Free SHIFTER ROMANCE: PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Claimed By The Wolf (Older Man Younger Woman Mail Order Bride Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Wolf Shifter Romance) by Ava Frost Page B

a black pencil skirt. No matter which century, she was always in style.
    "The ball will go all night. Those who wish can leave and you must choose at least five to claim interest. Don't feel rushed in deciding either. You have all night."
    I briefly wondered if boredom could turn our eyes red. I had absolutely no interest in hearing these details. I knew the gist, show up, choose a vampire bride eventually get married, continuing ruling the vampire throne as King David Aaron the third should.  Eventually, I'd take a human concubine and sire an heir. The end. But it wouldn’t be the end because the circle of life would keep turning, me ruling, facing political nuisances, going on and on until someone decided to stake me or in a fit of depression I burned myself to a crisp in the sun.  I could retire once my future son was of age, but I wouldn’t want to force him into his lineage the way I had been forced to take the crown. My grandfather, after 3,000 years of reigning as a King accidently, as the story has been told, was burned to death when a maid left the curtains open in his room. My father reigned 200 years of the Vampire Dynasty, keeping vampire feedings unnoticed and silence those who tried to force our existence into light. After he had been staked, my mother gave me no choice. I had to be king and although I put it off, after 10 years and a newly signed treaty outing vampires and aligning using peace with humans, my time had come. I must take a bride. A King without an heir was an unnecessary danger to the crown and vampire dynasty. Living forever was expected, but not a given, one could not afford to take chances on the passing of the crown.
    My mother was being thorough, continuing on a litany of things that must be done and I was close to yanking out my own hair. Merely as a metaphor, Kings do not act in such ways in public. Kings were at all times, polite, approachable and silently dying on the inside.  
    "Mother, I tire and must rest. Please let your assistant handle the rest. Tomorrow will be everything you dreamed it would be. Go get all your unneeded beauty rest." 
    A former queen should be dismissed with class and dignity, lesson learned well and applied.  With a chaste kiss on the forehead, I opened my office door and escorted her to the guest hall. Finally free of my office-prison though it was spacious, I made my way to my bedroom. I had a 5 bedroom home, three floors, a blood cellar, ballroom, library, indoor and outdoor pool and a pool house. It was modern considering the castle my grandfather ruled from but less drafty. Thankfully with the tech age came sun proof Windows. My windows held the New York skyline. Truly beautiful in all its skyscrapers while holding the silence of solidarity. Tomorrow, hundreds of women would be here vying for my attention and holding me from the solace I crave. But once it was over, everyone would again leave me in peace. Hopefully, my mother included.
    My room was in the hall farthest from my mother. Between super hearing and super prying, I wanted to be completely left alone. My room! In comparison to the guest room was bare and understated. I didn't need much for happiness. I had a huge bed and night stands. My walk in closet was the size of most people’s bedroom, with several shelves for my shoes to be seen individually. Rows of pants hung according to color and shirts on the opposite wall the same, organized by shirt style. On the other side was my bathroom. I ran bath water, brushed my teeth, barely glancing at my reflection. I still scoff at human's idiocy believing vampires have no reflection, of course, I have a reflection, light reflexes off me the same as anything else. You can thank my dear great, great, great, great Uncle Vlad for that rumor. He lived in the age of vampires taking the night, terrifying women before pleasuring them with their bite. It was only believable because most homes during that time didn’t have mirrors.
    With my bath water