Chapter 0145
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+25 BONUS
Emory
Kane has to leave Crimson Peak to meet up with his allies. Unfortunately, but not surprising, King Peter has found out about my pregnancy and has been threatening to tell the other vampire kingdoms about it. Kane tells me not to worry and that he is going to get ahead of this before things can become a problem for us. One of Crimson Peak’s oldest allies, Queen Olga of Sardonia, insists the parley be in her kingdom, so Kane is going to be gone for a few days.
He has to leave at sundown so the morning is spent packing up whatever he’ll need for the trip. He will be bringing a few of his men, with Rainer left in charge of the castle in his absence. The pregnancy makes it so that all I can feel is exhaustion even when I hardly do anything, so I sit on Kane’s bed and watch him write letters while his maids pack. He is constantly writing letters and taking phone calls. Ruling a kingdom is a very taxing job, especially when the kingdom is at war.
“What’s Sardonia like?” I ask, curious.
“It’s in the highlands, surrounded by mountains and cliffs,” he answers, not looking up from the letter he’s writing. “It’s freezing up there. It snows most of the year.”
“And what’s the queen like?”
“Queen Olga has been ruling since my grandfather’s time. She’s the longest ruling monarch in all of the vampire kingdoms. She’s very wise, and her alliance with us has been helpful more than once.”
“What do you personally think of her?”
He looks up, his expression cautious. “What have you heard?”
I shrug, smiling. “Rainer may have mentioned she gets a little handsy with you.”
He puts down his pen and runs a hand through his dark hair. If he could blush, his pale face might have gone red. “People have said that she had a crush on my grandfather back in the day…”
“And?”
“I resemble my grandfather a lot.”
“So now she’s crushing on you?” He looks away, all but verbally confirming my thoughts, and that makes me laugh. “How old is she? She has to be ancient.”
“Oldest living monarch,” he points out. “She’s over two centuries old, I think. She won’t answer directly if you ask her about her age.”
“You never ask a woman about her age,” I tell him, remembering my mother teaching me that. “Regardless, Queen Olga is an important ally, and I need her support now more than ever. She’s well- respected by the other vampire kingdoms. Her word holds a lot of sway.”
1 sit up straighter, realizing how serious he’s being. “If she doesn’t support you over our baby, that’s going to be bad, isn’t it?”
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0145
His fingers drum a qui eat on his desk, conveying his inner nervousness. I’m getting good at reading all his tells. Kane is used to hiding his emotions, any vulnerability, behind a cool mask. I have to pay attention to get a glimpse of his true feelings.
“Queen Olga isn’t irrational. As long as I explain things to her, I’m sure I can keep the alliance with her intact.”
“If that fails, you can show her a little leg.” He crumples up a piece of paper and throws it at me. It bounces harmlessly off my forehead. I giggle and tell him, “I’m joking!”
“I clearly can’t take you with me. You might offend one of the royals with your witty remakrs,” he admonishes with no real heat.
“You can’t take me anywhere.”
He gets up from his chair and walks over to the bed, taking a seat on the foot of the bed so we are at eye level. “I am going to miss you anyway. It’ll only be a few days, but I’ve gotten used to being able to see you every day.”
I grab his hand and squeeze it, his touch mooring me like an anchor in the ocean. “I’m going to miss you
too.”
He leans down and kisses me softly, his tongue lingering in my mouth long enough to make excitement begin to pool between my legs. When he pulls away, I let out a sigh. “While I’m gone, stay close to my mother. She’ll keep the nobles in check. And please have Rainer with you if you have to go outside.”
