#Constantine x Eleanor

[falldiewakefly]

You have a lot to apologize for.

[blackqueercharacters]

Eleanor Fanyinka as Rachel

Appears in one episode of The Sandman.

[ao719]

Vancross

Vancross - As Long As There’s You At My Side (Chapter 19)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.  

Title inspiration: Golden - Scars On 45

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Leaning back against his headboard on a Friday afternoon, Liam typed away on his laptop, finishing up the last couple of paragraphs of a paper he had due for one of his classes. His eyes flickered up from the screen and he smiled when they fell on Croía; she was lying horizontally across his bed with one of his legs draped over the backs of her knees as she, too, worked on a paper for another class. 

It had been a month since Vancross closed its campus to students and they started virtual classes. Hour-long meetings with the professors from each of their classes were held Monday through Thursday, leaving them with three-day weekends to work on assignments and study for exams while the investigation into the attack remained ongoing. From what they were told through weekly updates from the Dean, they still had no evidence as to who was behind it. 

Liam wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation. On one hand, it was nice being home and with his family which he typically wouldn’t see much of during the school year. On the other hand, it was his final year, one they were midway through, and he didn’t know if he’d ever be returning. He was thankful, however, that Croía chose to stay with him in Cordonia. 

When they learned that the campus would be closing, Constantine and Eleanor didn’t hesitate to invite Croía to stay, and she didn’t hesitate when she accepted the offer. A week later, Blaine and Alia arrived in Cordonia after the same offer was extended to them. The four of them were staying in Liam’s wing, working on assignments and studying together along with Rashad and Olivia, who would come from their duchies a couple times a week. 

Liam knew his mother was trying to make their time away from campus feel as close to normal as she could. 

After finishing the last of his paper, Liam closed his laptop and set it on the bed before moving next to Croía. “How is yours coming along?” he asked before dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

“Done,” Croía smiled as she scanned over the document. “Just looking it over.”    

“Do you have anything else to work on?”

“I have to study for my IRT exam.”

“Good ol’ International Relations Theory.”

Croía looked at him. “How did you manage to get out of taking that class anyway?”

“Because I took it last year,” Liam chuckled. “I got put in it by some glitch in the system and they were going to take me out, but I asked my advisor if I could just get it over with, and he said it was fine as long as I thought I could handle it with my other classes.” 

“And … how’d you do?”

“Aced it, of course,” Liam smiled.

Croía playfully rolled her eyes with a good-natured grin. “Overachiever.” 

“Think of it this way … that means that I’m the perfect person to help you study.”

“Oh?” Croía chuckled. 

“Mmhmm,” Liam nodded as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. He felt her smile before parting her lips, allowing his tongue to find hers. 

As the kiss deepened, Liam lifted his hand, closing her laptop and pushing it off to the side; he rolled to his back and pulled her over until she was straddling him. He combed her hair back from her face, becoming more consumed in the kiss with each slow curl of her tongue against his. With his legs dangling off the edge of the bed, he sat up; one hand dropped and splayed against her back to press her body flush against his own as he wrapped her long hair around his other. He gave a gentle tug, causing her to break the kiss as her head tilted back before his lips found her neck.

Over the past month, Liam found himself lost in Croía any free moment they had. He couldn’t get enough. Since that first night in the safe house, she couldn’t seem to get enough either. He’d always found her innocence and shy-by-nature personality endearing, but he also loved watching this more sensual side of her unfurl and come alive. Each time was more perfervid than the one before as she became more attuned with not only this never-explored side of herself but him as well. And while she was still the same kind-hearted, sweet, and coy woman he first met, the confidence that this newfound side gave her was, if he was being honest, sexy as hell and a turn-on all by itself. 

Just as Liam’s hands slid up underneath Croía’s shirt, planning to pull it off of her, a knock sounded on his bedroom door. He paused his movements, slowly lifting his head as she looked at him. 

“Li?” Blaine called out on the other side of the door. “Your dad is downstairs.” 

Liam dropped his head back with a sigh. “Tell him I’ll be down in a minute.” He looked back at her, smiling ruefully. “Sorry.” 

“It’s ok,” Croía chuckled as she maneuvered off his lap. 

Liam stared at her longingly as she adjusted her clothes back into place and he let out a grumble as he flopped back and rolled to his stomach, burying his face in his arms. “I need you to describe to me, in detail, Rocky Mountain oysters.” 

A laugh escaped Croía as she walked by the bed. “I’ll give you a second.” She opened the bedroom door and stepped out, closing it behind her as she met Blaine. “He’s coming.” 

Blaine flashed a knowing smirk having heard Liam grumble a moment before. “Not the way he wants to be, I’m guessing?” He let out a rumble of laughter when her cheeks flushed as she walked past him. 

Croía headed downstairs, and when she reached the bottom, Constantine was waiting near the door, smiling. “Hello, Croía,” he nodded.

“Hello, sir,” Croía smiled in return, then waved to Eleanor who stood behind him. 

A few moments later, Liam appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “Hello,” he greeted his father. “Everything ok?”

“Yes,” Constantine nodded. “I was stopping by to see if you were busy.”

“Not at the moment,” Liam replied. “I just finished up a paper. Why, what’s up?”

“I have a meeting I need to attend with Landon regarding trading coming into Portavira’s entrepôt that I thought would be good for you to sit in on.” 

“Oh … yeah, sure,” Liam nodded. 

“It shouldn’t take too long,” Constantine said. 

Eleanor stepped forward. “Croía, I have some preparation planning for the Peace Summit to do and wondered if you might like to join me?” she smiled. “Please don’t feel like you have to say yes, I just thought I’d extend the offer while Constantine stole Liam away.” 

“Sure,” Croía smiled. She’d heard the summit mentioned a few times in the time she’d been there and, truthfully, she found herself a tad curious about it. 

“You’re not busy with any classwork?” Eleanor asked.

“No, ma’am,” Croía shook her head. “I have an exam I was going to study for, but Liam was going to help me, so I’d be waiting until he finished up anyway.” 

Eleanor smiled. “As long as you’re sure … and you want to. Again, please don’t feel like you have to.” 

“I’m sure,” Croía smiled. 

“Alia and I will hold down the fort while you’re gone,” Blaine said from the top of the stairs where he leaned against the railing.

Liam glanced over his shoulder, shaking his head with a knowing smile before looking back at his parents. “We’re ready when you are,” he said as he gestured toward the door. He slipped his hand into Croía’s as they followed him into the hall. 

Constantine and Eleanor fell into step on either side of the pair as they walked down the corridor; while Liam talked quietly with his father about the meeting, Eleanor looked at Croía. “It’s nothing arduous that we’re going to be doing,” she said. “Just going over the current guest list from those that have responded and some plans for the event.” 

“Well … full disclosure,” Croía began, “I haven’t … I mean, I’ve never helped with anything like this before,” she smiled sheepishly. “So, if I get in your way, feel free to tell me.” 

Eleanor smiled and patted her shoulder. “You’ll be fine.” 

When they came to a split in the corridor, Liam slowed his steps as his father turned one way and his mother the other, both pausing to wait. He looked down at Croía and smiled. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“I won’t keep her away from you for too long,” Eleanor said. “Promise.” 

Liam kissed Croía’s cheek before turning and heading down the corridor with his father toward the King’s study while Croía joined Eleanor on the walk to hers. 

****

Sitting inside the Queen’s study, Croía flipped through a list of names. “They’re broken down by country and kingdom,” Eleanor explained. “It’s just easier to keep track that way, and then, when the time comes for the seating arrangements, we can keep them all together.”

“It looks like you’ll have a decent turnout,” Croía noted as she looked at the list. 

“Yes,” Eleanor smiled. “It’s the first time we’ve held a Peace Summit here, so I’m glad we’ve gotten such a good response so far.” 

Members of royalty from various kingdoms such as Monterisso, Pavedena, Naporvie, Ulmeria, Monterre, and Ismar, to name a few, were all planning to attend as well as members of government from Ardona, Rutherland, Esherstein, Ithanstan, and Drivosa. 

The families of all of her and Liam’s friends, Croía noticed, and their friends were all on the list to attend alongside them. 

There was one country and kingdom noticeably not included. 

“Did … did you extend an invite to Drakovia?” Croía asked, immediately wishing she hadn’t as soon as the words left her mouth.

“We did,” Eleanor answered. “We haven’t heard back from them yet. But there’s still time.” 

“No offense, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.” 

Eleanor looked at her, smiling sadly; she’d heard the same thing from Trystan. “We’ve extended invites to them in the past for various events, but they don’t usually respond. So, while I know they’re likely not to attend, I hope they do.” 

It was the truth. Eleanor did hope the King and Queen of Drakovia would attend, but not for the reasons Croía probably thought. The attendance of the Drakovian monarchs could bring a different kind of peace. And at the thought, a pang of guilt shot through the Cordonian Queen, knowing both her words and motives were deceptive, but just as they were trying to protect Liam, they wanted to protect Croía as well. 

“Have you spoken to your parents?” Eleanor asked as casually as she could.

“Oh, uh … no,” Croía answered. She let out a breath and dropped her gaze back to the list in her hands. “I’ve called a couple of times, but I … I haven’t heard anything back. I’m sure they’re busy.”

Eleanor stared at her; she’d heard Croía make that same excuse before as to why she hadn’t been in contact with her parents. She knew she didn’t believe her own words, able to hear the disappointment and hurt in the lie even though she tried to mask it. She’d heard from Liam how Croía was treated, but heard even more unsettling details about it from Trystan. And her heart broke for the young woman sitting before her, the one who still held onto hope that her family would someday show her love and affection despite being made to believe all her life that she was nothing to them … the same young woman who had become an integral and special part of her son’s life, and because of that, her own. She’d taken a liking to Croía, more so over the last month and seeing firsthand how happy she made Liam. Perhaps it was her natural motherly instinct, but she wanted to protect Croía from all of the same things she wanted to protect her own children from. And she wanted to help her, to see her thrive and succeed; it was part of the reason she’d asked if she wanted to join her that afternoon. 

Eleanor knew Croía didn’t have the experience that others in her position typically would, and not all of those kinds of lessons could be learned from a class or a book. And while guest lists and event planning were the more frivolous sides of her role, Eleanor had a few reasons for spending this time with Croía; she had a purpose for it all. 

“Well, why don’t we see how many from each country and kingdom are coming so far,” Eleanor said, changing the subject. She smiled as she sat next to her on the small sofa. “That way, we can start to figure out how we’re going to do the seating.” 

****

That evening, Constantine and Eleanor sat inside the King’s study, unwinding from their day with drinks. When Constantine’s phone rang, he stood from the sofa and walked to his desk, lifting the receiver to his ear. “Yes?”

“Hello, Constantine,” Trystan greeted him.

“Trystan,” Constantine said as he glanced over his shoulder at his wife; she rose from the sofa and came beside him as he put the call on speaker. “How are you?”

“I’m well. I hope you and Eleanor are the same.”

“We’re good,” Eleanor answered, letting him know she was there. 

“I’m here with Cameron,” Trystan said. “We just wanted to give you a little update.”

Constantine and Eleanor shared a look. “We’re listening.” 

“It’s not much of an update,” Cameron chimed in. “We’re still looking for the proof we need. We just need some more time to find that smoking gun.” 

“What we’ve found so far is better than nothing,” Eleanor replied. “It has to lead somewhere.” 

“Unfortunately, these people are very good at keeping things hidden,” Cameron said.

“I can imagine, considering they’ve flown under the radar for as long as they have,” Constantine scoffed. “But at least we’re getting somewhere.” 

In the time since they started their undercover investigation, the Cordonian monarchs along with Trystan and Cameron had uncovered more than they bargained for with the help of Damien and his Interpol connection. They’d come to learn that things were far more complicated and complex than they initially thought. And despite how much they’d found — and because of it — they needed more. What they had was only enough to drum up more suspicion and speculation. Both the delicacy and complexity of the situation called for more conclusive evidence because they couldn’t take any chances or risk any slip-ups based on technicalities. They needed a surefire smoking gun before they could make any moves, and they had yet to find it. 

“How’s Croía?” Trystan asked.

“She’s doing good,” Eleanor answered. “She was with me earlier, actually, helping me with some things regarding the Peace Summit.” 

“Taking her under your wing, are you?” Trystan quipped. 

Eleanor chuckled. “I simply extended the offer to keep her occupied while Constantine had Liam sit in on a meeting with him.” 

“She likes to learn, but was never given the chance back home,” Trystan said. “So I’m glad she’s got you there.”  

“Speaking of the summit,” Eleanor began. “Are you still  aiming to have enough evidence by then?” 

“Yes,” Cameron answered. “Damien still thinks it would be easier to have Interpol be there than it would be for them to get into Drakovia. I’m hoping we’ll have what we need, and that’s the goal, but I don’t want to make any promises.”

“And I still wouldn’t put too much faith in them attending,” Trystan interjected. “I know Damien thinks that’ll be the easiest way, but it’d be a damn miracle if they accepted. And if they do, be on alert because it wouldn’t be because they’re actually looking for peace. If they accept, they’ll have an ulterior motive for doing so.” 

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Constantine replied. 

“And Liam and Croía … they still don’t know anything about it?” Trystan asked.

“No,” Eleanor and Constantine answered in unison. 

“We’ve only been giving them the updates from the Dean and the University’s investigation, not our own,” Constantine added. He shared a look with his wife. “We’ll tell them when we need to …”

****

After having dinner with Blaine and Alia, Liam and Croía headed up to his room while the other two decided to venture down into the capitol in search of dessert. They’d offered for them to tag along, but Liam knew they hadn’t spent much time alone since their arrival in Cordonia; he’d told Blaine about one of his favorite local spots to take her. 

Croía sat on the bed and let out a breath, glancing at Liam when he sat down beside her. “How did that meeting with your dad go?”

“Fine,” Liam shrugged. “Just some trade stuff he wanted me to overhear.” He glanced over at her with a chuckle. “How was planning with my mom?” 

“It was fine,” Croía smiled. “Everyone is coming to that summit. Alia and her parents and sister. Blaine and his parents. Kennedy and her mom. Dionne and her parents. Peter and his parents and brother … to name a few.”

“Yeah, I knew Blaine and Alia were coming, only because they told me,” Liam said. “I figured the others would more than likely tag along … or be dragged along,” he chuckled. 

“I noticed Drakovia wasn’t on the list,” Croía said. “I asked your mom about it … she said they invited them, but in a surprising turn of events, they haven’t heard back,” she quipped. 

Liam shifted to sit in front of her. “Maybe they’ll come.” He knew they wouldn’t.

“Doubtful,” Croía replied. Liam smiled sadly before lifting a hand to her cheek; he drew her to him and pressed his lips to hers as his other hand settled on her waist. Before they could get too lost in the moment, she gently broke the kiss. “I have to study for my IRT exam.”

“You have all weekend,” Liam whispered. 

Croía chuckled as he kissed her again. “I need to get some studying done tonight. And you said you’d help me.” 

“I will help,” Liam said as he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip before kissing her once more. 

“I think we have two different definitions of help at the moment.”

A rumble of impish laughter escaped Liam as he drew back to meet her gaze. “Ok, I’ll help you study. But how about we make it a little more … interesting?”

Croía couldn’t help but chuckle at the mischievous smile he wore. “How so?” 

“I’ll quiz you …” Liam smirked, leaning forward and pressing another lingering kiss to her lips. “And reward you for every right answer you get.” 

Arching a curious brow, Croía smiled. “Reward me how?”

“Guess you’ll have to agree to play to find out.”

“Ok,” Croía laughed. She reached for her book on the nightstand, but he stopped her. “The questions are in the book.”

Liam tapped a finger to his temple. “It’s all up here.” He grinned when she laughed, then kissed her again as he guided her back on the bed, stopping once he was hovering over her. “First question,” he murmured against her lips. “Which theoretical perspective views globalization as a new form of imperialism?”

Croía smiled. “Neo-Marxism.”

“Good,” Liam said before finding her lips again; he kissed her slow and deep, curling his tongue against hers before shifting a moment later, kissing along her jaw to her ear. “Next question,” he whispered. “Globalization is most associated with which theory of world politics?”

“Liberalism.” 

“Uh-huh,” Liam hummed as his lips lingered on her neck. He slipped his hand beneath the hem of her shirt and pushed it up, revealing her lace-covered chest; he gently dragged his hand from her neck down between the valley of her breasts and his lips followed their path before shifting off course and trailing over the swell, stopping when they met the seam of fabric. “What is the economic theory and ideology that serves as the backdrop to what is commonly referred to as globalization?” 

Croía shuddered as his lips brushed over her covered peak, feeling his warm breath through the thin lace; her thoughts jumbled when the tip of his finger dipped beneath the scalloped seam and began to pull it down. “Neo-stru—” He paused, arching a brow as his gaze flickered to hers, and she shook her head. “Neoliberalism.” 

A wolfish smirk curled on Liam’s lips as he slid the rest of the fabric out of his way and lowered his mouth down to her pebbled nipple; he slowly swirled his tongue before pulling away and blowing a stream of cold air against her, drawing out a soft gasp. “Name two contributing factors to global integration,” he murmured against her as his lips moved to her stomach. 

“Transportation and Communication …”

“Mmhm,” Liam hummed, continuing his slow descent as his hand slid up to caress her. 

“And European Colonization.”

“Very good.” Liam shifted himself lower, placing a kiss just below her navel; his hands slowly pushed up the hem of her pleated knit tennis skirt before he hooked a strong arm around one of her thighs and draped it across her hips. “What is the type of exchange rate that is based on its expected value in the international market and is considered to be self-correcting?”

Croía bit her lip, fixated on him as his lips made a path along her inner thigh, all while holding her gaze. “It’s … it’s fixed—” He paused, and she swallowed thickly. “Floating. Floating exchange rate.”

“Nice save.” Liam ghosted his lips over the thin piece of lace that covered her and he smirked when just that light touch drew a soft yet needy whimper from her. “Name one revolutionary approach to International Relations.”

When he placed another teasing kiss over the lace, Croía’s eyes fell shut as a tingle shot up her spine; she instinctively tried to arch her hips for more but was stopped by his arm holding her in place. “F-Focus on — focus on North — North and South relations,” she stuttered through a breath.

Liam chuckled, dragging a finger along the seam. “I think I might prefer to focus on the south right now,” he said before he pulled the lace aside and dropped his mouth down on her. 

When she felt his velvet tongue swirl against her, Croía’s lips parted with a moan as her hand slid into his hair. 

*******

A couple of days later, Liam, Croía, Blaine, and Alia sat in the living room of the south wing, all working on assignments and studying for upcoming exams. 

“I wonder how much of this shit I’m actually going to use in the real world,” Blaine scoffed. 

Liam chuckled just as the door to his wing flew open; they all glanced over as Leo strode into view. “Hello,” he grinned. He walked further inside and sat beside Croía on the sofa, slinging an arm over her shoulders. “Hi, Cocoa Bean.”

Liam shook his head as the others laughed, including Croía.

One night while they all hung out in the game room, Leo had caught a glimpse of Liam’s phone, seeing Croía listed in his contacts under ‘Cocoa’. He’d laughed himself hoarse, despite there being a story behind the nickname, one Liam tried to explain. Leo ignored him and the story entirely and had been calling her Cocoa Bean for the last few weeks anytime he saw her. She didn’t seem to mind, however, so neither did Liam. 

“What are you up to?” Liam asked. 

“I want to go golfing,” Leo said, “but I have no one to go with. So I thought you all might like to join me.” 

Blaine threw his book down. “I’m in.”

Liam’s brows furrowed. “I thought you hated golf?”

“I don’t hate it, but it’s not my favorite thing either,” Blaine replied. “But I’ll do anything to get away from this shit for a while,” he said, gesturing toward the book and his laptop.  

“I’m game,” Alia said.

Liam and Croía shared a look, both shrugging. “Ok.”

****

A while later, after changing into appropriate attire while Leo filled a cooler with beers and White Claws, the five of them headed out to Cormery Isle’s golf course. 

They laughed and joked as they made their way through the course, all in much need of the little reprieve.

Liam, Croía, and Leo pulled up in a golf cart to where their balls landed on the seventh hole; Blaine and Alia pulled up in a second cart behind them. 

After taking their shots, Leo, Blaine, and Croía sat on one of the carts after grabbing a drink from the cooler, waiting while Liam and Alia made their shots. 

Leo glanced back at Blaine from the driver’s seat, chuckling. “Remember last year when we were shotgunning beers for every shot we took?” 

Blaine snorted, nodding before he tipped his head back to take a sip of his beer. “And we were all shitfaced drunk by the time we got back to the palace and your mom made us all her infamous hangover remedy.” 

“I swear, her spiced apple tea hangover cure is fucking gold,” Leo said. “They’ve made me functional for so many events.” 

“What’s a shotgun?” Croía asked.

Leo’s brows rose in surprise and he glanced over at her in the passenger seat. “Cocoa Bean! You’ve never done a shotgun?”

“No,” Croía chuckled, shaking her head.

“Oh, we’ll need to fix that,” Leo said. “Blaine, grab me a drink.”  

Blaine reached back, grabbed a can of White Claw from the cooler, and handed it to Leo. “So, the first thing you’re gonna do is make a hole down here,” he said as he tapped his finger near the bottom of the can. He grabbed the pen they were keeping score with and carefully poked through the can, maneuvering it around. “Ok,” Leo said as he finished making the hole wide enough; Blaine leaned forward from the backseat of the cart to both inspect and watch. “Take this, put your thumb over the hole, and position your other hand so you can open the tab.” He handed her the can, and she did as instructed. “Good. Ok, now, put your mouth there,” he pointed to the hole, and she leaned forward and replaced her thumb with her mouth. “Now open it and then suck.” 

“Tilt it slightly,” Blaine added.

Croía tilted the can slightly as her nail flipped up the tab, but she was met with a rush of unexpected carbonation, causing her to cough into the can. 

Suddenly, the liquid shot out from the opening, spraying Leo directly in the face.

Croía slowly looked over at Leo with wide eyes as what little she managed to get into her mouth dribbled out; liquid and foam dripped from his face.

In the back seat, Blaine let out a loud bark of laughter as he threw his head back. When he heard her wheeze, he looked at Croía and started to laugh even harder at seeing how hard she was now laughing; her face was bright red and her hand covered her mouth, which was open in shock as her body shook. 

When Croía took a breath, she squealed out a laugh as her foot kicked the panel under the seat and she doubled forward. Both the sight and sound sent Blaine over the edge; he tipped sideways, rolling out of the cart into the grass as he clutched his stomach. 

Alia and Liam approached after taking their shots, and Alia started to laugh just at the sight of Blaine rolling around on the ground. 

“What the hell happened?” Liam asked, seeing a substance dripping from his brother’s face; he wore a grin despite whatever just occurred. 

A loud guffaw erupted from Blaine as he started to try and tell them the story; he rolled to his side with a wheeze as he slapped the ground, unable to continue. 

“I was trying to teach Cocoa Bean how to do a shotgun,” Leo began to explain through a laugh of his own as he wiped his face down with his golf towel. “But I somehow managed to get a face full of White Claw instead.”

Alia couldn’t contain her laughter at the imagery.

“I-I’m sorry … I-I got a …” Croía trailed off, unable to speak as another shriek of laughter bubbled out of her. 

Liam looked at her and he couldn’t help but chuckle as she gripped his arm; tears glistened in the corners of her eyes as the melodious sound of her contagious laughter filled the air. He’d seen her laugh plenty of times, but never that hard … and he never wanted to go another day without seeing or hearing it again, without seeing her so utterly happy and carefree.

“Holy fuck,” Blaine chortled. He slowly rolled onto all fours, trying to catch his breath. “My abs hurt. That …” He trailed off, snorting. “That was the funniest fucking thing. His face …” He howled, dropping his head onto the ground between his arms as he continued to laugh. “Shit, Croía.” 

Leo gripped Croía’s shoulder. “We’ll need to work on your execution, Cocoa Bean,” he chuckled. 

*******

The following Friday, Liam, Croía, Blaine, and Alia sat in the living room of the south wing, watching a movie; they’d spent all week working on assignments, had gone out to the beer garden with Leo, Rashad, and Olivia the night before, and were taking that night to relax. 

Midway through the film, a knock sounded on the door; Liam paused the movie and shouted for them to come in. A moment later, Constantine and Eleanor appeared. “Sorry to interrupt,” Constantine smiled apologetically at the group as they all sat up.

“No worries,” Liam said. “What’s up?”

Constantine and Eleanor walked into the living area and took the two empty seats on either end of the sectional. “We just received a call from the Dean. Vancross is opening campus back up.” 

They all smiled. “When?” Blaine questioned. 

“One week,” Eleanor answered. “They’re giving you next week free of classes to allow you to get yourselves situated before returning.”

“So they finished the investigation?” Croía asked.

“They closed it,” Constantine said. “They couldn’t find any evidence pointing to who was behind the attack. Being that it’s been over a month, they didn’t have much of a choice. I’m sure they’ll still be looking into it, but they think it’s time for the students to return.” 

“Your parents are aware,” Eleanor said to Blaine and Alia. “They’re leaving it up to you whether or not you want to go right from here or go home for the week before returning.” 

The pair shared a look. “We should probably go see them before going back,” Alia said. “We won’t see them again until graduation.”

“Yeah,” Blaine nodded. 

As they began to discuss leaving the following morning, Croía took in Alia’s words. We won’t see them again until graduation. She hadn’t seen her mother since her impromptu visit, and she hadn’t seen her father since she left to attend Vancross. She hadn’t been home at all. They hadn’t tried to reach out to her and hadn’t returned any of her calls. And while a part of her knew it was foolish to even want to see them or to think they cared about seeing her, another part of her couldn’t let go of the notion that she had a home and family of her own. 

Alia and Blaine excused themselves to go call their parents and make their arrangements to leave, leaving Liam and Croía alone with Constantine and Eleanor. 

“I … I should go home, too,” Croía said. 

Liam furrowed his brows as he snapped his gaze in her direction. “What?” 

“Alia’s right,” Croía said quietly as she looked at him. “We won’t have another chance to go home again before graduation, and that’s a few months away. And I haven’t … I haven’t been home at all since school started.” She could see the wariness in his eyes. “I know I haven’t talked to them … but maybe I should try to see them.” 

Liam knew why she wanted to go — or rather, felt like she had to. She didn’t want to give up on believing that maybe one day they’d see her for more than the mistake they told her she was. She wanted their love and acceptance so badly that she was willing to risk her emotional well-being on the off chance she might get it. Every instinct inside him wanted to tell her not to go, to beg her not to go and to stay with him. He’d seen firsthand what being around just her mother did to her, and he didn’t want to see her fall back into that headspace she was so easily put in before. He didn’t want to see her hurt and defeated if this trip home didn’t go the way she hoped it would … and he was almost certain that’s what would happen. 

Liam let out a breath. “But Croía—”

“It’s just a week,” Croía interrupted, seeing more trepidation fill his expression as he stared at her. “And then we’ll be back at campus.” 

Constantine looked at his wife the same moment Eleanor looked at him; he recognized the question in her eyes. He knew she didn’t want Croía to go either and that look told him exactly what she was thinking: She doesn’t know what we know. But he subtly shook his head at her silent request. They couldn’t risk telling anyone, including Liam and Croía. Not yet.

“Are you sure, Croía?” Eleanor asked, hoping she might reconsider. 

“I’m sure,” Croía nodded with a halfhearted smile. “And while I’m there … maybe I can bring up the Peace Summit and gauge their interest in possibly attending.” 

“Well, how about I go with you,” Liam said. 

Constantine and Eleanor both stiffened at his words. 

“I appreciate the offer, but I think it might be best if I go by myself,” Croía said, much to his parents’ relief. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him. 

Liam continued to stare at her. “When … when are you going to leave?” 

“Blaine and Alia seem to be leaving in the morning,” Croía noted. “So maybe sometime tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have to have Jonas call to have the jet prepared and sent.” 

“No need to call for the jet. You’re more than welcome to use ours,” Constantine offered, although his motives weren’t entirely selfless; he didn’t trust a Drakovian jet landing on Cordonian soil. 

Liam heaved a sigh as he finally dropped Croía’s gaze. He didn’t like the idea of her leaving. He didn’t like it at all. 

**** 

The movie night had been cut short so Blaine, Alia, and — much to Liam’s dismay — Croía could pack their bags. 

Liam sat on the edge of his bed, watching Croía stuff the final pieces of her clothing into her suitcase before zipping it shut. She set her bag over by the door and turned to face him; the look he gave her had her seriously contemplating her decision. 

When Croía approached him, she rested her hands on his shoulders, and Liam pulled her down so she was straddling his lap. He searched her icy blue eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t want you to go,” he said just above a whisper.

“I’ll be ok,” Croía said, not sure whether she was trying to convince him or herself. 

“Does Trystan know you’re going?”

“No,” Croía chuckled, knowing he was hoping her brother would change her mind. “I haven’t called to tell him, but I will.” He shook his head, dropping her gaze. “If I come back disappointed … it’s no one’s fault but my own.”

Liam looked at her again. “If that’s even a possibility, why go?” he asked. “Why risk making yourself feel like that?” 

“Because I … I just feel like I need to do this,” Croía replied. “For myself.” Liam sighed, dropping his head on her shoulder. “Listen …” She forced his gaze back to hers. “If this trip goes badly … I promise, it’ll be the last time I try.” 

“You won’t go back again?”

“No,” Croía shook her head. “I think this trip will tell me everything I need to know.” 

Liam chewed the inside of his cheek as his hold around her tightened. “I still don’t like the idea of you going … especially by yourself.” 

“I’ll be ok.” 

Knowing he wasn’t going to change her mind, Liam heaved a defeated sigh as he dropped his head on her shoulder. “I’ve gotten used to you being here with me,” he murmured. “I don’t want to wake up without you.” 

Croía chuckled. “It’s only a week.” 

“Too long.” Liam lifted his gaze back to hers, holding it for a moment before he closed the small space between them and pressed his lips to hers. 

When they parted, Croía rested her forehead against his. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 

Liam kissed her again, this time more ardently; he turned, laying her back on the bed, planning to make the most of that night. And she eagerly returned the kiss with the very same intention. 

*******

The following morning, Liam and Croía said their goodbyes to Blaine and Alia before they left, and that afternoon, they rode in silence and hand-in-hand in the back of an SUV to the airport for Croía’s flight. 

Anthony drove the pair with Jonas riding beside him in the passenger seat; knowing they were in cahoots, she had instructed her guard not to call Trystan, telling him she would do so herself. In the third row behind them sat Leo, who offered to tag along, knowing his brother might need a distraction on the way back. 

Liam tossed and turned all night, trying to come up with some way of changing Croía’s mind, but he fell short. Despite her assuring him she would be fine and that it would only be a week before she saw him again, he still couldn’t bring himself to get on board with the idea. He didn’t push, however, because he didn’t want her to think he was being overbearing. 

When the SUV pulled up to the tarmac alongside the waiting jet, the two guards exited the vehicle first; Anthony went to do a cursory check of the aircraft while Jonas grabbed Croía’s suitcase. 

When Liam’s guard reappeared a few moments later, giving the all-clear, Liam sighed as he opened the door and stepped out, turning to offer a hand to Croía; she said goodbye to Leo, who gave her a quick hug, before taking Liam’s hand and allowing him to help her out. 

The pair walked slowly toward the stairs; Jonas shook Anthony’s hand before stepping onto the jet while the latter headed back to the SUV, giving Liam and Croía some privacy. 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Liam asked, forcing a small smile. 

“I’ll be fine,” Croía reiterated with a sad smile as she looked up at him. “Remember, it’s only a week.” 

Liam wrapped his arms around her as hers looped around his neck. “I know …” He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. 

“We’ll talk every day.” 

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Croía assured him, and he kissed her again. 

Croía cupped his face in her hands. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips as he rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you, too.” 

After drawing back from another kiss, Croía stepped back, knowing she wouldn’t get on that jet if she lingered there any longer. “I’ll call you as soon as I land.” 

“I’ll be waiting.”

Liam watched her turn and head up the stairs; she gave him a wave and one last smile over her shoulder before disappearing into the cabin. He walked backward, watching Jonas secure the door, and when he reached the SUV, he leaned against it, waiting to see her take off. 

A moment later, Leo appeared beside him. “Relax. She’ll only be gone a week.”

Liam didn’t take his eyes off the jet as it turned toward the open airstrip. Yes, he knew it was only a week, but he had an odd feeling that he couldn’t seem to shake, one that grew in intensity as he watched the aircraft pick up speed down the runway before lifting into the air.

******* 

The following Thursday, Liam sat out on the balcony of his bedroom, eating breakfast as he scanned a newspaper. His eyes kept flickering to his phone, waiting for Croía’s morning call. 

As promised, Croía had called him twice a day every day since she left. They messaged each other throughout each day as well. 

That first night, when Liam asked how her return was received, all Croía said was, “as expected.” Each night since, she told him how her parents had been in closed-door meetings all day and she had yet to see either of them. That was until yesterday afternoon when she sent a message to tell him she was having dinner with them that evening; she said she would call him later to tell him how it went. 

Croía never called. 

Liam had sent a couple of messages to see if everything was ok and to ask how the dinner went, but he never got a response. 

As he looked at his phone again, Liam told himself not to panic, that she had probably just fallen asleep and wasn’t awake yet. He still couldn’t shake that odd feeling he had, though, and it was doing him no favors in staying optimistic. 

When his phone chimed with an incoming call, Liam threw the paper down and snatched his phone up; he let out a breath when he saw the name flash across the screen. “Hi,” he answered.

“Well, don’t you sound chipper this morning,” Blaine chuckled.

“Sorry,” Liam sighed. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be heading out tomorrow morning.” 

Blaine was flying back to Cordonia tomorrow so he and Liam could head back to Vancross together Saturday morning; they wanted to give themselves time to get resituated in their suite and relax before classes started up again on Monday. Rashad and Olivia were taking the Domavlliers jet but weren’t planning to return to campus until Sunday. 

“Is Alia coming too?” Liam asked.

“No,” Blaine answered. “She has an event she’s attending with her family tomorrow evening, so she’s just going to meet us back at Vancross Saturday morning.” 

“Ok …” 

“Are you alright?” Blaine asked.

“I’m just waiting for Croía to call.” 

“What’s wrong?”

Liam sighed. “She was supposed to call me last night but never did. And she hasn’t called or answered my messages this morning.”

“Calm down,” Blaine chuckled. “She’s probably still sleeping. Don’t get yourself all worked up over nothing.” 

“Right …” Liam drummed his fingers against the table. 

Something told him it wasn’t “nothing.” 

*******

The next afternoon, Liam sat inside the living area of his wing after he’d returned to the palace from picking Blaine up at the airport. Liam held his phone to his ear, listening to it ring and ring and ring before Croía’s voicemail picked up. He sighed, ending the call and tossing his phone on the table in front of him before running his hand down his face.

“Still nothing?” Blaine asked, and Liam shook his head. “Let me try.” He scrolled through his contacts before tapping his finger against Croía’s name. It rang … and rang and rang and rang … until her voicemail picked up. “Nothing …” 

“Has Alia heard from her?” Liam asked.

“She said the last time she talked to her was Wednesday.” 

“Same as me …” Liam let out a breath, running his hand through his hair. 

“We’ll keep trying,” Blaine said. 

****

That night, Liam tapped his foot anxiously against the carpeted floor of his bedroom as he tried calling Croía again. He still hadn’t heard back from her. When he reached her voicemail for the umpteenth time that day, he let out a frustrated breath as he rubbed his eyes, waiting for the cue to leave a message. When he heard the beep, he lifted his head.

“Croía … it’s me again. I’m really worried. I just want to know you’re ok. Please … please call me back.” 

Liam sighed as he dropped the phone away from his ear and ended the call. He thought about calling Trystan, but another part of him thought maybe he should wait. Like him, Blaine, and Alia, Croía was supposed to be returning to campus tomorrow and he didn’t want to worry her brother for no reason if there truly was an explanation as to why she hadn’t returned any of their calls or messages. He couldn’t figure out what the hell that explanation could be, but he was holding onto that small sliver of hope like a lifeline. 

*******

The following morning, Liam drummed his fingers across his thigh from his seat on the jet; through the clouds, he could see Vancross University’s campus as they flew overhead, headed for the airport. 

“Alia just landed and is headed back to campus now,” Blaine said, reading a message from her. Liam looked at him. “I told her we’re about five minutes behind her. She said she’ll let us know if Croía is there.” 

They had yet to hear anything from Croía; their calls were now going straight to voicemail, and messages were still left unanswered.

It had been three days since Liam last spoke to Croía and that odd feeling he had when she first left had now grown into full-on panic. When he said his goodbyes to his family that morning, his mother asked if he was ok, able to tell something was bothering him; he didn’t tell her what was going on because he didn’t have any answers to explain it. 

Liam’s only focus that morning was getting back to campus and seeing if Croía had arrived yet. 

****

When Liam and Blaine arrived back at their suite, they dropped their bags in their rooms and met back in the living area, both with their phones in hand. Liam tapped his finger against the screen on Croía’s name and put the phone to his ear; it went straight to voicemail again. 

Blaine could see the concern etched in his friend’s expression. “Maybe her phone broke or something.” 

Liam merely nodded at Blaine’s attempt to settle his nerves, but he didn’t believe it. Something was wrong. He could feel it. 

Suddenly, the door to their suite flung open and a frantic Alia rushed inside; she was out of breath, clearly having run from her building to theirs. 

Blaine turned toward her. “Baby, what’s wrong?” 

“Croía’s stuff … it’s not there,” Alia breathed as she pressed a palm to her chest. 

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?” 

“Her room is empty. All of her stuff … it’s gone.” 

The color drained from Liam’s face as his heart plummeted into his stomach. “No.” In the next moment, he was rushing out the door, and Blaine and Alia followed behind him. 

Liam ran along the campus path from his building towards the other. When he entered through the front doors, he bound up the steps two at a time until he came to the correct floor; he flew down the hall and pushed the door to the suite open, making a beeline for Croía’s room. 

When Liam stepped inside, he froze. Just as Alia had said, the room was empty save for the bare bed and the desk and chair. 

There was nothing but empty hangers in the closet. 

The drawers of the dresser were pulled open and bare. 

The books that once lined the built-in bookshelf were gone. 

The only thing that remained to show Croía had ever been there at all was the pictures still pinned to the corkboard above the desk she once occupied. A photo of their whole group together from a night they had a bonfire on the beach, several photos of her and Alia, her and Liam, and a few of the four of them together on the many nights they hung out. 

Liam looked around the empty room, blinking as if her stuff would suddenly reappear … along with her. His eyes fell on a crumpled article of clothing he spotted on the floor of the closet. He walked over and picked it up; when he held it in front of him, he saw the ‘Rys’ stitched across the top of the back. It was the mock jersey she had worn to his final polo match. He sat in the chair and leaned forward, burying his face in the shirt; the scent of vanilla and sandalwood still lingered in the fabric.

Fisting the shirt in his hands, a wave of worry, guilt, and anger washed over Liam. He didn’t trust the idea of her going home, but he didn’t try hard enough to convince her not to. He knew in his gut something was wrong when he didn’t hear from her, but he didn’t try to figure out what it was. 

Blaine took a tentative step toward his friend, seeing his hands start to shake. Suddenly, Liam stood, grabbing the chair by its back and hurling it across the room with a growl; the sound of it slamming against the wall caused Alia to yelp. 

Liam ran his fingers through his hair, lacing his trembling hands behind his head. The stress of the past few days had finally gotten the better of him. His chest was rising and falling heavily, his breaths shuddered and quick as he tried to wrap his mind around what the hell was happening. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t know anything. 

Blaine approached him, resting a hand on his shoulder. After a few quiet moments, Alia broke the deafening silence. “What … what do you think happened?” Blaine glanced over his shoulder at hearing the worry laced in her words. 

Liam dropped his arms to his sides, looking around the room again as his jaw tensed. “I … I don’t know,” he said. He stormed out of the room, unable to stand inside the emptiness any longer, stopping once he was in the living area. He pulled his phone from his pocket and went to his contacts, tapping a name on the screen before lifting it to his ear.

“Liam?”

“Have you heard from Croía?” The question tumbled out of Liam, who didn’t care about a polite greeting at the moment.

“No …” Trystan paused for a moment. “She’s supposed to be returning to campus today.”

“Yeah, but she’s not here. I haven’t talked to her since Wednesday morning; she hasn’t answered any of my calls or messages. Any calls to her started going straight to voicemail this morning. We just got back to campus, and Alia found all of her stuff from their suite gone. Her room is completely empty, Trystan.” 

Trystan could hear the worry in his voice; his own anxiety spiked at what he’d just been told, but he hid it, trying to remain calm. “Let me try to call her phone for me. I’ll call you right back.” He didn’t wait for a response before hanging up. 

Liam dropped his arm, gripping his phone tightly in his hand. The few seconds that went by felt like hours until his phone rang; he answered before it made half a ring. “Anything?”

“No … right to voicemail.” Trystan heard Liam let out an exasperated breath. “Listen, let me make some calls … see what I can find out. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.”

*******

In the living area of his suite the following afternoon, Liam sat slumped on the sofa; his fist was pressed against his mouth as he stared off in a daze with his phone clutched tightly in his other hand. Blaine and Alia sat in silence across from him on the other end of the sectional. 

It had been over 24 hours since Liam had spoken to Trystan, and every minute that passed that he didn’t hear from him only caused both his concern and irritation to heighten. He’d tried calling and messaging Croía several more times after his conversation with Trystan but to no avail. He’d gotten a mere couple of hours of sleep last night, and that was only because he dozed off at the kitchen counter while waiting to hear from Trystan or Croía herself. Blaine found him at 2 a.m. when he exited his room to get a bottle of water; he was slumped on the stool with his head on his arms and his hand curled around his phone. He woke him up, telling him to go get some sleep, but when he entered his room, sleep was the last thing on his mind. 

When Liam’s phone chimed with an alert, his head snapped to the screen; he sank back with a heavy sigh at seeing the message from his mother, telling him she hoped they all got settled in ok and to enjoy his last day before starting classes back up tomorrow. He sent back a quick response before tossing his phone onto the table and laying back, covering his face with his hands. 

Blaine looked at him. “Who was—”

“My mom,” Liam interrupted. 

Alia and Blaine shared a look; Liam’s stress over the situation was palpable. Alia glanced back in Liam’s direction. “Why don’t we go get something to eat while we wait.” 

Liam dropped his hands away from his face and met their gazes; his expression was a silent declination. “Come on, Li,” Blaine sighed. “I’ve been with you since yesterday afternoon and you haven’t eaten anything. You’re not doing anyone any favors by starving your damn self.” 

“We don’t have to go far,” Alia said. “We can go to that Greek place right across the street from campus.”   

As Liam sat there and contemplated their suggestion, a knock came on the door of the suite; he sprung up and rushed over, flinging it open. 

Liam swallowed thickly when he saw none other than Trystan standing on the other side, and the look on his face immediately filled him with dread. 

***************************************

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[angelasscribbles]

The Crown and the Shield Chapter 7: All Fall Down

Series: The Crown and the Shield

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Constantine x Jackson

Word Count: 740

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Gun violence, blood, death

My other stuff: Master List.

The king of Cordonia approached the podium to thunderous applause. The negotiations had been successful. He was one press conference away from the end of this trip, and the beginning of a new life.

He was nervous, but excited, to confess his love for the head of his King’s Guard to his wife. Jack was right, Eleanor was nothing like Helena. She hadn’t married him for the crown but for their shared love of Leo. She was kind and loving and there was no way she would abandon her child the way his first wife had abandoned hers.

He would tell her about himself and Jackson and she would understand, like Bianca had. He could be more freely himself, Jack could be a bigger part of his life. Everything was going to work out. He just had to get through his part of the press conference.

The peace accords had gone far better than expected and he was confident about the future. He shot a discreet glance at Jackson as he took his place at the podium and cleared his throat.

His parents and his wife were seated on the stage behind him, along with the heads of state of all the attendee nations. Rivala, Auvernall, Monterisso, and Vallenheim. All of them hereditary monarchies. All of them targets of the anti-monarchy terrorist group The Liberation Core.

“I’d like to start by thanking the Spanish government for hosting this summit,” Constantine turned his head to nod politely at the king of Spain. He smiled broadly as he opened his mouth to compliment the culture, the cuisine, and the hospitality they had been shown.

The words never made it to his lips.

Gunshots shattered the bright June morning. Screams erupted from the audience, from the stage, and from the security teams as people scattered and dove for cover.

The crowd that had gathered for the historic announcement descended into complete chaos as panicked people trampled each other in an effort to escape.

The government officials and their families that had been seated on the stage seconds before were being drug from the area by their security teams or already lying on the stage floor, bleeding.

Security team members stumbled and slid through the wetness that now covered the floor as multiple people lay dead or dying.

Seconds stretched out like an eternity as Constantine turned his head wildly trying to find the source of the gunfire. Before he could react, a body hit his full force, tackling him to the ground.

There was a loud ringing in his ears, the gunshots and the screaming sounded dim and far away as darkness clouded the edges of his vision. He blinked rapidly trying to clear his senses as every survival instinct he possessed screamed at him to stay conscious.

He turned his head to the left and felt bile rise in his throat. The king of Auvernall lay mere feet away from him, unseeing eyes fixed and empty, his queen next to him gasping for air as her lifeblood ran out of a gaping hole in her chest.

His eyes swept the stage in horror searching for his own parents. The ground was covered in blood. Bodies lay everywhere. He spotted Eleanor being pulled from the stage by the head of her security detail, hands clutching at her stomach as blood soaked the fabric of her dress.

“No!” The scream tore from his throat as he began to struggle to get free. He had to get to her, to all of them. Why couldn’t he move?

His attention shifted to the body that lay motionless on top of him. Time suddenly sped up again as he gazed up into the face of the man who had shoved him out of the line of fire. The man who wasn’t moving. The man who was bleeding out on top of him.

Hot, sticky blood covered them both, but Constantine wasn’t bleeding.  

“Jack! Jack!” Terror clawed at his insides, panic washing over him as tears and snot smeared his face, “Wake up! Wake up!”

Then he was being pulled off the stage by another member of the King’s Guard as he fought with every ounce of strength he possessed to get back to the man he loved.

Three more guards joined the first and he lost the battle. He was pulled away from the danger as his lover lay in a puddle of blood, limp and unmoving.

[alj4890]

Snowed In

(Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis) in a TRR Christmas One Shot from the series Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

Song Inspiration: I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Dean Martin

A/N Hello again! I think I might be back for good or at least will try to be back 🤦🏻‍♀️. The writer's block that has been keeping me away along with life has been slowly killing me. But look! Sound the alarms! I finally wrote something! I will get back to this crackship series starring these two and their complicated love story. For the time being though, here is a glimpse into the future and their first Christmas together as requested by @angelasscribbles It is chock full of fluff for the holidays.

Masterlist

December 21st, Lythikos, Cordonia...

The holidays were, in a word, complicated.

Olivia had spent the majority of her life alone with nothing more than a special meal prepared by good natured servants and a single gift sent over from her aunt. The gift wasn't something one would expect for a little girl/young woman. It was usually a reminder of the Nevrakis illustrious past, one meant to instill the rather harsh, no sentimentality allowed frame of mind.

And let's not get into what the brief time with her parents had done to her.

There was the one precious year Olivia spent Christmas with Liam and the Royal family. Queen Eleanor made certain the newly orphaned duchess received more child appropriate gifts such as a new doll holding a felt sword, a miniature porcelain tea set, and a leather bound collection of fantasy children stories. Olivia was encouraged to help Liam decorate a Christmas tree in the palace nursery and then put frosting on freshly baked Christmas cookies. The pair sat before their tree, eating their creations, and made plans for spending the next day playing in the snow.

It had been the closest to a perfect Christmas Olivia had ever experienced.

When little Olivia shared what all had occurred that particular holiday, Lucretia was beyond livid that the commoner queen was setting her niece up on a path of ruin with useless gifts and experiences. How was she to one day rule the country with an upbringing that included such ridiculous traditions?

It didn't matter. The following summer, Queen Eleanor was dead and Constantine sent Olivia back to Lythikos to remain under the strict supervision of her servants and a nanny he personally hired. They were tasked to keep the duchess healthy and schooled.

Nothing was ever mentioned or demanded that she also be made happy.

Life went on. Olivia learned to sneer and roll her eyes whenever she heard her peers gush over their holiday plans with family and loved ones. Christmas was nothing more than another day of the year. She had little time and even less patience to remain in conversation with the lot once December first rolled around.

She did allow a tree to be decorated in the main hall and accepted the traditional Lythikos Christmas Eve dinner of a turkey basted in their specially brewed Skull Cracker Ale with all the trimmings. Other than those two concessions, she ignored the holiday as much as she could.

She made certain though that her people had all they deserved during the Christmas season. The local orphanage was sent a shipment of toys that would put Santa to shame. Lythikos General Hospital also received gifts for not only their children's ward, but for each patient stuck there during the holidays. Any family/person struggling financially was gifted a tree and traditional meal.

It was, she decided, her duty to take care of these needs herself. After all, she was supposed to make certain her people thrived. For some odd reason she never quite understood, having a good holiday helped people look forward to a prosperous year. Who was she to question it?

Though she had the satisfaction of taking care of these minor needs, the Christmas following Liam's coronation and marriage was more difficult for Olivia to face.

Alone.

It was baffling that she'd become close to Liam's new bride, Riley. It was even more mind blowing that she'd also become friends with Hana and Drake. Riley and Hana were once her competition and she was convinced that Drake was Satan himself, but somehow she'd come to care for them.

Then...there was Maxwell.

One could only shake their head over the fact that Cordonia's most fun loving lord had been harboring a love so deep for the icy duchess that rivaled that of the new king's for his queen.

Jaws were still on the floor from the realization that she, Olivia Nevrakis, the very woman who made people tremble with fear of her waspish tongue and ability with a dagger, happened to have lost her heart to Maxwell Beaumont as well.

"It's been an odd year." Olivia muttered as she gazed out her window at the snowy landscape.

Even odder still was the fact that she was somewhat depressed. With the amount of snow falling, roads would soon be closed leading in and out of Lythikos. No one would be able to drop by for a visit.

No one at all.

"It isn't like I've never spent Christmas alone." She grumbled, turning away from her window. "What's one more year?"

But...

It did matter. There'd been talk of her new group of friends coming to snow ski and spend New Year's Eve together in her home.

Maxwell hadn't mentioned if he'd planned to spend Christmas with her. She hadn't asked him to. She only assumed he might since he bragged about the surprise gift he planned to give her.

Now though, the mail wouldn't even be able to get through to deliver it.

Olivia glanced over at her Christmas tree. One lone gift sat under it. She grimaced somewhat that she spent not only time but a great deal of thought in finding the perfect gift for Maxwell. Instead of allowing her servants to wrap it like she normally would have, she'd personally wrapped it herself.

Lost in thought of not being able to give it to him on Christmas Day, she jumped in surprise when the wind picked up out her window. A typical Lythikos blizzard was revving up with the immense power that usually left her in awe. Now, it made her heart drop even more in disappointment.

Christmas was going to be another lonely day after all.

**************

December 24th...

Snow continued to fall. The providence had already received well over four feet of snow. Temperatures dropped to dangerously low readings, keeping everyone within the cozy confines of their homes.

Olivia glared at her phone. It'd been nearly a week since she'd last spoken to Maxwell. He'd been in California for most of the month speaking to Hollywood execs about turning his best selling novel into a movie. Though she was secretly proud of him for such an accomplishment (especially since he wrote her so flatteringly), she also wanted to strike him down with all her might for not even sparing her a moment for a simple phone call.

He's the one insisting we do all the normal couple things! Isn't wishing a Merry Christmas to the one you supposedly love fall somewhere on that list?

I wouldn't answer the phone now if he did call. In fact, I don't think I'll EVER answer another call or text of his again. He can go straight to---

Olivia's eyes widened when she heard an unusual pounding coming from her front door. She knew that no true Lythikosian would step foot from their fireplaces in this weather. Death would greet that level of stupidity.

Setting her steamy cup of nog aside, she went to see what fool would dare be outside.

She should have known only her fool would do so.

Maxwell dashed past her and began to stomp the snow off his boots.

He was covered from head to toe in ice and snow. Shivering, he began to peel off the layers that were partially frozen to one another after dropping a caked in snow suitcase on the floor.

"It's cold out there." He told her with teeth chattering.

Olivia blinked a few times. She glanced back and forth between him and her door.

"How in the--What are you doing here?" She managed to say.

Maxwell paused in rubbing his numb hands together.

"It's Christmas." He told her.

"Yeah, I know." She placed her hands on her hips. "But there is a blizzard out there."

"Yeah, I know." Maxwell mimicked with a grin. "That's why I almost turned into a popsicle."

He grinned at her on his way towards her fireplace.

Shivering even more violently, he got as close as he could to the crackling flames without catching on fire.

Olivia followed after him.

"How did you get here?" She demanded.

"That journey is worthy of an Epic Poem." He began to rotate, letting each side of his body slowly thaw with the welcoming heat.

Olivia groaned. She wasn't in the mood for this type of conversation.

"Plane ride from L.A. to New York." He began. "Then onto London. I couldn't get a flight out of London to here because of the weather. Not wanting to wait, I decided to travel by train as close as I could. Train rides from there to Barcelona, then onto Rome. Don't ask me how many trains I had to change. I lost count after five. Then, I rented a car and drove the rest of the way."

He ended his explanation with a shrug then turned back to face the fireplace.

"But the roads and bridges are closed!" Olivia exclaimed.

"It's amazing how easy it is to move those barricades." He quipped over his shoulder.

"Okay, but there was no car outside." She reminded him.

"It couldn't make it up the mountain to your duchy." He turned back around to face her. "So, I walked."

"You walked?" Her eyes narrowed. "You walked in a blizzard up this mountain knowing you could slip off or freeze to death?!"

"Yep." He grinned at her. "It wasn't too bad."

Olivia walked up to him, gripped his shirt, and gave him a hard shake "YOU IDIOT! You could have died out there and we wouldn't have found your body! I wouldn't have known to look for you because you haven't called me in a week!"

"I tried to call." He explained. "But it kept going directly to voicemail."

She paused in berating him. "It did what?"

"I've been calling and texting all week. I checked with Liam when I couldn't get a hold of you and he told me the towers and phone lines were down in this region due to the weather."

Olivia's hands dropped from him.

"Oh." She mumbled.

Maxwell leaned down a little bit to study her face. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't make certain to spend Christmas with you?"

"I..." She folded her arms across her chest, averting her eyes from his.

The last thing she wanted was to reveal not only how vulnerable she'd been since they'd gotten together nor the fact he made her feel depressed with the thought of being unable to be with him on Christmas.

"I thought you would stay at Ramsford." She straightened her shoulders. "After all, this is the first Christmas with Savannah and Bartie."

"That's Bertrand's family." Maxwell reminded her.

"They're yours too." Olivia argued.

"Christmas is about being with the ones you love." Maxwell explained. "And you happen to top my list."

Olivia bit back scoffing at something so eye rolling sweet that she needed to hear from him.

He slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her close. He tilted his head down, resting his forehead against hers. His cold nose rubbed against her own, reminding her of how cold he still was.

"Let me get you a cup of nog." She took a step back, pausing when he tightened his arms around her.

"Wait." He softly pleaded. "All I've thought about since I left you was this."

Olivia moved closer within his embrace, arguing with herself she was only doing it to help him warm up. Surely she wasn't doing it because she'd missed being held in his arms.

He hugged her, sighing over how good it felt to have her near again. Nudging her chin up, he pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"I've missed you." He murmured between heated kisses.

"I missed you, too." She admitted with a resigned shrug.

His delighted, dimpled smile over her words brought an all too familiar fluttering to her stomach.

She pulled away, keeping her hand in his, and tugged him over to a nearby couch. She prepared him a hot cup of Nog and covered him with a blanket.

He insisted she sit close against him for warmth.

"I'll use any excuse I can to have you near." He teased.

Olivia snorted, unable to stop her smile from forming.

She rested her head on his shoulder, tucking herself within his side.

As she readjusted, she felt something hard against her hip.

"Almost forgot." He mumbled, digging into his pants pocket.

He pulled out a little blue box with a white bow.

"Merry Christmas!"

Olivia merely stared at it.

"Don't you want to open it?" Maxwell asked.

"Of course, but I thought we would wait until Christmas morning to exchange gifts." She explained.

"I can't wait! Plus I'm pretty sure it's Christmas Day somewhere in the world. Probably Australia." He placed the box in her lap. "This is something I promised you during Liam and Madeleine's engagement tour."

Olivia stilled in the midst of opening the box. Her thoughts drifted back to those tense months of trying to find out who had threatened both Riley and herself. She knew the night she reappeared in Venice was when the promise he was talking about was made.

"When this is over, I'm going to ask you a question." Maxwell told her as they stood on the Ponte degli Scalzi. "One that will once and for all decide the future for us."

She untied the ribbon and allowed the small velvet box to drop in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she cracked it open.

There sitting amongst the cushion was a ruby ring surrounded by a halo of diamonds.

"Maxwell?" She breathed, carefully lifting the ring out of the box.

"I want to spend every holiday with you." He replied. "And all the days in between."

She looked up at him. The vulnerability in his expression made her own seem not so silly.

"Will you let me?" He asked. "You already know I've been in love with you since I was seven. Don't you think it's about time you put me out of my misery and marry---"

"I will." She declared, cutting off his proposal.

He swooped in to kiss her, knocking the ring out of her hands.

"Wait!" She said in the midst of a laugh. "I don't want to lose it."

"Who cares?" He kissed her again. "I'll buy you all the replacements you need for my impulsive behavior."

"Yes, but I want that one." She mumbled against his lips.

He groaned, pulling away to find her ring.

He got down on his knees and found it under the couch. Grinning at her, he slid it over her ring finger.

She held her hand up to admire it, watching the firelight set the precious stones aglow.

Maxwell cleared his throat and lifted an eyebrow in expectation.

Olivia's eyes widened. "Your gift! It's--"

"You." He climbed back on the couch, covering her with his body. "You officially agreeing to marry me is the best gift ever."

Olivia pulled him down for a deep kiss. "You know? I actually did buy you a present."

"Thank you." He kissed her again. "But it will never beat this one."

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Queen of the Damned

Dream of the Endless/Morpheus x f!demon!reader , Dream of the Endless/Morpheus x Hob Gadling x f!demon!reader, Dream x Hob Summary: In an attempt to berate Morpheus you track him to a pub and find him at his regular rendezvous with Hob. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, smut, MMF threesome, MLM anal, m oral, fingering, violence, fighting, demon death WC: 4.3k

This is the fifth instalment of works in The Anthology of Asmodeus’ Heir.  Part One: The Devil is in the Details Part Two: Lightbringer’s Champion Part Three: A Demon’s Work Is Never Done Part Four: Rise of the Fallen Part Five: Queen of the Damned

7th June 2089 Morpheus’ scent grew stronger as you stalked along the quiet suburban street and spotted a pub in the distance. The New Inn should have been renamed given the outdated faux 16th Century vibe it exuded but you pushed the thought from your mind as you followed your King’s footsteps. 

“I can’t believe you left me to deal with that horseshit,” you growled as you bent over the back of Morpheus’ chair and huffed when he failed to react at your sudden appearance.

“I knew you had the situation well in hand.” He gestured to the free seat beside him and then to the man opposite him. “Hob Gadling, meet the Devil’s Regent, Queen of the Damned.”

“For such a serious ruler, you sure do love being dramatic,” you smirked, offering your hand out to Hob which he shook with a fierce grip that made you smile. “We actually met in 1785, just in passing mind you. You had arrived on a beautiful ship - The Eleanor, I believe it was.”

“Now that is a surprise,” Morpheus commented to himself as he reached for the pint on the table.

“Did he say you were the Devil?” Hob asked, glancing to Morpheus for affirmation but he just shook his head.

“Regent,” you corrected, swiping Morpheus’ glass when he placed it down, “begrudgingly. I’m just keeping the throne warm.”

“Right.” Hob scratched his ear awkwardly. “I’m not used to getting answers.”

You frowned and looked at Morpheus sideways. “He’s usually more forthcoming to those he wants to fuck.”

Hob coughed, his beer spilling over the lip of the glass as his hand trembled. You couldn’t help laughing as you grabbed a paper napkin and tossed it his way. “I’m practically choking on the pheromones you two are releasing. I have an apartment nearby if you two want to have a little fun? Mor has a key.”

“So uncouth, even for a demon,” Morpheus said with a sigh but made no attempt to deny it. “Forgive my…friend, she is a lust demon.”

Hob didn’t seem to mind as he smiled at Morpheus. “It’s nice to finally meet one of your friends.”

You grinned and reached out to tuck a long strand of dark hair behind Hob’s ear. “It’s nice to meet one that doesn’t try to kill me.”

He held his breath at your touch but when he saw no alarm from across the table, he exhaled a soft, unsure laugh. “I have no interest in trying to kill a demon or the Ruler of Hell, Regent or not.”

Your warm laugh eased the tension in his broad shoulders and he sat back in his chair, an arm thrown carelessly over the back of yours. “Well that is reassuring. Out of the three of us here I am the only one who can actually die.”

Movement from Morpheus caught your attention and you felt a breeze blow in from the door opening and caught the bitter scent of sulphur tangled with it. “Tell me you locked the gates behind you.”

You pulled at the chain hanging around your neck to reveal the bone key that you had in no uncertain terms used to lock the gates of Hell when you left. “Don’t insult me, Dick. It’s your head they are after anyway, not mine.”

“Mind sharing? Or is this just another one of those mysteries I may never know,” Hob asked over the top of his drink. 

“Depends, can you fight?” you asked, pulling your dagger from the sheath in your boots. 

“I recognise this,” Hob chuckled as you held the handle out to him, his fingers curling around the bone handle. “This is the one Lady Constantine threatened me with. Did you know her?”

“Johanna stole it from me,” you said as you looked around the room for the exits. “I took it back the night she accosted you two. Why are there no wards here? Nevermind, it’s too late. Morpheus, can you send these people on their way?”

He rose from the table with you, reaching for his pouch when Hob cleared his throat and leant back, reaching for a red lever on the wall. “I got this.”

He pulled the switch and an alarm blared, the patrons all rising and making their way to the door after collecting their belongings. Throwing a grin your way, Hob stood up and shrugged his jacket from his shoulders, folding it nicely over the back of his chair. “It’s been a while since I fought in war but I’m sure it’s like riding a bike.”

You shrugged. “Sure, if that bike was a horde of murderous demons who feed on fear.” 

“You think this was Beelzebub.”

You nodded to Morpheus. The Lords Azazel and Beelzebub had been vying to take the throne for themselves in Lucifer’s absence. It would make sense for them to coordinate an attack while Morpheus was out of the Dreaming where he was weaker and while you were out of Hell.

“When did you last feed?” Morpheus asked quietly as he pressed a hand to your cool cheek.

“There was a fight among the sadists a few nights ago, it was sufficient.” You looked at Hob watching curiously, a sweet tendril of lust hidden beneath anxiety. “We don’t have enough time, they will be here any minute.”

“I know,” Morpheus said ruefully before he wrapped his long fingers around your neck and pulled you against him. You opened yourself to him, letting his tongue take dominance over yours while his hands slipped up beneath your shirt to hold your bare skin. 

You drank his offering and hummed as a sweet new flavour, like a ripe juniper berry, coiled around you. You reached blindly for more and your fingers found Hob, his feet already carrying him to your side with no resistance. You broke from Morpheus’ kiss with a gasp and pushed him into Hob’s embrace, moaning at the sight of their hands grappling for each other.  

It felt like a volatile volcanic eruption of power within you as their lips met, Dream burying his hand in Hob’s hair as he deepened the kiss and you spied his tongue begging entrance past Hob’s lips. 

The colours were more vibrant and the picture more sharp as the well of your power filled and you knew you would reach a new high if you were given the chance to join these two in bed. Hob was so willing to take what Morpheus could give him, and it would be a beautiful union when their bodies came together.

“Shit,” you swore as you heard the cracking of bones, stolen skins not meant to contain these demons. “They are here. Stay behind me.”

”You literally just said you were the only one of us who could die,” Hob argued as they pulled apart, but not before they shared a small smile together. “Shouldn’t you stay behind us.”

“She has a skillset that we lack unfortunately,” Morpheus admitted reluctantly. 

“Just keep thinking those thoughts Hob and you will keep me strong,” you grinned wickedly before throwing your hands out and blasting the tables and chairs to ash to give you more room to move freely. 

Hob whistled at the display and looked out the corner of his eyes. “Interesting friends you keep, Morpheus.”

“If you think I’m interesting, wait until you hear what they have to say about him,” you said with a wink thrown over your shoulder.

The doors to the pub were shattered into splinters as at least 20 of Beelzebub’s strongest demons shoved their way inside and you shook your head. “Momma didn’t say you could leave your room, boys.”

“Fuck you,” a particularly nasty demon called Verin spat before he licked his blade. “You have no authority over us.”

“I am your Regent by right of law, and Asmodeus’ Heir by birth.” You threw your hand out and carved a leash from your fire, the blue flame snaring his arms at his side while he screamed. “I own you, bitch.”

“You let this mongrel half-breed speak on your behalf, King Morpheus of Dreams, Nightmares and Hell?”

Hob’s lust was washed away by confusion as he looked to Morpheus who dragged his eyes away from the Verin to say, “It’s a fairly new development, but I am no Devil.”

“Which is why we are here,” Verin hissed. “Abdicate your claim to the throne and we will let you live.”

You gripped the flames tighter, enjoying his screams, as you gave your warning, “Over my dead body.”

His stolen skin was failing him so he tore his demon form out of the body and snarled with his razor sharp teeth, his words lisping as he spoke, “That is the plan.”

The horde rushed en masse, shedding the human skins that inhibited their full strength, and you closed your fist around the hilt of a blade built of fire, ready to greet them with the infernal kiss of death. 

Verin was first to cast a ball of hellfire but you cleave it in half with your blade, returning the favour with a ball of your own. He dodged it well but the demon behind him was not so lucky and fell under the melee missing half of their head. 

You dipped beneath the talons that lined a rare handsome demon’s wings, Kessir, and brought your sword down his back, shredding the wings that had once warmed you. You would mourn their loss another time as they fell to the floor and his bellow rattled the rafters. 

“I am sorry,” you whispered as you dealt the killing blow that removed his head from his shoulders. 

The distraction cost you but Hob was there at your back with your dagger, the blade buried to the hilt in the eye socket of Bhansi. You nodded your thanks before spotting Morpheus circling the walls of the room, his eyes set on one demon in particular. 

“Go watch his back,” you said with a push towards where Morpheus was about to square off with Choronzon. 

You just raised your sword in time to deflect a striking blow that would have ended you and made the calculated decision to expend a great deal of power to annihilate the dense ring of demons encircling you. If you had more time to prepare you could have killed them all in a wave of fire but the blast left a handful of survivors in its wake. And your flaming sword evaporated. 

“Fuck,” you swore at your empty hand before spotting a black shadow fly in through the broken window. The raven swooped through the debris and snatched a knife from behind the bar before dropping it into your waiting hand. “What the fuck am I meant to do with a butter knife, Matthew?”

“Look up, -caw-” he squawked and turned his beak to the shelving above the bar before he took off out the window and back to the safety of the Dreaming. 

You grinned before it turned to a hiss of pain as Neva buried his dagger in your shoulder, the blade refusing to come out from its new home in the bone of your back. You turned and grabbed his throat, lifting his feet off the ground despite the pain that flared from every little movement. 

“Stabbing me in the back? Really?” you growled as your grip tightened and his red eyes bulged. His thin lips were turning grey and you felt the fine bones along his neck crack before splintering completely and you dropped his lifeless body to the floor. “Anyone else want to take a cheap shot like a little bitch?”

The four remaining demons drew their lips back in a snarl but you were more focused on the swordfight behind them. Morpheus was mesmerising to watch as he parried each strike Choronzon took to him and sent his own strong offensive strikes back. Hob was keeping one eye on the Dream Lord and the other on the demon’s, nimbly shifting on his feet so he could move quickly if he needed to place himself at Morpheus’ back and striking any demon foolish enough to get too close.

Satisfied that they could handle their own, you flipped the butter knife in your hand and threw it at the white bag on the storage shelf. You had so little power left and your head was spinning from the amount of blood that streaked down your back but you managed to pull a small shield around yourself before the salt grains fell in front of the fan that had been cooling the barkeep. 

Screams erupted as the salt infused with the air and the demons breathed it in, your voice joining the cacophony as you recited the passages Johanna had shouted at you many, many times. Your throat burned at the holy scripture but you fought against the summoning to return to Hell, your fae endowment giving you that strength, the full blooded demons not so lucky.

The flooring began to burn hotter until flames licked at your shields, thick smoke replaced oxygen and seeped through the fissures that cracks that appeared. 

“Run along boys,” you said with a wheezy smile as your power failed, “fuck off and give Beelzebub my best.”

Fire burst as the portal broke through the flooring and you felt your shield give way. You knew the fall back into Hell was going to hurt since you were weak and nearing unconsciousness, you would be lucky if you didn’t pass out completely and have your throat slit while you lay vulnerable wherever you landed. 

You took a last look at Morpheus as he buried his sword deep into the centre of Choronzon’s chest, whispering something in the demon's ear that caused him to pale before death took him. He turned as he threw the body into the fiery pit and concern flickered at the sight of you, swaying at the precipice. 

The blood loss was making you delirious as you felt a stray wind whip around you, darkness edging in on your vision as you began to fall. “The Queen is dead, long live the King.” 

“She obviously means something to you, Morpheus, you just risked falling into that  whatever it was to save her.” You could hear Hob whispering quietly but it sounded as if you were underwater - dark, dark water. “I don’t want to get in between the relationship the two of you have.”

A pale light began to reveal your bedroom and you spotted their blurred bodies in the doorway, faces so close together they should have been kissing. Instead they were arguing about a relationship that didn’t exist.

“Monogamy,” you chuckled with a painful groan that gained their attention, “such a human construct. If I were meant to be in the embrace of just one person, why do I have three pleasure holes?”

 Dream gave a tight lipped smile and stepped away from Hob who looked like he was seriously pondering the question of life.

“No more melodramatic declarations of death,” Dream said as he took a seat on the edge of your bed to your left. 

You couldn’t help a teasing smile as you weakly poked him in the ribs. “That’s your thing.”

Pain ripped through your shoulder at the movement and you reached over to feel a bandage wrapped around the stab wound. “Ouch…”

“You should have healed by now,” Morpheus said with a frown as he looked over to see the bandage turning black with your blood. “Hob-”

Hob was already moving. “I’ll bring the first aid kit.”

“It’s no use,” you admitted, already feeling exhausted once again, “I have no power left to heal.”

“Then feed,” Morpheus coaxed as he leant in, his palm cradling your cheek but your eyes were already closing.

“Too…tired…”

“Hob!” You heard fear in Morpheus’ raised voice and felt the bed dip but you were too weak to open your eyes. “I dreamed of this over the centuries, taking my time with you and learning everything there is to know about you. But…”

“There isn’t time,” Hob said quietly, a warm hand touching your right. “There will be time for that later, tell me what you need.”

“I need you.” There was a sharp intake of breath from Hob and a flare of arousal scented the air. “We need to feed her like at the Inn, but more.”

“I can do more,” Hob replied breathlessly.

The bed shifted and a tendril of sweet liqueur teased your tongue, slipped down your throat and warmed your belly. Hunger consumed you as you heard intense moans that didn’t belong to Morpheus and you strained to open your eyes, to see what they were doing to rapidly knit the skin on your back together again. 

“Fucking hell,” Hob moaned, his breath a hiss between clenched teeth and through a sliver of sight between your eyelids you found Morpheus between his legs. Hob’s hand was entwined in Morpheus’ hair and his eyes were rolling back each time his cock disappeared down Morpheus’ throat. 

You rolled to your side, groaning as your fresh scar pulled tight from the movement, and opened your eyes wider to see the pretty picture before you. You noticed more from this angle, like how Morpheus’ hand disappeared below his face, fingers prepping Hob with a tenderness you knew all too well. 

“Is this what you dreamed about?” you asked Hob, his hand still holding yours from when you passed out. “All those centuries past.”

“Yes,” Hob rasped as he squeezed your hand, the lust invading your body with each passing second, hitting your bloodstream and coursing through your veins. “There is not a situation I haven’t dreamt of.”

Morpheus looked up at you with blown pupils as he curled his fingers, massaging Hob’s prostate while his cock was nestled deep in his throat. Hob’s back arched and your hand was in a death grip as his entire body shuddered over and over, his release spilling down Morpheus’ throat. You watched his throat working as Dream sucked his way to the head and swirled his tongue around the sensitive tip, cleaning up every last drop of cum. 

Energy brought colour back to your eyes and the remaining aches across your muscles eased until you were at a human’s strength, weak compared to usual but no longer waiting for Death's visit. A sigh of contentment fell from your lips as you sat up wiped your thumb over Dream’s swollen lips, catching the droplet of cum he missed. Their eyes burned your skin as they watched you lift it to your lips that parted, your tongue lashing through the decadent cream. 

You closed your eyes as you tasted his rich flavour and when you opened them, both were waiting for your lead. “Mind if I join in?”

Hob laughed, seeing Morpheus’ sensual smile, and relaxed against the pillows that surrounded him. “The more the merrier.”

“Since you two saved my ass, it’s only fair you choose what to do with it.” You pushed the sheets back to join them on top, your bloody and torn clothes already having been removed at some point. 

Hob’s cock was already stirring to attention again while Morpheus’ was practically pulsing from the foreplay, a bead of precum welling at his tip. Morpheus gripped his shaft tightly, slow strokes gliding over his skin as he spoke, “I would enjoy watching Hob fuck you.”

Your core clenched at the thought and you pressed them together to ease the ache. “And I would enjoy watching you fuck Hob.” 

“It’s settled then,” Morpheus bowed his head with a sly smile that you reciprocated. “For this round.”

You were grateful they were both strong as you were still weak and became putty in their hands. They moulded you and shaped you how they pleased, laying you out as a smorgasbord to be devoured, enjoying the sinful scent that was permeating the air.

Hob’s warm body covered yours, his cock hanging heavy across your thigh, and he watched you with eyes of burnt caramel. “Are you sure?”

You smiled at the softness that you were not usually on the receiving end of and nodded. “Are you?”

Your back arched as he gave you his answer, a swift thrust that buried him between your legs. Over his shoulder, you locked eyes with Morpheus and the lust compounded, saturating your soul as the well of your power refilled. His eyes never left yours as he reached into the drawer beside the bed and you trembled with anticipation as he popped the cap of the bottle of lube.

Hob shuddered above you as the cool gel ran across his skin and he moaned in your ear at what you could only guess Morpheus was doing with his fingers. Your nails raked Hob’s back as you tried to see, but the curve of his ass hid the action. 

“We should take this to the Dreaming next time,” you aired huskily.” To a room full of mirrors.”

Morpheus hummed in agreement as he shifted Hob’s legs wider and filled the space between them. “You have a theatrical mind. Now less talking.”

Hob stilled above you and you were drawn to his parted lips as he inhaled deeply, pleasure painted across his pink cheeks. Cupping those rosy cheeks, you ran your tongue across his bottom lip before kissing him and drinking his pleasure down. “Fuck me Hob, I need you to fuck me.”

He rolled his hips, gasping as he impaled himself further on Morpheus before he thrust forward and filled you. The room flooded with a torrent of lust as Morpheus tipped his head back in ecstasy, his body still as Hob took his cock with every retreat from you. 

A flicker of warmth heated your chest, the power to call flame renewed.

Your breath danced with Hob’s and your legs began to tighten around him as the pressure low in your belly began to spread across your skin. The rhythm shifted as Morpheus began to move in harmony, three bodies melded together, moving in sync. 

Cries of more, harder, please, filled the room and you couldn’t tell who said what, there was just a desperation held by all. 

Morpheus thrusted harder, filling Hob until he moaned deeply in your ear as the air was forced from his lungs and he rutted harder into you. The frenzy grew, the sound of skin slapping roughly and you could feel the power building, fissures cracking in the dam keeping it from your reach.

Words were non-existent in this state of bliss, every comprehensive thought drifting away like smoke that slipped through your fingers. There was suddenly too much of everything. Too much heat between your bodies, too much sound, too much taste - you were overwhelmed by the stimulation to your senses and your orgasm caught you in its throes, smashing upon you like a tidal wave.

Hob shuddered as he felt your core clamp down on him like a vice, the flutterings of your walls around him tipping him over the edge as he ground his teeth together and filled you with his seed. 

The curtains melted as the dam broke and power flooded you, cresting into the Waking with a burst of orange and red flames. The colours reflected across Morpheus’ pale skin and his fingers threatened to leave bruises on Hob’s hips as he gave himself over to his release, a guttural moan echoing the room. 

The ability to speak took a long time to return, panting breaths the only sound over the thunderous beating of hearts pressed together. Morpheus moved first, gently retreating from his position to collapse on the mattress. Hob sighed at the loss of fullness and it was followed by your own as he rolled off to your other side. 

“I guess we will have to find a new pub, again,” Hob uttered with a yawn. 

You blinked dumbly at the man. “You aren’t seriously going to wait until 2189 to meet again?”

Hob looked at Morpheus, unsure. Even after all this time he still didn’t know that Dream wanted him just as much but would never be the one to make the first move.

“I, for one, enjoyed this far too much to wait that long.” You took their hands and placed them on your chest, your heart still racing from the high. Closing your eyes, you called upon the fae magic you rarely used and felt the spell transude into their skin. “There.”

“What did you do?” Hob asked as he looked at his hand, nothing visible to the eye but he could feel its stain. 

“She marked you and I, bonded by fae magic.” Dream said quietly, not as angry as he would appear at the notion. “It was once called triumvirātus, but I haven’t known the spell to be used in millenia. It was a Queen’s decree.”

“Indeed,” you purred and you laid back in contentment. “Now you call to each other whenever you do so please, and when you enjoy that time together it will feed me through the bond.”

“You won’t join us?” Hob asked as he still stared at his hand.

“I won’t turn down an invitation,” you said with a wicked grin, “but I did this as a gift for you two, to thank you for saving my life.”

You moved to get up and shower but Dream caught your wrist and nodded, a silent thank you for the gift. Unable to resist, you reached out and ruffled his already messy hair and slipped from the bed as he complained about you. “Stay as long as you want, whenever you want - the wards will hide your presence here.”

You didn’t emerge from the bathroom, didn’t say goodbye. You could hear their quiet murmurings on the other side of the door and didn’t want to intrude on the progress they were making. So, after you had washed the night’s activities away, you opened a portal and fell into the abyss. There were some demon lords in need of punishment.

[choicesficwriterscreations]

TRR F/AotW - Sep 24-30, 2023

✒️= Fanfic | 📱= Text Fics/Edits | 🎨= Fanart Ⓜ️ = Mature Content 18+ | 🔥 = Explicit/NSFW 18+ 🦄= Bisexuality Awareness Week | 🏳️‍🌈= LGBTQIA

Birthday Waltz ✒️Ⓜ️| Constantine x Regina - @dcbbw

Bringing Sexy Back ✒️Ⓜ️🔥| Liam Rys x MC - @dcbbw

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You ✒️Ⓜ️🔥| Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis - @alj4890

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia (Series) ✒️🏳️‍🌈🦄| Liam Rys x M!MC - @justcallmefox89 Chapter 18

The Crown & The Shield (Series) ✒️🏳️‍🌈🦄| Constantine x Jackson - @angelasscribbles Chapter 6: Let's Be Happy

The Dark Kingdom (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️| Liam Rys x MC, Drake Walker x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 6: Bonded

Marabelle (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️🏳️‍🌈🦄| Liam Rys x F!OC, Maxwell Beaumont x M!OC - @tessa-liam Chapter 7: It's a Dream Come True

Thro(n)es of Passion: A Bad Romance One Shot ✒️🎨Ⓜ️🔥🏳️‍🌈🦄 | Liam Rys x MC x Maxwell Beaumont, Drake Walker x MC) - art by @rosefuckinggenius fic by @angelasscribbles

The Pricess's Secret (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️| Drake Walker x MC - @liamsqueen1984 Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

The Proposal ✒️Ⓜ️🔥| Multiple Pairings - @aussiegurl1234

Queen of Hearts (Series)✒️ Ⓜ️🔥| Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 1: Let the Games Begin Chapter 2: Negotiations

Royal Love (Series) ✒️| Eleanor x M!OC - @eadanga Part 15

Savage Love (Series)✒️Ⓜ️🔥| Liam Rys x MC, Drake Walker x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 35: Some Answers, More Questions

Sometimes Not... (Series) ✒️| Liam Rys x F!MC - @ao719 Part 10: Love is Ruthless

Vancross (Series) ✒️Ⓜ️ | Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Chapter 18: Reaching the Darkness

Main CFWC F/AotW List

Open Heart F/AotW List

[sfb123]

Trick or Treat

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Liam x Riley

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Liam reflects on Halloween as a prince, giving Riley an idea.

Rating: G (super fluffy)

Word Count: 4,452

A/N: So many thank you's to @txemrn for helping me get this finished. Your motivation, suggestions, and overall help are the reason I am actually able to get this posted for this Halloween.

“Safe!” A six-year-old Drake shouted as he reached the center of the hedge maze.

Prince Liam joined him shortly after. “Yeah…but I was…close,” he huffed between heavy breaths. 

Drake started laughing as he patted his friend on the back. “You wish.” 

“I want a rematch,” Liam demanded. “How about Friday? We could have a sleepover.” 

“I can’t Friday. My dad’s taking us trick-or-treating.” Drake watched his best friend’s brow furrow in confusion. “You’ve never gone trick-or-treating before?” Liam shook his head. “Really? It’s so much fun! You wear a cool costume, and go to people’s houses and they give you candy. I’m going to be a cowboy!” 

“Wow! Cool!” Liam’s eyes went wide. 

“You should come with us!” Drake suggested. “And then we can have a sleepover at my house and eat all our candy!” 

“That sounds so fun!” Liam’s grin spread from ear to ear. “I’ll go ask my parents right now!” He bolted back through the maze and out to the gardens. Drake followed behind, laughing at Liam’s excitement. 

Liam rushed through the halls of the palace until he reached his father’s office. “Hello, Mr. Walker, are my parents in there?” He addressed his father’s head guard, who also happened to be Drake’s father.

“Yes, your highness,” Jackson nodded. “Hey, son,” he said to Drake as he approached. 

“Hi Dad! I invited Liam to come trick-or-treating with us!” 

“Is that why he’s looking for his parents?” Drake nodded at his father in response. “Wait here,” he instructed as he followed Liam into the King’s office. 

“Mother, Father, Drake invited me to go trick-or-treating with him!” Liam announced to his parents as he entered the room. 

“Oh, that’s wonderful dear,” Eleanor responded as Liam ran into her arms. 

Constantine stood from his seat, remaining positioned behind his desk. “Absolutely not.” 

“But Father, I…”

“Sir,” Jackson interrupted as he entered the room. “I will be out with them, so he will be protected. We can also assign additional guards if you wish.” Liam turned to Jackson and smiled up at him gratefully for interjecting. 

“That won’t be necessary, Jackson. Prince Liam will not be requiring security because he will not be going.” Constantine saw that Jackson was about to respond, but he continued on before he had the chance. “That will be all for today. You are dismissed.” 

Jackson and Eleanor exchanged sad glances before he bowed his head toward Constantine. “Yes, sir.” He walked out of the room and led a confused Drake out of the palace. 

“Constantine, we should at least discuss this,” Eleanor pleaded.

“There is nothing to discuss,” Constantine began as he stepped around his desk and approached Liam. “You are the prince of Cordonia; it is not appropriate to be going door-to-door, begging for handouts from your subjects. Imagine how that would look to the people.” 

“Yes, Father,” Liam tried his best to hide his disappointment. He had been learning about stoicism, the art of masking his emotions. He was told it was something he would need to be effective in his position as prince. Unfortunately, he was unable to stop the sniffle that escaped him. 

Present Day

“I’m home,” Liam announced as he entered his royal quarters. 

“In the living room!” 

He followed the sound of his wife’s voice and found her looking through a large cardboard box. “Hey, handsome,” she turned her head to greet him over her shoulder. 

“Hello, beautiful.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and leaned down, kissing her softly. “What’s all of this?” 

“Halloween decorations! My mom sent them to me.” She lifted a black rubber bat out of the box and wiggled it in his direction. He chuckled and playfully swatted it away. “I wasn’t sure what you guys did for Halloween here, but I figured we could at least decorate our space so that we have something.” 

Liam and Riley had only been married for a few months, so she was still learning about the customs of Cordonia. Liam had been filling her in, while also learning about some of the traditions she had in America, and finding a way to mix them in so that she would feel comfortable and welcome in her new home. 

“We can do whatever you’d like, love.” He pulled her into his arms, kissing her again. “Our Halloween is fairly similar to what you did in the states.” 

“Aww, I bet little Prince Liam looked so adorable out trick-or-treating,” she grinned, pinching him on the cheek. His smile faded as he stepped away and took a seat on the couch. “Let me guess,” Riley said as she took a seat beside him. “King Constantine said proper princes didn’t trick-or-treat?”

“More or less,” he shrugged. Riley smiled at him sadly. “There was one year though…”

“Oh, Mother, do we have to go into the boutique?” A seven-year-old Liam groaned as they stopped in front of the door. 

Eleanor chuckled, wrapping an arm around her son. “Just for a minute. I have a surprise for you.” 

She opened the door and guided Liam inside. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him. There were various costumes hanging throughout the space. He looked up at his mother, who had been watching his reaction. 

“Well, go on and pick one. You can’t go trick-or-treating without a costume.” 

“But Father said…”

Eleanor knelt down, so that she was face-to-face with Liam. “Your father is out of town for the week; he doesn’t need to know about everything that happens while he’s gone,” she winked. 

“Thank you, Mother. Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her as tightly as he could. 

“You’re welcome, my sweet prince.” She pulled away from him, her expression growing slightly serious. “Now because of security issues, and to make sure this stays our little secret, it’s not going to be exactly what you’re expecting. But I promise, I’m going to give you the best Halloween that I can.” 

The next evening, Liam stood in front of the mirror putting the finishing touches on his costume when there was a knock at the door. He called for them to enter, and his mother stepped into the room. Her smile grew as she watched her son posing in the mirror. 

“Ahoy, Mother!” Liam greeted her. He stepped away from the mirror and stood in front of Eleanor placing his hands on his hips. “What do you think?” 

“Well aren’t you just the most handsome pirate I’ve ever seen?” 

“Oh wait!” Liam’s eyes went wide. He ran into his closet, emerging shortly after with a plastic sword. “There.”

“Perfect,” Eleanor chuckled. “Now let’s go greet your guests. We need to be heading out.” 

“Guests?” Liam asked.

Eleanor signaled for him to follow her, and the pair walked down the hallway together. As they entered the sitting area of the royal quarters, Liam instantly noticed his best friend Drake, and ran straight for him. 

“Drake! What are you doing here?” 

“We’re going trick-or-treating! I’m Captain America!” Drake held his shield in front of him, to show off his full look. “Cool pirate costume!” 

“Thanks!” Liam sheathed his sword, tapping it playfully against Captain America’s shield. 

“And what have we here? A little princess?” Eleanor asked as she stepped in front of Drake’s younger sister.

“Yes ma’am,” she replied politely as she dipped into a curtsy. 

“Well, you look wonderful, Princess Savannah. You would fit right in at any royal function,” the queen replied. 

“She looks boring. She’s a princess every year!” Drake groaned as he and Liam continued to battle. 

“Drake, leave your sister alone. She’s allowed to be whatever she wants,” Jackson chided. 

Drake immediately stopped what he was doing and dropped his head, replying quietly to his father. “Sorry, Dad.” 

Jackson patted his son on the back before making an announcement to the group. ���Now, I believe we have some trick-or-treating to do.” The children cheered. “Instead of going around to neighborhoods, we will be trick-or-treating around the palace. Every closed door has someone behind it waiting to give out treats. But just because we’re staying in the palace does not mean this is a free for all. Everyone needs to stay together, and you need to stay where Queen Eleanor and I can see you. Do I make myself clear?” 

Everyone nodded their heads in acknowledgement, and Eleanor handed out bags to each of them so they could carry their haul. Once everyone was ready, they made their way out of the royal quarters and down the hallway. 

“Aww… your mom and Jackson took you guys trick-or-treating in the palace? That’s so sweet!” Riley gushed. 

“They knew that if I were to trick-or-treat publicly, it would make headlines, and my father would find out.”

“And nobody on the palace staff ever told him?” Riley arched a curious brow. 

“Not a word,” Liam smiled. “My mother was so kind to everyone on staff that they would often go above and beyond for her, especially when it came to doing things for Leo and myself. My father got the respect that was required as king. My mother got the respect she earned through her actions as queen.” 

“Damn. I love a good conspiracy,” Riley said, “especially when it means cute little pirate boys get all the treats.” She tapped her index finger to his nose. 

“Yes, well, according to Drake, it was the best haul he had ever received. There were traditional candy bars, but the kitchen staff had also prepared some special seasonal baked goods to give us as well,” Liam remembers fondly. “Drake spent the night, and as we had planned to do the previous year, we ate an obscene amount of sugar. It was well after one o’clock before we actually fell asleep.” 

“I love that. You got a real life Halloween experience.” Her smile quickly turned pensive. “Hm, you know? We should do that.” 

Liam looked at her with a confused expression. “Stay up late eating candy and baked goods?” 

“No, no, no,” she waved him off. “Well, I mean yes, I would absolutely like to do that. But I mean we should hold a trick-or-treating event in the palace for the children of Cordonia.” 

Liam’s eyes lit up. “Riley, that’s a wonderful idea! We could invite members of the court and the council to hand out the candy throughout the palace.” He pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” She smiled and kissed him again. “I can get the ball rolling on the preliminary stuff in the morning. We should announce it by the end of the week to give people enough time to plan.” 

“That sounds perfect, let me know what I can do to help.” He reached for the phone on the table beside the couch, lifting the receiver to his ear.

“Who are you calling?” Riley asked.

“The kitchen. If we’re going to stay up all night eating sweets, we’re going to need supplies!”

***

Riley brought the idea to the palace staff the next day, and they were thrilled to help in any way that they could. The few staff members who remained from Liam’s childhood were especially excited, and honored that the King wanted to recreate that night.

After making the preliminary arrangements and selecting a date, Liam and Riley held a press conference to announce their plans. The idea was met with the utmost enthusiasm from the press and the people. News outlets were praising Liam for having a much more down to earth approach to ruling the kingdom than his father did. 

They had chosen the Saturday before Halloween so that attendees would still be able to do their regular neighborhood rounds. Besides that, Maxwell had been hard at work planning the Boo-mont Bash for Halloween night, and they definitely didn’t want to get in the way of that. 

In the weeks leading up to the event, everyone was busy preparing. The staff was busy creating various treats and ordering different candies to be handed out.The nobles prepared their costumes, and worked closely with Liam and Riley to provide anything else that may be needed to make sure everything was successful. 

After a whirlwind of decorating, coordination, and costume fittings, it was the morning of the trick-or-treating event, and the palace was buzzing with excitement. Members of the council and other volunteers were arriving and receiving their assignments for the rooms they would man while the children walked through the palace. Liam and Riley were in their quarters getting ready, and putting the finishing touches on their costumes. 

“Okay, are you ready for me?” Riley called from her closet as she took one final look at herself in the mirror. 

“Always, my love,” Liam replied, examining his own costume. 

With her hair slicked back in a high ponytail, she playfully twirled into the room, her petal pink skirt flaring out into a circle as her black-and-white saddle shoes glided across the floor with ease towards him. Stopping herself with a giggle, she adjusted her black cardigan before ensuring her matching, sheer pink scarf was neatly fixed on her neck.

“Thoughts?” She asked as she struck her final pose, standing in front of him with one hand on her hip, the other holding her skirt out to display the black silhouette of a corgi that was embroidered at the bottom. 

“You look beautiful, Riley.” He stepped up to her, kissing her on the cheek before pulling back and tugging uncomfortably at his jacket. “Is mine alright?” 

Riley’s eyes roamed appreciatively across his body: his well-fitted dark-wash jeans were cuffed to reveal his black Chuck Taylor high-top shoes. Paired with a taught white undershirt and a black leather jacket, Liam looked like he had stepped straight out of an episode of Happy Days. “Almost,” she giggles, “come here.” Riley motions for him to step closer to her.  Grabbing his comb from the vanity, she carefully sweeps a wayward blond wave back into its place. “Perfect.”

Liam had told Riley that she could choose their costumes for the event. He had assumed she would have gone with some kind of Disney character, or a current pop culture reference. When she came to him with her 1950s Americana costume idea, it took some explaining and convincing. Liam wasn’t sure the Cordonian people would understand. Riley assured him that even though it was not a style that had been worn in Cordonia, it was a well known time in American history; and as their new American queen, she wanted to do something that brought a little bit of her culture into Cordonia. Liam agreed with the caveat that he would choose the costumes the following year. 

After taking the time to admire one another, they made their way downstairs to meet up with their friends. They entered the foyer to find Olivia, Hana, and Drake chatting. 

“Wow, you guys look great!” Riley exclaimed as they approached the group. “Hana, you make a stunning ballerina, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” 

Hana extended one leg forward in a classic ballet reverence. “Thank you. You two look so cute!” 

“Yeah, cute-amundo,” Drake interjected, giving the pair two tilted thumbs up.

Liam gave Drake an uncertain smile, before turning back at Riley to gauge whether Drake was insulting them, or if it was a genuine compliment. 

“He’s teasing us,” Riley confirmed before turning back to Drake. “Which is rich coming from someone who didn’t even bother wearing a costume like he was supposed to.” 

“I’m wearing a costume!” He turned his head to the side and pointed to the single earbud nestled into his right ear. “I’m an undercover agent.” 

Riley sighed and rolled her eyes, quickly turning to greet Olivia. “Black Widow. I should have guessed.” She chuckled. 

“But of course. What were you expecting? The Little Mermaid?” 

“For us, yes,” Liam said as he leaned in to kiss Olivia on the cheek. “For you, never.” 

“Where’s Maxwell?” Hana asked. “He’s not usually late for things like this.”

“Oh, he’s not late.” Riley replied. “He’s been here for hours. He requested to be assigned to the ballroom because he had some grand plan. He’s been setting up all morning.” 

The friends made their way to the ballroom to meet up with Maxwell, and were greeted with a closed door.

“Maxwell, bud,” Riley called as she rapped on the door. “Are you done? We’ve got to get started. She jumped back in surprise as the door slowly began to open. 

“Ah, velcome my friends…” Maxwell appeared, draped in a long black cape smiling wide to show off his fangs. “... to the Mini Monster Mash, presented by House Boo-mont.”

“Ugh… you’re really milking this Boo-mont thing, aren’t you?” Drake groaned. “Hey!” He snapped his head over to Riley who had swiftly elbowed him in the ribs.

Ignoring Drake, Maxwell stepped aside signaling for his friends to enter the ballroom. As they crossed the threshold, they stepped through the smoke that engulfed the floor, they took in the details of their surroundings. Maxwell had completely transformed the space. The room was dark, illuminated by purple and orange uplighting. There were cobwebs everywhere, and a table with a large assortment of Halloween themed snacks and beverages. 

“Wow… Maxwell, this is amazing!” Hana said.

Liam nodded in agreement. “It certainly is, though I wouldn’t expect anything less.” 

“Thanks Li! I was thinking this could be the last stop for the trick-or-treaters? Like they get all their candy and then come here to party?” He looked hopefully at Liam and Riley. 

“I mean, I think it has to be,” Riley said. “Once they come in here, they aren’t going to want to go anywhere else.” 

With a few minutes to spare before they needed to head to their posts, they continued to explore the ballroom, taking in all of the hard work that Maxwell had put in. There were plenty of activities, including bobbing for apples and a pinata. He even had a craft table set up for the kids to make paper bag witches.

Bastien stepped into the room, taking an appreciative look around before giving everyone a five minute warning. While the others headed to their stations, Liam and Riley made their way to the front door to make some opening remarks and get everything kicked off. 

They were greeted by cheers and camera flashes as the people got their first look at the king and queen in their costumes. They posed for a few pictures before stepping up to the podium and welcoming everyone to the first of what they hoped to be an annual event for the kingdom. 

Once they had finished greeting everyone, they made their way to Liam’s office, where they would be stationed for the afternoon. Soon after getting settled, the first knock came. They shared an excited look as Liam reached for the candy bowl. They opened the door, smiling at the two young boys, one dressed as a police officer, the other a pirate. 

Awestruck by their king and queen standing before them, the two boys simply stared wide-eyed, unable to speak. 

“Boys!” Their mother said in a stern whisper. “What do you say?” She nudged them both. 

“Trick-or-treat,” the police officer said softly as the pirate continued to stare, his mouth agape. 

Liam and Riley looked at each other and chuckled before kneeling down to meet the boys face-to-face. 

“These are really cool costumes, guys,” Riley said as she placed candy in each of their bags. “Don’t you think so, Liam?” 

“Absolutely,” he agreed. “As a matter of fact, I dressed like a pirate for Halloween once, too.” He placed an extra piece of candy in the pirate’s bag and gave him a wink. 

“Really?” The pirate gasped. 

“Uh-huh,” Liam nodded his head. “Except your costume is way better than mine was!” 

“Woooowwww.”

“What do you boys say?” Their mother chimed in.

“Thank you, your majesties!” The boys said in unison. 

The royal couple smiled and waved as the children ran down the hall to the next room. Their mother paused in front of Liam and Riley for a moment. “This is such a wonderful event. Thank you so much for doing this. Cordonia is in good hands with you two.” She smiled at both of them.

“Oh, it’s our pleasure!” Riley exclaimed. “This is fun for us, too!”

“Yes, and thank you so much for your kind words.” Liam added, reaching out and shaking the woman’s hand. 

Families continued to come, knocking at Liam’s office door. Though there were some other children who were just as shy as the first two, many were very outgoing. Offering hugs and highfives, while their parents thanked the monarchs and complimented them for the work they had done in their short time in power. 

There was a brief lull in the action, so Liam and Riley took a seat on the couch, Liam taking Riley’s feet and pulling them over his lap. “Things seem to be going well,” he said as he rubbed her legs. 

“Totally,” Riley agreed. “The kids are so cute. It makes me want one even more.”

“Really?” Liam said, raising an eyebrow as his hands moved higher up her leg. He was interrupted by a knock at the door. 

Riley giggled at his frustration. “Hold that thought.” She swung her legs onto the ground, tapping Liam’s nose with her index finger as she got up, reaching for the candy bowl. 

They opened the door, immediately greeted by a young girl in a dinosaur onesie. 

“Twick-oh-tweet!” She said confidently as she held her bag up in front of them. 

“Oh my god,” Riley said. “I want to give her all the candy!” She took a fistfull of candy and dropped it into the bag. 

When she went back in for more, Liam laughed and placed his hand over hers. “Alright love, I think that’s enough. She’s bound to get plenty more before the day is over.” 

The little girl’s mother laughed, watching the interaction. “You two really are just as adorable as you seem in the press.”

Riley pulled her attention away from the little girl, blushing slightly as she looked up at her mother. “Thank you,” they said in unison. 

“What do you say, Ava?” The woman looked down to her daughter. 

“Tank oo.” The girl said with an exaggerated smile. 

“You’re very welcome,” Liam replied as RIley looked on, wide-eyed. 

Once the girl was out of sight, Riley looked up at Liam. “Yeah, I definitely want one of those. Could you imagine a little princess running around in a dinosaur costume?”

Liam leaned down, placing a soft kiss on Riley’s lips. “I can’t wait.” 

A few minutes later, there was another knock at the door. Liam reached for the candy and the pair walked to the door together. When they opened it, they were greeted by two familiar faces. 

“Jiro, Camellia! It’s so great to see you guys again!” Riley greeted the pair.

“Wow… you really remember us?” Jiro asked.

“I told you they would!” Camellia whispered loudly into her friend’s ear.

Liam and Riley chuckled before Liam replied. “Of course, we do! That was the best game of soccer I have ever played!” 

They examined the children’s costumes and shared a surprised look. “Wait, who are you two supposed to be?” Riley asked. 

“We’re you!” Camellia replied. She held her arms out and spun in a circle, showing off her dress, which looked like one that Riley had worn to a recent ball. “Show off your costume, Jiro!” She nudged her friend. 

Jiro stood tall in response, showing off his replica of Liam’s royal regalia. 

“We are truly honored.” Liam placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head. “And they look wonderful. Very accurate.” 

“So accurate.” Riley added. “Do you think we could get a picture with you guys?”

“Really?” Camellia asked. 

“Of course! I’ve never been a costume before!” Riley grabbed her phone and handed it off to one of the adults chaperoning the pair. “Would you mind?” 

Jiro and Camellia turned around, standing in front of Liam and Riley. They smiled wide as the picture was snapped. After a few shots, Liam and Riley knelt down so they were closer to their level and took a few more pictures. When they were finished, Riley retrieved her phone and thanked their photographer. 

“Thanks, guys. That was really cool,” Riley said. “Do you want a copy?” 

“Yes, please!” Jiro responded. 

“Wonderful. Now let’s get you two what you’re really here for so you can be on your way.” Liam put some candy into each of their bags. “There’s a pretty cool party happening in the ballroom. I would hate to keep you and have you miss all the fun.” 

“Thank you!” The kids said in unison as they ran off to the next door. 

Liam and Riley said their goodbyes to Jiro and Camellia’s adults before returning to the office. 

“So, we’re a costume,” Riley said as she took a seat on Liam’s desk. 

“So we are.” Liam placed the candy bowl down and put his arms on Riley’s waist. “I knew children dressed as princesses and kings, but I didn’t think anyone would dress as us specifically.” 

“Well, get used to it,” she pulled him close, kissing him on the nose. “You’re pretty beloved.”

“As are you, my queen.” He brought her into a lingering kiss.

Once they handed out candy to the last of the children, they made their way to the ballroom to celebrate with their friends and guests. The room was filled with children of all ages dancing, playing, and running through the ballroom, no doubt on a sugar high from the candy they received. 

Maxwell was in the center of the dancefloor, spinning in circles as his cape bellowed around him. Hana was standing with a little girl who was also dressed like a ballerina. They were going through various ballet poses as they elegantly extended their arms. Olivia sat at a table, speaking to a group of children who seemed enthralled in the story she was telling them. Drake was helping Bartie play pin the tail on the werewolf while Savannah and Bertrand looked on. 

“Everything came together so much better than I imagined.” Riley said.

Liam placed his arm around Riley’s waist, pulling her close. “It’s all thanks to you, my love. This was all your idea.” 

“Nope,” Riley shook her head. “This was just as much you as it was me.” 

“Well, regardless,” he leaned down, kissing the top of her head. “I think we just found a new annual tradition.”

“Definitely.” 

Permatag:

@3pawandme @busywoman @charlotteg234 @choiceskatie @cordonia-gothqueen @cordoniaqueensworld @emkay512 @foreverethereal123 @gryffindordaughterofathena @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @i-am-only-here-for-sims-cc @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @kingliam2019 @mom2000aggie @neotericthemis @nestledonthaveone @nikirennie87 @princessleac1 @queen-arabella-of-cordonia @secretaryunpaid @sincerelyella @theroyalheirshadowhunter @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight @txemrn 

TRR:

@21-wishes @ao719 @belencha77 @burnsoslow @lovingchoices14 @ofpixelsandscribbles @queenrileyrose @the0afnan @tinkie1973

Liam:

@amandablink @cordonianprincess @custaroonie @jared2612 @xpandass420x @yourmajesty09 @zaffrenotes

[angelasreblogs]

Master List Organization Poll

I would love to have everyone's input on master list organization. I have a lot of content and my ideas of how to most efficiently present it keep changing.

I used to have a short paragraph/blurb for each story out to the side of the title. Now I just have bullet pointed lists of titles under categories (ie, “collabs”, “Poly stories”, etc).

I used to have things sorted into multiple master lists, then put them all in one place for simplicity then moved them again, sorting into several blogs each with its own master list: TRR Scribbles, TRR Poly, TRR One Shots, TRR Bad Romance. On these blogs, you will find them further divided by category, but all shown on the same page/list.

I’m wondering what works best for the readers. When you go looking for content, which format do you prefer?

Examples

Ex 1 List of stories with blurbs:

Insurrection: Riley isn’t what anyone thought she was. Her actions set off a civil war in Cordonia. Eidolon: Construction in the four-hundred-year-old throne room awakens an ancient evil. Unexpected Max has an inappropriate fixation on Riley. Dark Elf: Liam Rys is unpleased that his human half has left him not quite immortal. He has a plan to correct that. American Girl: Riley, Drake, and Liam grew up in a small town in North Texas. High school graduation scatters the three lifelong friends and shakes up their respective relationships.

Ex 2, same as one but divided into categories

Paranormal: Eidolon: Construction in the four hundred year old throne room awakens an ancient evil. Dark Elf: Liam Rys is unpleased that his human half has left him not quite immortal. He has a plan to correct that. Non-Royal Au's: American Girl: Riley, Drake, and Liam grew up in a small town in North Texas. High school graduation scatters the three lifelong friends and shakes up their respective relationships. Drake x Riley Stories My Best Friends Girl: Drake Walker struggles to contain feelings he shouldn't be having as he finds himself falling for the same girl as his best friend. Star Crossed: Drake Walker meets the woman of his dreams the night before his best friend's wedding but there's a major obstacle.

EX 3 Title only, one long list

Three Weeks in Ramsford

Complicated

Hinge

The Proposal

The Agreement

Forbidden Passion

Savage Love

Royal Retribution

The De Facto Queen

Victim of Love

Ex 4 Title only, divided into subcategories but still all on ONE master list

Riley x Drake:

My Best Friend's Girl

Lavender and Crimson

Star Crossed

A Fervid Fixation

American Girl

Riley x Liam

Insurrection

Other Pairings:

In Your Room Drake x Leo

The Crown and the Shield Jackson x Constantine

Broken Jackson x Eleanor

Leo & Liv Leo x Olivia

Collaborations:

Mardi Gras Mayhem

One Step Ahead

One Night in Cordonia

Cordonian Royal Airlines

Ex 5: The way it is now, links to separate blogs/ML. Stories are divided into broad categories (each of the below links leads to a separate master list where stories are then sorted into further categories but all on the same page/list)

IE: You click on one of these and when you go to that page, you see ex 4 above. ex 4 is what you get when you click on TRR Scribbles here.

Why Choose? Poly/RH stories.

TRR Scribbles: Mono pairings

Law's End: A crime procedural

One-Shots: TRR one-shots

Visuals: Art, edits, etc.

Extras: other TRR stuff

Ex 6: The way it is now, links to separate blogs/ML but with paragraphs/blurbs giving a brief description of the story. So organized like ex 5 but when you get to the ML, instead of title only, there would be blurbs like in ex 1.

Ok, was that clear as mud? If you understand all that and have an opinion, I would love to have your feedback!!!

Tagging under the cut. Thank you all in advance for your help!

@karahalloway, @harleybeaumont @nestledonthaveone @alj4890 @aussiegurl1234

@walkerdrakewalker @kingliam2019 @twinkleallnight @lovingchoices14  @tinkie1973 @secretaryunpaid @irishgrl2022

@queen-arabella-of-cordonia @kristinamae093 @tessa-liam

@differenttyphoonwerewolf @queenmiarys @emersyn-in-cordonia

 @bascmve01 @twinkle-320 @mattiematt1234 @jared2612

@dcbbw  @amandablink @indiacater  @bebepac

@lunaseasblog @belencha77  @gabesmommie1130

@hollygirl1269 @mainstreetreader

@ladyangel70 @ohmyeightpastlives  @gardeningourmet

@sillydg @phoenixrising0308

@3pawandme @21-wishes @73geenalove @jennieausten

@princessleac1 @kachrisberry @tornbetween2loves

@fangirling12566  @pinklipsandmasonjars @savannahdix

[windsweptinred]

I’m on a ladies of Sandman appreciation kick and currently delving into:

Dream x Lucienne

Morpheus x Calliope

Hob x Eleanor

# 2, 4, and/or 7

And really, I’ll read anything with these characters that isn’t romantic. Feeling like there’s a lack of character studies/gen fics on these ladies. And I’d pair Johanna Constantine or her ancestor with pretty much anyone.

Oh marvellous! I fully support some Sandman ladies loving! You rarely see such a host of amazing female characters in one show/comic. And sadly they do often play second fiddle when it comes to fics and ships.

2.Do you ship them?

So let's see, Dream x Lucienne.

It's not on my personal ship list. But I can easily see the appeal and would happily read fics for it. Nearly every Dream ship is about giving him someone loyal and true, who will love and believe in him no matter what. A stalwart supportive type who will stand up to him for his own good when need be. Well... (pushes Lucienne forward). There she is. You don't have to get creative with Lucienne to prove it either. She is, always has been and always will be that being for Dream. To paraphrase her. When she says Dream is never without his raven. On a whole deeper meaning, he never has been. She has NEVER abandoned him....You know I'm think I'm talking myself into this ship. 😅

Dream x Calliope and Hob x Eleanor.

I've put these two together because my answer is the same for both. Are they my favourite parings for these characters, no. But do I ship them... Absolutely! These canon lady loves deserve their realtionships explored in greater detail! The only women in their long lives, Hob and Dream went so far as to wed and start families with. How spectular these women must be!

I cannot describe what an absolute tower of strength and beauty I find Calliope. And Eleanor, when you consider how much of huge risk it would have been for Hob to settle down to that extent. He must have seen something truly special in her. I'd love to see these two realtionships explored further.

4. Would I consider writing for them?

If the mood takes me, I'm pretty sure I'd have a bash as writing for any ship. 😅 But the history enthusiast in me would love to delve into the two marriages, especially Hob's. To explore the late Tudor/ Elizabethean period.

7. What are some good fics...

Ah now, if I don't ship it, I can usually hand you over to someone who does. 😅 For Dream x Lucienne recs I shall hand you into the capable hands of @lucienne-thee-librarian. I have just read the most beautiful fic here on Tumblr by @two-hands-toward-the-sun about Morpheus and Calliope which is platonic but heart meltingly good. If I ask very nicely they might tag it. 😅 Have Hob and Eleanor ever been explored outside of side notes for other ships? If you find anything, please let me know. I'd love to read them!

And my god you're right! Johanna Constantine has truly missed her calling as the disaster bi, fandom bicycle she was born to be!

And thank you so much for your ask! 😁❤️

[trrvisuals]

The Rest of the Stories

Credit for below edit: @peonierose

I guess this is a catch all post. This would include other pairings (I have three series that don't include Riley as one of the MC's), Drabbles, One-Shots, Collaborations and a few miscellaneous items.

In Your Room: Drake x Leo

The Crown and the Shield: Constantine and Jackson

Leo and Liv: Leo x Olivia

Summer Vacation One-Shot Drake x Jen (F!OC) board by @harleybeaumont.

Broken: Eleanor x Jackson

I have three open ended series that consists of short drabbles: Cordonian Karaoke, Cordoian Chaos and Drabble Me This:

And obviously the never ending one-shots:

One Step Ahead:

This was a round-robin done with several other writers. Including this one here. Other collaborative works will have their own post just because there are a lot of visuals that go with them and Tumblr limits how many images I can have in one post. Since this one just has one board, I'm putting it here. This was my very first Tumblr round-robin!

Board by @twinkleallnight

This board from @choicesholidays spring holiday prompt event:

And this one from @drake-walker-appreciation World Whiskey Day event:

This one isn't even TRR, shhhh! It's the only other choices fandom I write for. Ride or Die:

and these wonderful gifs from @secretaryunpaid back when I hit 300 followers:

[ao719]

Vancross

Vancross - Reaching In The Darkness (Chapter 18)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.  

Title inspiration: Somewhere There’s A Light On - Ross Copperman

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Sitting on the Cordonian royal family’s private jet, bound for New York, Croía stared out the window at the passing clouds. Between the attack at Camp Eirene, her night with Liam in the safe house, Trystan showing up, Vancross canceling exams to focus on the investigation, and her invitation to spend their now extended break in Cordonia paired with the impromptu stopover they were making on the way, the last 24 hours had been a bit of a whirlwind, to say the least. 

Croía slowly shifted her gaze from the picturesque view outside her window to her brother. Trystan sat on the opposite end of the jet’s cabin with Liam’s parents and their head guard; the four of them spoke in hushed voices too quiet for her or anyone else to hear, and they all wore earnest expressions. 

“You ok?”

The voice along with the gentle squeeze of his hand that was curled around hers pulled Croía’s attention; she glanced over, offering Liam a smile. “Yeah,” she replied with a nod. He lifted their intertwined hands to his lips, kissing the back of hers. “What do you think they’re talking about?” she asked, gesturing toward the other side of the cabin. 

Liam glanced over to where his parents were speaking to her brother and Jackson. “Not sure,” he shrugged. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” Croía answered as she nestled closer to him. “They just look … really serious.” 

Liam lifted his arm, allowing her to settle in the crook of it as he wrapped it around her. “They’re probably just going over what they know about the investigation,” he suggested before kissing the top of her head. 

“Probably …” Croía couldn’t shake the feeling that it was something more.

Trystan had been acting oddly since Croía and Liam were informed they were all going to New York. Not only did he seem more serious than usual, but when she was packing her bag at the lodge, she grabbed her phone, suggesting that maybe she should let their parents know about exams being canceled and the plan for her to spend the break in Cordonia. She was unsure if they were expecting her home, not that she thought they actually were; it was more because she wanted to see if they even cared about what happened since they hadn’t even bothered to call. Trystan, however, grabbed her phone from her and told her not to. He said to let Jonas handle speaking to them, that he’d already instructed her guard that he was to stay with her during her break and to not tell her parents — if they called at all — where she really was. When she looked at him questioningly, he said it would just be easier, that she could enjoy her break without worrying about anything, especially their mother. 

Croía had also caught Trystan a few times, like now, in what appeared to be deep conversations with Constantine and Eleanor. They were clearly conversations that she and Liam weren’t meant to be privy to, but her brother being involved made her feel like there was something else going on.

“Are you excited about going to New York?” Liam asked, pulling her from her thoughts. 

“Yeah,” Croía smiled. “I can’t wait to see Mags, and to see Trystan’s place, and maybe even meet his girlfriend,” she chuckled. She tilted her head up to look at him. “What about you?”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded. “I was actually supposed to come for the long weekend before exams to visit Drake and Max, but we all got busy and never finalized the plans.”

“Did you tell them you were coming?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure they know,” Liam replied as he gestured across the cabin to Jackson. “He told me he called to let them know what happened, so I’m sure he’s been in touch with them since with updates.” 

****

After the long flight, Liam and Croía entered the junior suite on the 19th floor of the Plaza Hotel; Constantine, Eleanor, and Leo were staying in the Grand Penthouse suite above them. 

While Liam took their bags to the bedroom, Croía went to the window, looking out at the snow-covered city streets and the view of Central Park in the distance. It had been six years since she had last been there, and she didn’t remember much from that trip other than her visit with Trystan when he’d snuck over to see her after Marguerite lured their father out. She hadn’t been allowed to leave the hotel, so the only bit of New York she saw was on the drive to and from the airport. 

When Liam wrapped his arms around her, she leaned back against his chest. “What do you think?” 

“It’s beautiful,” Croía smiled. 

Seeing her fight back a yawn, Liam leaned down, nuzzling her neck. “Tired?”

Croía smiled sheepishly; it was only a little after four in the afternoon there, but her mind and body hadn’t begun to adjust to the time difference. “Flying backward in time has thrown me off,” she chuckled.

“You can lay down if you want,” Liam said. 

“I’ll never sleep tonight if I do that.” 

“Well, I’m assuming we’re going to do something with my parents and Leo for dinner, but …” Liam began peppering her neck with soft kisses. “We have some time to kill before then …” 

Croía bit her lip through a smile at the suggestion in both his words and tone, and her stomach swirled with butterflies as flashes from the night before filled her thoughts. She tilted her head toward his, and he brushed a hand across her cheek, guiding her mouth to his. She turned in his arms, and he tightened his hold around her as he deepened the kiss. Her hands slid up his chest to cup his neck as he carefully started to walk backward, guiding her toward the king-size bed that was nestled behind the partition wall. Once at the bedroom, he pressed her body against the frame of the wall as his hands began to gently wander; she closed her eyes, sliding her hand into his hair and tilting her head back to allow him better access as his lips trailed down her neck, feeling that familiar aching need for more start to unfurl inside her.  

Suddenly, they both froze when a knock came on the door of the suite. Liam slowly lifted his head from her neck, brushing his nose against her cheek as his lips sought hers again, willing whoever was at the door to go away. Just as he kissed her again, another knock came, and he pulled back with a sigh. “Hold that thought.” 

Liam walked to the door and opened it, seeing Jackson standing on the other side. “Your Highness,” he bowed. 

“Hey,” Liam smiled as he moved aside to let him in. “Everything ok?”

“Yes,” Jackson nodded as he stepped inside; he smiled at Croía before looking back at Liam. “Your parents are just going to relax here for the evening and plan to just order room service for dinner. Your mother wanted me to let you know because she thought perhaps you’d like to go over and see Drake and Maxwell.”

“They know we’re here, I take it?” Liam asked, despite already knowing the answer.

“They do,” Jackson nodded. “I messaged Drake when we landed. If you’d like to go over, I can take you. Leo said he’d tag along if you decided to go.” 

Liam glanced at Croía with an apologetic yet questioning smile; she returned her own with a nod, knowing he wanted to see them. “Sounds good,” Liam said, looking back at Jackson. 

“Alright,” Jackson nodded. “Grab your coats.”

Jackson shot a message to Leo while Croía and Liam slipped on their jackets. A few moments later, they exited their suite and headed for the elevator; when the doors slid open, Leo was waiting inside. 

As the elevator began its descent to the lobby, Liam glanced over at Jackson. “Does Drake know we’re coming?” 

“Since he knows you’re here, I’m sure he was already expecting you to make your way there eventually once you were settled,” Jackson replied. “He and Max don’t have to work tonight, so they’ll be home.” 

When the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open, the four of them stepped out and made their way across the lobby. They exited the hotel and Jackson gestured toward the waiting SUV; as the three royals slid inside, they didn’t see the imperceptible nod the guard gave to the town car parked behind them as he made his way to the driver’s side. 

When the SUV pulled away from the curb and into the heavy city traffic, the back door of the parked town car flung open, and a pair of booted heels hit the pavement. A woman stood and made her way inside the hotel. Once in the lobby, she spotted a suited man waiting near the elevator, just where she was told he’d be; she approached with a tentative smile. “I take it you’re Jonas?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” the guard nodded. “If you’ll follow me,” he gestured to the elevator.

Once inside the car, she watched the guard hit the button to the penthouse. As they ascended to the top floor, she glanced over at the man. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Good things I hope?” Jonas smiled. 

“Of course,” she nodded. “I know he wouldn’t trust just anyone with what he’s asked of you.” 

“I can say the same for you and what he’s asking now,” Jonas replied, referring to the reason she had come there. The woman offered a subtle smile just as the elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open. “Follow me.” 

They stepped out of the elevator into a small entryway and headed for the only door; the man knocked twice, paused, and knocked once more. A moment later, the door opened and he dipped his head in a bow before stepping aside.

Trystan smiled. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.” 

The woman rolled her eyes with a good-natured grin as Trystan approached; he leaned down and kissed her cheek. When he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace, she could feel how tense he was, but as he buried his face in her neck, the tension slowly melted away. “You ok?” 

“I am now,” Trystan whispered. 

When he drew back, she looked up at him. “You really think they might be right?”

Trystan nodded somberly. “I had my suspicions already, but hearing their own among the other things they had to say … I think they’re onto something.” He smiled ruefully at her. “Thanks for being willing to help me on this.” 

“Don’t thank me yet. I don’t know how much help I’ll really be.” 

“Come on,” Trystan said as he took her hand. “They’re inside … they can tell you everything they know.” 

When Trystan rounded the corner into the living area of the suite, Constantine and Eleanor rose from their places on the sofa. He smiled at the woman beside him. “This is King Constantine and Queen Eleanor of Cordonia. Your Majesties, this is my girlfriend, Detective Cameron Rose.”

The monarchs stepped forward and extended their hands to the woman. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Rose,” Constantine greeted her.

“Please, just Cameron is fine,” she smiled. “And it’s nice to meet you as well, though I wish it was under better circumstances.” She glanced over, spotting Jonas and another suited man standing next to him.

Eleanor saw her wary expression. “That’s one of our guards, Anthony,” she explained.

“I saw the other one on his way out with your boys and Croía,” Cameron said. “Trystan told me you wanted to wait until they were gone for me to come up.” 

“Yes,” Constantine nodded. “Eleanor and I don’t want Liam knowing anything just yet …”

“And I don’t want Croía to know anything until we have proof,” Trystan added.  

Cameron glanced at him with a sympathetic smile. “Hopefully I’ll finally get to meet her,” she said, trying to lighten his mood if only momentarily. 

“You will,” Trystan smiled as he kissed her forehead. “Promise.” 

Cameron sat on the loveseat Trystan gestured to as he sat next to her; Constantine and Eleanor lowered themselves back down onto the larger sofa. “Thank you for agreeing to try and help us,” Eleanor smiled.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Cameron said, “but I don’t want to make any promises.” 

“Trystan said you’re one of the best at what you do,” Constantine added. 

“He’s definitely biased,” Cameron quipped. 

“Nonsense,” Trystan grinned.

“So,” Cameron began. “Trystan told me you think your son was the target of the attack that happened during this ski trip …” 

“We do,” Eleanor nodded morosely. “Based on what we know so far …” 

Eleanor glanced over at Anthony, and he stepped forward as Cameron looked at him expectantly. “The chopper … when it first appeared, the way it was edging up and down along the slopes, it was almost as if they were searching for something … or someone. Based on the shell casings found in that area, the shots they fired there seemed to be random, probably to scatter the students. The guards that had assembled and started after the chopper said they noticed that when they came across the area of the flat trails where Prince Liam and Princess Croía were … its focus seemed to set solely on them. And those shots … they weren’t random.” He shook his head. “Jonas and I had to take Interpol agents back to where we found them this morning. That area where the chopper had been hovering, across from the treeline where they were hiding … it was littered with casings, and they found multiple bullet fragments in the trunk of one tree in particular and more in the snow around it.” 

Sensing him tense beside her at hearing the details again, Cameron mindlessly slipped her hand into Trystan’s as she glanced back at the Cordonian monarchs. “And you have reason to believe that Drakovia … that Queen Viktoria is behind the attack?” 

Constantine slid a folder across the coffee table that sat between them. “We do …” 

****

After the 30-minute drive through city traffic, Liam, Croía, Leo, and Jackson exited the stairwell inside Drake and Maxwell’s apartment building; they walked down the hall to their door, and Liam lifted his hand and knocked. 

A moment later, the door opened, and Maxwell beamed. “Liam!” He wrapped his arms around him in a bear hug. “You’re alive!” 

“We knew he was alive, Beaumont,” Drake chided as he came up behind him. 

Liam chuckled as he ruffled Maxwell’s hair before stepping inside. He met Drake’s gaze, able to see both worry and relief fill his best friend’s expression; he stared at him as though he was assessing whether he was really ok. A moment later, Drake let out a breath as he shook his head and stepped forward, pulling him into a crushing embrace. 

Drake broke the silence. “When my dad called …” 

Liam clapped his back, dropping his voice so only Drake could hear. “I’m ok.”

“I was going to fly out,” Drake said quietly. 

“No need,” Liam replied as he took a step back; he looked over as Croía stepped up next to him. “You remember Croía.”

“Of course,” Drake nodded with a smile before hugging her. “How are you holding up?” he asked as he stepped back. 

“I’m ok,” Croía nodded. 

Drake looked at Liam. “Well … I know this probably isn’t the trip to New York you intended, but I’m glad you’re here,” he chuckled. Suddenly, Jackson stepped up in front of him, and the two men shared matching grins. “Hey, Pop.”

Jackson pulled him into an embrace. “It’s good to see you, son,” he said as he clapped his back. 

“You too,” Drake replied as he stepped back. “Leo,” he nodded to him before shaking his hand. “Looks like the gang’s all here.”

“No,” Liam said, glancing around. “Where’s Riley?”

“She had an event she was working tonight that she couldn’t get out of,” Drake answered. “She’s hoping she’ll get to see you guys tomorrow. For tonight …” He glanced at his watch before looking back up at the others. “How about we just hang out here with some pizza and beers?”

“Sounds good to me,” Liam nodded. 

****

After spending more than an hour looking over the stacks of documents that were inside the folder Constantine had given her — and listening to more of what he and Eleanor had to say regarding their suspicions — Cameron rubbed her chin in thought. “I mean … this is all a start and gives us a lot to look into, but we’re going to need more. Much more. Nothing here is concrete and is all based on speculation.” 

“That’s where we were hoping you would come in,” Constantine said. “We know it may seem odd to you that we couldn’t or wouldn’t use other resources available to us that most don’t have … but we need to keep this completely quiet. When Trystan said he could speak with you … it seemed like our best option to keep it discreet. If we’re right and any of those speculations are true … we don’t want to draw attention to what we’re looking into. They’ll be keeping us on their radar while watching the bigger investigation into the attack and the information that brings out. They would never suspect us running our own investigation with some PI from across the pond.”

“I get it,” Cameron nodded. “And I appreciate the faith in me, even though I’m sure Trystan oversold my abilities to you,” she chuckled. She looked back at the papers in her hand, tapping her finger against her lips. “With your permission, I’d like to enlist some help of my own. Luke Watanabe is a colleague of mine; he’s a genius hacker. He could be of assistance getting us some information we’d otherwise not get our hands on.” Constantine and Eleanor nodded tentatively. “Also, there’s another detective I’d like to reach out to …” 

Trystan furrowed his brows. “Did Mafalda hire someone new?”

“No,” Cameron shook her head, glancing back at Constantine and Eleanor. “They’re an old friend of mine and they’ve helped me with a couple of cases in the past. They have a lot of connections that I don’t, one in particular that could really help with this,” she held up the folder. “And they’re right here in the city. I could call … see if they’d be willing to meet tomorrow if you’re ok with it.” 

Constantine and Eleanor shared a look, having a silent conversation before glancing back at her. “And you trust them? To be discreet?” Constantine questioned. 

“Wholeheartedly,” Cameron nodded. “They’re one of the best people I know and one of the best in this field.”   

The King and Queen shared another look, holding another silent conversation. When they met Cameron’s gaze again, Constantine nodded. “Make the call.” 

****

Sitting in the living room with three boxes of pizza on the table they surrounded, Liam, Croía, and Leo caught up with Drake and Maxwell; Jackson sat off to the side, drinking water in place of the beer they were drinking, chiming into the conversation every now and then. 

Liam looked at Drake. “Have you decided what you’re doing after graduation yet?” 

“No,” Drake shook his head. “Still playing it by ear for now … but Riley and I have talked a little about it and should things keep going the way they are with us, she said she wouldn’t be opposed to moving since she doesn’t have anyone or anything else keeping her here.”  

“Don’t tell your mother that unless you’re absolutely certain it’s happening,” Jackson said. “She’ll never stop hounding you about it.” 

“Oh, she already brings it up every time we talk,” Drake chuckled. “But I won’t say anything until I know what I’m doing.” 

“What about you, Max?” Leo asked.

“I’ll be heading back to Cordonia to help Bertrand, but I told him there would be ground rules,” Maxwell nodded sternly, and Leo gave him a look. “If he wants me to come home to help him, then he’s going to have to cut me some slack and not be such a stiff ass,” he shrugged.

“I wanna see you say that to his face,” Leo chuckled. 

“What about you guys?” Drake asked, looking at Liam and Croía. “I mean, obviously Liam has to go back to Cordonia … but what about you, Croía? Would you go back to Drakovia?”

“Oh, I …” Croía looked from Drake to Liam. “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it much … and we haven’t talked about it.” 

Liam smiled at her. “We’ll figure it out, I’m sure.” As she said, they hadn’t talked about it, but despite knowing what he hoped would happen, he didn’t want to make her feel put on the spot. 

“Would you be expected to go back?” Maxwell asked.

Liam stared at her, hoping she wasn’t uncomfortable; he hadn’t told Drake or Maxwell about her family or her relationships with them. “I wouldn’t think so,” Croía answered. “And I doubt I’d be missed if I didn’t.” She smiled, but Liam knew she truly believed those words. 

****

Cameron slipped her phone back into her pocket as she returned to the living area, looking at Constantine and Eleanor. “They’re available to meet tomorrow afternoon. They said they can’t guarantee anything, but they’ll hear you out and look over what you have and go from there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Constantine nodded. “But we’ll have to get Croía and Liam out of the hotel so we don’t draw any suspicion from them.” 

“I’m sure Liam will have plans to see Drake and Maxwell again at some point,” Eleanor said. 

“And Marguerite wants to see Croía,” Cameron added. “I’m sure she’ll be able to keep her more than occupied.”

“Perhaps,” Trystan nodded. “But I don’t want Marguerite knowing anything about this,” he gestured to the four of them. “She’s a Drakovian ambassador. I don’t want her getting involved and being put into a bad spot.” 

Cameron arched her brow. “She’s going to kill you if she finds out you kept her in the dark about this.”

“As an ambassador, she is bound to the crown, and going against her duty in any way, including knowing and keeping information about an investigation into the country she’s supposed to serve, would be seen as nothing short of treason in my mother’s eyes,” Trystan replied. “Right now, this is a strictly need-to-know kind of thing, and she doesn’t need to know. Not yet.”

Cameron tentatively nodded. She was told how protective Marguerite was of Croía, but she knew how protective Trystan was of both his younger sisters; in his eyes, they were the only family he had. And this was his family, so she would follow his lead on how to handle it. 

“Jackson just sent me a message,” Constantine said. “They’re getting ready to head back to the hotel now.” 

Cameron knew that was her cue. She looked at Trystan. “I’ll meet up with you back at your place?”

“I’ll come with you,” Trystan replied. “I’m sure Croía is going to crash once she gets back from the jetlag and time difference. I’ll shoot her a text and tell her we’ll meet up tomorrow sometime.” 

“We’ll let you know when they’re gone tomorrow,” Eleanor said as she rose from the sofa. Trystan kissed her cheek before shaking Constantine’s hand as she turned to Cameron. “Thank you again …”

Cameron nodded. “We’ll see you tomorrow.” 

*******

Late the following morning, Croía stirred awake inside the suite of the hotel; she raised her arms stretching the sleep from her body before turning to find Liam, but his side of the bed was empty. She lifted her head from the pillow just as he stepped out of the bathroom after a shower, securing a clean bandage on his arm.

“Morning.”

Croía smiled sleepily as she laid her head back down. “Morning. How long have you been up?”

“A little while,” Liam answered. A subtle smirk curled on his lips when he saw her eyes travel down the length of his body, stopping where the towel was wrapped around his waist. He moved to the bed and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. “I didn’t want to wake you.” 

“Well, I’m awake now,” Croía whispered.

Liam chuckled at the hint of playfulness in her tone as he lay next to her on the bed. “Yeah?” 

“Mmhmm,” Croía nodded. She could just make out his smile before he kissed her again. 

Liam slipped his hand beneath the comforter, brushing his fingers against the soft skin of her thigh as the kiss deepened. Since their night in the safe house, despite the events that occurred and the whirlwind the past couple of days had been, he’d be lying if he said the flashes of that night and the thought of having her again hadn’t consumed him. When they arrived back at the hotel after visiting with Drake and Maxwell, they both crashed, too tired to do anything else.

But they had today … right now. 

The kiss turned more passionate as Liam’s hand moved over the waistband of her shorts and slid beneath the hem of her shirt. A sound rumbled from deep in his chest when his hand brushed against the side of her bare breast and she unwittingly arched into him. 

Suddenly, a knock came on the door of their suite, causing Liam to break the kiss and freeze. After a silent moment, he started to lean in again, but another knock came. “Go away!” he shouted, earning a giggle from Croía as she tucked herself into his chest. 

“Prince Liam,” Jackson called out through a laugh on the other side of the door. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Liam grumbled as he stood from the bed and readjusted the towel around his waist; Croía bit her lip to stifle her laugh at his irritation. 

When the door flung open, Jackson tucked his lips between his teeth to hide his knowing smile. “I apologize, sir.” 

“Mhm,” Liam hummed tightly in annoyance.

“Your mother and father wanted you and Croía to join them and Leo for breakfast.” 

Liam inhaled deeply and slowly let it out as he closed his eyes and nodded. “Ok.”

“I’ll let them know you’ll be up shortly,” Jackson smiled. 

“Thanks,” Liam bit out. Jackson nodded as he fought back another laugh and turned, heading back to the elevator as Liam shut the door. He walked back toward the bedroom and stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. “My parents have requested our presence for breakfast.” 

Croía giggled as she sat up in bed. “Ok.” 

“I’m sorry.” 

“It’s ok,” Croía said. “I’m sure we’ll have time for … other activities later.” 

Liam laughed, shaking his head at her teasing smile as he approached her. He leaned down, pressing his fists into the mattress on either side of her as he brushed his lips against hers. “How are you feeling from said ‘activities’ the other night?”

“I’m fine,” Croía smiled before pressing her lips to his. She drew back and met his gaze, but only for a moment before she kissed him again. 

Liam quietly groaned into the kiss when her tongue met his, and he lifted a hand, tangling it in her hair. He drew back a moment later, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m not going to be able to sit at a table with my mother if you keep it up.”  

Croía laughed, feeling her cheeks burn. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t be,” Liam smirked before kissing her again.

****

As she buttered her morning roll, Eleanor glanced up at Liam across from her. “How was your visit with Drake and Maxwell last night?” 

“Good,” Liam nodded. “We just hung out and caught up over some pizza. They’re doing good.”

“That’s good to hear,” Eleanor smiled. “Any plans today?” 

“Drake said he’d be around if we wanted to do something later,” Liam replied.  

“Oh,” Eleanor looked at him. “I thought you’d take the whole day with them.”   

Liam chuckled. “Trying to get me out of the hotel?” 

Eleanor fought back the heat rising to her cheeks. “Not at all,” she lied, hating every word of it. “I just thought with being in the city you might do some exploring.” 

“I’ve explored it plenty of times before,” Liam said.

“What about you, Croía?” Constantine chimed in. “Have you explored much with Trystan being here?”

“Oh, uh … no,” Croía answered sheepishly. “I’ve only been here once … six years ago. And I didn’t get to see anything outside my hotel room.”

“Liam, you should take her around,” Eleanor casually suggested. “There’s so much to see.” 

Liam glanced at Croía. “I’m sorry,” he frowned. “I knew you’d been here, but I’d forgotten that you hadn’t actually seen the city.” 

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Croía chuckled. 

“So, how about it?” Liam smiled. “A tour, I mean.” 

“Yeah,” Croía nodded with a grin. “Maybe Trystan can come. And Mags.”

“And I’ll call Max and Drake,” Liam added.

“Leo, why don’t you join, too?” Constantine said.

Leo glanced at his father then Liam, and shrugged. “Ok.” 

Eleanor smiled before dropping her gaze back to the fruit on her plate. She hated keeping things from Liam, but for now, it was for his own good. She knew how protective he had become of Croía over the months they’d been together, and she loved that he loved Croía so fiercely, but it was why she, Constantine, and Trystan needed to tread carefully with their suspicions. She didn’t need or want him to do anything rash that would jeopardize their investigation … or himself. 

“What do you and dad have going on today?” Liam asked.

Eleanor looked up at him; they’d told them they were coming there because they had business in New York. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with,” she smiled. “Just some meetings.” It wasn’t technically a lie. 

Liam stared at his mother for a moment. Something felt off. He’d felt that way since his parents showed up at the lodge, watching them have hushed conversations with Jackson, Anthony, and Trystan. At first, he tried not to think much of it, but then yesterday, his mother was the one who suggested they go see Drake and Maxwell. Today, she suggested that he take Croía around the city, and his father urged Leo to tag along. Sure, they could just want them to take advantage of their short couple of days there, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were trying to clear them from the hotel for some other reason. 

Racking his brain, Liam thought that perhaps it had something to do with the attack and investigation; his parents wouldn’t see it necessary to fill him in on every detail unless they felt he needed to know because they wouldn’t want him to dwell on what he’d been through. He also knew there was no point in questioning it, either. If there was something they were keeping, they were doing so for a reason. 

****

“Did Croía call you?” Eleanor asked Trystan, who was sitting across from her in the living area of the suite; he and Cameron had arrived an hour after Liam, Croía, and Leo left to look over some things while they waited for Cameron’s contact. 

“About sightseeing?” Trystan smiled. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I told her I was working on something with Cameron, but that I’d call later so we could meet up. They should be arriving at Marguerite’s office shortly; she’s going to take them all out to a late lunch.” 

“What time is your contact arriving?” Constantine asked.

“They had a lunch meeting and said they’d come straight from there,” Cameron answered, glancing down at her watch. “They should be here any minute.” A knock on the door pulled their attention. “Speak of the devil,” she smiled. She rose from her seat and walked to the door, peering through the peephole before opening it. 

“The Grand Penthouse suite at the Plaza, huh? Swanky shit, Rose.”

Cameron chuckled. “It’s good to see you.” 

“Likewise,” they smirked.

Cameron stepped aside to allow them entry. “Come on in.” She walked back to the living area with the other trailing behind her; when they entered the room, the other three rose to their feet. “This is the King and Queen of Cordonia, and this is—”

“Prince Trystan of Drakovia,” they said, nodding to him as they extended their hand. “I recognize you from the coverage of the Hand of Mahara case.” They turned and offered their hand to Constantine and Eleanor next, giving them each a firm shake before stepping back. 

“This is Damien Nazario,” Cameron said. “He’s another PI here in the City.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Eleanor smiled, and Constantine nodded in agreement. 

“You as well,” Damien replied. 

“Damien here has experience working for foreign royals in the past,” Cameron explained. 

“That’s the connection he has that you mentioned?” Trystan asked. “I mean, no offense to you, good sir—” he looked at Cameron again, gesturing to himself with a sarcastic sweep of his hand “—but hello?” 

“No, smartass,” Cameron playfully scoffed before giving Eleanor and Constantine an abashed glance. “Sorry.” They both smiled, unfazed. “The connection I mentioned is that Damien here used to work for Interpol.”

“Oh?” Constantine questioned, arching his brow with intrigue.

“That’s right,” Damien nodded. “Cameron gave me a brief run down when we spoke yesterday, and mentioned the attack at the lodge. After I got off the phone, I did a little digging to see who was working it. I happen to be very good friends with the lead investigator …” 

“Have you spoken with them?” Eleanor questioned.

“No,” Damien shook his head. “I figured I’d wait to do that until I met with you to see what you have. I may not have to contact her at all.”

“I mean no disrespect,” Constantine said, “but it’s imperative that we keep this little covert investigation as discreet as possible. This friend of yours … are they trustworthy?” 

“She is,” Damien nodded. “Plus, she owes me a favor anyway. You have my word that should I feel the need to call her for any information, it will not go beyond her.”

Eleanor and Constantine shared a look before glancing back at Damien and nodding; Constantine gestured to the folder on the table in front of them.

****

After a day of walking and being shuttled around the city, Liam leaned against the balustrade at Battery Park, taking in the view of the Statue of Liberty as the sun began to set. 

A moment later, Drake came beside him, resting his arms on the railing. “Whatcha thinking about?” he playfully crooned, earning a laugh from him.

“Nothing,” Liam shook his head. “Just taking a breather.” he glanced around, furrowing his brows. “Where’s Max?” 

“He’s on the phone with Bertrand,” Drake replied. “We just talked to my dad, and since you all are already here, we’re going to fly back with you guys for the holiday break. So Max called to let him know.” 

“Is Riley coming, too?”

“Yeah,” Drake nodded, glancing over his shoulder at her while she talked with Croía. “They seem to get along well,” he noted, gesturing his head towards the two women.

Liam smiled. “Croía can get along with just about anyone once she gets comfortable enough.” 

“How’s things between you two going?” 

“Good,” Liam nodded, unable to contain his grin. “Really good.” 

“Is she going to be in Cordonia for the break?”

“Yeah,” Liam answered. “My mom invited her to stay with us.” He glanced at Drake as a thought that had been looming over him since that morning crept back up. “Hey … has your dad seemed … off to you at all in the last couple of days?” 

“Off as in …?”

“Like … almost secretive in a way?”

Drake thought for a moment. “Not really. But I haven’t been paying close attention either. Why, what’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Liam shook his head. “At the lodge, I saw him having hushed conversations with my parents and Trystan, which I assumed was just about what happened and the investigation. Then, my parents said we were coming here, but wouldn’t say exactly for what, just that they had business. Since we arrived, it seems like they’re trying to keep us out of the hotel. It could be nothing … but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something they’re not telling me.” 

“I wouldn’t think too much about it,” Drake said. “After what you went through — and I don’t mean this in a bad way — it’s not really a surprise that you might be on edge and feeling a little paranoid. Like you said, they were probably just talking about what happened and the investigation and didn’t involve you and Croía because they don’t want you guys to have to talk about it unless necessary.”

Liam shrugged. “Yeah … maybe.” Just then, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist; he glanced down and smiled at Croía, whose cheeks were tinged pink from the cold. “What do you think?” he asked, gesturing toward the famed monument before kissing the top of her head.

“It’s amazing,” Croía smiled before looking up at him. “Trystan just called. He’s done with whatever he’s been working on today and invited all of us to his place for dinner with him, Mags, and Cameron.” 

“I’m in,” Leo spoke up from behind. “I need to meet the woman who puts up with your brother,” he chuckled. 

“I’m excited to finally meet her,” Croía smiled.

“Hopefully you’ll go easier on her than your brother has on me,” Liam quipped. 

Croía chuckled and shook her head before looking at Drake, Riley, and Maxwell. “He invited you three to come too.” 

Drake slung an arm over Riley’s shoulders as Maxwell nodded. “We’re in.” 

****

When the elevator doors slid open to the entryway of the penthouse, the group was met by a grinning Trystan. “Welcome to my abode.” Croía smiled as she stepped out of the car and wrapped her arms around him. “Did you have fun today, kid?”

“Yeah,” Croía said as she stepped back. “Minus the temp dropping 15 degrees in the last hour,” she chuckled. She turned to the group behind her. “You know these two,” she gestured to Liam and Leo. “And this is Maxwell, Drake, and his girlfriend Riley,” she pointed to each of them. “Guys, this is my brother Trystan.” 

“Nice to meet you,” Trystan nodded, shaking each of their hands, and they each smiled in response.

“Come on, Sweets! I made some mulled wine!” Marguerite called out from somewhere. 

Trystan gestured his head for them to follow and turned, walking further into the penthouse. Liam slipped his hand into Croía’s as they all trailed behind him. 

When they stepped into the living area from the entryway, Leo let out a low whistle at not only the sheer size of the place but the modern elegance as well. “Exiled but still living like a fucking King.” 

Trystan laughed, flipping him off over his shoulder just as Marguerite came into view from the kitchen. “Hello, all,” Marguerite greeted everyone at once as she slid mugs of mulled wine across the counter for them. “Nice to see you again.” 

Hearing footsteps behind them, Croía turned to see a petite brunette making her way down the hall; the woman paused when she glanced up to see six pairs of unfamiliar eyes staring at her. “Hello,” she smiled tentatively.

Trystan came beside her a moment later, and Croía couldn’t help but notice the unmistakable grin her brother wore as he looked down at her with adoration shining in his eyes. He looked up and gestured toward Croía, and she stepped forward. “This is my girlfriend Cameron. Cam, this is my sister Croía.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Croía,” Cameron smiled as she extended her hand. 

“You as well,” Croía grinned, shaking her hand.

Cameron’s eyes flickered up to the others, stopping on one. “You must be Liam.” He nodded with a smile, extending his hand to shake hers. “I’ve heard a lot about you.” 

“Probably a lot of grumbling and yelling, yeah?” Leo chuckled, earning a look from both his brother and Trystan as Croía’s cheeks flushed. 

“That’s Leo, Liam’s older brother, and my old suitemate at Uni,” Trystan said. “And these are Liam’s friends, Drake, Maxwell, and Riley.” 

“Nice to meet you all,” Cameron smiled. 

“The point of mulled wine is to drink it while it’s hot, people!” Marguerite chided from the kitchen. Everyone turned and started toward her, each taking one of the mugs she prepared. “Trystan left dinner up to me, so I ordered Chinese. Hope everyone’s ok with that. If not … starve, I guess.” 

Leo chuckled. “I like her.”

“Don’t even think about it,” Trystan grumbled beside him, low enough so only he could hear. “One Rys is enough.” 

“I mean, it’s not like you don’t have plenty of sisters to go around.” Leo tossed his head back with a laugh at the look his words earned from Trystan. 

****

After dinner, the group sat in the living area, talking over more drinks. Trystan watched Croía and Cameron as they sat in the corner of the sectional and chatted. By the way they would glance at him now and then while laughing, he had no doubt they were exchanging stories about him. He smiled at how easily they seemed to get along, not that he expected anything less. 

Trystan’s eyes flickered to Liam, who was sitting on the other end of the sectional with his friends, talking with Marguerite. After his meetings with Liam’s parents and learning more about what happened at the lodge, there was something Trystan wanted to speak to him about privately, if he found the time to do so. 

As if reading his mind, Marguerite stood from the sofa. “I can’t believe you haven’t offered to give them a tour of the place.”

“It’s an apartment,” Trystan scoffed.

“Our apartment in the Bronx could fit inside your kitchen,” Drake chuckled. 

“And still leave room,” Maxwell added.

“Come. I’ll show you around,” Marguerite said. “Cam, come on, you can be my assistant.”

“Lucky me,” Cameron teased as she and Croía stood to join them. 

As they started to file down the hallway, Trystan stopped Liam. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

Liam swallowed thickly, unsure of what this was about, but the look on Trystan’s face when he walked into that safe house flashed in his mind. “Sure.” 

Trystan moved to the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living area, waiting until the voices of the others faded before looking at Liam. “I wanted to thank you …”

Liam’s brows furrowed. “For what?”

“I heard about what you did during the attack … throwing yourself in front of Croía …” 

“It was nothing,” Liam said. 

“Don’t downplay what you did, Liam. There’s a good chance that it saved her life. And I will forever be grateful to you for that.” 

Liam could see the genuine sincerity in his eyes and hear it in his tone. “Really, you don’t have to thank me.” 

“Stop being so humble and accept my damn gratitude.”

Liam chuckled with a conceding nod. “You’re welcome.” 

“Listen … I know I haven’t given you the easiest time and I’m sorry for that … but it wasn’t because of you, per se.” Trystan glanced out the window. “I struggled with the idea of Croía being in a relationship with anyone at all. And not because she’s my baby sister and I wanted to play the role of protective big brother for the fun of scaring potential suitors off but because I know what she’s been through.” He looked back at him. “She’s dealt with constant letdowns and heartbreak all her life at the hands of people who were supposed to love her most. She was treated like and told she was nothing more than a mistake and disappointment, made to believe that she wasn’t worthy of attention or affection from her own parents let alone anyone else. Knowing she’d never had a relationship, I worried about her … about her falling and then dealing with that kind of heartbreak … of it happening and it making her believe those things she was told about herself growing up.” 

“I would never hurt her, Trystan,” Liam said. “I love her.” 

“I know you do,” Trystan nodded with a small smile. “And I can see that she loves you. You make her happy … happier than I have ever seen her. All of you do … you and the friends that she’s made. I’m glad she has you in her life.” 

“She’s pretty special to all of us,” Liam smiled. 

“She is special,” Trystan nodded in agreement. “I can’t help but look at her and think that underneath that shy and naive exterior … there’s something big she’s destined to do. I don’t know what that is yet, and neither does she … but I think being with you is going to help bring it out of her.” Liam chewed the inside of his cheek, letting his words sink in as a silence settled between them. After a few moments, Trystan cleared his throat. “Alright, that got way too serious for my liking.” He turned and walked across the living area. “Just know that if you do ever hurt her … I will find you.” He stopped near an empty wall and turned to Liam again. “I may be exiled, but I still have diplomatic immunity. And I can turn this penthouse into a torture chamber with a push of a button.” 

When Liam laughed off his words, he saw Trystan arch a brow as he reached over and pushed a small button. His eyes widened when the wall slid open, revealing an extensive knife collection that would put the one in Lythikos to shame. “Holy shit.” 

Trystan plucked a dagger from its holding place and expertly twirled it in his hands as he met his gaze. “As I said …” 

Liam stiffened. “Got it. Loud and clear.” 

****

After leaving the penthouse, Drake, Maxwell, and Riley headed back to their apartment to pack their bags; Eleanor sent Liam a message that they would be leaving tomorrow morning. They said their goodbyes to Trystan, Cameron, and Marguerite, and Trystan promised Croia he’d see her soon. 

Once back at the hotel, Liam and Croía checked in with his parents to let them know they returned before going to their suite. They stepped inside and headed to the bedroom to change.

“I forgot to ask,” Croía said as she slipped off her shoes and undid her pants. “Why did you miss the penthouse tour?” 

“Your brother wanted to talk to me,” Liam replied as he pulled off his shirt.

“Oh god … about what?” 

“Nothing bad,” Liam chuckled, stripping off his pants. “He thanked me … after hearing what I did at the lodge. I’m assuming Jonas or Anthony told him.”

“What else?” Croía asked, able to tell by his expression that wasn’t all. 

Liam turned and smiled as he moved to stand in front of her; she was now clad in only an oversized t-shirt that hung just low enough to conceal the lace underneath. “He apologized for not going easy on me and said it was because he didn’t want to see you hurt. I told him that I wouldn’t ever hurt you …” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers “… because I love you,” he whispered. 

Croía stared up at him and smiled softly. “I love you, too.” She caught a glimpse of his smile in the dim light just as she drew his lips back to hers. 

Liam’s hand tangled in her hair as the kiss deepened, and he felt that longing and need for her return and erupt to the surface. He shifted his lips to her neck, and when he kissed the spot just below her ear, she let out a soft breath. “Are we picking up where we left off this morning?”

“Please,” Croía whispered before guiding his mouth back to hers, kissing him more intently. 

Pulling back for a breath a moment later, Liam brushed his thumb against her full bottom lip as he met her gaze. “Are you sure?” 

“I’m sure,” Croía whispered. 

Liam turned and sat on the edge of the bed, bringing Croía to stand in front of him. His gaze met and held hers as he smoothed his hands up her thighs, stopping when they reached her hips; his fingers hooked through her lace underwear and tugged them down her legs. When they hit the floor, he gently pulled her to him to straddle his lap. As he captured her lips again, his hands slowly slid up her bare back underneath her t-shirt, pushing the fabric up; they broke the kiss just before he pulled it over her head and dropped it to the floor. 

Liam’s eyes scanned over her bare body as his hands carefully began to wander. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” 

Croía’s cheeks slightly flushed with a smile before she leaned in to kiss him again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. As their tongues curled together, he slipped his hand between their bodies, slowly stroking her; he groaned against her lips, feeling her coat his fingers. 

Apparently, he wasn’t alone in his longing and need. 

A delicate moan came from Croía as she drew back from his lips and arched against him. “Liam …” 

Liam couldn’t draw this out like he typically would; he didn’t have that much restraint at the moment. “What do you want?” he asked as his lips whispered kisses along her jaw and his fingers continued to tease her.

“You,” Croía said. “You … like this.”

Liam leaned back to look at her, biting his lip through a smile. “You want to be on top?” Croía smiled coyly and nodded. 

After maneuvering out of his boxers, Liam shifted further back on the bed, holding her against him. She closed her eyes, feeling him rub against her, momentarily quelling the ache between her thighs. When she felt his lips on hers again, she eagerly returned the kiss. 

“It’s going to feel … different,” Liam whispered against her lips when they parted. “So just go slow, ok?” 

Croía nodded before he shifted her hips so he could position himself beneath her. With her arms wrapped around him and his hands gripping her waist to help guide her, she slowly began to sink down on him; when he started to fill her, she closed her eyes, letting out a rush of breath mingled with a moan. After pausing a moment to let herself adjust, she continued inching down little by little until her hips were slotted against his with him buried to the hilt. 

“You ok?” Liam asked in a gruff voice, struggling to rein in the neediness of his tone from the feeling of her wrapped around him. 

Croía promptly nodded as she bit her lip. “Mmm-hmm.” 

Drawing her mouth to his, Liam kissed her slow and deep as his hands gave a gentle nudge. He felt her tremble above him as she began to slowly rock her hips, letting out a groan against her lips that blended with her own moan. When her hands moved to grip his shoulders, he drew back from the kiss, holding her gaze as he laid back. 

Liam gently rolled his hips as he held hers, drawing a gasp from her as he urged her to find her own rhythm. She splayed her hands on his chest as he helped guide her until she fell into a pace comfortable for her. She sat up, sweeping her long hair away from her face as she continued to ride him.

Liam’s cock twitched at the sight of her working herself above him, watching her lips part with a moan as her expression twisted with pleasure. “Fuck, Croía,” he groaned.  

Keeping one hand on her hip, Liam let his other wander, gliding up her stomach to caress her chest. She unwittingly arched into his touch with a moan, and with her back slightly curved, he smirked as his hand dropped back down to where they connected, sliding his thumb against her. 

“Liam,” Croía’s breath hitched at the surge of pleasure from the new sensation.

“Don’t stop moving,” Liam whispered as he continued to slowly circle his thumb against her as his other hand guided her forward, coaxing her to continue to chase her release. “Keep going.” He thrust in time with each roll of her hips as she gingerly picked up her pace. “That’s it.” Her breaths mingled with whimpers and she worked in time with the movement of his thumb; soon, he could feel her fluttering around him. “Come for me, Croía.”

A moment later, when Liam pressed against her just right with a simultaneous buck of his hips, Croía arched on top of him with a moan; she instinctively gripped the wrist of the hand that his thumb was circling her with as he drew out her release. He slowed his movements, feeling her quiver against him as she dropped forward with a gasp, bracing herself against his chest. He combed her hair away from her face and drew her down to him, capturing her lips in his; he moaned into the kiss, feeling her continue to clench around him. 

In a quick motion and without breaking the kiss, Liam flipped them so he was on top. He drew back, shifting his lips to her neck, trailing kisses up to her ear. “Wrap your legs around me,” he whispered as he smoothed a hand down one of her thighs and lifted it to his waist. She did as he said, pressing her heels to the small of his back. He rolled his hips, thrusting back into her and drawing a moan from both of them. “God, you feel so fucking good,” he groaned.

Croía clung to him, and he still gauged her for any signs of discomfort as she moved with him; he drew out the moment, letting her savor each stroke — each roll of his hips, each deep push into her. Nearing his own release and sensing hers start to crest again, evident from the sounds she made and the way she started to tense around him, he upped his pace. 

“Liam, I-I’m—” Croía’s words trailed off into a moan.

“I know,” Liam rasped. “I’m right here. Let go and come with me.” 

Liam thrust once, twice, three times before Croía’s back bowed off the bed with a rapture-filled moan at the same moment he met his own shuddering release. His body went taut, a gravelly groan ripping from his throat as he held himself deep inside her, feeling her tremble beneath him. She still clung to his body, now slick with a sheen of sweat as was her own as he rested his head in the crook of her neck, both trying to catch their breath. 

Lifting his head, Liam pressed a lingering kiss to the hollow of her throat, then another against her pulse point before bringing his lips to her ear. “Are you alright?” When she nodded, he drew back just enough to look at her. “Are you sure?”

Croía opened her eyes to meet his gaze, smiling as her chest rose and fell. “I’m sure.” She lifted her hands, combing her fingers through his hair before pulling him down and capturing his lips in hers in a deep kiss as they continued to come down from their high. 

When they drew apart for a breath, Liam’s nose brushed against hers. “I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too.” Croía could just make out his smile before he kissed her again.

*******

A tangle of hands reached across the kitchen counter inside Liam’s wing of the palace, each grabbing different toppings for the sundaes they were putting together. 

Leo tipped his head back, filling his mouth with whipped cream before swirling it onto his ice cream. 

Drake covered his chocolate ice cream in chocolate syrup and chocolate chips while Riley did the same beside him. 

Maxwell tossed a handful of gummy bears on top of his before burying them beneath a mountain of whipped cream. 

Croía drizzled melted peanut butter onto hers before topping it with a couple of cherries. 

They all glanced over at Liam, who topped his plain vanilla ice cream with a single cherry and nothing else.

Drake’s brows furrowed. “Dude …” 

“That’s it?” Maxwell chuckled.  

“What?” Liam scoffed. “Vanilla is fine by itself.”

Leo looked from the bowl to his brother. “That is the saddest fucking sundae I’ve ever seen.”

Everyone laughed as Liam shook his head with a grin before bringing a large spoonful of very plain ice cream to his mouth. 

It had been two weeks since everyone returned to Cordonia from New York. After spending the holidays in Valtoria, they arrived back at the palace to enjoy the rest of their break. Drake, Maxwell, and Riley were heading back to New York tomorrow, and Liam and Croía would be returning to Vancross the day after. 

While heading to the living room to watch the movie they had picked out, Liam’s phone rang; he slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled it out. “Hey, Mom,” he answered. He paused, holding his sundae in one hand and the phone to his ear in the other as he glanced at Croía, who stopped to look at him. “Ok, we’ll be right there.” 

“What’s wrong?” Croía asked when he slipped the phone back into his pocket.

“My parents want to talk to you and me in my dad’s study.” 

Croía knitted her brows. “About what?” 

“Don’t know,” Liam shrugged. “She didn’t say.” They set their bowls down while the others got settled around the television. “Go ahead and start. We’ll be back.” 

Liam and Croía walked hand-in-hand through the corridors from his wing towards the King’s study, chatting quietly. The two weeks Croía had spent in Cordonia were a far cry from what her time in Drakovia would have been had she gone home for the break. She had yet to hear from her parents, but she hadn’t reached out to them either; before they left New York, Trystan told her to just enjoy her time in Cordonia and not worry about anything or anyone back home. 

When they approached the study, Liam knocked on the door, and Constantine called for them to enter. They stepped inside and were greeted by his parents. “We’re sorry to have interrupted your movie night,” Eleanor smiled ruefully as she gestured to the sofa across from them.

“It’s fine,” Liam said as they sat down. “Is everything ok?”

“Yes,” Eleanor nodded. “We called you both here to let you know … we received a call from Dean Lundqvist. You two won’t be going back to Vancross just yet …” 

“Why?” Liam asked.

“They’ve been getting a lot of pushback from the board and parents — rightfully so — about students returning while still not knowing who was behind the attack or why it happened,” Constantine explained. “Vancross is shutting down temporarily and all of your classes will be virtual until further notice …”

***************************************

Perma Tags (if you’d like to be added or removed for this story, please let me know): @zaffrenotes @cocomaxley @emichelle @sweetest-marbear @indiacater @gibbles82 @the-soot-sprite @ladyangel70 @esmckenzie @dcbbw @burnsoslow @deb-1106 @bbrandy2002 @charlotteg234 @neotericthemis @foreverethereal123 @choiceskatie @sirbeepsalot @gnatbrain @openheart12 @sincerelyella @superharriet @queenrileyrose @aestheticartsx @kingliam2019 @indiana-jr @bascmve01 @rainbowsinthestorm @emkay512 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @forallthatitsworth @walker7519 @iaminlovewithtrr @amandablink @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @princessleac1 @21-wishes @appleone @tessa-liam @pixelatedpassion @malblk21 @lovingchoices14 @nestledonthaveone @forthebrokenheartedthings @nomadics-stuff @differenttyphoonwerewolf

[angelasscribbles]

The Crown and the Shield Chapter 8: Healing

Series: The Crown and the Shield

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Constantine x Jackson

Word Count: 922

Rating: PG

Warnings for this chapter: none

Special thanks to @aussiegurl1234 for her input.

A/N: So, we finally come to the final chapter of this “one-shot” lol. I hope it meets expectations.

My other stuff: Master List.

“Today is the one-year anniversary of the Madrid Peace Summit Massacre,” the news anchor addressed the camera.

“It was a dark day for all our countries,” His co-host replied nodding her head sympathetically, “Isabella Hasapis was forced to take the Auverness throne when both her parents were killed, making her the youngest monarch in their history, ascending the throne at only sixteen. In Monterisso, the late queen’s sister was appointed as regent until crown princess Amalas is old enough to rule.”

Constantine turned the volume of the TV up as his mind ran back in time to the worst day of his life.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” the white-coated doctor stood with his hands in his pockets as he delivered the news, “We did everything we could. Heroic measures were employed but the injuries from the gunshot wounds were too grievous, and we were unable to save him.”

Constantine’s body shook with sobs. He let himself be led to a chair. He sank into it and dropped his head into his hands. He gathered his emotions as best he could and lifted his head, “And her?”

“I’m sorry, sir, again, the extent of the injuries-“

“So I’ve lost them both?”

“I’m very sorry for your loss. Would you like to see your wife now?”

“Connie, why are you watching this?” Eleanor took the remote from his hand and clicked the TV off just as the footage of his remarks from the south lawn of the palace earlier in the day began to play.

He turned to her with tears in his eyes, “It was the day I lost both my parents. The day I almost lost you. I don’t know how Leo and Liam would have-“

“Hey, we don’t have to worry about that. I’m here. I made it and so did you.”

“Thanks to Jack.”

“Yes,” she agreed, “Thanks to Jack. Speaking of him…don’t you have somewhere to be?”

He glanced at the clock on the wall and jumped to his feet, “Shit! Yes! I have to go!”

“It’s fine, go!” She shooed him out of their private living room, one hand at the small of her back and the other resting on her burgeoning stomach as she felt the baby kick. “Settle down, Lena. You have a month left in there.”

She missed her in-laws, but she was grateful that both she and her husband had been spared. The bullet had hit her in the side. There had been a lot of blood, but no major organs had been damaged.

She would have joined the king, but she was on partial bedrest for the duration of the pregnancy. She had told Constantine to give her love to the Walker family. She would be forever grateful for the sacrifices made that day.

Constantine stepped out of the limo and approached the group gathered around the gravesite. He made his way to Bianca and swept her into a hug before doing the same with Drake and Savannah in turn.

He stepped forward and touched the cold marble of the marker, his fingers tracing the etching. His throat constricted as he croaked out, “He died a hero.”

“That he did. He stepped right in front of that bullet.”

Constantine turned toward the voice with a solemn expression, “So did you.”

“Damned straight I did! And I’d do it again!”

The king pulled the other man into a tight embrace as he fought back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, “Don’t joke about that, Jack, I almost lost you that day!”

It had been touch and go for two weeks. Constantine had never left his side.

“I’m not joking,” Jackson hugged him back.

Constantine had tried to get him to transfer to a less dangerous position, but Jackson had refused. There was no one else he trusted to safeguard the man he loved.

“Eleanor sends her love to all of you,” Constantine pushed out of Jackson’s arms and turned back to the monument, “We know how much Bastien meant to you.”

“He was like family,” Bianca agreed.

“He didn’t hesitate to take that bullet for her,” Jackson removed a flask of whiskey from his jacket pocket and held it up to the monument in salute, “Here’s to the best junior officer I ever had the privilege of training.”

“To Bastien!” the little group chorused.

When the gathering was over, Constantine and Jackson walked back to the limo together, hand in hand.

The perpetrators of the attack had all been brought to justice and The Liberation Core dismantled. There was some amount of closure in that.

Eleanor had taken the news of his relationship with Jackson in stride.

“I suspected, Connie. But it doesn’t change anything for me. I love you, and I love our boys.”

The only thing she had asked him for was another child. A chance for a girl and he’d given it to her.

In return, she’d given him complete acceptance of his relationship with Jackson.

He was as happy as he could be while still grieving his parents. He would always miss them, but he had a baby on the way, a queen who understood him, and the love of his life by his side.

Next year for his birthday, Jackson was getting that white water rafting trip. Constantine had already booked it. Just the two of them…give or take a few dozen guardsmen.

He glanced at the man next to him with happiness in his heart. He was healing, Cordonia was healing, and the future looked bright.  

~fin

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Dead Deader and Death

by vamptigergal Just when everything seemed to settle into a normal for Jason as Red Hood, old memories of a time long forgotten show up. What could the Ghost King Danny and his boo DeathPool want with the not quite crimelord and his family. And why do strange events keep happening around Jason and his family every time they turn around Words: 3642, Chapters: 1/20, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel, DCU (Comics), Danny Phantom Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi Characters: Danny Fenton, Jason Todd, Deathpool, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark, Miles Morales, Peter Parker, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Clark Kent, John Constantine, Gwenpool, Kate Bishop, Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes, Steve Rogers, Wiccan, Speed - Character, Riri Williams, Deadpool, Eleanor "Ellie" Camacho, Logan (X-Men), Cassandra Cain, Barbara Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Stephanie Brown, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Barry Allen, Wally West, Dan Phantom, Tucker Foley, Skulker (Danny Phantom), Fright Knight (Danny Phantom), Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Jazz Fenton Relationships: Danny Fenton/Jason Todd, Jason Todd/DeathPool, Danny Fenton/DeathPool Additional Tags: so many more character, Cannon Violence, Multiple ships, no beta we die like Danny&Jason, so much pining, Semi-Public Sex, Bad Flirting, Jason is an idiot, BatFamily is BatFamily via https://ift.tt/N8UlZfW

[choicesficwriterscreations]

The Royal Romance Masterlist 3/4

Ⓜ️ = Adult Content/18+ 🔥 = NSFW/18+ Only

August 2023

Week Ending August 26, 2023:

Baking Memories | Liam Rhys, Constantine Rhys - @kristinamae093

Black Silk (Series) | Liam Rhys x F!OC, Drake Walker x F!OC - @aussiegurl1234 Chapter 16: The Steer Ⓜ️

Can't Take My Eyes Off You (Series) | Bertrand Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis - @alj4890 Chapter 3: Olivia's Ballroom

Mosquito | Maxwell Beaumont x MC - @chocopeppermintcake

The Royal Heir's Royal Romance | Drake Walker x MC, Royal Heir x OC - @whatisreggieshortfor

...Sometimes Not (Series) | Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Part 8: Turn a Blind Eye

Through Hell & Back (Series) | Olivia Nevrakis x Anton Severus - @queenmiarys Part 1: First Impressions

Turning the Page (Series) | Liam Rys x F!MC - @tessa-liam Chapter 2: The Sacrifice Ⓜ️

Week Ending August 19, 2023:

Black Silk (Series) | Liam Rys x F!OC, Drake Walker x F!OC - @aussiegurl1234 Chapter 15: Stacey

The Dark Kingdom (Series) | Liam Rys x MC, Drake Walker x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 4: Home Ⓜ️

Envy | LIam Rys x MC - @queenmiarys

Laws End (Series) - @angelasscribbles Murder at Vista Heights Chapter 4 Ⓜ️

Savage Love (Series) | Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys x MC - @angelasscribbles Chapter 34: Plans and Declarations Ⓜ️🔥

TRR AU Drabble | Liam Rys x MC - @lilyoffandoms

TRR Drabble | Drake Walker x F!OC - @lilyoffandoms

TRR Drabble 2 | Drake Walker x MC - @lilyoffandoms

Week Ending August 12, 2023:

Best Kept Secrest (Series) | Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Chapter 16: I'll Take the Fall Ⓜ️

Black Silk (Series) | Liam Rys x F!OC, Drake Walker x F!OC - @aussiegurl1234 Chapter 14: Applewood

Cake | Drake Walker x F!OC - @persephone13

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (Series) | Maxwell Beaumont x Olivia Nevrakis - @alj4890 Chapter 2

Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia (Series) | Liam Rys x M!MC - @justcallmefox89 Chapter 17

Ghosted (Series) | Liam Rys x MC - @kristinamae093 Chapter 7: The Apple Banquet Ⓜ️

Marabelle (Series) | Liam Rys x MC - @tessa-liam Chapter 6 Ⓜ️

Royal Love (Series) | Eleanor x M!OC - @eadanga Part 14

Week Ending August 5, 2023:

Cinderfella's Aventures in Cordonia (Series) | Liam Rys x M!MC - @justcallmefox89 Chapter 16

The Dark Kingdom (Series) | - @angelasscribbles Chapter 1: Escape Ⓜ️ Chapter 2: The Dark Lord | Liam Rys x MC Ⓜ️ Chapter 3: Reprieve Ⓜ️

Dead in the Water | Liam Rys x MC - @dcbbw Ⓜ️

The DeFacto Queen (Series) | Drake Walker x MC, Liam Rys x MC -@angelasscribbles Chapter 4: Are We Okay? Ⓜ️

(Less Than) Noble Intentions: I've Been Waiting for You Comic 🎨 | Drake Walker x F!OC - art by @rosefuckinggenius fic by @karahalloway

Sleepless in New York: Sparks Fly Comic 🎨 | Drake Walker x F!OC art by @blueberryarts18 fic by @karahalloway

... Sometimes Not (Series) | Liam Rys x F!OC - @ao719 Part 7: Hard to Go Back

[kaitycole]

...Mystery Made Brunettes

Summary: Drake, Riley and Jackson continue talking to each other and Jackson tells them more about the diplomatic ball.

Word Count: 3300

Pairings: Drake x Riley, Constantine x Eleanor, Jackson x Bianca

Warnings: Mention of abuse (towards the very end), lying, 

Part 12 of WP. To catch up read here.

A/N: Hello, so in this Leo’s mother’s name is Liana. That’s all. Enjoy!

Tag List: @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ @kingliam2019​ @texaskitten30​ @glaimtruelovealways​ @bobasheebaby​ @bascmve01​  @burnsoslow​  @the-everlasting-dream​  @ao719​ @sirbeepsalot​  @janezillow​  @i-bloody-love-drake-walker​ @kimmiedoo5​  @choices97​ @marshmallowsaremyfavorite​ @lodberg​ @edgiestwinter​  @marshmallowsandfire​ @hopefulmoonobject​​  @iaminlovewithtrr​  

**I don’t own the characters, just borrowing them**

Drake is walking around outside, trying to wrap his head around things. Over the last couple hours, Drake learned more about his parents and Liam’s than he ever really wanted to. While he knew that his parents weren’t perfect, it still hurt seeing the obvious way Jackson’s eyes lit up when he mentioned Eleanor.

His mother crosses his mind, their last conversation having been months ago, when she went off about him so much as mentioning him. He briefly wonders if maybe she’s known, did Constantine tell her? Or was it just intuition? Or had she really left them from a broken heart? Telling Liam was hard for him, he spent his whole life wanting to protect Liam, but telling his mother could prove to be nuclear.

Riley walks up behind him, “How are you?”

“I don’t know Ri.” He sits down on the stairs and she follows.

“I think Jackson is really trying hard,” she lowers her voice, “and your being hard on him.”

“I’m not being hard on purpose. I’m reacting to what I’m learning. This isn’t some rom-com , Riley.”

“I’m not acting like it is.”

“But you are. This isn’t just something that is magically going to fix itself in an hour and a half.”

She crosses her arms, “It could be though. To just start over.”

“No, it can’t, Ri. I’m relearning who Jackson is. He went from my dead dad to a living stranger.” He shakes his head, “This is bigger than just filling in some blanks and starting new memories.”

“Drake…”

“This is bigger than just him and I. It involves Liam, Olivia, Savannah, Bartie, Leo. Numerous people’s lives were shook around and impacted by a decision made by two people, one of them being in that house. I spent my whole life blaming myself for my dad’s death and I should’ve been blaming myself for ruining my friend’s lives.” He walks off, leaving Riley sitting there, watching him increase the space between them.

“He just needs a bit more time, sweetie.” Jackson says, sitting down next to her.

She wipes her eyes, cursing her hormones for being all over the place, “I didn’t have a dad, is it wrong to want him to have his?”

“Not at all, but take it from his father, he’s gotta work through some stuff first. But he’ll come around.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because he’s a Walker. Walkers always look after their own.”

Riley wants to ask him if that’s true, why’d he leave, but it’s not her place. Nor something that Jackson would probably want to tell her. At least not right now.

“I overheard Drake list some people, how are they? How’s Savannah?”

Riley is shocked to hear him say her name, this whole time never once did he ask about anyone by name. To be fair, Savannah was doing extremely well for herself: she had a son, was married and happily living in the Beaumont estate, but she knew those were things that Savannah should tell him or at least give Drake permission to tell him first.

“She’s doing extremely well. She’s really happy with everything in her life.”

“And Liam?” A mixture of guilt and regret washes over his expression. Jackson didn’t enjoy leaving his children, but he knew they were left with someone who would love them, or so he thought. But he never stopped feeling miserable over the fact that Liam and Leo in Constantine’s clutches.

“He’s been better. He’s having a really hard time with this, especially since his mother…” She doesn’t finish, she knows Jackson understands; the tears in his eyes are obvious. “But he thinks his trip here will help.”

“Trip here?”

“Yes, Liam is planning on visiting. I think there’s somethings he needs you to confirm or deny the best you can.” She gives him a smile, “He should be here in a few days.”

Jackson just nods, it was one thing to face his own son, but Liam. He wasn’t sure he could. What Liam needed wasn’t for him to sit and answer questions, he needed his mother.

Drake’s footsteps pull Jackson from his thoughts and Riley stands up. She throws her arms arounds his neck, whispering “I’m sorry” over and over. He pulls her back slightly before kissing her and smiling, letting her know all was forgiving.

“I made a promise to Liam, the day of Eleanor’s funeral, I’d protect him. I can’t do that unless I know all the fact, so tell the what else happened at this ball.”

*          * “Your husband is one of the best officers at the palace. You should be proud.” Constantine says to Bianca.

“Thank you for saying such kind words, sir.” Bianca smiles at the King. After the King had addressed the room, everyone gathered in the middle of the ballroom and began to make their rounds. To be honest, Bianca was completely lost at who to talk to and in what way to address anyone, but her husband on the other hand shined, which shocked her because he hated large events. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought he grew up a noble himself.

“And who would this lovely woman be?” A male voice asks Constantine.

“This is Office Walker’s wife, Bianca Walker.”

Bianca attempts to dip into a low curtsey but trips on her own foot and the man quickly catches her before she falls. Her face is completely red and she refuses to look up at him.

“They used to say I could knock any woman off her feet, glad to see it’s still true.”

“You truly are something else, Duke Barthelemy.”

Bianca immediately curtseys again, “I’m sorry for the mishap, Your Grace.”

“I assure you, there’s no need for apologizes.” He extends his arm, “May I have this dance?”

Bianca looks around for Jackson but cannot find him before Constantine picks up on her hesitation.

“Enjoy the night, Mrs. Walker.”

Barthelemy escorts Bianca onto the dance floor and he starts leading her into the Cordonian Waltz. She quickly fell in sync with the Duke which he noticed.

“You’re a natural.”

“Thank you.”

“I was surprised to hear a guardsman would be attending such a diplomatic ball, but when I arrived and started hearing the rumors, it all made sense.” He twirls her around and pulls her back into him before spinning her back out.

“I’m not sure I know what you are referring to, Your Grace. What rumors?”

He leans closer to her, his lips brush against her ear, “The ones about the guardsman who is engaging in an inappropriate relationship with the Queen.”

Bianca lets out a gasp before composing herself and Barthelemy takes a step back, a slight smirk on his face. He watches as her eyes scan the room, finally landing on the Queen who is standing extremely close to Jackson.

“But I’m sure they are just rumors. Maids love gossiping after all.” He bows as she curtseys, ending the dance between them before Bianca rushes off to get some air.

*          * “Bianca? What are you doing out here?” Jackson asks, finally finding his wife out near the old hedge maze.

“I just needed some air.”

“Have you-- were you crying?”

“What do you care?” She scoffs, wiping her eyes once more.

“I’m your husband, it’s my job to care.”

“Why were we invited tonight?”

He’d been with Bianca for years, but he still couldn’t always keep up with her mental track. “What? You were there when Timothy brought the invitation.”

“But why? You’re just a guard.”

“I still don’t fully understand myself. But I’m sure Queen Eleanor had a reason and King Constantine agreed.”

“It doesn’t have anything to do with your relationship with Queen Eleanor?”

Jackson takes a step back, shaking his head, “What are you talking about?”

“Just tell me the truth, Jack.”

“I am! I have no idea why we were invited.”

“Are you sleeping with her?”

Jackson quickly yanked his wife off the bench and pulls her away from the ears of the guards stationed outside.

“Get off me!” She pulls her arm away.

“What the hell is your problem!? I could be charged with treason and so could Queen Eleanor!”

“That doesn’t answer the question.”

“No, I am not! How dare you even think that!”

“Then what are you doing that’s stirred up rumors?”

“Maids talk. Servants talk. Guards talk. Despite the romanced vision of the Crown, days tend to be long and boring so rumors sprout up daily.”

“That doesn’t explain why you were invited tonight.” Bianca crosses her arms, acting as though she’s about to catch him in a lie.

Jackson takes a step closer, lowering his voice, “It’s for my job.” He then explains to her that nobles keep tight-lipped around those in uniform, however with him and a few other guards dressed up, they could potentially hear things the monarchy should know. Especially with the formations of rebellions increasing within the last few months. Queen Eleanor had recommended him to be one of the guards used.

Her face falls, feeling foolish for even giving the rumors any attention, “I’m sorry. Just with how you’ve been acting lately, the rumor almost felt like it connected all the dots.”

“I get it. I could never do something like that though.” The lie slips off Jackson’s lips effortlessly. While he wasn’t lying about not having a physical affair with the Queen, he was lying about not having any affair with the Queen; they were having an emotional one. And given the chance, Jackson wasn’t sure he’d make a moral one.

“Not only that, but I know you’d never betray your country. It’s one of the things I love most about you: your honor.”

A normal man might have felt guilt at those words. Guilt at the words his wife just said. Honor was something a man in his position should hold himself to yet Jackson didn’t. While he heard the words she said, understood the meaning they held, his attention was focused on the elegant blonde making her way towards them.

“Your Majesty.” Jackson bows as Bianca dips into a low curtsy.

“Officer Walker. Mrs. Walker.”

“Oh please, Jackson and Bianca are perfectly fine.” She hesitates, “This is a lovely courtyard.”

“Thank you. Although I’ve always wondered what a garden would look like here instead.”

“A garden would be lovely.”

“Bianca, I was wondering if I could borrow Jackson for a moment.” Eleanor smiles her signature smile, the one that made it impossible to say no to.

“Oh. Of course. I’ll head back inside, I’m parched.”

Jackson watches his wife until she’s back inside before turning his attention to the Queen, “May I speak freely?”

“Of course.”

“Why’d you invite me tonight?”

She doesn’t answer right away, grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the few guests within earshot, “I thought Constantine told you.”

“I don’t believe that’s the only reason I’m here.” Jackson had told his wife the truth about being on duty in common clothes to see if anyone had loose lips, but him being picked never made sense. There were guards that were on the payroll for this exact event, yet he was chosen over them.

He watches her chew on her bottom lip, deep in thought, “For this, Jackson.”

“El, I’m serious.”

“As am I. If you were in uniform, I couldn’t speak to my husband’s guard so freely. But it simply looks as if I’m talking to any other guest.” She knows it’s wrong to abuse her position this way, to stand here flirting with a married man whose wife was mere feet away, but she doesn’t care. The way she feels about and around Jackson is something she can’t explain. Her marriage wasn’t entirely loveless, but she knows and always has that she doesn’t hold a candle to Leo’s mother in Constantine’s eyes. Tears fill her eyes, “Forgive me if I just wanted to be with you in public, that I hate sneaking around in the dark with you.”

Jackson knows exactly how she felt, he felt it too. He looks around, placing a hand on her cheek before he pulls her into his chest; pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He longed for her to be in his arms like this, in the open, making it feel as if it wasn’t as dirty as it was. Sneaking around once a week, to a forgotten study where they tried to condense their weeks into just a few stolen moments.

They embrace one another for several moments before reality weighs down and Jackson remembers what Bianca told him.

“El, there’s a rumor.”

“What?” She pulls back and searches his face for clarity as she listens to him repeat what he heard.

In his whole career, he’s never once seen Eleanor as furious as she was in this moment. He didn’t think she could look more beautiful than she did, but seeing her like this proved him wrong; this was a different type of beauty.

He chases after her as she storms into the ballroom. He watches as she scans the room for Barthelemy Beaumont before finding him.

“El- your majesty. I think you should calm down.”

“Did you just tell me to calm down?” She spits through gritted teeth.

“No ma’am.”

“Lying to the Queen is an act of treason, Office Walker.” Her tone was stone cold, reminding his of Constantine and he knew to back down.

The space between Barthelemy and Eleanor shrunk the faster she walks and before long, she’s at his heels.

“Your Maj-“

“How dare you!” She shouts; the entire ballroom silences, all eyes on the Queen and Duke of Ramsford.

“What are –“

“You think you can come into my palace and spread heinous lies.”

By this time, Constantine is at Eleanor’s side, face completely masked in confusion. “Sweetie, let’s discuss this in private,” he says calmly as he gets closer to her side.

“Here is fine!” She protests.

Constantine, while wearing his diplomatic smile, discreetly grabs her arms tightly, causing her to wince. He had no idea why his wife was upset, but he refused for the courts to witness such a spectacle.

“Barthelemy, would you please join my wife and I in my study. I’m sure you’ll agree it’d be best.” The King’s words were icy, while they seemed like a request, anyone close to the royal circle could tell they were a demand. One to not be refused.

“Of course, your majesty.”

*          * Constantine leads the way to his study, Barthelemy and Eleanor behind him, but at a decent distance. Barthelemy leans close to Eleanor’s side, his voice low enough to where only should could hear him.

“I’m surprised at how calm you are about all of this.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about Duke Barthelemy.” She keeps her eyes forward, refusing to show any emotion to the Duke.

“It’s just you know how his majesty prefers action to questions, we all know how he handled the rumors that spun around after Queen Liana left.”

Eleanor remembers exactly what he’s referring to. When Liana first left, Constantine wouldn’t allow anyone to speak ill of her. He refused to let false rumors spread, even though he was in pain from her leaving. It was only a few days after her disappearance that Constantine began prosecuting anyone found speaking wrongly of Queen Liana, many say that was the day his heart finally turned to ice.

He leans close to Eleanor’s ear again, just as they get ready to walk into Constantine’s study, “Do you want to risk your lover’s safety?”

She freezes as he brushes pass her and into the room. She’s never been one to back down, but she knew the Duke wasn’t telling her anything that wasn’t true. Constantine would stop listening when he heard the rumor instead of hearing out all the facts. She had to think about how to handle this now that she calmed down.

The guards shut the door after she walks in, closing the three of them in the study.

“Now, Eleanor, would you care to tell me why you decided to cause a scene?”

“Yes, your majesty, what is it you were trying to accuse me of?” Barthelemy smirks at her; he truly enjoyed watching her squirm.

Eleanor knows if she doesn’t tell Constantine the truth, Barthelemy will use that against her, blackmail her with it; if she tells her husband the truth, she risks not only Jackson’s safety, but his family’s as well.

“He was telling people that Liam would be a weak ruler due to his friendship with Olivia.”

The Duke looks at Eleanor, raising his eye brow and giving a subtle nod; letting her know that he was impressed with her move and was willing to go with it. Constantine’s expression remains stoic, pressing his finger and thumb on the bridge of his nose. He really wished his wife would learn that emotions have no place in the monarchy; causing a scene like she did was uncalled for.

“Is that true, Barthelemy?”

“You have to understand where Ramsford is coming from. The Nevrakis’ plotted to overthrow the monarchy and you allow one into palace, befriending and getting close to one of the princes. It’s bad enough you allow Prince Liam to associate so closely with that Walker boy.”

Eleanor cuts her eyes to the Duke, who enjoys her reaction.

“I see. I’m sure you’re aware just how damning rumors can be, especially if they were to start about how the youngest Beaumont fell out of favor with Prince Liam.” Constantine takes a step closer to Barthelemy, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

The Duke nods, “Yes, your majesty.” He bows before Constantine and Eleanor before excusing himself from the room.

Eleanor turns to leave but is stopped, “Did you really think that a rumor about Liam really warranted such a scene?”

When Eleanor married Constantine, she knew he was only choosing to marry for one reason: produce another heir. Having just one caused unease within the country, history made it very clear that a King was to always produce at least two.

“He’s still a prince, Constantine.”

“But he’s not the Crown Prince, sweetheart, it’d do you best to remember that.”

She shakes her head before mumbling, “Who is to say Leo won’t run off like this mother.”

The next few events happen so quickly that it’s not until Constantine’s hand comes in contact with her cheek that a stunned Eleanor comprehends what happened. She immediately clutches her reddened cheek as tears begin to pool in her eyes.

He shakes his hand out as if that will undo his actions and remove the stinging sensation from his palm. He watches her, mouth slightly agape, looking at him as if he was no more than a stranger to her. And maybe he was, there was a time that he opened up to her, but it was just shortly after their wedding that he stopped. There were parts of him that he didn’t want to show anyone ever again because the last person that he showed, left him. But in this moment, her blatant disregard for Liana or Leo’s capabilities, the worst was brought out in him.

“Don’t speak of things you don’t understand, Eleanor.”

Her tight-lipped expression tells him everything he needs to know about her current state and as she slowly gains back her composure. She walks towards the door, only to have him grab her arm.

“I’ll tell everyone that you weren’t feeling well. That you were sorry to just leave but you wanted to rest.”

His grip got tighter on her arm before she finally let out a deep breath, “I’m feeling slightly lightheaded,  if you’ll excuse me.”