#how would willow react? what's on her hand? how does the impossibility of their romance factor into their relationship?

[justafriendofxanders]

do you like Xander/Andrew? (if you do I have a really specific idea I love and fuck it lets share: one of those AU’s where your soulmates name appears on you one letter at a time over your life. Anyway Xander’s letters say ‘A’ and then ‘An’. It’s only on the day of his wedding he gets his third letter. ‘And’. So turns out Anya ISNT his soulmate and he does his whole canon running away breakdown thing)

Anon I am HONORED to be the person you think of when you think of Xander/Andrew. I hope to bear my title as the number one defender of mediocre Buffy men (affectionate) with the same humility and grace I've conducted myself with thus far. Unfortunately this is not my ship, but I like that it seems very in-character for Xander's (and Andrew's) love life to unfold in a dramedy of errors. I assume this also involves an absolute fucking crisis on Xander's part in s1 when Angel shows up.

[translations-by-aiimee]

The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chapter 17

Original Title:  二哈和他的白猫师尊

Genres: Drama, Romance, Tragedy, Xianxia, Yaoi

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter Index

Chapter 17 - This Venerable One's Shizun was Injured, This Venerable One is very. . .

What kind of Master of Ceremonies Ghost was this thing? They dealt with aphrodisiacs. At best, other people's aphrodisiacs would let average living people take about their prowess. This immortal was good. The dead could get hard with a small wave of the hand. The hand was truly a wonderful "aphrodisiac"!

He was watching with great interest when suddenly Chu Wanning stretched out his hand and covered Mo Ran's ears.

Mo Ran: "Huh?"

Chu Wanning looked extremely cold: "Such a ridiculous and obscene practice. Don't bother watching it."

"Then you should be covering my eyes. Why are you plugging my ears?"

Chu Wanning's face was expressionless: "Don't look, don't listen. Close your eyes."

Mo Ran: "Pff. Shizun, you are really. . ." He didn't even pay attention to his own red face. If he wanted eyes closed, he can do it himself.

Mo Ran couldn't help but be a little bit happy. Chu Wanning, a person made of ice and snow, had never even seen an erotic picture. At this moment, now that he saw intimacy up close, he would probably choke to death.

The dead couple came together, and gradually both of them became alive. Their dead throat, which was supposed to be silent, actually let out a raspy gasp similar to that of a living person.

Chu Wanning was obviously disgusted. He harshly turned away, not wanting to look again.

Mo Ran noticed this with great joy. He tried to get a rise out of the other. He smirked and knocked against his chin.

Chu Wanning quickly avoided him as if he were being stabbed: "What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything." Mo Ran said sweetly and sneakily. With some sarcasm and teasing, he gave him a once-over like he was making a joke.

No matter how old this man is, this kind of thing still makes him blush. . .

No, it's more like a mixture of blue and red. It's quite funny.

"Shizun, didn't you tell us that we must see what the other party is capable of being doing anything? You should also see the ability of this Master of Ceremonies Ghost."

"What is there to see? Don't look."

Mo Ran sighed: "Why do you have such thin skin?"

Chu Wanning replied angrily: "It's improper and nasty. It really hurts my eyes!"

"Then I have to look at it." Mo Ran said, and he lay there nonchalantly. He looked outside again and he said, "Ah", "Wow", "Awesome", "Ouch" and so on. It made Chu Waning completely berserk, and the coffin board could not be held down. He whispered angrily: "Just look, what are you narrating for?!"

Mo Ran said innocently: "I thought you wanted to hear it."

Chu Wanning finally couldn't hold back. He strangled Mo Ran's neck, gritting his teeth: "If you make another noise, I'll throw you out to feed the zombies right now!"

Enough teasing. He couldn't push Chu Wanning too far. When he got anxious, Tianwen would quickly be summoned, so Mo Ran lay there obediently, staring outside, without saying a word.

As the ghost couple reached their climax, the male corpse let out a low growl, spasming and twitching on the female corpse. Suddenly a cloud of blue smoke burst out of them. The Master of Ceremonies Ghost opened her mouth and greedily inhaled the blue smoke until the last wisp of it was in her stomach. This time, he wiped the corners of her mouth gluttonously, and her eyes shone brightly.

It seems that these were the "benefits" that the married couple gave to it, which would increase its cultivation.

"Haha, hahaha—" When the Master of Ceremonies Ghost tasted the sweetness, it became even more radiant. When he spoke again, the misty and empty voice became clear, shouting and roaring. The sharp voice seemed to pierce through the long night. "Rise! Get up! All of you! Wait for the idiot and blame the girl! I kindly grant you intimacy! You offer me your faith! Get up! Get up! Everyone rise!"

Mo Ran's heart skipped a beat: It's over. . .

What is it going to do?!

The surrounding hundreds of coffins all began to tremble, verifying what Mo Ran was thinking. The Master of Ceremonies Ghost is going to summon all the corpses in the coffins to embrace so that it can absorb all their "benefits" at once!

Not caring about joking anymore, Mo Ran yanked at Chu Wanning: "Shizun!!!"

"Now what?!"

"Quick! Get out! Shi Mei is still trapped with the Chen's family daughter-in-law!" Mo Ran was going mad. "Let's go save him!"

Chu Wanning took a look outside. He didn't expect the Master of Ceremonies Ghost would have such a powerful hunger, not wanting to absorb from the pairs individually, but actually wanting to take a huge bite!

The trembling of the coffin next to them became more and more intense. It wasn't a stretch to think that all the pairs of the ghost marriages were inspired to start acting up in the coffins. This thought made Chu Wanning choke, his face growing even more ugly. At this moment, the Master of Ceremonies Ghost, who was standing in the same place and laughing for a long time, suddenly felt something. She abruptly turned her head. A pair of black eyes without focus stared straight past the others and landed on the coffin of Mo Ran and Chu Wanning .

It could feel, despite its low intelligence, that the coffin does not have the erotic scent it was familiar with.

There was no faith.

There was no. . .

Living people!!!

Suddenly it arched up, screaming and scrambling. The Master of Ceremonies Ghost's robe flapped up, a pair of blood-red claws stabbing through the coffin wood, piercing the thick coffin, straight into the coffin body.

Its attack was too sudden and Mo Ran was too late to react. Moreover, the space in the coffin was very small, and it was impossible to go anywhere. Seeing its head through the five holes made by the nine-yin white bone claws, its body suddenly fell -- Chu Wan Ning had already swiftly guarded him in his arms, blocking himself in front, and the five pointed claws of the Master of Ceremonies Ghost suddenly pierced into Chu Wanning's shoulder!

Deep enough to reach a bone!

". . ."

Chu Wanning stifled a grunt but he endured it and didn't shout out. The other uninjured hand was still burning with the sound-dampening spell, and he placed it on Mo Ran's lips, blocking the sound that Mo Ran would've made.

The claws of the Master of Ceremonies Ghost dug into the flesh and blood of Chu Wanning.

It had a muddled brain and it could only judge what was dead or alive by sound. Chu Wanning actually managed not to say a word in this situation, the blood bubbling down his shoulder. Mo Ran was held down so he couldn't see how serious his injuries were, but he could clearly feel Chu Wanning trembling slightly. . .

Living people. . . or dead people? It was impossible for a living person to have not made a sound. The Master of Ceremonies couldn't tell for a moment. The sharp claws shifted around in the flesh of Chu Wanning's shoulder, viciously tearing and scratching.

Chu Wanning trembled with pain. He spasmed, a cold sweat drenching his clothes.

But he was still biting his lip, protecting the disciple in his arms, as if he had really become a corpse and became a dead person, pressing against the edge of the coffin, like cast iron on the wall of the coffin.

The Master of Ceremonies Ghost seemed to confirm that anyone in the coffin wasn't alive anymore. It jerked its hand out, blood flying, and he could even hear the sticky sound of fingers being pulled out of the flesh, which made his hair stand upright.

Chu Waning's taut body felt like it had suddenly lost its strength. He let go of Mo Ran and gasped softly.

There was a strong smell of blood flowing in the coffin.

Mo Ran raised his head. Through the dim light leaking in through the hole, he could see Chu Wanning's drooping eyelashes, as well as the moist but stubborn eyes beneath them.

Those slightly provocative phoenix eyes, blurred with pain, but still more cruel and tenacious, a thin veil of mist filling them. . .

Mo Ran wanted to speak. Chu Wanning shook his head and he left the silencing spell on his lips. After a while, he took a slow breath and, with trembling fingertips, wrote on the back of Mo Ran's hand:

The sound-cancelling barrier was damaged, so they couldn't speak.

The Master of Ceremonies Ghost outside tilted its head, as if he didn't understand why, even though there was clearly no living person inside the coffin, he didn't follow its instructions, nor could it feel any of offerings of faith.

Chu Wanning raised his head and glanced at it from the gap. His uninjured hand was encaged with golden light, and a willow vine flowing with flaming luster came out in response to the call.

He held Tianwen and narrowed his eyes.

The next moment, they broke out of the coffin!!!

The coffin exploded. Chu Wanning flew out like lightning. Tianwen was both accurate and quick and it strangled the neck of the Master of Ceremonies Ghost who let out an ear-piercing whine——

"Who are you! How dare you!"

Chu Wanning's answer was only one phrase: "Get lost!"

The large, auspicious red robe flipped out, like a cloud wave. He had been holding back just to land the right blow, so he immediately struck with one hand and Tianwen went for the neck! It decapitated the Master of Ceremonies Ghost!

A thick red mist along with a strange fragrance sprayed out from its broken neck. Chu Wanning quickly backed away, avoiding the fog, and sternly said: "Mo Ran! Thousand Killing Cuts!"

Mo Ran had already been waiting on standby. When he heard the order, he clutched the dark sword box in his sleeves, filled it with spiritual power, and blasted it towards the mutilated body who was reaching for his head.

The clay body split open, revealing a flowing red light inside the translucent body. Chu Wanning raised Tianwen again and tied up the immortal spirit body of the Master of Ceremonies Ghost. A scream came from the body of the headless immortal: "The mortals are safe! The mortals are safe! — Rise! Get up! Kill them! Kill them——!!!"

The golden boy and girl, who had no facial features, suddenly both had a pair of blood-red eyes light up, and with countless squeals and screams, rushed towards Mo Ran and Chu Wanning.

The coffins lying on the ground also shattered and the dead corpses lying inside rose and surged toward the two of them.

Mo Ran's gaze weaved through the crowd, looking for Shi Mei. Chu Wanning barked: "What are you staring at those corpses for? That's not going to do anything!"

The two of them and the Master of Ceremonies Ghost had already flown on top of a coffin, the slow-moving corpses slowly gathering around them. Mo Ran raised his hands to light an exorcism talisman. He cast it in all directions, sending an explosion through the crowd. But there were too many ghosts, another wave of them not far behind.

Mo Ran was flabbergasted: "This many people died in Caidie Town? How many married couples are there?!!!"

Chu Wanning said angrily: "Look at the cultivation level of the Master of Ceremonies Ghost. There are so many men and women who didn't die naturally! In all likelihood, it probably compels those who aren't married to commit suicide! Hit over here!"

Mo Ran waved another exorcism talismans toward the place Chu Wanning signaled, exploding a piece of white bone and dead flesh.

"Why isn't the Master of Ceremonies Ghost dead?"

"Ordinary weapons can't hurt it."

"What about Tianwen?"

Chu Wanning was furious: "Can't you see that it wants me to use Tianwen? This Master of Ceremonies Ghost moves extremely fast. If I let go of it, and don't get another grip on it, I'm afraid it will have already escaped!"

Those corpses were piled up more and more. Mo Ran, while fighting, was paying attention to whether Shi Mei was in the crowd, so as not to accidentally hurt him. A golden boy rushed over and violently bit his leg. He cursed inwardly, and he threw an exorcism talisman directly on the golden boy's face. He kicked it into the crowd of corpses and he exploded with a bang.

Chu Wanning said: "Have you seen Shi Mei and Madam Chen?"

After frantically searching, Mo Ran suddenly saw two swaying figures in the distance and said joyfully, "I see them!"

"Get over there and pull the two of them away! Get away from here!"

"Okay!" Mo Ran answered and then he was taken aback. "What are you going to do?"

Chu Wanning said angrily: "I can't raise my other arm, and I can't summon other weapons. I can only use Tianwen. As soon as I release the Master of Ceremonies Ghost, I'll destroy this entire place. If you don't want to die, get out as soon as possible!"

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

[readingontheedge]

A Lion's Cage

Lion Shifters Prequel

by Ella Wilde

Genre: Urban Fantasy, Clean Paranormal Romance

  Shifts happen. Hearts change. Africa awaits. Life as a slave in the fight pits of Kenya is vicious and brutally short, and no one knows this better than lion shifter Lazarus Kiprop. As a prized champion, he lives with blood on his hands and guilt in his heart. He's survived longer than most, at a cost. With no end in sight, Lazarus has given up on ever seeing another sunrise. The last thing he needs is a vampire youngling taunting him with impossible promises of freedom. A newly made vampire, Willow has gaping holes in her memory and a burning desire for revenge. With less than a week before her new master arrives to claim her, she’s determined to find a way out of captivity. And if the leather-clad guy in the cell next door doesn’t believe it’s possible? That’s too bad, because she’s going, with or without him. But while Willow may be able to escape her cage, will she be able to escape her heart? “A Lion’s Cage” is the prequel to “The Lion Shifters” series. Escape to a land where everything is possible. Start your adventure today!

**FREE at all retailers!!** 

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The moment an unseen hand removed the stake, my torso lurched upward as I gasped. Before I could react beyond the need to sit up, metal clanged against metal. My eyes focused on bars.

"A cage?" I yelled. "Really? That's how this is playing out? Can you at least take off the handcuffs?"

The only response was the rapidly retreating steps of the men who'd thrown me in here.

It wasn't a cage, but it wasn't much better. The cell was large enough that I could stand and move around several paces in each direction, and that was about it. A thin layer of straw covered the concrete floor. There was a bucket in one corner and a dingy blanket in the other. A harsh fluorescent tube hung from the ceiling outside my cell. The place smelled like a stable. There were several other cells up and down the corridor, most of them either empty or their occupants hidden from view by concrete dividers.

Dragging myself backward, I leaned against the concrete wall and knocked my head against the bars covering the front of the cell. Hunger still burned in my veins. To distract myself, I wondered what new and probably not very exciting adventures awaited me.

Glancing across the corridor to the closest cell, I noticed a pair of bare feet poking out from the shadows. While the soles of the feet were a dark cream, the part of the muscular legs I could see was rich brown and not from a tan. Was he like me, a Vampire? Or something else?

I'd gone to Europe to deepen my education—or something like that—but hadn't expected just how deep I'd go. In the past few days, I'd not only learned that all manner of paranormal creatures inhabited the world but that I was destined to live among them, albeit as an unwilling resident.

"Hey," I half whispered, not wanting to attract the attention of our guards. "Hey, Barefoot. What's your name?"

There was no response although one of the feet twitched and shifted a bit.

"I'm Willow." I wasn't at all discouraged by the lack of response. After all, he couldn't be doing anything important. I was doing the guy a favor by entertaining him.

"That's nice." His voice bordered on a growl as if he was in between shifting from animal to man. 

A King's Pride

Lion Shifters Book 1

  Emma Knight is in Kenya to bury a witch, and then she’s leaving. But hostile forces are pushing her into a role she doesn’t want. When Emma breaks a cardinal rule and rescues a lion Shifter, she finds herself at a dangerous crossroads. Does she move on, or risk her secrets and her heart to save the lion’s Pride and establish peace in Nairobi? Lion Shifter King David Kiprop is on a time-sensitive mission, one that leads him into a poacher’s snare. While he’s relieved to escape the trap, he’s not happy to owe a life-debt to the snarky, secretive female who rescued him, even if he does find Emma attractive. She’s a bewitching distraction King can’t afford. Too bad the gods have other plans. Join the Kiprop Pride and escape to a land where everything is possible. Start your adventure today! “A King’s Pride” is Book 1 in “The Lion Shifters” series. The Lion Shifters is cliffhanger-free and is meant to be read in order for the best reading experience 

My cell phone rang.

“Shh,” Isaac huffed just as I answered it.

“Emma? Emma, it’s Daniel. Can you hear me?”

“Daniel,” I whispered. “We’re under attack.”

“I know. Are you hurt? Is Isaac still with you? He’s not answering his phone. Where are you?”

“Emma,” Isaac said, tugging on my shirtsleeve. “We have to go. Now. The shooting is on the other side.”

“Daniel…” I began but stopped when more screams and gunfire echoed around us.

“Let me talk with her,” King yelled in the background, his voice loud enough for me to hear.

“Forget it, goat herder. You might break my phone. Bloody hell, Zeeks. Try not to hit the pedestrians.”

“That’s a difficult task,” Ezekiel yelled, and I could imagine him trying to steer the car as his brothers fought.

“It would be easier if you weren’t driving on the sidewalk,” Daniel growled.

There was a scuffling sound and some snarling, followed by, “You’re holding it upside down, King David.”

“Emma?” It was King. “Emma, are you hurt?”

“No, although Isaac’s sense of humor might kill me. Apart from that, we’re all still breathing and in one piece.”

“Emma, stay calm. Don’t panic,” King commanded.

I almost grinned. “We are not panicking. Isaac, Tiger and I are trying to figure out how to get a group of children to safety.”

“We’re almost there. Don’t worry.”

I wasn’t quite sure whether King was talking to me, his brothers or…

“He’s talking to himself,” Daniel shouted.

King roared, almost loud enough to shatter whatever hearing I had left.

“King, I need to go. Call me when you get here.” I hung up and shoved the phone in my hip pocket. 

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A Demon's Wing

Lion Shifters Book 2

  Summoned to Kenya by a dying witch, Grace Elkhart can’t wait to leave. She agrees to stay only long enough to help her cousin Emma establish some law and order in Nairobi. Being a Demon, Grace has the power to do that. But settle down? Join Emma’s Pride? There are too many reasons against it, starting with Jed Kiprop, the only man to ever break her Demon heart.

 As a lion Shifter, Jed knows he needs to join a Pride… eventually. Now that his eldest brother King has formed one, it should be an easy choice. Except his brother’s mate has a Demon in her family. And that’s one Paranorm Jed refuses to share space with, especially when that Demon’s name is Grace, a woman he once loved before she betrayed him.

 When a family tragedy and a king’s command force Jed and Grace to work together, sparks fly despite their mutual distrust. But will they be able to overcome their pride and prejudice in time to save the Pride and each other from an ancient enemy? 

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A Tiger's Eye

Lion Shifters Book 3

 Fun-loving Tana “Tiger” Shah is about to lose everything, including her freedom. When her estranged mother shows up at her doorstep with an indecent proposal, Tiger must make a decision: lose her home in order to pay off her family’s debt and preserve her honor, or marry a man she doesn’t know. Although her heart says no, love doesn’t pay the bills. Tiger will do whatever it takes to protect her family, even if it means turning her back on her own dreams.

 Lion Shifter Ezekiel Kiprop isn’t one to play games, especially if the safety of his Pride is at risk. When it comes to his duty to defend his king, he’s never hesitated until now. And that’s what makes Tiger so dangerous: she makes him forget all reason when she’s around. Determined to focus on an unknown challenger to his brother’s throne, Ezekiel shuts down his feelings. As fate would have it, his lion has other ideas, especially when it comes to Tiger. But will their love survive the truth Tiger has been hiding?

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A Lion's Price

Lion Shifters Book 4

  Rebecca Keitany’s life has been one battle after another, until the moment she’s hired by a witch to work at a tea shop. Finally, it seems Rebecca’s future is looking bright: she’s got a stable job, and an art dealer is interested in her paintings. But that’s before she attracts the unwanted attention of the powerful Lightning Bird who has one simple request, and he won’t take no for an answer. So the last thing Rebecca needs is to be saddled with Daniel Kiprop, a handsome socialite and brilliant tech developer.

 Lion Shifter Daniel is all too willing to offer his expertise to his Pride’s queen. It’s an easy assignment, and then he’ll be back to his normal business, including the endless parties that fill his evenings. All is going according to plan until the night of a vicious attack that changes everything Daniel thought about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. But can he convince Rebecca he’s a changed lion before she takes up the offer of the Lightning Bird and disappears forever? 

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A Wolf's Song

Lion Shifters Book 5

  It’s going to be a night to remember, and not in a good way. When election chaos combines with the storm of the century, Nairobi becomes an even more dangerous city than usual. The lion Shifters retreat to their Prideland, under strict orders from their king to stay at home.

 Trouble is, Isaac Kiprop was never one to follow the rules. While the other lion Shifters settle down for a long night, Isaac has other plans: his last burglary job for the hyena gang. After that, he’ll be free, or so he tells himself. And he’s pretty sure he can get away with it, until a pretty but irritating, know-it-all wolf Shifter crashes his party and his heart.

 Lara Kraft is on a mission, one that doesn’t involve Isaac and his never-ending efforts to push her buttons. Her research takes her into the territory of a dangerous criminal game, and all her carefully laid plans go awry. When Lara learns the truth about the gang’s latest assignment, she’ll do anything to stop them. But good intentions have a way of getting complicated, especially when Isaac is involved. 

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About the Author

I was born and raised in Kenya. Living up to my name, I decided an office job wasn't my cup of tea. When I'm not rescuing orphaned elephants or conducting a lion census, I write about people who walk the thin line between the human world and the supernatural. Visit my world at www.ParanormalAfrica.com to receive exclusive gifts and top secret info. 

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