I Can Give Talents - Chapter 296 – Mental Connection

The prince of Maldonia, Prince Artemis of House Arteides, the bear killer, the slayer of the elves is crowned King when his father King Arteides dies. The whole kingdom of Maldonia depends on him now, but he puts the throne in jeopardy after he refuses to marry Princess Thelma of House Taelin from the kingdom of Prophis and opt to marry Aurora Kholin, the love of his life.

Aurora is a seer and a powerful witch who has yet to aknowledge her powers, only Artemis knows of it. Lucian Mithandir is in exile recruiting an army to fight Prince Castellan of house Taelin for the throne of Prophis. Artemis wants no parts of this war, but he is very aware whoever wins the war will later turn to Maldonia.

Artemis has no clue that a bigger war is coming which will set kingdoms on fire, Aurora has seen it in her dreams and it’s for the Sweet Waters Throne in Maldonia. The end is uncertain but the ways are clearer, who will sit on the throne after the war between Lord Gandalf of House Old City who owns mighty huge lions and King Artemis of Maldonia who has Aurora and dragons breathing fire.

~ Excerpt Scene ~

The men of the secret council remained behind after the king walked away to further discuss the situation at the borders of the kingdom. The battlefield was named Stonedance and that’s because of its stony surface and this part of the place was usually abandoned and without inhabitants. Some people claimed Stonedance was cursed, that’s because it laid in the middle of two powerful kingdoms.

Stonedance was neither cold nor humid as it stood between the hot and shining Maldonia, and the freezing and gothic Prophis. It was the perfect place to fight and camp, the two battalions had all the space to themselves to prepare for war. Three hundred thousand men loyal to King Castellan Taelin of Prophis laid on the East, and two hundred thousand men keen to keep Lucian Mithandir.

Whatever was going on in Stonedance was of no Artemis’s concern as he focused more on sharpening his swordsmanship skills. He trained from morning to noon, with the lord commander of his kingsguard, Sir Dante Lucan who he befriended and these two became inseparable in a span of just a week.

“Come to me! Hard” Artemis urged his lord commander to not be easy on him.

“If I go hard on you Your Grace, we shall be left without a king to rule” replied Sir Dante Lucan with a smile. “You are getting better day by day; may I ask why the sudden interest in swordsmanship?”

.....

“I am a celebrated knight Sir Dante. I have fought in wars ever since I was nine”

“Exactly my point Your Grace. You are good with your sword, and have been for some time” Sir Dante smiled softly “Is it the war in Stonedance which makes His Grace nervous?”

“Some say I am ought to join my uncle, support the house my mother called it home. While others say my uncle betrayed me the very first day he took Mithandir inside his walls”

“And what do you say, Your Grace?”

Aurora joined them and Sir Dante excused himself. It had been a week and four days since they were last seeing at court.

“I am a warlock Artemis” For the first time ever since Artemis knew Aurora, this was the first she’s declared and accepted her true nature. “I am a seer, spaewife, or any other words you may want to use but I am not normal”

“We have talked about this Aurora, when the time is right…”

Aurora interrupted “The time is now!” she said. “I can feel the flames in my dreams getting hotter. If I don’t seek the help I need now, I fear for my own existence. I saw myself riding a ─” she paused softly.

Artemis leaned on to her “Riding a what?” he asked suspiciously.

“It may sound crazy, I mean I have never heard of such creatures and even if they exist…”

“What were you riding Aurora?”

After a few seconds of not being sure how will Artemis react or take it, Aurora finally exhaled softly and brought herself to speak “A dragon” and then she paused waiting to see how will Artemis take all of it.

Zev prowled towards her, all shining, brutal beauty, his chin low and those incredible, piercing eyes fixed on her. He didn’t stop until they were toe-to-toe and he blocked her view of every other male in the circle.

His eyes dipped to her mouth as he leaned in, his whisper playing on her skin.

“You. Are. Mine.”

His deep voice twanged in her belly as the howls of the wolf pack rose from behind him to echo across the mountains of Thana, while the other Chimera protested his claim.

Fighting the urge to stroke his broad, bare chest with her shaking hands, Sasha forced herself to tilt her head and raise an eyebrow. “So bold for a pup who just found his fangs.”

The other males roared with laughter.

Ignoring their taunts, Zev’s eyes sparked and he leaned even closer, the scruff on his jaw tickling her cheek as he smiled. “So bold for a human who already knows the pleasure of gasping my name.”

She shivered when his teeth grazed her ear.

*****

Just days after Sasha gave herself to her childhood love, he disappeared. Five years later, on a dark city street, Zev came back—with danger on his tail.

Zev is Chimera: Half-human, half-wolf. Made in a secure research lab, his existence is a secret. But when the powerful men who created him try to kill the only woman who ever made his heart sing, Zev snaps their leash and steals her away to the brutal, hidden world of the Chimera clans.

Torn between the magnetic draw of her first love and the painful betrayal of his disappearance, Sasha tries to keep Zev at arms-length. But when they reach this mysterious world, Zev discovers that in his absence the humans took control and stole almost all the females. The Chimera are dying—and Zev isn’t Alpha anymore.

Now, Zev must fight his own people to win the right to mate his only love. Can he prove to her that his long-ago promise to protect her heart, as well as her body, was true? Or will the humans cross worlds to hunt the wolf and tear the lovers apart forever?

[Mature content, no sexual assault]

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A DEVIL FALLS IN LOVE?***Alice was told that she was cursed.Perhaps she didn't need to be told. It was as clear as day.The only thing she wanted was MONEY. And she would do anything to get it.Even if it meant pretending to be her twin sister to change her fate.For one year.She didn't mind being a fake and marrying the Wildfire Heir. He would barely be around, she had been told.'He doesn't seem like much trouble,' she had also been told.'The third son, on the other hand, is crazy. Stay away from him.''As for the second son... avoid him at all costs.''Do not cross his path.'But she did. She crossed his path. In fact, she went right into his path herself.And as if that wasn't bad enough, the groom was changed at the last minute.To the Second Son!He was as hot as he was cold.A terrifyingly sexy man who looked like the man she always saw in her dreams. Was this all merely a coincidence?But that wasn't all. She hadn't expected pretending to be her sister to be this tough. First of all, she missed a very important detail: her sister was a Lawyer. She, on the other hand, was only familiar with “You have the right to remain silent...”Secondly, her sister was picky. She was vegetarian. She didn't drink. And... she was bullied? And just maybe... there was more to her sudden disappearance.Her life was about to get much more complicated. Especially with those scary blue eyes watching her every move like a predator on a mission.One year.Was the benefit worth it—worth putting her life on the line to deceive the Wildfires?She might die before the year was over.****“Women like powerful men, Boss. They like to feel powerless when they are with a man.”Hades had initially scoffed, but the idea had wormed its way into his mind.So when he saw her coming from the opposite direction, he decided to test this theory on her.Women liked to feel powerless?As soon as she saw him, her gaze sharpened, wondering why that madman was looking at her with a determined glint in his eyes. Should she run away?But he was already in front of her.“What are you—”He scoops Alice off the ground in one swift motion and drapes her over his shoulder like a sack of flour.All shocked eyes turned to the scene, but no one dared say a word, as they froze mid-air.“HADES!! YOU IMBECILE! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!” She thrashes wildly, kicking her legs and flailing her arms.Hades, however, remains unfazed, carrying her out of the place with a triumphant smirk.He didn't believe in love theories, but he had a feeling she would be falling in love with him after this.At the other end, three of his underling watched the scene.“I think Lady Boss is enjoying it. She looks… happy.” One noted.The other underling tried to stare intently at Alice's upside-down face. “I think so... I've never seen her look so bubbly around the boss.”The third underling was watching, slack-jawed. He facepalmed dramatically. This wasn't what he meant when he told them women liked to feel powerless.Meanwhile, Alice... (Still screaming)***EXCERPT II:“She is not answering your calls and told you to STOP calling her. Boss, I think your little bride might be mad at you.”He snorted. “You are so clueless.”“What's your insight, Boss?”“If she keeps rejecting my calls, it only means one thing...”They all leaned closer to hear his powerful insight.“She wants my physical presence,” he said with a smug look.One of them wanted to say he didn't think so, but he was too scared to say anything.“Should I go. Should I not go?” He contemplated with a bored look on his face.“GRANT HER WISH, BOSS!”The other clueless henchmen echoed passionately.He smirked. “If you say so,” and then he stood up. “Get the car.”****Pleasee add to your library.A bit of dark and fluffy romance.18+Comedic.Makes you sit in the edge as Alice tries her best to never get caught (quite futile)See you in the comment section!

The Reticent Blade is, first and foremost, a wuxia novel, meaning that the world and its character’s powers and abilities are more grounded. Instead of cultivators who can soar through the heavens and shatter planets, you will find martial artists who can still perform superhuman feats but not so fantastical as to tear through space or achieve immortality.The world of The Reticent Blade is one of medieval China, loosely based upon the time period of the Ming Dynasty. It is a time of chaos and strife, where war and death are rampant. We follow the intertwining story of several protagonists and antagonists as they navigate the chaotic times, unraveling the threads that connect the past, the present, and the future of the world.The Reticent Blade is a story of heroism, love, revenge, and cruelty.The Reticent Blade is a story of both the righteousness and vileness of the jianghu.