Thirdly

"There is only one telepath known who could do that, and I have the feeling that at least some of them are very glad he is currently in Japan, separated from his mate, and therefore not available." He grinned wickedly. "Nobody knows yet that you're back; it will be a pleasant surprise for some of them." - Woo!

*stretches and gets comfortable* Ok, let's do this! Simon rolled his eyes. "Of course. I checked the dates as well as the passenger list.""How did you get your hands on the… Never mind, there he is!" - It's his precious brother, of course he would somehow get his hands on the whole passenger list! Night Noël err... Nico- Yep, that's gonna be me the whole story long if Noel insists on answering to Nico from now on. I came back to warn you, to help. - Yay!

*in a deep announcer's voice* You've read The Holly and the Ivy. You've lived the highs and lows; the suspense and drama of the first installment of The King's Mate series. Now, join Noël and Diarmad as they face more political and physical dangers. Could someone be orchestrating Diarmad's demise in the shadows? Dive into Caesura and find out!

Whew. Ok, I had to go back to see where I last left off. I've been seeing the updates, but I've been so swamped with homework and other things and thought "nope, I'm gonna get sucked into reading again and this deadline's in a few minutes" So, it's not that I've been ignoring the updates, but that I had to DENY myself the enjoyment of reading. Let's see, last I left off reading, Noel and Kris spent a lifetime together pretty much and Kris died of natural causes. He and Landyn had changed their appearances so many times in the last years he couldn't remember his natural hair color anymore. Landyn always recommended looking at his carpet; it was still his natural blond. - LMAO. It's tough living for so long. Simon gave him a once over and then stated casually, "You look like shit." "Simon!" Landyn put his mug on the coffee table with a clang. - Best. Part. Ever. All I'm saying is that maybe they weren't ready when fate hit them. - *grumbling like a spoiled little kid* Yeah, yeah. I GUESS I should be more patient about it. "Don't forget there are still people out there who want to murder our King and usurp control. It might be better if we had a functioning relationship between our King and his mate." - *waves frantically toward him* What Simon said! I'm with Simon! Well, this second installment was a huge and unexpected rollercoaster of angst, drama, and deceit. Can't wait to start part 3! *shuffles over to Kabal*

Well, to be honest, the most damaging to me were the manipulations of twisted folk...far beyond reading adult themed books. I do agree with what you're saying, though.

Actually, there isn't anything I really dislike about your work, even when I'm freaking out over the characters. I grew up on Latin soap operas and live for drama, angst, and romance.

You're like the reigning ruler of drawing out reactions. I'm going to try my best to say something more technical about your writing style and flow in my next comment or something.

Well, when I was a kid, I loved to read anything and I was given all kinds of books by others to read. So, I'd skip all the lovemaking scenes in romance novels because I didn't understand much of what they were doing. There was one book from a series that my older cousin was reading and she let me borrow that traumatized me a bit...something about a young pregnant woman whose caretaker or aunt or something drugged her whenever she was about to give birth so that she could kill and bury the babies...she did manage to escape that house and live on her own, protecting her unborn kid, but still. Freaked me out at the time. Now as an adult I kind of want to find that book again to figure out just who the heck kept getting her pregnant in the first place.

Yeah, I have no idea. I read a story to the end even if I find it boring halfway through and then babble about all the things I liked at the end. There isn't a story I haven't commented at least once in. I even try to comment to every single chapter as I read and jot down my reactions. Sometimes I'm so riveted to click to the next chapter that I end up delayed in my comments, but I never NOT comment at some point. The newer generations that grew up on Facebook and shifted to Instagram, where "likes" were faster and easier than comments, especially on mobile devices. They've become too frustrated to try to type on such a tiny screen with their thumbs unless something really speaks to them because of the way that the sites changed to add that "like" feature. Even on mobile devices, I leave comments because I have fairly thin fingers and very little problem with tiny keyboards.

8 grown women went to Disney's Animal Kingdom and acted like kids all day (even eating ice cream). It was the best! 🤣

Yes, it’s awful that Morgan got caught up in it. LMAO! Asshur.

You’ve already caught up by the time I saw this comment, but I’m very glad you’ve enjoyed what you read so far!

Thank you!

Thank you, it was an amazing day! And yes to both. Morgan and Sabine are official (though it hasn’t been mentioned yet) and Avi could use a friend like Al.

Thank you! Yeah, one of the good things about Avi is that he’s becoming more observant and tries his best to adapt. A supportive mate like Lex has a hand in that, as well.

Thank you! It’s gonna be a blast no matter what.😁

Thank you! And yeah, Nestor seems leagues ahead of everyone, already settled down and working.

In spite of being surrounded by three of the people that I trusted the most, my heart was still pounding heavily inside my chest. I still firmly felt that Ashur was still worse than Nestor, but I couldn't ignore the fact that the Husky had put me in the hospital the last time I saw him. I mean, it wasn't as if I didn't trust my friends and my mate to keep me safe, and I didn't consider myself that much of a coward. And yet, as I clenched Lex's hand a little tighter with my one good hand, I reali

Should he be reincarnated into a human again, I don't see why he couldn't hang out with them again. They'd just have to keep a lookout for a baby that likes fire extinguishers. But, seriously, I wouldn't mind reading more about this group, either.

And then I’m gonna come out to my family and friends, ask Hugh for a date, go to a gay bar, lose my virginity, and live happily ever after. As if. Dating Death is a lot less scary than having to tell my dad I’m gay. - Now, hold on just a minute! They're both equally as difficult. Just because they weren’t freaked when Hugh came out, doesn’t mean it will be easy for me. - Heeeeeeeey Hugh! Lookit chu, being all brave and paving the way. “No, he doesn’t know about me. I’m not out to anybody, well, except one virtual friend.” It was the best way to explain Bart. - Ha! So clever. “Once you’ve done that, can we maybe go on a date?” - Heeeeeey, Hugh! Lookit chu, all brave and....deja-vu? lmao. A loud whoosh from the kitchen made them jump apart. - LMAO! No he didn't! Oh Bart...what are we gonna do with you? I hope the cosmos that be allow you to move on to an actual rebirth after all this.

Fire extinguisher, friendly fire...I don't know whether to feel concerned or intrigued. “I’m fed up with your dangerous habit of falling asleep with a lit cigarette in your hand." - OMG Dean, don't die. “Why can you talk?” - That's what I'm wondering. You sure you didn't smoke something "extra" earlier, Dean? Is this a dream? “I was an arsonist for years and never got caught.” - Was he cursed? “You mean…I now have a patch of fire extinguisher spunk on my living room floor?” “Yup.” “Eeeww.” - LMAO! *dying of laughter* When he turned, the fire extinguisher was standing on the other chair at the table. “Whoa, how did you get there?” - OMG Dean what did you do? What did you eat/drink/sniff?? “You dressed up like a zombie?” - Dude, that's so morbid. I could take you down to the station and ask a couple of the guys to try you out. Tell them I’m not sure if you still have enough pressure, or something. - Wait, what?? LMAO!! At least, we can chat and maybe watch porn together. - Nope, I don't think I've ever read anything quite like this before. A person and a fire extinguisher watching porn together. lmao. On to part 2!

Glad I got you to laugh. It was a really good read. I mean, if anyone would have told me earlier that I'd be so absorbed into a story about a guy manning a tollbooth...your writing style makes just about anything interesting. Love it. And I will get to the chaptered ones at some point and I will probably despair at the last update....however, it'll be fine, I'm still waiting on other favorite tales everywhere. *coughs* like @Starrynight22's Forget to Remember.

This is not meant to be bullying of any sort, more like a hopeful wish...but, I think this story's status is mislabeled. It's not complete. Nope. We need more.

Before reading: *glances at Clueless Camping and the Cardmaker and the Caretaker* ...no! They're multichaptered! I can't possibly read them fast enough before lunch time at work and not get caught. But, gods, they're so pretty. *pets the screen* Soon, precious stories, I shall read you soon. Ok, I think I have a generally decent order of single chapter stories...and I think I left off at THIS one. *maximizes the font and switches to white font on black background* While reading: “The boy is getting as weird as you are,” Frankie’s mother yelled before she packed all her suitcases and left when he was six. - Lady, moms are the only ones that can fully accept their kids' quirks. I think the one that's weird here is you. His father had entrusted him with the almost sacred task of manning the gate... - LMAO. Hey, if it makes you happy, it makes me happy. After his death, Frankie typed the rules into his computer and added to them occasionally. - He passed away????? 'Entry is by invitation alone, unless you have authority from the police, the FBI, or similar agencies arriving with proper warrants and IDs. Private citizens or business people, including members of the press, are only permitted entry with valid visitor cards which can be used in the gates or handed to me.' - You tell 'em, Frankie! “Frank did well by you, making sure you had a place and a job after he was gone. It was a great comfort to him when he got ill, knowing you’d be safe and happy here.” “I still miss him.” - *gushing tears* I miss him too, and he isn't even real. It didn’t help that Mr. Dan had told him his life may be in danger. - What the heck happened? “Nope, you’re now part of the witness protection program as the only person who can put Mr. B. in jail for murder, extortion, blackmail, tax evasion and various other crimes." - Oh, damn. “And you used different color pens for mornings, afternoons and evenings.” - Darn straight. Organization is everything! Mr. Morrison once told me the cooks from the main houses have a small competition to make new favorites for me.- LMAO! Aww, he's so adored. “Well, you’re a nice person, Frankie. Being nasty to a guy like you would be like kicking a puppy.” - LMAO! So true! With those words, the lawyer left, and Frankie had all the time in with world to work himself into a nervous state as he imagined holding on to the muscular police officer while they rode his bike. - LMAO! Woo! If Frankie doesn't return to the tollbooth, he can always be a security guard elsewhere. I would very much like to read a follow up of Frankie x Keyno. Do they end up living together? Did Frankie manage to make his appearance at court?

As am I...this chapter took way longer than expected, but I'm super glad we managed to finish it.