Let’s try not to fight in the comments this time. :) Aaand is intentional. :)
I woke up because the morning sun shone bright through the gap in my curtains, flooding the bedroom with honey-yellow light. It was so quiet. Usually birds chirped by my window, but I guess I slept too late.
Common sense required that I had to come up with some sort of plan of action regarding the dahaka. I needed information, and I would have to somehow get that information out of the two vampires. Although my main reference was out of date, I’d read what I could on the House of Krahr. They were a mid-sized vampire House with a long lineage and a fine tradition of extreme violence in the name of the Holy Anocracy. So far they hadn’t contributed either a Hierophant, who served as the religious leader of the Anocracy, or a Battle Prince, a designated commander-and-chief of Anocracy’s combined military forces if an invasion occurred to the country. However, they were financially stable, politically adept, respected by their peers and their rivals, and disinclined to suffer any insults.
In other words, Krahr was a traditional House, which meant the two vampires downstairs would be secretive and close-mouthed. I was unlikely to be getting any answers out of them. I would need a crowbar just to learn the Marshall’s name.
I looked at the wooden ceiling. Sadly no answers appeared on the planks. I’d gone through several bedroom styles in my life and my parents’ inn always obliged. When I was a small child, I had a pretty princess bedroom, complete with a four poster bed and clouds on the ceiling. When I was around ten, I saw a documentary on Dale Chihuly glass exhibit and became obsessed with the strange bright shapes. My parents’ inn grew glass tendrils on the ceiling in every color of the rainbow. When the sun hit it in the morning, my room shimmered like a mermaid’s underwater palace in the middle of a magical reef. By thirteen, I wanted my room to be solid black. By sixteen, some of the black turned white for a monochromatic look. I had thought it was very adult. Going away to college was the strangest experience of my life, because for the first time my room refused to change depending on my mood.
When I moved to Gertrude Hunt, I wasn’t in a good place. I wanted comfort and I wanted to feel at home. I always had this romantic idea about a mountain lodge lost somewhere in the snowdrifts. I didn’t want to completely replicate that, but I came close. Above me, heavy wooden beams crossed the knotty pine boards. The ceiling slanted at an angle, simulating an attic room, the lowest point near the queen-sized bed, the highest at the opposite wall where a tall window flooded the bedroom with light. The walls were a soothing beige, the thick rug by the bed was eggshell, but the same wide planks of knotty pine lined the floor. It wasn’t a fancy place, but it was warm, comfortable and completely mine.
Right now I had three beings in the inn who were neither guests nor staff. Having strangers in the inn was a really bad idea. When a guest was admitted to the inn, both the guest and the innkeeper were bound by the rules of hospitality. The innkeeper promised to protect and shelter the guest, while the guest promised to abide by the inn’s rules. Compensation changing hands sealed that deal.
Neither Sean, nor the vampires promised to abide by the rules of the inn. They were in this grey undefined area and I liked things to be clear. I couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow I was botching this whole thing up. Somehow even my bedroom didn’t feel as secure as it did a week ago.
Laying in bed brooding about things wouldn’t solve anything. I got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up. I was brushing my teeth when the house creaked. Something was happening downstairs.
I got dressed and went down the staircase. Lord Soren still lay on the table and the Marshall still knelt by him. A circle of thin sage-green stalks sprouted around him, each delicate two-feet-tall stalk tipped with a narrow bud.
Sean still sat in his chair. Beast sat on his blanket-covered lap. They were both staring at the vampire with identical freaked out looks on their very different faces.
Sean saw me, pointed at the vampire, and mouthed, “What the hell?”
I walked over to them. “Has he moved at all?”
“No. Stayed like that the whole night. Are you seeing this?”
I had expected as much. “He’s praying and emitting a lot of magic. The inn is responding a little. Nothing to worry about. Under normal circumstances, I would’ve given them a private space, but we were in a hurry.”
When things settled, I would need to allocate an easily accessible room specifically for emergencies. A hospital room wouldn’t be a bad idea anyway, when the funds were less tight.
Lord Soren took a long shuddering breath. His eyes snapped open. The buds split, turning into flowers, each with five intense blue petals. At the very center the petals suddenly turned bright purple, forming a thin round border around five stamens, tipped with yellow.
The Marshall raised his head and smiled. “Hello, Uncle.”
“Arland,” Lord Soren said, swallowing, his voice labored.
What do you know, no crowbar was necessary.
Arland stood up. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”
“Time was short. I was afraid he would leave the planet.” Lord Soren cleared his throat. “I have failed.”
“No.” Arland shook his head. “You found him.”
“Five men.” Lord Soren’s voice shook. “Five good men.”
“It’s in the past. You must rest, Uncle. We’ll need you. We’ll need your strength.”
Lord Soren lunged forward and gripped his nephew’s arm. “Don’t go after him alone. Promise me.”
“You have my word.” Arland touched the metal disk and gently lowerd Lord Soren back onto the table. The big man sighed and closed his eyes. His breathing evened out.
Arland turned to me. “Thank you for your hospitality. I’m afraid I must impose further. I wish to rent a room for myself and my uncle.”
Now was my chance to squeeze some information. “You and your uncle pose a significant threat to my guests. I will gladly rent you a room but I must ask for explanations.”
“You’re asking me to disclose the confidential business of my House. I can’t do that.”
“In that case, I can’t rent a room to you.”
Arland stared at me. His eyes perfectly matched the flowers from the floor – the same deep, intense blue.
“My lady, you leave me no choice.”
“You have a choice,” Sean said. “You can walk out of here.”
Beast barked once.
Arland raised his eyebrows. “A Shih-Tzu-Chi. What a delightful animal. My sister had one.”
He took a step toward her, his hand raised. Beast bared her teeth at him and growled low.
Arland turned to me. “I ask for sanctuary.”
The inn creaked around me, waiting. It was an ancient request. It meant a guest was in imminent danger. To turn him down now would be fly in the face of everything innkeepers stood for.
I raised my head. “Sanctuary granted.”
Magic rolled through the inn.
“What does that mean?” Sean asked. “So what he can stay here and he doesn’t have to tell us what’s going on?”
“Yes.”
“To hell with that.”
“Do you have a problem with me?” Arland asked.
Sean rose. “Yes. I do.”
“Are you a guest?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
Arland nodded. “I thought so. You’re neither guest nor staff, therefore your problem is irrelevant.”
They glared at each other. The testosterone in the room was getting thicker by the second.
“I’ll make it relevant.” Sean’s voice dropped into a dangerous icy quiet.
“If you attempt to fight on the inn grounds, I will restrain both of you,” I said.
“I was always a curious child,” Arland said. “I took time to educate myself about the folklore of various places.”
“And?” Sean asked.
The Marshall’s eyes narrowed. “I’m made of neither sticks nor straw.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you should find yourself another house to blow on.”
Tension sharpened Sean. Suddenly he looked feral. “That’s it. Outside. Unless you’re going to hide behind Dina.”
“Perfect.” Arland turned to me. “I apologize for this rude but unavoidable interruption in our conversation. I promise you I will make it as brief as possible.”
“Exactly,” Sean nodded, his face frightening. “This will only take a minute.”
Aaand the vampire and the werewolf went off the rails. “This is stupid.”
Sean opened the front door. “After you, Goldilocks.”
Arland’s eyes turned dark. “With pleasure.”
He strode to the door. Sean glanced out and shut the door with a quick jerk. “A cop’s walking toward the house.”
Magic tugged on me. I hurried to the door and glanced through the glass on the side. Officer Marais. Of course.
I send a pulse of magic through the house. The table with Lord Soren on it slid back through the hallway.
“Stay out of sight,” I hissed.
“No.” Sean said.
“Absolutely not,” Arland said.
I didn’t have time for this. “He’s a cop. What do you think he’ll do?”
“I’m not taking any chances,” Sean said. “With all the weird shit, he might not be a cop.”
“This is a valid point,” Arland said.
Aarrrgh. “You are wearing armor.”
“She’s right,” Sean said. “You should hide, Tinker Bell.”
“I’m nearing my limit,” Arland growled.
Officer Marais was almost to the door.
“Go down the hallway, first door on the left is the closet. Change into normal clothes and try to act like a human. Sean, help him. Go.”
The doorbell rang.
I summoned every ounce of intimidation I could muster and whispered, “Go, or I will drown you both in raw sewage.”
They took off down the hallway.
The doorbell rang again. Beast barked, bouncing up and down. I waited another second to make sure they disappeared and swung the door open. “Officer Marais. What a lovely surprise.”
Yes! Been waiting for this one. Thank you sooo much!
Hee hee! Silly boys
.
I know right! Hilarious.
A creepy copper! Who’s going to eat him, I wonder…
I love this. I want to know what the heck is going on. Waiting is the worst!
I needed this. Thank you!
You embellish your stories with tension like fine embroidery.
What a great description!
I agree!
Thank you!! I don’t know how you manage these installments with everything else – but I’m so glad you do!
Hear, hear!!
and Amen
Agreed people∩_∩
Well said and thank you!
woo hoo!!!
i would totally love to change my rooms at will
I want the glass one that looks like under the sea!
Love that one too
Same here! Sounds amazing!
I can’t believe I missed the previous chapter! I failed in my diligent reading of the series. Loved both of these chapters. Beast is ADORESBALLS!
Heh, heh!
I missed my notification for the last two installments for some reason. I’m assuming they were diverted to my junk mail.
Sean’s extreme pig-headedness is becoming really annoying. hard to like him. heheh Thanks for the newest installment!!
I cannot express how much I look forward to these installments! I love this!
I think I did find two typos, though:
“Than I can’t rent a room to you.” – Then
Aaand the vampire and the werewolf went of the rails – do you mean “off the rails?”
Thank you so much for the time you take to write! I’ve enjoyed everything!
I see that the “off the rails” has already been changed – sorry!
Typo – “Aaand the vampire and the werewolf went of the rails.” I think ‘Aaand’ was suppose to be Arland. And I am not sure what ‘went of the rails’ means. Perhaps it’s a saying I’m not familiar with.
Thank you for continuing to post this story. I am truly enjoying it.
The aaand was intentional to highlight that the sound was drawn out (Ilona mentions that in the comments before the story). “Off the rails” is an expression meaning going out of control, such as a train going off the tracks or rails (railroad).
The ‘Aaand’ comment, before the story, was added after I posted. I do thank you for the explanations.
Such a great story… waiting for what’s next!
Just a typo.
“However, they were financially stable, politically adept, respected by their peers and their rivals, and **disinclined** to suffer any insults.”
Also, is it supposed to be Aaand?
Aaand the vampire and the werewolf went off the rails.
TYPO
Aaand the vampire and the werewolf went of the rails. “This is stupid.”
(off the rails) =)
I love this storyline. It always leaves me on the edge for next weeks installment.
NM about my post then… Should have hit refresh before posting I guess.
Oh i am so lucky to know you! Thank you so much!
Once this is published i will buy it, i promise! It is a gem.
I agree, the first time I stared reading it I got to read It all the way to eight. more please.
I wait with baited breath for the next installment and I read with excitement. And now I just need yo know what happens next. It’s the same reason I stay up all night to finish a book, only this time I can’t.
~
I was thinking exactly the same thing!
I’m really enjoying the story. Continuity problem: earlier the house is Krahr. Here it is both Krah and Krar.
I wanna more, more, more please!
thx for the update^^
btw there is a error in 3rd paragraph, I think it was supposted to be “Krah” not “Krar” (finally I can contribute
)
I am so loving this story!! Thank you so much for doing this when you are juggling so many other things! These installments always bring a smile to my face.
I think I would have like to have had the boys drowned in sewage. I love it when she takes control and ‘saves the day’ or handles whatever comes up regardless of Sean wants to do.
Thanks so much!!! Now I will be dreaming of the Dale Chihuly exhibit I saw at the OKC Museum of Art taking over my ceiling!!! Not necessarily a bad thing…..
Absolutely love Dale Chihuly, eye patch and all. Was also lucky to see that installation when it came to Arkansas. Great and unexpected reference. This “installation“ was equally brilliant!
Wonderful
Isn’t it odd you had your kitchen problem after this story? I could totally see this coming out of your stress over the kitchen redecorating.
I think this is my favorite installment so far. Love the tension and the descriptions! I want move into the Inn too so my room can be changed with my mood. I imagine no better form of mood control could be found then having my room turn itself into a toilet whenever I was in a sh1tty mood…
Thank you Ilona !!!!
lol! Too cute!
Thanks
Also, maybe the Inn would acknowledge me having an I-feel-fat-day and the hall to the kitchen would turn into a treadmill :::shudder::::
rotflmao!!!!!!!
I loved it. Sean and Arland playing dress up. Hahahahahaha.
Loved the new installment – I look in every day in the hopes that a new part has been uploaded
On another note – typo?
“The inn creaked around me, waiting. It was an ancient request. It meant a guest was in imminent danger. To turn him down now would be fly in the face of everything innkeepers stood for.”
Shouldn’t this be: “To turn him down now would be [to] fly in the face of everything innkeepers stood for.”
But I suppose it would depend on the tense you’re writing in… so the sentence could go: “To turn him down now would be fly[ing] in the face of everything innkeepers stood for.”
Sewage….heh. awesome stuff. I don’t know about the typo ‘Aaand’. To me it was a sign of exasperation. Like she was more or less thinking (forgive my interpretation here) “aaand now for your viewing pleasure…a vampire and a werewolf fall off the rails..of common sense…..this is stupid.” I had to go back and re-read after reading the comments just so I could see what everyone was talking about. Honestly, I would make a terrible editor. I am to busy ‘seeing’ the story in my head to worry about typos….that’s for the second reading
*too* busy ‘seeing’….see!! Second read!! Lol!
Me too!!!!! I was just thinking that as I finished the installment !
i have problems seeing typos until about the 5th or 6th reading of a book. when the book is worth reading that many times, which yours are.
Yeehaaa!!! Thanks a bunch!!!
Love it, just made my day. Thank you so much
Thank you so much… I really enjoy reading all your work and can’t wait for the next chapter to come !!
Awesome! I laughed out loud many times during this one!
Thanks!
I love the ‘Aaand’! It perfectly portrays Dina’s exasperation.
I am old enough to remember the serial stories in sci fi/fantasy magazine. Your revival of the genre is such a gift to your fans. Thank you.
You are so awesome! Thanks for the installment.
Great. And what is next? More will be revealed.
in re: Aaaand. I was raised hearing “Heeere’s Johnny!” so extended words are part of my usage as well as something I am comfortable with.
Early Birthday present to meeeee….
Loved it!
Oh dear Lord, I haven’t laughed so hard for quite some time now. The lines exchanged between Sean and Arland are priceless. Best chapter so far!
Loved it. Loved it. I snorted at Goldilocks and lost it at Tinkerbell. The Husband thinks I’m crazy. Thank you both very much for this story.
Another amazing chapter. Thank you so much for writing this and posting it for free. If I saw this for sale, your name(s) alone would be enough for me to buy it.
TYPO
“Arland touched the metal disk and gently lowerd Lord Soren back onto the table.”
Lowered is missing the second e.
Eh, I am starting to get a tad annoyed by Sean too. Too much testosterone, too little brain activity. I mean, I get it that he’s all alpha male, but it feels like he is busy marking his territory the whole time, only this time without any liquid or trees being involved. Who allowed him to make Dina and the inn his territory?!
Which is no criticism, by the way, it makes perfect sense in terms of the character, I just feel like braining him with a broom.
And I have no issue with the “Aaand.” It makes perfect sense to me, it is an extended word to denote exasperation. I picture Dina mentally hitting her head against the wall, and/or rolling her eyes.
What she said.
Aaand I also picture a mental face palm in addition to the eye roll.
Having worked around Marines, this is so typical of alpha males. Love them, but you want to smack them up side the head sometimes too.
Love this series.
Thank you so much! This made my day.
Great story! Thanks!
I loved the sewage threat and it worked no questions asked!! It keeps getting better and better. Thank you so much
This is a great series. Has anyone noticed that the writers prefer blonde men? Curran, Declan, this vampire marshal, the cover models on Andrea and Dali’s romance novels, even Saiman’s first attempt to pick a form to entice Kate – all blonde muscular men…
I guess you go with your strengths. My fantasy men are usually in the realm of my husband–a Denzel Washington knock-off. Not! But close enough for horse shoes. LOL!
Jim’s not blonde… nor Raphael…. I concur about the blonde preference for the mains though
a) Your math is off. Blond leads: Curran, Declan, and Ven. Dark-haired leads: Raphael, William, Kaldar, Richard, Celino, Jim, and Lucas.
b) A friend of mine who is famous for her creative sex scenes once did a signing where a man came up to her and asked her if she did “everything” she writes about in her novels. She said, “Well, I haven’t killed anybody yet.” We are separate from our books and speculating about which men we prefer is going into personal territory.
o.O i cant belive someone would actually ask that at a signing!?!
All I can say to that is there are all sorts of crazy people in the world, who do all sorts of crazy things, including that. Unfortunately.
I loved her response
This was awesome! Great banter between all the characters
Thanks for the awesome installment! Why can’t it be daily!? LOL
I think I found a typo unless I’m reading the tense wrong “I send ( I sent) a pulse of magic through the house”
Thank again for all y’all do for your fans.
Pure Awesomeness – thank you
I had a crazy stressfull day and literally cried from happiness when I saw there was a new installment.
Thank-you so much for all your hard work!!!
I’ve been working 14 hous straight with no end in sight anytime soon–this was just the ticket to improve my mood. Thank you!
Thank you, I have been looking forward to this
Love the story. Is that the blue state of Scarlet Pimpernel?
My lady, you cannot be fooled. It is.
How on earth did you guess that!?! I know I wouldn’t be able to.
I know I wouldn’t be able to guess that, I am still confused cause I have no idea what they are talking about. Probably my fault cause I actually don’t like to read “literature” it makes me have to think too hard.
Nevermind, I did a Google search. I thought the Scarlet Pimpernel was a book, it’s a flower ROFMAO at myself.
ohhh!! i was confused too.
Thank you! I’ve been looking forward to this.
Thank you, darlings. I needed a little pick-me-up today. It was 8 degrees outside when I got up this morning and sometimes I think I’ll never be warm again.
Well done!
Debi
Well just thank you so much. You are very generous to do this, especially with all of life happening to you!
I concur. This is a lovely surprise. *rubs hands in anticipation*. I am litterally grinning maniacally. I cant wait for the next installment.
btw notice the clever use of show not tell.
*giggle*
So my first thought after reading this installment was Tinkerbell + raw sewage= Stinkerbell, which is what we called my youngest sister when she was a brat.
Love the fighting
Oh my god I needed this today. I am sitting here in the back rooms on my break smiling like a happy crazy
Thank you much.
Awesome. “Go or I will drown you both in raw sewage!” I’ll have to remember that one!
I will help Arland in the closet. With his clothing. Since he’s not from around these parts and all.
Good idea!!!!!!*^_^*
I too love it. Aaaand I wish people would read what you wrote at the top. ;o)
I so look forward to these installments. Thank you so much.! They keep getting better and better!!!
Thank you soo much!!! I usually devour your books when they come out. This series is definitely giving me a lesson in patience.
Something is wrong with me,,,I’m reading this, enjoying it and not seeing typos. That must mean its good. Sean’s a werewolf ,which means hes probably Alpha ,he’s entitled to be pigheaded stubborn.
I love it! Learning more about the innkeepers and their inns is always fascinating. And the arguing
Typo: I think marshal is spelled with one ‘l’.
Thank you I needed this as I just found out that the husband of a friend passed away yesterday
Thanks for updating! Love the direction the story is going…
Love it… Nice end to my sucky day… Worth the wait…
I keep rereading as if I missed something or if by reading it again I think that more will appear. Anyway, I loved the big bad wolf reference. Sucks that she won’t get paid now. How long can Sean stay there without being a guest or staff?
Didn’t she also say that she wasn’t an average inn keeper?
Why wouldn’t she get paid? I thought asking for sanctuary just increased the leverage a “guest” had to stay. If services are rendered, compensation is due. Especially for necessaries like shelter, medical assistance and food. At common law anyway.
The current guest also requested sanctuary and has paid for a lifetime stay
Raw sewage was the perfect threat! Hilarious!! The one thing guaranteed to unite them in fear! Tee-hee!
Totally loving the installments.
I will definitely buy if you make a book, it us Awesome!!!!
Is it against Inn Keepers rules to have 2 Special friends?
I really, really, really hope so.
Greedy!!!
loved it. my inner reader -persona is grunting, more, need more, need MORE. don’t mind it, just saying love the new installement, can’t wait for the next one. (give me, give me, give me) One moment, going to squich it.
This one was truly hilarious.
Thank you! Very much worth the wait.
LOVING IT!!!
It keeps getting better! Thank you!
Now I had a sunday of my own again and read the chapters since end december 2012.
It was such a joy so thank you!
Thank you!
This bit reminds me of some bird-watching I did last spring….
I happened to look outside and saw 3 Starlings; 2 males doing the posturing thing, and a female, watching the show.
After a few minutes, the impatient female tried sidling up to one of the boys, to make it clear that she had made her choice, and ‘C’mon Dude, let’s get busy!’.
Unfortunately, the boys had gotten all caught up in their testosterone, and Lover Bird flicked her aside with his wing.
Big mistake, cuz when she got up, she beat the crap outta both of them, and then flew off.
The moral of the story?
If you have any hope of EVER passing along your genetics? DO NOT PISS OFF THE GIRL!
haha right you are =P
I love happy endings…at least this starling’s HE.
so true
Funny!!!
This sounds like a beginning of wonderful bromance!
hahaha… I was thinking the same thing!
Love the way Dina sent Sean off to “help” Arland… evil, evil, made me chuckle out loud
Hope Arland doesn’t end up in bunny pajamas…or worse
If Arland did show up in something like that i think Dina would be beyond irate at Sean haha
I think she would definitely drown him in raw sewage as threatened!
Good idea!
Bunny pajamas:
http://awholelotofnothing.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/a-christmas-story-bunny-suit.jpg
Even better:
https://www.google.com/search?q=mens+bunny+pajamas&hl=en&client=safari&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=f3clUYOkHZTC9QTp54D4Ag&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=320&bih=504&sei=gnclUaTLHKHf0QG5moGQBQ#i=11
Ouch. Boy am I glad that nobody in my family ever had anything like that, as I can’t decide which is more embarrassing: wearing said pajamas, or being related to someone who is wearing them. In public.
Thank you
Best Sunday Morning EVER!!!
Testosterone poisoning. Makes me want to act like a guy and slap them upside the head. Love this series!!!
Love it! Muhahahaha….if all else fails, threaten them with poop. Lmao!
Thanks.
This just gets better and better! Thanks for this installment
Ahhh just what I needed. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!
I wonder what the police are doing there. What if the thing killed someone….that would certainly get the polices attention. Or a lot of dead dogs at ounce. hum…..
Probably selling hand-knit socks for the PD fund raiser . . .
*chuckles* lol that would be amusing =)
Awesome! I didn’t even realize there was a fight in the comments for the last section (so of course I had to go back and find it). Real fighting bad, fiction fighting between two alpha males, GOOD!
I’m just as much a sucker for the alpha male fight as the next girl. Loved this section!
And I hope at some point, Dina does show them both she is not someone to mess with!
So at first I didn’t understand the note at the beginning about “Aaand” but when I got to that part it made a lot of since. I actually laughed out loud at it. It made perfect since when reading it, like I could hear someone saying it. You guys are always amazing. Keep doing fantastic, exciting work. I’m probably, no, I WILL be a fan for life.
I like this threat “Go, or I will drown you both in raw sewage.” As I work in a firm where are several water and sewage designers I will use it my self when I get a chance. Later on I direct my victims here so they can find new creative threats for themselves to use on me.
Wonderful, thanks!!!!
“I am made of neither sticks nor straw” can i just say BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……..
I am just blown away at how awesome you guys are. You work so hard making excellent books for us to read AND squeeze out time to give us a feebee. LOVE IT. Thank you so much.
Haha, raw sewage! Love it
THANK YOU great way to start my sunday
I can’t wait for the next ones. I’m addicted to your guys’ wiriting!!!
ok. no more reading the comments for me, just adding more folks to the hate list
Thank you! I truly appreciate reading your words. They can leave me on the end of my seat waiting for the next installment or just give me joy.
I love, love, love your words. And I try to get more people addicted to your works – usually with go read these books they are awesome.
Thank you
Delightful! Thanks for finding a bit of time to work on this! : )
thank you so very much!
Awesomeness
I love the pictures. But I can’t imagine how you always find appropriate ones. Is this a time-consuming part of the project?
Fantastic update!!
Thank you. I look forward to each and every installment. I will certainly buy this once it is for sale.
Karen
How many chapters will there be? Just trying to work out how many more weeks of rollicking good fun I can depend on
LOVED IT!!! Thank You! With all the $hhiit going on in your life you managed to spin some of into gold! (Just thought I’d throw in a reference to Rumplestilskin while we’re still in fairy tale mode)
I really needed this! Thank you. I’m enjoying it and wanting to crack “the boys’” heads!
You both are awesome! Thank you for making me choke and giggle.
Typo: “I saw a documentary on Dale Chihuly glass exhibit”
Should it be: “I saw a documentary on A Dale Chihuly glass exhibit” or “I saw a documentary on Dale Chihuly’S glass exhibitS”
Thank you for the installments!
As usual, loved it!! Thanks for making my… can’t get rid of this stinkin’ fluey crud going on 3 weeks now day (phew) mucho mejor.
I especially liked the part where Arland basically called Sean a big bad wolf.
I liked the guys not likeing each other, it made it more fun. Competitive tension between men can be almost as fun to read as sexual tension between men and women.
Wonderful. Thanks
I love the tension that is building between the characters. Thank you so much for this!
TYPO: “I send a pulse of magic through the house. The table with Lord Soren on it slid back through the hallway.”
Based upon the tense of the rest of the installment I think you probably meant “I sent a pulse of magic…” If not, my bad.
That was fantastic, just when I’m getting ready for a rumble between a werewolf and a vampire the cops walk in. Can’t wait to see what happens next. Thank you very much.
<> This totally made me smile. Loved the installment as well, this is such a great story
I just found this serial novel and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Thank you so much for writing this and making it available. Can’t wait for what happens next!
Awesome! Thank you!!!
Simply wonderful. Thank you!
Love it:)
Great story. love your humor and characters and creativity and stories and very high quality writing … the wait for the next installment is driving me nuts though. Luckily I had the last Edge book to tide me over the past week. how much longer until the next kate…
A few typos and questions:
or a Battle Prince, a designated commander-and-chief of “the” Anocracy’s combined military forces …
When I was around ten, I saw a documentary on “a” Dale Chihuly glass exhibit …
I couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow I was botching this whole thing up. Somehow even my bedroom didn’t feel as secure as it did a week ago. (Not a typo but two”somehows” right in a row seems a bit awk)
Neither Sean “,” nor the vampires “had?” promised to abide by the rules of the inn.
A circle of thin sage-green stalks sprouted around “him” (i’m unclear if him refers to Lord Soren or the marshall)
Lord Soren’s voice shook. “Five good men.” (confirmation: the vampires refer to themselves as men?)
Arland touched the metal disk and gently “lowerd” Lord Soren …
Aaand the vampire and the werewolf went off the rails. “This is stupid.” (I’m not clear on who said that)
I send a pulse of magic through the house… (sent)
thanks!
Another wonderful installment. I really love how you are building on Dina’s background with theses little glimpses into her past and thoughts, like about how the room changes to suit her mood. It’s also building up the suspense about what happened to her parents. Can’t wait to find out more.
Love the interaction between the boys, but the Marshall’s situation confuses me. When Dina pressed him for info in exchange for a room, he just claimed sanctuary- I understand the concept of sanctuary but how would the Innkeepers prevent everyone and their brother from just claiming sanctuary instead of paying for a room. Are there any negative repercussions from claiming sanctuary versus just renting a room?
Can I claim sanctuary and have tea with her Majesty and watch Sean and Arland duke it out please? Pretty please?
I wish I could make a believable threat about drowning people in raw sewage. I know there have been times when I woulda done it if I coulda!
Great installment!!
TYPOs: (noted with ^)
So far they hadn’t contributed either a Hierophant, who served as the religious leader of the Anocracy, or a Battle Prince, a designated commander-and-chief of ^the^ Anocracy’s combined military forces if an invasion occurred to the country.
When I was around ten, I saw a documentary on ^a^ Dale Chihuly glass exhibit and became obsessed with the strange bright shapes.
The inn creaked around me, waiting. It was an ancient request. It meant a guest was in imminent danger. To turn him down now would be ^TO^ fly in the face of everything innkeepers stood for.
“What does that mean?” Sean asked. “So what ^either a ? or a -^ he can stay here and he doesn’t have to tell us what’s going on?”
I send ^sent^ a pulse of magic through the house. The table with Lord Soren on it slid back through the hallway.
You know the hungry hipo song, the one they put in the commercials for the game? After seeing people mention all of these typos, I got that stuck in my head, only it is “typo tyop typ-po” instead of the original version. Very annoying.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. I just found it tonight and read it all. I truly enjoy all of your books and can’t wait for more of this adventure (and all the others!). Thank you again.
“I summoned every ounce of intimidation I could muster and whispered, “Go, or I will drown you both in raw sewage.”
BEST PART!!!! lol.
Loved the latest installment! Can’t wait for the next one… Dina is AWESOME!
Thank you guys so much. I love your stories; I’ve re-read them many, many times.
One possible typo in the second paragraph: “Common sense required that I had to come up with some sort of plan of action regarding the dahaka.”
I believe the proper verb tense should read ” Common sense required that I come up . . .”
In paragraph two you say “a Battle Prince, a designated commander-and-chief of Anocracy’s combined military forces if an invasion occurred to the country”. This implies that the Holy Anocracy, which apparently does serious amounts of interstellar travel (and has for centuries), is confined to a single nation…
I love it. Every word.
This chapter was awesome…as are all the rest! I seriously loled about the straw and sticks….too funny!
Favorite sentence in this Installment: “Go, or I will drown you both in raw sewage.” BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! HILARIOUS!!!!