Andrew has been on the battlefield for eight years defending the kingdom from an empire that refused to leave them alone. Finally, a ceasefire was reached. Returning to a land he has not seen in many years, can he make it a home again? Will those he fought for accept him in their communities? or will he turn his own kingdom into a battlefield?
The throne room was quiet. Normally at this hour, courtiers and administrators would be bussing up and down the halls. However, right now, the King sat on his throne with eight of the kingdom's most elite warriors before him. Over the past fifteen year's these warriors had entered service and risen through the ranks. However, in the last 7 years, they had formed the Dragon Squad and proven themselves to be the top fighters around. Each was dressed in full formal regalia, complete with impressive gold knotwork on their shoulders for rank, having just come in from the public promotion ceremony.
"My gods of war, come forward." Said the king, gesturing to eight.
"With your new rank as of gods of war, you will serve under the supreme commander, and while your terms of required service are up, your rank is beyond your active service. I request you each take charge of a province. You are not responsible for the day-to-day operation, that is still the lord governors. However, in what capacity you see fit, you are in charge of the military forces of your given province. Jackson, as first among the gods of war, I am assigning you to Rhodes. Being in the west, you will have easy access to the capital here but also be able to support Asrana who will be assigned to Warrenton in the Northwest."
"Yes, My lord," said Jackson, bowing and accepting a sealed tube of orders.
"Anika, as second, I am placing you in charge of Placida to the east of the capital. Port Manai and its garrison will be under your purview, but I am sure you will spend much time in Tirana dealing with Lord Reva."
Anika stepped forward and accepted her tube, a look of distaste crossing her face at the mention of Lord Reva.
"Gad, Malachi, and Carter, you three are assigned to the southern provinces of Ruatha, Parcia, and Karth respectively. Hopefully, you can encourage the farmers there to send more food supplies north and avoid too much of the fighting."
"Thank you, my lord," said the three, accepting their orders and stepping back.
"Zev, I give you the unenviable task of dealing with Coutre. It is beautiful coast there, but you are Cutoff from Placida to the south by the Drahgfir mountains. Coordinate with Nash who I am assigning to Ashai."
"Yes my lord." Said Zev.
"Nash, Asrana, step forward." Said the king. "you two will bear the brunt of any hostilities to come. The Empire agreed to six months of ceasefire, but that is already half gone. If things start back up, it will be up to you to defend the walls, and garrisons. Call in aid as you see fit. Asrana, take charge of Warrington province, and Nash, you will have the province of Ashai."
"Yes my lord." They each replied.
"Any questions before I release you to a much deserved time away from the front lines?" asked the king.
It was Anika who stepped forward. "My lord.... Andrew? He was not at the promotion ceremony and was not mentioned..."
The king sighed. "O he was there, don't worry. He saw you each raised to gods of war. However as for the rest... at his request, he was left out. As for where he is now, he is already on his way to the airfield I imagine, where there are planes ready for each of you."
Jackson and Anika glanced uncertainly at each other before bowing formally to the king.
"We serve the kingdom, and we will listen for the command of the supreme commander." The eight gods of war said as they bowed formally, and retreated to pack, and head to the airfield.
After the gods of war departed, a hook-nosed advisor stepped out of the shadows and sneered, "they serve the kingdom and the supreme commander, but how about their king?"
"It is the pledge of the elite dragon brigade and has been since its inception, even when there were no gods of war yet, nor a supreme commander in place," said the king in a tired tone.
"then why have you not ordered it changed?" queried the advisor.
"It is tradition, Freemont, and they have served their terms faithfully. There is no need for you to pick a fight with them," replied the king.
"And DeVos? Will you hold their conscription term upheld?" Freemont pressed.
"They sent us Andrew. He may not have been DeVos blood, but with everything he and the Dragon squad have accomplished, why should we make a fuss about it? If they had not sought him out, the kingdom may not be standing."
Freemont frowned and held up a document. "The man was likely just a street orphan from what my sources say. How is that upholding the conscription decree for 8 years of service of a member of each high family?"
The king glared at his annoying advisor. "I know what the degree says, I signed it and enacted it! The spirit of the law was preserved and the kingdom is better off because of it. Drop it!"
"Yes my lord" Freemont said, stuffing the intelligence page back in his pocket.
After marrying 'into' the Cochan family, Conor's life hit rock bottom, especially after the mysterious death of his mother. He had tried his best, but things didn't get any better. Instead, ironically, his mother-in-law started looking eagerly for a new son-in-law for his wife, Jessica. There was no hope for Conor to turn the tables, it seemed, until one day — Conor's 25th birthday when a lawyer knocked at the door and a long forgotten heirloom from his mother. Something that will change his life forever and start him on the path to glory.
Mia's life is spiraling out of control. Abandoned by her mother, bullied mercilessly at school, and thrown into a household of four dangerously attractive stepbrothers, she's desperate to find her footing. "You look absolutely edible," Sean growled, his eyes devouring her. Mia felt a rush of heat between her thighs "Oh, you think so?" she purred, turning to face him. She reached out and traced her fingers along the ribbon that wrapped around his waist. "Well, I've been waiting for this all day. And I'm starving." Sean's smile grew into a predatory grin. "Then let us feast," he said, and in a flash, the ribbon fell away, exposing his rock-hard length. He stepped closer, and Mia felt the warmth of his breath on her face as he whispered, "You're going to take every inch of us tonight, aren't you?" With Rolex's teasing smirk and Sean's quiet, hot stares, Mia doesn't know where to turn-or who to trust. Every glance, every touch leaves her breathless, confused, and craving more than she should. Will Mia survive their games, or will she lose herself in a dangerous world of secrets, seduction, and forbidden desire? One house. Four brothers. Endless temptation.
“You need a bride, I need a groom. Why don’t we get married?” Both abandoned at the altar, Elyse decided to tie the knot with the disabled stranger from the venue next door. Pitying his state, she vowed to spoil him once they were married. Little did she know that he was actually a powerful tycoon. Jayden thought Elyse only married him for his money, and planned to divorce her when she was no longer of use to him. But after becoming her husband, he was faced with a new dilemma. “She keeps asking for a divorce, but I don’t want that! What should I do?”
Darya spent three years loving Micah, worshipping the ground he walked on. Until his neglect and his family's abuse finally woke her up to the ugly truth-he doesn't love her. Never did, never will. To her, he is a hero, her knight in shining armour. To him, she is an opportunist, a gold digger who schemed her way into his life. Darya accepts the harsh reality, gathers the shattered pieces of her dignity, divorces him, takes back her real name, reclaims her title as the country's youngest billionaire heiress. Their paths cross again at a party. Micah watches his ex-wife sing like an angel, tear up the dance floor, then thwart a lecher with a roundhouse kick. He realises, belatedly, that she's exactly the kind of woman he'd want to marry, if only he had taken the trouble to get to know her. Micah acts promptly to win her back, but discovers she's now surrounded by eligible bachelors: high-powered CEO, genius biochemist, award-winning singer, reformed playboy. Worse, she makes it pretty clear that she's done with him. Micah gears up for an uphill battle. He must prove to her he's still worthy of her love before she falls for someone else. And time is running out.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
Rumors claimed that Fernanda, newly back with her family, was nothing more than a violent country bumpkin. Fernanda just flashed a casual, dismissive grin in response. Another rumor suggested that the usually rational Cristian had lost all sense, madly in love with Fernanda. This frustrated her. She could tolerate gossip about herself, but slander against her beloved crossed the line! Gradually, as Fernanda's multiple identities as a celebrated designer, a savvy gamer, an acclaimed painter, and a successful business magnate came to light, everyone realized they were the ones who had been fooled.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"