Cane23

C'mon Chris, I'm the naughty one!!! 😉

Ahahahah, well, I'm sure that if his mighty 'Valiant Edge' king issue an order, poor Ewan might do even that...but I'm not so sure that queen would approve!

😂🤣😂

My thoughts exactly...who is going to do what? 😜

Why do I have feeling that Garran is going to pay a royal visit to temple and penetrate some common sense into the priest boy?! Or they are going to discuss some religious topics... 😜

Two weeks holiday in Greece, starting Monday! Hopefully, with some decent wi-fi, I'll try to read the Secret Author competition stories and, eventually, leave some illiterate comments with many typos...😜

Their personal and professional histories are so knotted together that it makes this case even more complicated. People with emotional ties are easier to be manipulated, and Alexis knows it. I guess, Griffin will find rather hostile environment in FBI...I even suspect Alexis might have her insiders there too ... This might be a darker story, but it is a hell of a psychological thriller! Suspense is killing me, cannot wait the next chapter!

Oh, @JJQuinn, so you can write a dark humor too!!! So many hidden talents!!! I'm going back to my second read so, I'll give my full report later!

Naughty Cane is here, and shame on me - I find a kinky foursome very, very HOT! 🔥 My corrupted mind suspected threesome with Garran (and who knows, maybe they'll have to reward mighty Fae general somehow) nevertheless, I don't mind if you keep it in the family! 😜 If you could only write them all verse @mastershakeme, my fantasies would be fulfilled, alas...you cannot please everyone! 😁 Anyway, sex aside, I like @VBlew's explanation of bonding and magic...it makes it very logical. Generally, very entertaining chapter...oh, I was laughing at Ewan's worshiping of Kieran, crowned by bizarre mural of the 'Valiant Edge' and hymn to the hero king! 🤣 What a way to impress your 'foster son'!

'Analytical maestro' 🤣 spends hot weekends on the countryside without laptop. Phone is not suitable for analyses! Cheers, Cane

(R)evolution without weapon, war, destruction and guillotine! Suspense and tension built without violence. Transformation that comes from inside and changes the complete humanity. There is a global transformation but, then again, we see the individuals, making the new bonds and taking care of each other. Beautiful story @Wayne Gray!

parasite - noun 1. an organism living in, on, or with another organism in order to obtain nutrients, grow, or multiply often in a state that directly or indirectly harms the host. 2. someone or something that resembles a biological parasite in living off of, being dependent on, or exploiting another while giving little or nothing in return Merriam-Webster Dictionary This is definition but, what if...? What if parasite and host make symbioses that makes humanity striving for empathy, love and peace? What if parasite is that small trigger that has made such a fundamental change in human mentality, a final step of evolution from a beast to noble, supreme being... A statement from a certain politician that too much empathy is dangerous, inspired @Wayne Gray to write this dystopian and utopian sci-fi story, to prove that empathy can make this world a better place. This story is @Wayne Gray's prose version of Lennon's song Imagine, and that makes it so wonderful and unique... You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one

I share the feeling of my fellow readers - with every new flashback chapter, I'm hurting again - not because of any big betrayal or abuse, but because of the slow, accumulating ache of being Lyn. To read through his eyes is to live in a mind that is constantly negotiating shame, longing, and invisibility - while putting on a brave face. Lyn is never allowed to simply feel; he always has to perform his feelings, calculate his reactions, protect himself from exposure. He lies about Christmas plans, hoping someone will rescue him from loneliness. He gets called out for being poor and can’t even defend himself without playing a role. He accepts help from Alexander, who offers it with a disturbing blend of kindness and dominance. And when he finally returns to the warmth of Brad's embrace, thinking maybe now he’s close - he finds out he’s not special. Brad kisses Alexander too. He’s not chosen. He’s just... there. Brad is, as always, warm and physically affectionate. His reaction when confronted with Lyn’s lie is generous and sweet, but Brad’s final comment brings a cold shower! “...for tonight’s later celebrations, you, my man, are going to get the booze.” This seemingly harmless request slams Lyn back into his material limitations. The warmth Brad gave is quickly complicated by the social gap between them: Brad doesn’t even realize what he’s asking because he doesn’t have to worry about money, logistics, or risk. Alexander as always, the most intriguing character. “I don’t like you... if it weren’t for Bradley, we wouldn’t be close at all.” That line from Alexander is strategically cruel and deeply revealing. It may be technically true on the surface, but it’s also a shield. If Alexander truly didn’t care for Lyn, he wouldn't know about Lyn’s family situation so intimately, track his financial state with precision, invite and offer him a 'shelter' for the entire winter break, physically hold him, steady him, and walk close beside him like a guardian shadow. People don’t do all of that for someone they “don’t like.” He says he’s doing it “because of Bradley,” but that’s a convenient smokescreen. If anything, Brad is the excuse, not the reason.

Bella and Lyn as Black and White Queen... 😉

Prompt #293 reminds me of Aesop's Fable The Tortoise And the Hare! 🙂

Beautiful, optimistic...you've given humanity the hope with this story. Whether it is God or power of nature...or some cosmic force, the final truth is that it is not the punishment and diseases that will chang the people - the infection of good will do it!

Fighting hormones and another pregnancy is going to be harder than fighting dark blood magic! 😜 Another amazing chapter, though, it frustrates a little that every villain escapes them!

The guys literally changed the meaning of the phrase - to fuck up something! I hope John and Atticus will have successful 'demonstration' with general. There is some cosmic justice in fact that general is going to become the main breeding bull for world peace!

When tragedy happens and Jonah Kildare loses both of his parents in car accident, it is not the end, it is the beginning of the new life for Jonah. A new life in NYC, 'life worth living', with uncle, his wife and three amazing siblings. Fighting internal demons, cunning antagonists, legal system - combined with new friendships, love...adjusting to the new family and school is in short, the road you will travel reading this book - alongside Jonah Kildare.

I couldn't choose a favorite part but, every situation, good or bad, with Kildare siblings is great. Those three (with Jonah four) are funny, crazy, interesting and, above all, very loyal!

Well, I ment more like, happily "f*cking together" than as a couple... Honestly, I have no idea what will be at the end, some characters are yet to be seen (but I'm not hiding that Alexander and Lyn are still my favourite couple). As the story is written from Lyn's pov, he's the one who will see the fall of the Brad's mask, even if Brad's performans stays the same for the others.

Good point...yes, what might be the trigger that will remove his mask? Maybe seeing Lyn and Alexander happy together... 🤔

Wait a sec... just to switch off this stupid android!!! 😜 Ok, now... I can imagine situation that government wants to make genetic changes in worm - to make it controllable, block the protein for empathy and then sell it for enormous price as advanced 'blue pill'. Never underestimate 'pharmaceutical mafia'!