Phoenix's Requiem - Chapter 11: Who’s Courting Death?

A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century’s Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires.

It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable.

This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags.

Cover by Antti Hakosaari: https://www.artstation.com/haco

Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.

Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:

https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B08DK6G8Y8

The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.

The ancient Divine Beast Susu descended to endure trials and became the youngest daughter of the Qin Family, who were nearing eighty years old; young in age but high in seniority, even the men in their twenties had to call her auntie.Susu was also the only girl in three generations of the Qin Family, cherished by her parents, doted on by her brothers, and her nephews would fight over holding their auntie and protecting her.Protect her? Susu said she didn't need it, for she was a mighty and ferocious Divine Beast!With her around, no one would dare to bully the Qin Family members!Those who bullied her family got sent flying; those who coveted their fortune got sent flying; those who tried to kidnap her got sent flying.The kidnappers who captured Susu were frightened by her and willingly handed over their cell phones for her to call the police.“How do I unlock the cell phone?” Susu asked.“It requires fingerprint unlocking, you can use my finger,” explained the kidnapper.“How do I use your finger? Chop it off?” Susu asked again.“No! No need to chop, it can be used while still attached to my hand!” the kidnapper wailed.Chop off a finger! What kind of thought process was that?Way too scary!Ever since the lucky-buff-carrying Susu had come to their home, the family's luck had improved, their business prospered more each day, and the previously naughty young masters had become much better behaved, truly a little lucky star.It was just that boy from the neighbor's house, who kept thinking about kidnapping Little Susu, causing the Qin Family men quite a bit of concern.Maybe they should just break his leg again?

Theodore was not satisfied with just looking at her, he wanted to touch her.He slowly raised his hand and approached Princess Adeline. But Adeline subconsciously pulled back and shouted again, “I have already warned you, not to do anything like before. Or else I will…”Instantly, Theodore’s cheerful face turned grim. His golden eyes were now blood red and were staring very deeply at Adeline’s eyes. He was starting to emit a dark aura around him.Before Adeline could react, in the very next moment, Theodore pushed Adeline flat on the bed and was on top of her. He pinned both of her hands down with his hands and whispered near her ear, “Or else you will what? You will shout for your maids again?”Theodore sniffed in the sweet aroma that Adeline was giving off and gave a wicked smile, “Oh! I want you to try. I want you to try calling for your maids again. But don’t be shocked when I seal your juicy lips with my own lips.”Adeline had never in her life expected to see this side of Theodore. Yes, she knew he was the Devil but...[Book 1 Synopsis]Princess Adeline is the youngest child of King Dragomir of Wyverndale.She is detested by her stepmothers because she is born to a concubine – the only woman whom the King loved. And she is envied by her stepbrothers and stepsisters for being adored and loved by the King.Blinded by jealousy, the first Queen orders Princess Adeline to be kidnapped and thrown into the faraway Devil’s Cave as an offering.Her fate was to die that evening. However, her fate got rewritten by the very creature who was supposed to take her to her deathbed.The Devil took pity on the Princess and even went as far as sharing his demonic power with her.Ever since that day, her fate was bound to the Devil Prince of Hell – Prince Theodore.With time, love blooms between the son of God and the daughter of humans. They are madly in love and they want nothing more than to be together forever.However, with the rise of several enemies, from other fallen angels, supernatural creatures, and even God himself, will they get their forever after?[Book 2 Synopsis] **Spoiler alert for Book 1**Adeline and Theodore have a beautiful daughter – Ariel.She is the definition of perfection because God himself created her to be without any flaws. God wants to hand over the whole universe to his granddaughter and retire from his duty as the Supreme Being.However, nobody else wants that future for Ariel.Ariel, on the other hand, is oblivious to her grandfather’s plan for her.She is a free spirit who always has a wide smile on her face. And the only thing she wants to do is go on adventures with her childhood friend – Damien and her cousins.But will she be able to maintain the smile on her face upon being faced by God?Will she be able to maintain her friendship with Damien when he discovers a gut-wrenching truth – that Theodore was the one to kill his father?

The Last Touched is a haunting fantasy of bloodlines, broken fate, and the perilous cost of power.Elsbeth MoonChild is the last of the touched—the final descendant of a cursed lineage bound to the flame. As Alpha of the shattered 12th pack, she bears the ruin left by her father’s crime: the murder of the queen. Branded by his betrayal, hunted by her former chosen mate, and driven into exile with the last of her people, Elsbeth has one desperate path forward—to survive, she must stake her claim in the Rite of Queens, an ancient trial that demands strength, sacrifice, and the will to rule.But the Rite does more than test her body and mind. It pulls her backward in time, submerging her into the forgotten life of her ancestor—the first queen. As memories bleed into dreams and dreams into waking, Elsbeth begins to unravel a long-buried truth: the flame in her blood is not just magic. It is a weapon. A curse. A gift once traded in blood and sacrifice to end an age of chaos.And she is not the only one who carries it.Julia, her estranged sister—exiled, fire-born, and half-mad with hunger—is no hybrid. She is the living echo of the power their bloodline tried to bury. Ruthless, charismatic, and driven by the belief that the throne was stolen from her, Julia is building a gospel of grievance and flame. Her army grows in the shadows, fed by secrets and stolen children. And with each ritual, the ancient seal weakens, waking something that was never meant to rise again.Torn between duty and desire, Elsbeth clings to the one thing that keeps her tethered—Fen, her true mate, a being older than he appears, hiding a divine truth of his own. Their bond runs deeper than fate, but it terrifies her. To surrender to it would mean choosing love over the kingdom. And if she falls too far, the flame inside her might burn her from within… just as it did her father.As old gods stir and the fire in her blood begins to answer the call of something watching from beneath the ice, Elsbeth must decide: will she become the queen her people need? Or the weapon her blood was meant to wield?