Mister Verrick learned what happens when one crosses a line with the King. It’s one thing to play around when the King is fully aware of what Verrick is doing. But then when he gets a tad too close to Kat, threatening her? It don’t matter if Julian was inside his office or not Verrick, he knows. And he does not tolerate anyone touching what belongs to him. Or threatening her.

Lemme repeat that, Julian does not like anyone getting too close to Kat. I love how protective (yes, over protective techniccallyy) he is of her. She knows she can protect herself, even Julian is fully aware of that, but come on now. It’s Julian. I’ve had folks say he’s a bit much, but I love his intensity. Ever notice how safe Kat feels? It comes a lot from the fact that she knows Julian is there for her one hundred percent. There is no doubt in her mind that he’d going to protect her. And she the same for him.

Which they do.

So Verrick taunting Kat while there with the King? He’d already ended up against the wall in Julian’s grip. The King nearly tore his head off. (Which just reminds me of someone telling me had someone spoke to me in public that way, he’d be on the floor apologizing to me. Delicious.) Kat appreciates that about Julian. Then Verrick pushed that limit again by threatening Kat? Well, I left off today with him finding out the King isn’t a man to mess with. Julian is very peaceful generally. One never really knows what is going on beneath the surface.

Until that one is flying across the yard, away from Kat who he was threatening and finds himself face-to-face with a black-eyed demonic looking vampire. Verrick has to learn. Julian is a very fair man. Until you piss him off and don’t heed that first warning. Not sure what’s going to happen, or if Kat will intervene to help Verrick out, but that was where I was left with.

Julian telling Verrick to “stay down,” meaning if he stood up at that precise second after speaking to Kat the way he did? Verrick is going to be in biiiiiiiiig trouble. I wouldn’t want to face Julian’s rage. Even Kat is scared of him in that mood. And Kat no longer scares so easy. It’s not because she fears what Julian will do to her. She knows he won’t hurt her. It’s because she can feel the anger within Julian now, and the animal within her does too. One cannot avoid feeling fear when Julian gets mad.

It’s interesting to work on this story while I edit Dark Illusions: The Beginning though. Editing when Julian and Kat first meet, then I’m writing this book where they’d been together for over thirty years by now? I can see not only have they grown as a couple, as people because of one another, and grown as individuals, but also how their love has blossomed. Their passion intensified for one another. They no longer fight those feelings. They know at this point that the other isn’t going anywhere. There’s no longer this feeling of whether they can trust that or not. They know.

So now if they want one another, Kat isn’t hesitant at all about telling Julian straight out when she wants him inside of her, and Julian just throwing her over her shoulder and taking her to bed. It’s funny, sweet, and honestly a turn on to think of a passion for one another that strong growing in intensity through the years, versus dying. Or withering in any way. And I’ve seen couples who in their old age are just that passionate so I know that exists. Some have even said they have more sex above their 60’s or 70’s together than when they did as younger. Maybe that’s where I draw from.

Maybe it’s a future I draw from. Because while I say that, I think about how a lot of the scenes I write in my books I find interesting because there are moments I’ve written years ago that are happening now. I edit books where conversations I’ve had now, were written so long ago that I don’t remember them. So there’s no recollection in my mind of writing them, but then when I go back to edit the stories, I’m going . . . damn. This just happened recently, haha. So who knows, maybe I’m drawing from how I’m going to be in my 70’s or 80’s, haha. This took an interesting brain thought turn.

Moving on.

Redid The Culling Cycle cover from issues with some of the artwork. I like this one. There is a scene in the book the cover is themed from.

Today’s word count for Fury of a Queen.

Started today at – 62,947

Ended today at – 64,831

Total word count for today – 1,884