Chapter Twenty-Four

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Fifty-Four

The sounds of soft cries stirred Esper from her sleep. She groggily opened her eyes and saw little Max standing at the side of the bed, rubbing at his eyes. “Oh, Max.” As Esper sat up, she wrapped the sheet around her torso like a makeshift dress then pulled the boy onto her lap. “How about you tell Mama what’s wrong?” “I had a bad dream.” Maxim hugged onto his mother tight as his small body shook. “I dreamt I was big and hurt you. I don’t want to hurt you, Mama.” “Oh, Sweetie.” Esper caressed Maxim’s raven locks and kissed the top of his head. “I’m sorry you had a bad dream.” Seeing the small boy distressed broke Esper’s heart. She knew the cause of his nightmare. Maxim was suffering from memory echoes, a common a

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Fifty-Three

"You want to what?" Wesley was fuming. He couldn't wrap his head around what could possibly drive his daughter to take care of a person who had caused her so much pain, regardless of if they were a child now or not. "That is not a child. That is a monster who did unspeakable things to you." "Max is not a monster. He needs someone to teach him what real love is." Esper was not backing down. "Yggdrasil was able to see a spark of good in Max and gave him a second chance. Why can't you?" Seraph stood and stifled his laughter as he watched the father and daughter go back and forth. Even Esper wasn't actually his daughter; she still wanted his blessing and approval. Not understanding the heated argument, Maxim ran over to Esper and hugged her leg. He looked up at Wesley and stuck out his lip, making as stern a face as he could. "Don't yell at Mama!"

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Fifty-Two

A warm breeze stirred up the grass around Seraph and Esper as they sat in the garden of ruins, enjoying the sun. They were propped up against one of the stone columns with Esper between Seraph's legs and her head resting on his chest. "So, you remember everything now?" Seraph laced his fingers with Esper's and brought them up to his mouth to kiss them. "Kind of." Esper shifted a bit to look up at her mate. "The memories are extremely vibrant and can be a little overwhelming when I try to recall too much, but I think it's all there." "Well, don't try too hard." Seraph tilted his head down and kissed the top of Esper's head. "You've been through a lot." "So, have you." Esper reached up with her free hand and ran her fingers through Seraph's black hair. "I can't arg

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Fifty-One

Lucien’s maniacal laughter echoed throughout the grand chamber of the World Tree cloister. He was standing atop a pile of spriggan corpses, yanking on their limbs and breaking them as if they were twigs. “Are you having fun yet, Yggdrasil?” Lucien hopped off of the pile and walked over to the World Tree. He bent over and knocked on the trunk. “If you don’t send out another one of your little tree witches to entertain my new powers, I’m going to start burning your real body here. I wonder how long it will take the flames to reach your heart?” “Is that how you treat your creator?” The female’s voice set Lucien off. He turned around to see Esper pushing herself up off the ground. How was she still alive and moving? Even with a vampire’s healing abilities, the woman’s broken back would

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Fifty

"SERAPH!" Esper let out a blood-curdling scream as she watched her mate crumple to the ground. Becoming overwhelmed with a blinding rage, Esper pushed herself off the ground. Her breathing was erratic, and her body shook with uncontrollable anger. Lucien had just killed her mate, and she was going to make him pay. In a mad flurry, she charged at Lucien. The white-haired male smirked and back-handed her as if Esper was nothing but a fly, sending her tumbling across the ground. She stood up on shaky legs and let out a frustrated roar before rushing him again. Much to Lucien's amusement, Esper came at him head-on. He was almost within her grasp when Lucien kicked her in the ribs. His leg collided into her side with a tremendous force and sent her flying through the air. Her body crashed into one of the murals, the painted stone crumbling around her. &nbs

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Forty-Nine

"Seraph?" Esper looked at the weeping wound with horror. Without so much as a wince, Seraph reached back and ripped the sword out of his back. A menacing look formed on his face as he turned around slowly and tucked Esper behind him. Standing before Seraph was Maxim's pack of mutant werewolves. "If you are going to stab me, then do yourself a favor and try to kill me." Seraph rolled his healing shoulder and took a few practice swings with the sword before chopping off the assailant's head. He then sneered at the rest of the pack. "Didn't your master teach you that wounded animals are far more dangerous than the hunter?" The remaining beasts snarled furiously at the man and came charging towards him. Taking a protective stance, Seraph guarded Esper against the werewolves. He wasn't going to let anyone take her away ever again—espec

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Twenty-Three

The spa/locker room was filled with different stimulants for all of their senses. The tranquil sounds of a yamatogoto filled the air and was paired with the relaxing scent of jasmine. The girls were soaking in the jacuzzi, charcoal masques covering their faces, and their hair was caked with

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Twenty-Two

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Twenty-One

A snowstorm was raging out in the night. Branches slammed against the windows, and the wind howled almost as if it was in pain. The room was dim with the warm glow from the fireplace being the only light source. "Little one, it is time fo

The Awakening of a Blue Rose   Chapter Twenty

Esper stepped inside her room and took a deep breath. She stripped out of her clothes, throwing them in the hamper in her closet, and pulled on a teal baggy t-shirt. Her mind was racing as she thought about the past couple of days, and she needed to sort it all out.