague of these past seven centuries alongside you, Prince Paris will be cremated with full honours according to our laws as that is befitting of his rank, and good standing."

Prince Arrow is sitting down now, the entire hall is silent because every Clan member is processing the news that they've just heard.

"Every Clan member should wear black clothing out of respect whilst the period of mourning is in progress, as of this moment we are officially withdrawing from our duties as Princes so we can have time to mourn privately, and plan the funeral. We shall resume our duties after the funeral service has been conducted, and once the official period of mourning is over," Prince Mika has just explained to us. "All Generals' meetings that were due to be presided over by one of us have been postponed, all voting will be postponed, there will be no celebrations of any kind conducted until the period of mourning is over either, there will also be no passing of official judgements or Trials taking place, no competitions or challenges will be held, no sentencing of prisoners or executions will be carried out during this time, and all prisoners will be released from the dungeon under guard so that they may attend the funeral, Prince Paris was their Prince too, and the prisoners should have the chance to say their goodbyes."

The following events happened two hours ago...

After Prince Arrow and Prince Mika had made their announcements none of the Clan really knew what to do with themselves, as a result a lot of them had retired to their quarters, and the few who were walking around were dressed in black, I took my wolves out for a run because they needed the exercise, all of my duties had been cancelled so I had a lot of free time on my hands, I couldn't think of anything to fill my free time with as I was so used to working, as such I decided that going out for a run with my wolves was a good idea.

I had changed into some black clothing, although I had nothing that was really suitable for exercising or running in. In the end I had to wear my Dior shirt and a pair of Givenchy trousers, I usually never wore my designer clothing outside, but these two items of clothing were all I had which were plain and black, all my other articles of black clothing were too fancy, plus the items I had on were loose fitting which I needed for exercising. I could have worn my uniform, but my robes needed a wash so they were soaking inside a laundry bucket.

I went outside and headed towards the area of flat ground that had been marked off as a circular running track, it was about four miles long in total so it was an ideal length to walk or run along, the wolves loved it, they ran alongside me and infront of me, I kept up with them easily because wolves are built for stamina, and so are vampires, wolves are excellent long distance runners so it did my pack the world of good to run the equivalent of a marathon, I knew that in the wild a pack of wolves could run up to thirty miles a day in search of food, as such I got my pack to run twenty six miles on the track because it was no issue for them, I had to keep my wolves fit and healthy, however my litter of pups were too young to roam or run that far, instead I walked them on leads over a much shorter distance, they still had some exercise, but they exercised in a safe and controlled manner.

I must have been on the running track for an hour or so when all of a sudden the wolves who were infront of me stopped dead, the others formed a ring around me, they started to snarl and alert me to something, but I couldn't see anything.

"What is it? Show me," the wolves did not move, they continued to snarl and act as if danger was nearby, I smelt the air and looked around, however it was when I looked up into the treeline that I saw it,,,it was a mountain lion, it was sat in the tree which was directly to my right, if it jumped then it'd be right next to me.

"Oh, I see it now. Good wolves. Come on, let's go."

I started to walk away from the area, at least I tried to, but the wolves kept a close ring around me so I could only go at their pace, if the cat jumped I did not want it to land anywhere near me or my wolves, the wolves would have chased it down and ripped it apart, the pack hated big cats because they had been known to kill wolf pups, and the pack knew it. I had no intention of going up against a big cat either, I was in no mood to fight for my life, the cat looked like a big male that was at least two or three years old, as such it was fully grown, very strong, and dangerous, it weighed probably twelve stone or more of pure muscle, an adult male mountain lion could be up to eight foot long as well, they were an apex predator, and not one that I wished to go up against, if it jumped out of the tree which is what they were known for then I'd be in trouble.

I kept walking away from the area, but every so often I turned around to see if the cat was still safely perched in the tree, it was so I kept on moving away from the area slowly, the wolves never left my side. they kept a tight ring around me, and the pups, I carried the two smallest pups, and the others were walking on their leads, but they were inside the ring of wolves so they were safe. I used my mental waves to search for Larten, I sent out a really strong signal which I only used when I felt like I was under threat, it was a technique which he'd taught me, I had learnt to focus my mind and give out really strong signal waves.

I continued walking back towards the mountain, but I had a way to go so I wanted to have back-up just in case the cat did jump out of the tree, and come after the pups. Moments later I saw Larten coming towards me with his dagger drawn, he was moving at speed, but not vampiric speed.

"Anna, what is it? You sent out your strong waves, are you injured?" Larten asked.

"I am fine, but there's a massive mountain lion in the tree to the right of the running track, if it jumps I'm afraid it'll come after the pups, and I wanted back-up," I explained. "Hopefully it'll stay in the tree, and we'll be safe, but you never know because they are unpredictable. Did I do the right thing by sending out my strong waves? I'm not sure."

"If you felt as though yourself or the pups were in direct danger then yes, you did. As you know mountain lions are unpredictable, and it would not be the first time that we have encountered one either, would it?" he answered.

"No Larten, it would not be. We had one attack Sasha and Shadow's pups once, did we not?"

"Yes, we did. I ended up in the Medical Wing because I was wounded quite badly, and so were your pups. We do not want a repeat of that incident either," Larten was inside the ring of wolves, he was walking beside me holding my hand. "We are safe, and we are almost back at the main entrance now, there is not far to go."

"I can see it, it is not far at all," I agreed. "How are you feeling?"

"Truthfully I feel very sad, vampires are not ones for showing emotions in public as you know, however I cannot conceal my feelings from you Anna, you are after all my Blessed Mate," he answered. "I knew that Prince Paris had been sick for a while, he was over seven hundred years old after all, but still the news hit me like a freight train."

"Yes, I can imagine that it did. I found it hard to tell you, but I knew that you would wish to be informed of something of this magnitude personally, rather than waiting for the initial announcement," I explained. "I hate having to deliver bad news, but that is a part of my role as a General, I do believe that the prisoners on Death Row are glad of a temporary reprieve, however at the same time do they really deserve one?"

"As the one who has been selected by the Princes to end their lives via execution I am not allowed to make any judgements, however I do not enjoy it, and afterwards I always feel sick to my stomach. Nobody knows that I am the excutioner apart from yourself, and the Princes, it has to stay that way, however I always visit those who are due to be executed a couple of nights beforehand, I find that if I do that it helps. Most of the prisoners on Death Row never get visitors so I show them a little bit of humanity so to speak, I play cards with them or I bring them a tankard of ale, they do not deserve it, but I am not a monster, and if it helps me to sleep better knowing that before taking a life I have shown some mercy then I see no issue with it," he revealed. "When the time comes I make my peace with the Gods of the Vampires on their behalf, and for myself as well, and I never mess it up, I give them a quick, clean death, it is the least I can do for them."

"Yes, it is. I hate being present at executions, but fortunately we do not have many, it is part of my role as a General to be present at executions, however I am there to passively support you from afar as well, if you know I'm there for you then I thought you'd appreciate it," I admitted. "I will always support you in whichever way I can Larten, I mean that."

"Thank you, hearing that means a lot to me."

We reached the entrance, spoke our names to the gate, and headed down the tunnel which led to the central part of the mountain, I took the wolves to their den and we retired to our quarters.

"What a horrible night, I am glad it is over Larten," I changed out of my dirty clothing, and into my red Lingerie, Larten liked it when I wore Lingerie even if we did not do anything sexual, I had a lacey mini skirt on with suspenders and stockings, but no pants, on the top I had a lacey crop top on, it was very skimpy. I was practically naked, however I did not mind at all, besides I liked to remind Larten of whom he'd married, and what I had on offer that was his to do with as he saw fit. "Do I look good?"

"You look like a vampiress who knows exactly how to get my attention, and keep it," he stated. "Wearing my preferred colour in a style that says fuck me senseless is wonderful to see, it is exactly how my Blessed Mate should dress for my eyes only."

"I do try to please you, I never want to vex you or make you upset, I love you too much for that Larten, I could never hurt you either, and it hurts me to see you in pain of any kind." I did whatever i could to be supportive, and my love for Larten was unconditional...

The following events happened a few hours ago...

I'm was the Hall of Khledon Lurt with Larten and Seba, we'd been discussing our memories, and how well we knew Prince Paris, I was helping Seba to write the eulogy for the funeral, as Seba was so respected by the Clan the Princes had chosen him to lead the tributes, and giving a speech was a part of it. Seba had learnt to read and write which was very useful for a job like this, I was glad that Seba agreed to let me teach him how to read, and write.

"I hardly knew Prince Paris, but he spoke to me after I passed my Trials, he told me that he had never seen a young vampiress more determined than I was to make my Trial Mentor proud," I explained. "After that he congratulated me in person, at the time I felt honoured because a Prince had actually spoken to me directly instead of going through a Messenger. I bumped into him by accident once too, I literally walked into him, I thought he was going to go mad, but he did not, he turned to face me, I apologised, and he walked off."

"Prince Paris did not waste time on insignificant things, he was a great believer in capitalising on every free minute he had, he put the Clan and their best interests first, he was also a key reason why you escaped the cage in the Hall of Death, he spoke up for you, and faught for the equal rank law to apply in your case, there were objections because from a legal standpoint Larten is not an Invested Prince, he is an honourary one due to the situation with Prince Darren, however Prince Paris stood firm, and so did I. The Generals who had objected backed down, and you were given a reprieve, Prince Paris saved your life Anna, we both did," Seba revealed. "I was not about to allow you to be killed, the wooden beam was rotten, it snapped, it was not your fault, why be punished for something that you had no control over?"

"I think the turning point was when I got into the cage with you Anna, the Princes were not expecting me to go that far in order to prove a point, but I had no option, it was a risk, but it paid off, of course I had not been informed of the reprieve you had been granted at that moment in time, however it certainly showed that I was determined to have the Princes spare you, in my mind at the time they were left with only two options, either let you live or kill us both," Larten replied. "I was not going to go down without a fight either, I would have challenged all of the Princes to single combat if it meant that you were freed."

"That is a bit extreme, but it is also kind of romantic Larten, to have somebody in my life who loves me enough to risk their life in order to save mine is very honourable," I was surprised to hear such an admission. "You are the definition of chivalry itself."

"I have not always been this way, in my youth I was a rogue, and I made a lot of mistakes. I used to drink, use protitutes and other substances too, but I cleaned up my act, and got myself straightened out. You will not ever find me using the services of a prostitute, or snorting cocaine as if it were going out of fashion either. I drink far less than I used to, I quit smoking cigars because the ladies were not fans of them, and cocaine is a foolish thing to use, most of the stuff you get on the streets now is cut with crap, and it is dangerous, it is not the pure plant extract that it used to be, in my youth you could buy it in the pharmacy as a raw ingredient, and it was also used in many medicines, but now it is illegal in most countries, and for good reason," Larten explained. "I will never go back to being the drunk, off my head, and higher on drugs than the Bars, sexual deviant that I once was, I have changed for the better Anna, I really have."

"Larten, you have taken great strides forward in order to become the level headed, and wise individual that you are now, I am proud of you for getting your head straight, and for getting clean as well, that is not easy," I praised him. "If you wish to party hard sometimes that is fine, I do not object to it at all, and in fact I love to party hard too when I get the chance, do you remember how much fun we had on New Year's Eve a few years ago? The Cirque Du Freak held a fancy dress party, we got absolutely wrecked, in fact we were so smashed it was unreal, and it takes a lot of alcohol to get a vampire drunk as you know."

"Yes, we were indeed wrecked, in fact I literally could not see straight for a while afterwards, but I actually enjoyed myself, and I never thought I would say that," Larten added. "We should do it again sometime."

"Yes, definitely," I nodded in approval. "No expense spared, right?"

"No, there will be no expense spared, spend as much as you like Anna," Larten replied. "It is not as though we are short of money after all."

"That is true, we have more than enough to have a party with unlimited alcohol, and then some," I acknowledged. "I need to get totally smashed once in a while, there is no harm in it."

"We will get so drunk that even holding our glasses, and tankards which contain the alcohol will become an issue Anna," Larten had a wicked glint in his eyes. "In fact I will get you more than wrecked, you will be paralytic or as you say smashed."

We managed to write the eulogy, but it was emotional at times, and I really did not know what to add because I had not known Prince Paris on a personal level, this was unlike Larten and Seba who had been friends with him for many years, they even played Poker and drank together when they were off duty, not that any of the Vampire Princes were ever really off duty, they just did not have their robes on; taking their robes off meant that they were open to socialising with the Clan instead of staying in the Hall of Princes, I had seen Prince Mika without his robes on several times, he was easy to talk to, and approachable when he was not wearing his robes, but when he was working he took his job seriously, and nobody messed with him...

The funeral of Prince Paris is due to take place tomorrow evening, everything is being prepared, and one of my jobs is to guard the prisoners who're being released temperarily so that they can attend the funeral too, there are not many of them thankfully, I'll be guarding the death row prisoners, they're the ones who will be executed for crimes like treason, conserting with or otherwise aiding the Lord of the Vampaneze, releasing Vampaneze prisoners of war, conspiracy to murder a Prince, attempted murder, the murder of a Vampire General and other violent crimes. I am not looking forward to it, but I must do my duty as a General, and make sure that everything goes well tomorrow, the funeral will be hard enough as it is, as such the last thing we want is for the prisoners on death row to escape, in my opinion they all deserve to die for their crimes which are numerous in number, plus the prisoners themselves are pretty nasty individuals who you would not wish to associate with, to be honest I will be glad when tomorrow is over, and the prisoners have all been locked into their cells again, although they're more like cages than actual cells, they sleep on straw, use buckets to go to the bathroom in, and they get fed once a night, we did overhaul our prison system, and how we actuall treat our prisoners a few years ago, but that was only done for the non-violent offenders who will be released eventually, however we did not waste any time or extra resources on the death row prisoners, after all they are going to die at some point so why bother?

There is one death row prisoner that I am curious about, according to his charges he was found guilty of two murders, and sentenced to death for his crimes, however he has always claimed that it was not him who did it, and that the murders were carried out by somebody else who has since been killed in battle, if this other Clan member did do it then they never admitted to it, and now they cannot be held accountable for it either as they're dead already, but there is one thing that bothers me, and that is this; the man who was found guilty said that he did not commit the crimes, but instead he witnessed the crimes being commited by somebody else, however his defence of only being a witness, and not the actual killer was not believed, and now he's due to be executed as a result, still if he is telling the truth, and he is innocent then this will be a miscarriage of justice that I will not stand for. I am determined to investigate the entire case, I want to see if I can find a way to either prove his guilt or his innocence once and for all, either way a man's life is at stake, and if he is innocent then I will see him freed, also there is nothing to lose, if he is guilty he will die, and if he is innocent then he will live, either way if I can save the life of an innocent man then I will do that, but that is only if he is innocent, and proven to be so somehow.

I have got no idea how to go about investigating this case, but I will ask the Guards about it after the funeral is over, they have the case knowledge that I need, once I have it I will look into the crime fully, and see what I can discover if anything. I have a suspicion that I may be more involved in this case then I would like to be, but I shall see when I get the case knowledge.

I am going to spend some time with Prince Mika, I am sure that he needs someone to be there for him at this time of sadness, and mourning.

As the Princes are not working the Princes' Dome will be closed, they only use it for conducting official business so Prince Mika will most likely be inside the Hall of Khledon Lurt or he'll be outside with his wolf Luna, he only has one wolf, but one is enough for most Clan members, although some Clan members will keep a pair of siblings from the same litter together, using two wolves makes hunting easier, plus you will be better protected against threats if you have a pair of wolves, this is rather than just one, for example one can run for help, and the other will stay by your side if you get injured or fall sick.

As I have a pack of twenty wolves I have got my hands full, I am well protected against threats, and most of my hunts are successful, plus on the battlefield the Vampaneze were absolutely terrified of my pack, they saw them in action, and wanted no part of being torn to pieces, that is what my wolves do, they knock enemies to the ground by lunging at them, and they kill them, they do this by either by ripping their throats out or by cutting off their air supply via the means of crushing their windpipes, after all wolves have very strong jaws that can crush bone without any problems.

I've found Prince Mika, he is in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, however he's sat at one of the regular tables instead of being at the High Table, this is not unusual for Prince Mika, he is one of the more approachable Princes, and most of the Clan will go to him if they need something done which only a Prince can do.

"Hello." I'm sitting opposite Prince Mika.

"Anna, my Dark Angel, I am glad to see you," Prince Mika looks as though he's been crying. "I was going to come, and find you, but I do not need to now because you're here."

"I still can't believe that Prince Paris has passed, I knew he was ill, he was doing better, and improving, but then he had a sudden decline, and died, it is just so sad," Prince Mika has been hit hard by the death of his colleague, we all have to be honest. "I had my private quarters next to his as you know, we cleared his quarters out earlier, and he did not have much in the way of possessions, but the few things he did own have been passed onto his assistants, that was what he told us to do so we have respected his wishes."

"Did he have a mate?" I thought he did, but maybe I am wrong.

"He had a mate, yes, she has been allowed to keep her Coronet, and her title of Madam Skyle along with his cloak, he had a really nice one that she likes to use as a blanket, just like you do," he has revealed. "I do not blame you either, in fact a lot of vampiresses sleep underneath cloaks which belong to their mates, it is like a perk that comes with the position so to speak."

"I have been sleeping under Larten's cloaks since the beginning, I was using them as blankets long before he even became my mate, when he and I first met his prior Blessed Mateship had not been dissolved, and he told me that he was spoken for, but I won his heart somehow, I think that when I pledged myself to him it was the turning point in our relationship, up until then we had been mentor and assistant, and that was it, I also think that my old Cirque Du Freak costume played a roll in my success, it was red, lacey and sexy, I had high boots on and a dress which came just above my knees with a corset style bodice on it, it even laced up at the back which I asked him to help me to tie up or untie," I've just explained. "I still remember the night when I pledged myself to him, I told him that I loved him, on that same night we shared our first ever kiss, it made my head spin, it was also the night that I shared his coffin for the first time too, I slept in his arms with his cloak covering me up, from then on we were together, he also gave me a ring to show that we were pledged to each other, and we've been together ever since."

"You have your other rings now too, and to be honest you have earnt them Anna, I often see you looking down, and admiring them, you honestly are the most loyal and devoted mate that Larten has ever had, he is incredibly lucky to have you by his side, and you are fortunate to enjoy his company as well as his bounty," Prince Mika has just claimed. "I know that we are unofficial mates, but from the moment that I saw you two together I just knew that you were meant for each other, you suit each other really well."

"I agree with you Mika, Larten and I do suit each other."

The following events happened a few hours ago...

I spent quite a long time with Prince Mika in the Hall of Khledon Lurt, we had not spent much time together at all recently as he had been busy, and so had I, it was good to catch up with him. I wanted to give him some emotional support because he needed it, as a Prince he was expected to lead the mourning, but he also had to be emotionless, and not show any form of public grief, it was not the vampire way to shed tears or grieve publicly, everything like that was done behind closed doors so to speak.

I went to Prince Mika's quarters, he shut the door and sat down at the table he had, I sat down too, but I was in the comfy armchair by the fireplace

"Drink?" he asked. "I need one."

"Oh yes, please," I was thirsty. "What do you have?"

"The usual, blood, wine or ale," Prince Mika got a goblet for me, and a tankard for himself out of his cupboard. "Wine Anna?"

"No, blood please. I am due for a feed," I had not fed recently, and I needed to. "Yours is fresh at least."

"I have it replaced every forty eight hours, it never has the chance to turn sour," he filled up the goblet, and passed it to me. "Here you go, enjoy."

"Thanks." I sipped my blood and savoured the taste, the Princes always had access to the best blood so I enjoyed drinking from Prince Mika's store.

"You are welcome, how have you been Anna? Are you being treated well?" he filled his tankard with ale, and downed it in one.

"Yes, I am. I have no complaints, although I do want to ask you about something," I took another swig of blood from my goblet. "There is a prisoner on death row who says that he is innocent, apparently he witnessed the crime he has been convicted of being carried out by somebody else, but he was still found guilty, do you know anything about it?"

"Oh, that case. I was there during the trial, I never thought he did it either, but I was overruled by the other Princes, Prince Arrow and Prince Paris both thought he was guilty, and so did the Generals, there was nothing I could do even though I tried. Why do you ask Anna?" Prince MIka looked at me with curiosity. "Do you know something?"

"Not exactly, but the Clan member who has been convicted of this crime will be under my charge during the funeral, I've been given the job of helping to guard the death row prisoners so they can't escape," I explained to him. "I want to re-open the case, and find out if he is actually innocent or not, if he is and he is executed then it would be a miscarriage of justice which I cannot stand for, especially seeing as my Blessed Mate is the one who has to take his life, I want him to do so with a clean conscience so if he is innocent then I cannot let Larten kill him, if he found out that he had killed an innocent Clan member then it would kill him inside, Larten is many things, but a cold blooded killer is not one of them, executioner he may be, but only for those who are actually guilty. Larten even visits the death row inmates a night or two before they are due to die, he makes his peace with them, and shows them some mercy, not every executioner would do that, but he does because he's got a heart Mika, he honestly does, and a soul to match."

"I see, right well I shall have to speak with my fellow Princes about it, and we will vote on whether to postpone his execution pending a new investigation, but that is all I can do, if it were up to me I would have pardoned him, I never thought he did it, and his defence of witnessing the crime only, but not being involved in it was a good one, he even summoned the Guards immediately after it happened, if he were guilty then why would he allow himself to be captured?" Prince Mika had made a very good point. "Anna, if you find out anything then let me know, you have my full permission to investigate this matter fully without restriction. I will help you if I can, but the thing is that we cannot ask the alleged real perpetrator of this crime to speak with us because he died in battle a long time ago, if he was guilty of this crime then we cannot punish him, however we can see justice done by releasing an innocent Clan member if he is indeed innocent, and he's been telling the truth for the past sixty years. He's been in jail that long because we had no official executioner until Larten was asked to do it."

"Why was Larten asked?" I never knew why he was selected.

"He's an expert swordsman, and he has the power required to slice through a neck cleanly, we decided a long time ago that being executed is bad enough without having to suffer a humiliating or slow death, a quick, clean swipe through the neck with a sword is the best way, we only use the cage and pit of spikes for the worst criminals like traitors because they are given dishonourable deaths," he remarked. "A traitor does not deserve to face their impending death head on, instead they are dropped onto the spikes whilst facing away from them, this is unlike a brave man who would stare the spikes in the face as he was being dropped. I never wanted that fate for you, being a young woman who was innocent of any crime, and only facing execution due to failing a trial of death, I was not going to allow you to die in the pit. You only failed due to a situation that was beyond your control so it was not your fault, how can you possibly execute somebody for failing a trial due to faulty equipment? The job was that of the Generals who set up the Trial to check the equipment first, if they failed in their duties then that is no fault of yours, why should you pay the ultimate price due to somebody else's mistake?"

"That was my defence in a nutshell Mika, I was willing to retake the trial too, but it would have been hard to do with a broken leg, my leg has never been right after I broke it either, I still suffer from issues now due to that fall from height," I admitted. "It has left me scarred and maimed for life as you know."

"Yes I am aware of that, in all honesty you should have been given an exemption for the last trial on medical grounds, due to our negligence we never should have made you take the Ring of Fire, but you did it anyway, and proved to us why you are an asset to our Clan," Prince Mika praised. "In fact since then you have shown time and time again exactly why you belong here Anna, you only have to look at what you did during the fire, you rescued trapped Clan members whilst putting your own life at risk in the process, this is why we made you a General, you earnt it, also in the last major battle we had your wolves were the difference between our victory, and our defeat. We could not have managed without them, as for the wolves who got the injured to safety we had far less casualties than usual thanks to them, and their training."

"Yeah, the Medical Assistance wolves are brilliant at what they do, and not every wolf can do it either, it takes a certain personality and skill set," I stated. "It takes months to train a wolf for this role, and even then it may not work out. The wolf has to react on instinct, and know what is wrong before acting to fix it, a wolf can be trained to apply pressure on a wound or to monitor breathing, but they have to know how to alert a Medic if something changes, they have to fetch things, carry things, pick things up, know the difference between items and act calmly around the patients as well, all whilst being prepared to defend the Medical Wing or the field hospital from enemies at a moment's notice."

"Yeah, they are incredible creatures, and we're lucky to have them with us Anna." Prince Mika refilled his tankard and my goblet, we drank together and shared stories of old until we eventually crawled into Prince Mika's coffin, we eventually fell into a deep sleep, but not before we had shared a few kisses and whispered naughty things into each other's ears.

When I woke up inside Prince Mika's coffin he was asleep next to me, I tried hard not to disturb him when I moved so that I was closer to him, he had his arm around my waist, and my head was resting on his chest, his long, dark hair was tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of the way. I could feel his bodyheat and the gentle rising and falling of his chest as he slept, his wolf Luna was asleep on an animal skin rug next to the coffin, it was where she always slept, the fire was still going and so were the torches on the walls, I closed my eyes again and went back to sleep.

I'm not sure how long I was asleep for, but I was woken up by Luna, she was pacing back and forth for some reason. I gently tapped Prince Mika until he stirred, and opened his eyes.

"Wh-what is it? I was having a good dream," he said sleepily. "This had better be good."

"Luna is pacing back and forth, I think she's trying to tell us something Mika, this is what my wolves do when they alert me," I replied. "I wonder what it is."

"Let her outside for a wee, she only paces like this when she needs to go to the toilet," he replied. "Luna uses a different alert for danger or when something is up."

"Oh alright, I'll open the door and let her out."

I got up and opened the door, Luna ran out as fast as she could so I assumed that she was desperate to go for a wee, and that she would return, I got back into the coffin and lay down again, Prince Mika moved slightly so that I could snuggle into him easier, I liked to snuggle up next to him, he kissed me gently, I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back with more passion, our tongues touched and intermingled as we kissed, Prince Mika shifted his position until he was on top of me, we carried on kissing and I gently ran my nails down his back, I was careful not to scratch him because my nails were pretty sharp, but having said that vampiric skin was very tough, it took a lot to cut it open, and draw blood from it.

We kissed for ages, it was intense to say the least, it made me feel tingly all over my body, it was certainly turning me on. I opened my legs instinctively so that we were in missionary position, but Prince Mika did not penetrate me, and nor did he make any attempt to do so either, we just kissed. Eventually I broke the kiss so that I could talk to him.

"Normally you would be inside me by now so what's up Mika?"

"Nothing is up, and that is the issue, I am having problems with maintaining an erection, and I don't know why, normally I am solid like a rock as you know, but now I am struggling," he admitted. "I cannot understand it, it is not like me. I am a Prince, and I have a reputation to uphold, if the Clan finds out about this then my image will be ruined."

"I won't say anything, have you seen a Medic? Maybe they can give you some herbal concoction to rub on it or something, you never know," I did not claim to know much about these things, especially as I was not a man. "Seba had the same issue a few years ago, maybe ask him about it, he is very discreet in case you are worried, he will not say anything to anybody about it."

"Yes, perhaps I'll ask him for some advice later, but after the funeral of course." he agreed.

"Yes, after the funeral would be better Mika, more appropriate, and all that."

"You still call me Mika which is fine, but when I mate with you why do you call out the word Sire instead of my name?" he asked.

"I guess I was just being respectful, and besides that if other clan members heard us then they'd know that a Prince is exactly what they imagine him to be, a powerful warrior, a strong leader, an excellent war strategist, and a pleaser of ladies in the bedroom," I answered. "To be honest I never realised that was what I was saying, sometimes when you're climaxing strongly you aren't always in control, or even aware of what you're saying as you're in the midst of it all."

"Makes sense I guess, either way I don't mind what you call me in private, but in public it is another matter as you know Anna,"

"Yes, I am aware of that. I have never slipped up either." I reminded him.

"No, you're right, you haven't ever slipped up and called me by a pet name or by something otherwise inappropriate in public Anna," he seemed pleased by this. "You have always been very respectful of our laws and customs."

"I do my best."

"Yes Anna, you do indeed do your best." he nodded approvingly.

"Would you like me to try and fix your issue?" I offered.

"You know how?" he asked, surprised.

"Not exactly, but I have got an idea about something which may help," I stated. "I can always use my mouth and my hands, a bit of manual, and oral stimulation may do the trick."

"Worth a try, but not guaranteed to work."

"Better than not trying at all." I said with a wink.

At the funeral...

We walked into the Hall of Ceremonies slowly, I was near to the front of the line because I was a General who was escorting a prisoner, I took my place and the prisoner who was in chains sat down on the chair that had been provided for him, I had to stand by his side in case he tried to run, but he did nothing, he sat still, he was respectful, he only stood up out of respect when Prince Paris's body was carried into the Hall, but everyone stood up at that point, and that was appropriate, after that he sat down and caused me no issues whatsoever, he was to coin a phrase a model prisoner.

After the body had been brought into the Halls the Princes took turns to talk about Prince Paris, and what he'd meant to them as a friend, and colleague, then Seba Nile stood up and made his speech, it was very powerful, it gave thanks to him for being such a wonderful leader of our Clan, he also acknowledged his feats on the battlefield, and his law making which had been instrumental in developing the Clan into what it was now. When Seba sat down Larten stood up and said his piece, Larten too gave thanks for Prince Paris's leadership, he thanked him for fighting alongside him as an equal, and finally he said that he was going to greatly miss his card playing, brandy drinking, loyal and truest friend of the past century, when it was my turn to read my speech I was a little nervous, but I never faltered. This is a transcript of what I said:

Ladies and gentlemen I do not claim to have known Prince Paris that well because I did not, however without him, and his determination to see the law upheld I would not be standing here tonight, in short Prince Paris saved my life, or this act of kindness on his part I owe him a debt which I can never now repay, I was fortunate enough to see Prince Paris fighting on the battlefield once, he was a force to be reckoned with, he took many Vampaneze lives that night, and sent their souls to the Wondering Abyss, I faught alongside him without any fear because I knew that he had my back, and I had his too, he was a true ally to all of us, no matter what rank we hold or how we came to be here Prince Paris treated us all as equal, and that means something, a true leader leads with their head, but they also have compassion, mercy for the needy, and a strong sense of duty, Prince Paris had all of these qualities, and that is why I have such respect for him as a leader of our Clan, Prince Paris will be sorely missed by all of us in one way or another, he will never be forgotten, and nor will his legacy, he has left behind a heartbroken mate, an assistant who is in search of new Mentor, a wealth of historical knowledge, and lots of happy memories of him off duty, he would usually be found sat at the Poker table, there he would be calling all of our bluffs after having a few drinks...

After the funeral service was over we all filed into the Hall of Cremations, this is where his body was burnt according to our customs, and traditions, afterwards we all returned to the Hall of Khledon Lurt where we ate, drank, raised toasts to Prince Paris, we shared stories, and our memories of him with each other too. It was fair to say that we all drank a hideous amount of alcohol, it was traditional to celebrate a life after saying goodbye so that's what we did, the only way we knew how to celebrate was to get the alcohol flowing, all of the prisoners had been returned to their cells by this point, as such I was off duty, and free to get wrecked just like everyone else was doing. I had not gotten myself completely wasted in years, but that did not matter, I knew that I could drink, and carry on drinking until I collapsed, only after that point would I be completely, and utterly beyond smashed...

"Eugh man, what the hell happened?" I have just woken up with no memory of how I got here or anything, I don't even know where here is. "Where am I?"

"You are in the Medical Wing Anna, you gave us a fright because you collapsed, you were completely unconscious for quite a while, you overdid the alcohol, and drank way more than what I have ever seen a single vampiress consume in one session," Larten has just revealed. "I was afraid that you would not wake up, it is rare, but it does happen to us because we are not immortal."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry I scared you Larten, it was not my intention," I'm feeling both sick, and embarrassed. "Are you alright?"

"I am now that you are awake, I have not left your side, and neither have they," he is looking over at the Medical Assistance wolves who are lying down on either side of my bed, they used to have a different job title, but we changed it. "These wolves have been keeping an eye on you since I brought you here."

"That's their job Larten, they look after the sickest patients who need the most help," I must have been very ill indeed in order to be looked after by two wolves, usually one wolf will move between patients on a ratio of 1:3, but if a patient is critically ill or dying then sometimes two wolves will stay by their side for round the clock monitoring.

"They have done a stirling job, I must say." Larten looks pleased by the wolves and their attentiveness, they wear bright red harnesses with white patches on them that say in black lettering:

Medical Assistance Wolf

DO NOT DISTRACT ME,

I AM SAVING LIVES.

The Medical Assistance wolves also wore collars and medals which had their names engraved onto them, it wasn't any different to nurses who wore name badges.

"They've been well trained, it takes months to train a wolf for this job Larten," I remember how long it took me to train Khan, Flash and Diesel for this role. "I trained some of my pack for this job, they were used as dual purpose wolves when we had the last major battle, they got the injured to safety, and defended us as well."

"I remember seeing them work, they were incredible to watch," Larten is right, fully trained wolves are awesome. "The wolves got me out of trouble more than once, at times I was outnumbered, and overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Vampaneze who had been told to target me, but the wolves really helped me out, they surrounded me in a ring, as a result the Vampaneze soon realised that I was going to be almost impossible to kill. I was knocked down from my horse, but I was able to remount him, after that I pulled my troops back, and reformed my ranks into a different formation. I am good at battle strategies and tactics."

"That was fortunate, but I still do not see why you had to pretend to be dead for two years, it really has had a major impact upon my mental health, and whenever you go away for any length of time without me I fear that you will not return, I am still having nightmares about that battle Larten, the things I saw will haunt me for the rest of my life," I have severe PTSD due to the battle, but there's nothing I can do about it. "Battles are a messy, cruel, and bloody horrible experience."

"I never wish to pick up a sword again, I am done with wars and killing, if I never see another Vampaneze again it will be too soon." Larten has obviously been affected by the War of the Scars too, but hopefully that is all over, and done with now.

"So, exactly who has been keeping a close eye on me?" I was not familiar with all of the new wolves who'd been born, and trained over the past few months, I had enough names to remember in my own pack, let alone learning the names of wolves who were not mine. "I hope my pack are alright, has anybody checked on them or let them outside recently?"

"That is Frost and the other one is Asher," Larten replied as he read the names on their collars with confidence. "They belong to the Chief Medic, but I have no idea as to which pack they are from or who their ancestors are."

"No matter, I'm just glad to be alive," I sat up in bed, but I felt really dizzy so I lay back down again. "I feel like crap by the way, what in the heck was I drinking?"

"Anything and everything you could Anna, I told you more than once to slow down, and not to drink any more alcohol, but you were quite fiery and told me to mind my own business. I found you collapsed in the tunnel which leads to our quarters, thankfully nobody else was there, I brought you down here, and have been waiting for you to wake up," Larten looked a little bit annoyed with me, and I did not blame him at all. "I hope that a lesson has been learnt."

"Oh yes, it has, I do not remember a thing, but if I was rude to you or if I did disrespect you in any way then I will make it up to you somehow, after everything you have done for me I owe you the uttermost respect, for me to hear that I spoke to you in what must have been a drunken rant makes me feel even worse than what I already do," I had never gotten myself so drunk that I collapsed, and spoke badly to somebody that I loved. "I am sorry, it was a poor judgement call, I will never repeat this mistake again. Next time if you tell me to stop drinking I will do."

"We all make mistakes, but as a General you have to be extra careful not to damage your good name. Luckily for you I found you, and I brought you here before anyone else saw the state that you were in, you were worse than what you were at the New Year's Eve party," he revealed. "I hope I never see you in this condition again, drunk is fine, smashed is acceptible, and wrecked is on the edge, however you were what I would describe as obliterated, that is to say you were beyond wrecked."

"Oh." I hung my head in shame. "Was I really that badly intoxicated?"

"Yes, you were. You have been under constant monitoring since I brought you here, you were unconscious and hardly breathing at one time Anna, in fact you genuinely frightened me because I thought that I was going to lose you, vampires can die from acute alcohol intoxication, it is rare, but it has happened. I would hate to see you kill yourself unintentionally via alcohol poisoning, I love you too much to even contemplate losing you," he looked legitimately concerned. "If I lost you I would be heartbroken, unable to live with myself, and in fact I do not wish to think about such a horrible thing happening. If I lost you in a battle it would be extremely sad, but I would accept it as the price we pay for this lifestyle, however if I lost you to an entirely preventable or avoidable death like acute alcohol intoxication would be unacceptable in my eyes."

"I am not going to die from drinking too much alcohol Larten, I promise you that. I will cut down on the amount that I drink, this experience has taught me that I am far from immortal, and that I need to be more careful," I admitted. "I will continue to drink, but not until I am as you say obliterated, wrecked maybe, but no further."

"I would appreciate that, and do not worry about making anything up to me, after all I have not always been of good character after having a vast amount of alcohol," he was correct, Larten and certain types of alcohol did not mix. "Three bottles of Black Label Whisky was enough to turn me into a monsterous individual, since then I have never touched Black Label Whisky."

"Yes, I remember it well. You called me horrible names, and smashed up some stuff as well, not that you'll remember doing any of it," I replied. "It was terrifying to see you at your alcohol fuelled worst, you called me a slut when I tried to help you, you also said that nobody else would want me because I was ugly, and scarred."

"Did I seriously do that? I have no recollection of such things." he looked shocked.

"Seba had to physically wrestle you into an empty room, he had to lock you in until you were sobered up, it was awful to watch," I never wanted him to repeat the experience. "The Generals and the Princes also saw you in that state as well, truthfully I have never been so embarrassed in all my life, I'm serious Larten."

"I did those things, and you still stood by me?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course I stood by you, I know who you really are Larten, also at the time that this took place we had just become pledged to each other with intent, I did not have the heart or inclination to call off our union over one drunken incident, I loved you too much to do that, and I still do," I remarked. "I could never leave you, no matter what you do I will stand by you. The two years we had to be separated were horrible, I used to sleep with your cloak pulled around my body so closely it felt as though you were still holding me tight, just like you always do."

I've been in the Medical Wing for the past two nights as it has taken some time for the alcohol to work its way out of my system, I've had to drink a lot of water, and rest up. Larten has not left my side except to feed and exercise the wolves because I've not been able to do it, he's been very attentive, and good at looking after me not that I really need looking after any longer, after all I feel fine now, in fact I'm just waiting to be discharged.

"Anna, you are looking well now, but when you came in here you looked like a corpse," the Chief Medic says. "I was worried that you had gone too far, and we would not be able to do anything for you."

"Was I really that sick? I had no idea."

"Yes, it was touch and go for a while Anna. In fact I told Larten that if you made it through the first twelve hours then it would be fifty, fifty as to whether you survived or not, alcohol poisoning is dangerous, and hard to treat," the Chief Medic explains. "You pulled through, but only because I had to make you throw up to get the undigested alcohol out of your system, what on Earth did you drink?"

"Not a clue, I can't remember a thing about any of it, my last clear memory before it all happened is speaking at the funeral, after that everything is a blur," I admit. "My next memory after that is waking up in here."

"That makes sense, you've probably got alcohol induced amnesia, it is temporary, but there is no treatment for it," the Chief Medic states whilst signing my discharge forms. "You are alive and that is the only thing which matters."

I've returned to work as a General, only now I have to start investigating the crime which I said I would be looking into, if an innocent Clan member is in jail for a crime he never perpetrated he must be set free, that is how our justice system should work, although I have to say that we don't do things like humans do, we look at the evidence before us, and we present our case to the Princes, after that the defence tries to explain the evidence we have, and why they are not guilty, the Princes will then put it to a vote, the Generals vote as to whether they think the accused is guilty or not, and if so the Princes will then pass a sentence, if the Generals' vote is split or if neither side can decide the Princes will vote, if they still can't decide upon the accused's guilt or innocence by a majority vote then the individual is found innocent by default, and set free, this is a bit like when humans in court have a hung Jury, only humans have a re-Trial when that happens, but we don't.

We use double jeopardy laws as well, if a Clan member is innocent of a crime, and found to be innocent then they cannot subsequently be found guilty of that same crime, even if they were to admit their guilt it makes no difference, we do this so that Clan members who confess to doing something which they did not do whilst being drunk or under torture cannot be falsely accused, or charged with a crime they never perpetrated, if you are innocent, or found innocent you will be listed as innocent no matter what. If on the other hand you have been found guilty of a crime, but you still claim to be innocent then you can appeal to the Princes directly to look at the case again, also if new evidence is found then a second vote is called for with the new evidence being introduced, if you are found innocent at a second vote then your record will be wiped, and any good standing you had before being accused of the crime in question will be restored to you, if however you are found guilty for a second time then that is it, you are guilty as charged, and must accept your punishment.

I need to speak with the Guards who handled the case in the beginning, they have the evidence which I have to examine for myself, I also need to dig around, and look for any new evidence, although the crime was enacted a long time ago so finding new evidence will be a challenge. I still think the guy in question is innocent, but we shall see.

The following events happened a couple of hours ago...

I went to the Dungeons, I wished to speak to the prisoner who was involved with the case I had been looking into, I also had to speak with the Guards about it because they had the information I needed, I had to learn all about the case in order to dig up any new evidence that may still have lain undiscovered. I took two of my wolves with me to the dungeons just in case of any issues, two wolves were more than capable of defending me if necessary.

"Madam Ver Leth is here," one Guard announced.

"Don't just stand there you Moron, let her in immediately," the Captain of the Guards replied. "Princes and the mates of Princes can go wherever they like without any restrictions being placed upon them."

"Open the gates!" the Guard who'd announced my arrival ordered.

"If you'll come this way Madam I am sure we can help you with whatever it is that has brought you to this awful place," the Captain of the Guards bowed to me and led me to a table with two chairs nearby. "Please sit if it pleases you to do so, can I get you anything?"

"A tankard of water would be great, thank you. I am here to speak with one of the prisoners who is condemned to die, I believe him to be wrongly accused, and I wish to re-investigate his case," I explained as the Captain of the Guards poured some water into a clean tankard for me. "I am looking for the one they call Jacques."

"Oh, yes that case, nasty business it was, I remember being at the scene of the crime, it was horrible," the Captain of the Guards sat down and took a swig out of his own tankard. "Some poor General was slaughtered in cold blood, Jacques claimed to have witnessed the murder, and knew who the killer was, but when we checked into it, it turned out that the Clan member who'd been accused of the crime by Jacques had a solid alibi, and could not have been involved, hence why we all suspected that Jacques was guilty of the crime, and trying to pass the blame onto somebody else."

"I see. What if I told you that new evidence has come to light? I have found evidence which suggests that the individuals who provided the alibi were either coerced or paid to do so by the murderer, and therefore the alibi is false, Jacques has told the truth all along, and the real murderer was never punished for his crime, he's dead now so it makes no difference other than to Jacques who may very well be behind bars for a crime he did not commit," I explained. "What do you say to that, Captain?"

"I will have to consult with the other Guards, and get back to you, if you do indeed have new evidence then it will have to be presented to the Princes at their earliest convenience, as for Jacques we will continue to keep him under lock and key until his case is resolved, I can however submit a request for a delay in his execution date citing new evidence, and a possible need for a review of his case," the Captain of the Guards was firm, but not unreasonable, and he listened to those who gave him compelling reasons to do so. "Until then there is not much more I can do, but thank you for bringing this matter to my attention."

"That is alright, can I speak with the prisoner? He never gets any visitors does he?" most of the Clan did not give a toss about the prisoners, let alone the ones on death row.

"I think that can be arranged, wait here," the Captain of the Guards disappeared for a moment or two, but then he was back. "Follow me."

I followed the Captain of the Guards to the cells, they were actually metal cages which were similar to what animals in zoos used to live in, plus every prisoner was chained up in one way or another with wrist restraints, and leg shackles.

"I see lots of chains and shackles Captain, is that necessary?"

"Yes madam, there are lots of them, after all these are dangerous men who would kill you if they got the chance, I have to protect my staff members as well as the prisoners, prisoners will fight other prisoners if they get the chance, and escape is never far from their minds, especially for those on death row," he stopped at a cage and placed a chair beside it. "Jacques, you have a visitor. I'll be standing nearby if you need me, Madam."

"Very well, thank you Captain."

"Do I know you?" Jacques asked. "You look familiar."

"I was your Guard at the funeral, that's where you know me from, I want to tell you some news," I replied. "I've been investigating your case, and I may have found a way to prove your innocence, please be patient whilst I investigate further, but I am working on it. I believe you, I really do."

"That is good news, I am innocent, I swear to you. I never murdered that General, but I saw it happen," he claimed. "I had been sent by my mentor at the time to fetch something for him, but I got lost, and in the process of finding my way again I saw the crime take place."

"That is what I was told as well, I have been doing some digging. It turns out that the real murderer's alibi was false, and given by those who were coerced into doing so under threat, we have spoken to the individuals involved, they have all confessed to lying, and giving the murderer a false alibi, however this matter still has to be put before the Princes, and a second vote must be taken. In the meantime the Captain of the Guards is going to ask the Princes to delay your execution date whilst we prepare the new evidence, and present it to the Princes," I explained. "As I said earlier, please be patient."

"I will be as patient as I can, mind you I'm not going anywhere," he laughed at his own joke. "I hope to hear more updates when you have them."

"Oh believe me, when I know something you will be informed of it as well, even if I have to come down here myself in person," I promised. "I will set you free if I can, how long have you been in here anyway? Is it as bad as they say it is?"

"Sixty years give or take, and yes, it really is bad, no, scratch that, it is worse," Jacques complained. "I haven't eaten in two days, they don't feed us like the regular prisoners because we're going to die anyway, as such why bother giving us anything? Even the straw that I have to sleep on is mouldy, damp and horrible, it has not been changed in weeks Madam, we can also forget about washing ourselves, the Guards just chuck a bucket of icy water over us once a month, and tell us to live with it. I aplogise for my appearence, and my stench, it is not how I would choose to live my life, but we have no choices, we are dead men who're just waiting to be called for our executions."

"That is awful, and inhumane."

"Correction, it is invampiric Madam, we are not humans after all," Jacques smiled. "The one thing they cannot take from me is my sense of humour, it is all I have left which belongs to me."

"I see that, well I'd better be going because I have to report to the Princes about your case, however I will be back in touch when I have more news for you, I promise," I finalised. "Goodbye Jacques, don't go anywhere."

"I won't." he laughed.

"Captain," I called out. "I am leaving now, please escort me out of this place, and change Jacques's straw at the very least, look at it, that is bad even by our standards."

"Yes Madam. Anything else?" the Captain of the Guards looked slightly annoyed with me.

"Yeah, feed your damn prisoners nightly, and that means all of them or I'll have you fired for neglecting your duty of care towards these men," I replied. "You know what prisoners are entitled to as well I do. They should get fed nightly, have their straw changed weekly, be given the chance to exercise, and get washed weekly as well, throwing a bucket of water on them does not count as a wash."

I've just gone to the Hall of Princes to report on my findings.

"Open the doors for Madam Ver Leth." one Guard orders as I approach them. The doors have just swung open, and I've been admitted into the Princes' Dome. Prince Mika is on his throne, his wolf Luna is laying down beside it, she looks like she's asleep, but she isn't.

"Excuse me, I have found out some information which I have to report to you," I say. "It is about the case I've been investigating."

"Oh, what have you found out Anna?" Prince Mika looks intrigued by my statements.

"Well Sire I questioned the supposed witnesses who gave the alibi, but it turns out that they lied, they were coerced, and threatened into saying that the man whom was accused by the prisoner was with them, however he was not with them at all which definitely gives weight to the prisoner's claim of innocence, and being falsely convicted. I have their sworn statements here for yourself, and your fellow Princes to examine," I reveal as I hand over the papers. "I think Jacques is innocent, and he's just spent sixty years in jail waiting to be executed for a crime he never carried out, instead it was indeed most likely carried out by the General that Jacques said he witnessed perpetrating the crime in question. Jacques is the prisoner who has been convicted of the crime, he's the one who I think is innocent. This needs to go to a second vote with the new evidence in place."

"I agree, it does need to go to a second vote. What are the conditions like down there Anna?" Prince Mika queries.

"Awful Sire, they're worse than awful actually. The Captain of the Guards is neglecting the death row prisoners, he does not feed them regularly or even allow them to wash properly, instead his Guards throw buckets of water over the prisoners monthly, and they never get their straw bedding changed either, I was so shocked by the conditions that I could have strangled him, but I didn't. Sire, you need to do something, men on death row are alive until they are called to die, as such they should be treated in the same way that all the other prisoners are."

"I see, well I will change that. You are completely right, dead men are not dead until they die, if they are alive then they should be given the same basic rights as the other prisoners," he agrees with me which is good. "I will see to it that the conditions are improved for the death row inmates, and that all those Guards who neglected their duties will be judged for their actions as well."

"Thank you Sire, they will appreciate it. Some of those death row inmates are so sick that they will probably die before being executed, in one way that is a mercy, but at the same time when you are sick you endure a lot of suffering before you die," I point out to him. "Anything you can do for these men will be good, even a clean straw bed and a nightly meal would be enough, but I will leave it up to you to decide on how to proceed."

"Very well Anna, I thank you for your report and for your information. I will speak to my fellow Princes about setting a date for the second vote, and I shall be in touch with you," he concludes. "Did you speak with Larten about the medication?"

"Not yet Sire, I have been too busy with my investigations, but I will do it now, and get back to you." I promise him.

The following events happened yesterday...

"Larten, may I ask you something personal?"

"Yes Anna, you may ask me something, what is it?" Larten looked curious as to what I was about to say.

"You know back when Seba had that issue, and you gave him something for it, it turns out that Prince Mika has the same problem, he has requested that you make him some medicine to help him perform, at the moment his manhood will not become solid or indeed even useful to him," I explained as carefully as I could. "Can you help him?"

"I can help with that, I have a mix which never fails to work, however too much of it can be dangerous," he answered. "I will make up a fresh batch, and give it to you in a bottle so that you can deliver it to him. Tell him to take no more than three drops per individual performance, that is he should take three drops, perform the act, and then take no more until at least two nights have passed between doses, it is after all strong stuff."

"I do not claim to understand these things, but I will pass on the instructions exactly as you have told them to me Larten, embarrassing as it is. I do not like discussing such things as you know, at least not with just anyone, this is more of a topic that is personal to you and I, not that you have ever had any issues with your sexual performances, I mean look at yesterday, you took me to the brink and beyond more than once, it was honestly amazing," I praised him. "You really are the best lover I've ever had the pleasure of mating with."

"I am pleased to hear you say such things Anna, as your Blessed Mate I have a duty of care towards you, and your needs, just as you are always willing to perform your wifely duties for me, I should give you what you are entitled to as well. Mateships are about give and take, it should be an equal patnership between two parties who have a mutual liking or in our case an incredibly strong love for one another, it should involve those two parties enjoying the benefits of being together in a physical way, and in an intimate way as well, I wanted to do the right thing by you, you have always been a true and loyal mate, as such I wanted to make the ultimate commitment, this is instead of continuing to sleep with you without putting a ring on it to coin a phrase, many men do that these days, they have relationships without any thought of marriage or getting engaged, I could not do that to you, I loved you too much not to give you my last name, and the rings to boot, you earnt them by showing me unfaltering, unwaivering loyalty even in the face of adversity, you also proved that your love for me was real, and not just based upon sex or what you could get out of me financially," he declared. "This is what sets you apart from other women Anna, you are true to your word, plus I know that you will love me regardless of how I treat you or how I act, not that I am planning on changing the way I treat you or the way I act you understand, but you know what I am saying, do you not?"

"Yes, I do understand perfectly where you are coming from, I really do." I looked down at my rings, the diamonds in them were flashing brightly in the light from the torches.

"Admiring your rings again I see, you do it all the time." he smiled.

"Whenever I look at them I am reminded of your deep love for me, and that you are by my side no matter what, plus they are too beautiful not to admire," I explained. "How did I get to be this lucky? I honestly can say that I must be the luckiest woman in the world, and the luckiest vampiress in the Clan as well."

"Simple. I fell in love with you, and made you my bride for eternity, you are and always will be my beloved Destroying Angel," he stated with sincerity. "I do not say these things very often, but when I do say them I mean them."

"I know that. You will be my Dark Lord for as long as I live, and together we are unstoppable."