Garden Of Poison - Chapter 45: Waiting in the dark alley

“I will make you my queen.”

He grabbed the chains attached to the bed and closed the shackles around her wrists.

“I'm the High Priestess. You can't—”

Fear trembled through her mind and body.

She couldn’t consummate this marriage if the Blood Beast truly decided to make her his queen. Luna must remain a virgin High Priestess in order to remain a vessel for Hecate's magic.

“What are you planning to do?”

“I will make you mine no matter what so that I can take control of the Vampire King's consciousness forever. He won’t be back anytime soon.”

Luna thought the Blood Beast was out of his mind for wanting to make the virgin High Priestess his mate. The consequences of that would…

Her mind raced through all of the possible consequences.

There was no way she could allow the Blood Beast to gain any more power. Especially if he gained that power by drinking the blood that was, laced with Hecate’s magic, running through her veins.

She needed the Vampire King back.

The Blood Beast moved on top of her body. He stopped when he was eye-level with her. The sudden intimacy was shocking, especially since she was tied down. Chest to chest, he removed her cloak and peeled off her flimsy dress.

He growled. “If you struggle, I will rip your head off.”

+++

Luna was one of the few remaining Amazons who worshipped the goddess Artemis.

As an Amazon, her ordinary life took an unexpected turn when a pack of rogue werewolves took over their home--the Sacred Valley. Left with no other choice, Luna flees into the nearest kingdom, the Vampire Realm, where she was captured to be part of the Vampire King’s Consortium.

To avoid the fate of living and dying as a Harem girl for vampires, she offers to become the High Priestess and study dark magic in order to break the King's curse. If she is successful, she could request the King to grant her her well-earned freedom.

There has not been an official High Priestess in the Vampire Realm for centuries. Not since the first High Priestess cursed the King to become the Blood Beast.

When the Blood Beast tries to take the reins of the Vampire King's consciousness, the King was cursed to drain the blood and his victims' life force in order to pacify the other immortal inside of him.

In order to try and maintain some semblance of control, the Vampire King is forced to maintain his strength and immortality by kidnapping women from all over the realm to be used for food and sex.

But, what will he do when he finds a woman worth keeping, but he can't even touch her?

Will he be able to control his hunger for blood and lust when he looks upon her delectable body?

She is one of the best thieves that the world has seen in the 24th century. However, not even in her wildest dreams had she imagine that she’d be reincarnated as a good-for-nothing orphaned Seventh Miss of the Vermilion Bird Family. She finds herself stuck in a family that mistreats her, as well as an unfamiliar place with no support system.

Deceived into marriage, exploited for a lifetime as a nanny without pay, and finally beaten to death by her adoptive mother in front of her adoptive father's sickbed, Shen Mianmian's miserable life came to an end.When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back at fifteen. Shen Mianmian vowed to escape her past fate, punish her malicious cousin and adoptive mother, but accidentally shone too brightly in the process.The third-to-last student in school suddenly rose to the top, becoming the candidate fought over by prestigious universities, causing a sensation among all the teachers and students...While others were busy studying, Shen Mianmian was busy starting small businesses to make money...While others were preparing for the college entrance exams, Shen Mianmian purchased the two most notorious haunted houses in Beijing in one go... becoming an oddity in everyone's eyes, they mocked her that even if she had the fortune to buy them, she might not have the life to live in them.While others graduated and were busy looking for jobs, the haunted properties purchased by Shen Mianmian were requisitioned by the government, earning her a considerable amount of demolition compensation.Those who had mocked her couldn't help but slap themselves twice... inquiring everywhere where there might be haunted houses for sale.Shen Mianmian, originally needing to borrow money for tuition fees, used the demolition funds and leveraged her rebirth advantage to buy a suitable plot of land and built a rental building, transforming into a Beijing's wealthiest and most prosperous landlady...One day, Shen Mianmian, carrying a bag of keys and having just collected the rent, was dragged to the Civil Affairs Bureau.“Shen Mianmian, it's time for you to pay back what you owe me.”

In this world, mystery and the supernatural never depart.Those who, with bodies honed through thousands of trials and indomitable wills, break the chains of life and pursue human limits in modern cities, are known as martial artists.Under neon lights, swords clash. At the tops of towering buildings, friendships are made through fists.Among mountains and peaks, heroes discuss their ways.Here, martial artists who have broken the “seven physical limits” carve their godlike names under the heavens, stunning both the ancient and modern worlds and making the stars shine brighter!Here, the once-in-a-decade “World Martial Arts Tournament” broadcast is the highest rated program globally, where martial artists fight for their nation and themselves!Here, martial artists, with their mortal flesh, combat dark spirits and mythical beasts in life and death battles to protect their homeland's civilization.Here, every true martial artist unswervingly believes:“The martial way is boundless; my body is unfettered!”