Welcome to the Story. It's story Time With Sky. You can fall in until you cry. It's story Time with Sky. It's story Time with Sky. Welcome to Story Time with Sky. I'm your host, New York Times bestselling author, sky Warring. Every week I tell a brand new story based on the heroes, heroines and meet Cutes that you want to hear about. I bring on some of my favorite romance authors as guests. To help me craft a hilarious, steamy, and ultimately romantic story with a guaranteed happily ever after. So pour a glass of something fun. Welcome to the story. Hello everyone. Welcome back to story time with Skye. I'm Skye Warren, your host, and I am here with the very cool, very pretty, very mermaid hair, Lucy Smoke. Hi Lucy. Hi. Thanks. Thanks. Yeah, and I'm going to tell you a little bit about her briefly, um, which is that she's also known, so she's Lucy Smoke, also known as Lucinda Dark for her fantasy works, has a master's degree in English, and is a self proclaimed creative chihuahua. I did misread that on the first go around, and I thought you were saying you had a chihuahua, which like, Is also cool. But, um, you yourself are a Chihuahua and she enjoys feeding her wanderlust, cover addiction, as well as her face. Um, when she's not on a never ending quest to find the perfect milkshake, she lives and works in the Southern United States with her beloved fur baby hero and her family and friends. Is Hiro, is Hiro a Chihuahua? No, he's not. I don't have Chihuahuas, but my friends that say that if I were a dog, I would be a Chihuahua. Interesting. Interesting. So what kind of dog is, is Hiro? He's like a mutt. He's a mixture of like Corgi, Dachshund, Terrier. He might have some Chihuahua in him, but I don't really see it. I see all the Corgi and the Dachshund and the, and the Terrier for sure. Yeah. So what makes like a perfect milkshake? Okay. Honestly, like it doesn't have to have any fancy toppings. Um, it doesn't need the whipped cream. It doesn't need a cherry. It's just like the perfect, like, this is going to sound dirty, thickness and like the perfect, like mixture. So like, if you get a chocolate milkshake, you don't want it to just be like a vanilla milkshake with, you know, like chocolate syrup in it. You want it to be like actual like chocolate ice cream mixed into it, like melts it a little bit. Perfect consistency. So I'm a big milkshake lover. I love milkshakes so much. I love the banana milkshake. Have you ever heard of, um, crazy Mason? So they, I think originated in my home. Well, part of my hometown I'm from originally from Charleston, South Carolina, they originated in monks corner or not monks corner Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, which is like a suburb of Charleston essentially. And they're like this gourmet milkshake place. And it, uh, I have one here in my town and it's delicious. Their milkshakes are expensive. They're like 15 for a milkshake, but. They're kind of worth it. Like you get, it's like a whole dessert and I'm talking like a dessert that you would get at a like five star restaurant dessert plus a milkshake, like they put the dessert on top of the milkshake and then you drink, I've seen that like trend of like, you get like an actual sort of like entire slice of cake and like candy, it's just like a whole. And you get like these, you get them in these mason jars and you get to take the mason jars home. They're totally yours. But yeah, it's like really, really good. I don't, I don't get them too often because I'm trying to be better about my health, but they are delicious and worth it for a special occasion. Awesome. Okay. Well, what we're going to do today is tell a story. It might include milkshake. It might not. We'll just have to see how it goes, but we are the gods of the story. So we can do whatever we want. There are three parts to the story and I'm going to tell you what they are. And then those are the only requirements we have and we can sort of do whatever we want with them. So the first part of the story, and I'm very excited about this because with Storytime with Skye, I like to invite a lot of authors who write different kinds of things. But it ends up being a lot of contemporary romance authors because I, I write it and I know a lot of people who write it. So with you, I am going to say that the hero is like a king, a paranormal king, fantasy king. Okay, we want to go fantasy with this. I love it. Okay. Yeah, but the human is. The, the, the heroine is human, okay, and the, so is that what you write in your fantasy? Do you like mix the worlds like that or? So I have written like high fantasy where it's like, you know, all magic, but there's usually humans in it or people without magic abilities and things like that. Um, but I've also done like the urban fantasy paranormal route as well. So I kind of. As long as it's fantasy, that's loose in a dark pen name. Okay, so the heroine, in addition to being human, is also a college student. Okay. And the way that they meet is at like an underground party that she's not supposed to be. Okay. So those are the three requirements. What do you think? So let me just make sure that I got this right. So the requirements are he's a king, paranormal king of some sort. She is human and she's a college student and they meet in an underground thing. Yeah, like an underground party where she's not supposed to, where she's not supposed to be. Hmm, okay. Could be kind of fun to have him be almost like a, like a vampire king. Okay. And the party that she's gone to could be something that he's specifically throwing. Maybe even to find a wife or a bride. Okay. Is he like affiliated with the college in any way or is this like a separate thing? I mean, it depends on how you look at like, he could be affiliated with the college or he could be completely separate from it. But there are other vampires in the college that are affiliated and those are the ones that bring her Oh, yeah, because the question is like how does she get in if she's not supposed to be there? if they have some kind of a Like if it's really supposed to be some sort of like paranormal only event then she wouldn't even Really be invited so she had to get brought and if she was brought and she's human and they're vampires She might have been brought as food originally. Yes She could have been brought as almost like You a joke or as food and as, like, things are not going to end well for her. Like a gift to him for him to, like, feed on. Oh my god, like, like when you bring a bottle of wine to the house party. Everybody brings the same bottle of wine, like, oh. Just picked whatever red was available in the store. Right, it was the cheapest one on the shelf. Oh my god. I was also thinking, and I don't know if we want to do this, because, I mean, the party paper thing kind of works, but, like, if she was If they're not affiliated with the college, they could do it where she's like a journalist trying to prove herself and she's like sort of poking around, but can't get in. Like maybe heard there was a party, but because of magic cannot even get in or sort of see how the party is happening. You know what I mean? And the people are outside and are like, You maybe know too much, and you look delicious. Like, just bring her inside. That could work, like if it's like, ooh, what if it was at like a club or something that she was at, and she was like, trying to track down or trail like some sort of famous person, like a famous model or something like that, cause vampires are supposed to be always like super hot. Super magnetic, like everybody wants to be around them, and potentially she might have heard about them coming to this club, and so she goes to the club to see them, track them down, she tries talking to them, and they're a vampire, and there's like a secret tunnel from the club down into this big party thrown by the Vampire King. Yeah, I like it because I think it gives her like more agency, even though she gets herself into the situation. Like she gets herself into the situation because she has this goal, right. Of being intrepid, of being like a secret uncover person. And so it's not just sort of like random that she was picked, you know, she was, she, is she like freshly in college, like 18 or is she like 21 towards the end of her college career? Could be either way. Cause if she's like freshly 18, I could see it as like a dare. And for her to, like, prove herself to her new college friends. Yes. Or if she's, like, 21, then I could see her being like, Oh, I've got to get my big break before I even get out of college. So I want to, like, track this famous person down, get an exclusive interview, so that way I could get a job. Yes. I don't know. I mean, Mm, it's tricky. It's tricky. I think I think I would like the 18 year old more if she was going to end up with a younger guy. I mean, it's not that I'm against an age gap. It's just like when you want it, when you have an age gap, you want like a more mature heroine, heroine, you know what I mean? I like her being older. And also, what if like, so, so she's like a little bit older. I mean, that's only a couple of years and she's trying to prove herself. But what if she has the added thing of like, girls are disappearing related to this club, like college girls are disappearing. Oh, I love that. Yeah. So she's like trying to get a big break, but also like, this is important. This is why she's becoming a journalist. Right. If we do that, we should make it personal to her though. Like a friend of hers has disappeared. Yes. Ooh, I love that. Like her friend was dating this like magnetic guy, then suddenly she disappears. And maybe the guy was not part of the college. He was older and he's like, she can't find him. And it's like, where did she go? And the cops can't do anything. They aren't getting anywhere. She's bugging them. Nothing's happening. So she takes it upon herself to go hunting for her friend and for the truth and ends up at the vampire King's party. I love that. I love her having more agency too. Yes. Yes. So she. I mean, and I think it's good, too, because it also shows that, like, I mean, they're up against something bigger, right? Like, the cops can't help. So it's not like, I don't know. I guess a part of me is always thinking, like, you know, how hard readers are on heroin, like, trying to, like, protect her from that. But I think it makes sense. Yeah, she's gonna do it for her friend and for truth and for justice and for all the other girls who are, like, interested in this, in this guy and in this bug. I love female friendships though and the, like, the strength of them and not, like, hitting females against each other, so having her go after her friend, like, find her and save her is, like, very much, like, a strong heroine vibe. Yeah, so what if she gets into the club? I guess it depends on whether she's sort of being dragged along as like a bottle of wine or whether she actually manages to sneak in. Because I, the other thing is like, what happened to the friend? It's like, maybe the friend is just like working there now in some sort of like, what do you call it? You know, when they're just, I mean, I guess brainwashed, but I feel like Or a thrall, a vampire thrall. Yeah. I would say her friend's got three options. She's either dead, a thrall, or she's been turned into a vampire. Yeah, I mean, I think we could do that. It just makes it for like a darker toned story, which we can do. We do those and then if she's a vampire, I think her friend would have tried to reach out to her Well, what if like the like the the whole thing of if you get turned into a vampire You have to leave behind your entire life. You can't talk to anybody from your past life from your human life Yeah, it's like a strong rule And maybe there even was something like she got a postcard or something that made her think it was from her friend And like her friend tried in this sort of like roundabout way to like not break the rule but tell her but she just You I mean, you're not going to think your friend is okay if you've got some like cryptic note, right? You're gonna, you're, you're still going to pursue it. So, okay, she, so the friend is either in Thrall or she's a vampire or she's dead. We don't know. So she gets in. And then what? Does she like immediately meet the king? No. So, does she, does she get let in by somebody else? Or does she kind of like sneak in? I guess you have to decide. I think, I think she's trying to sneak in, but it would be nice if, I think it makes more sense for her to get caught. Like a little bit of danger. Because she is in danger. Yeah, I agree. Emphasize that. Well, if she knew the face of The guy who was with her friend, the one, the vampire that her friend was with, and she sees him and he sees her, but I don't know if he would be the one to bring her. But if he's close with somebody, Like a higher up like a vampire lord or something like that who's like, well, let's bring her anyway, and he thinks it's like a joke. So he's like, no, let's bring her in and I'll give her to the king as a gift as like a kind of almost like a sarcastic, like, prank from this vampire lord to the king. Because that would explain why there's no other human females or humans at all at this party. Yeah, well, any humans that you bring are like disposable or you know what I mean? Mm hmm. So Yeah, so she gets dragged in which she's obviously like get your hands off me, but she's also like not too mad She was trying to get in. Yeah, but she's now aware that she's you know Maybe they're even like they have their superhuman strength or something And she's starting to realize that they don't They don't, they aren't as concerned about, like, morality or even the law as, like, regular people would be. Yeah, I think that she would definitely start feeling like she's in danger, but she's not gonna give up because she's come this far to find her friend. And I guess the question is, like, at what point does she know that paranormal stuff is happening? Probably so, if they're going from the club, I would say they would be, they would probably have, like, some sort of, Secret passageway, they'd go in and probably go down somewhere where obviously there would be no sunlight. And I think she might come across some possibly like vampires drinking blood. In different vampire stories, they're very open sexually, so she could be passing by literally like couples like feeding on each other and having sex. And then she's like, that's really weird. That doesn't seem normal. That seems really fucked up. And then that's when she starts noticing, I don't think I'm in Candace anymore. Yes, and I also like if maybe her friend had a little bit of a goth vibe and like a vampire obsession, which makes sense why she fell in with that guy in the first place. And I think it's also why when she first sees everyone dressed sort of very goth and, and she's like, she's like, oh, this is just a club where my friend would like to go. And then she sees them having wild sex and she's like, okay, a little much, but you know, okay. And then she, yeah, it's going to start to see the feeding on each other and things like that. You know, this is, she's going to be thinking, are these people doing that? Because I know she's obsessed with vampires, but still, still no. Maybe she would probably think it's like some sort of cult. She could even start to think that, but I also, I was also envisioning this thing where what if she actually, she's trying to prove it like just to the cops, right? Cause she doesn't know yet that it's paranormal. What if she tries to like take a video of this guy and someone takes the phone from her and like crushes it in their hand and she was like, that is not normal to be able to do that. Like, I think, I mean, she has. She is supposed to be a journalist, so yeah. Taking pictures or whatever. And then like, definitely the guy who's bringing her grabs it from her and just like crushes it and like drops it and she's like, oh my God. That is not, that's not what normal people do. That's like, that's a lot of strength. Yeah. And, but would that be enough to convince her it's paranormal? I like that. She, she does. Yeah. I like that she'd still be uncertain. Right, because I, and I think it's, I don't know, maybe a fine line to play with the readers because the reader knows they're in a paranormal story. But if you saw stuff that was weird, like, would part of you would still keep doubting it, right? Like, until Oh, for sure. Like, the human mind tries to, like, reason off everything. Yeah. With logic, quote unquote. Yeah, so she's definitely seen some weird shit by the time she gets dragged in front of this king, who's, like, on a throne, I envision, just because it's hot. Like a throne of like bones and like skulls or just like a regular like kind of deus with like, you know, ornate like chair or something like that. Oh, that's quite a dilemma. I, I wonder if it's possible to have both like, but I want him to be genuinely comfortable. Like, I want him to be kind of like on plush velvet. But I also want there to be some, like, elements of danger to this overall scene, you know? But make it like a stone throne with, like, like, you know, cushions and things like that. Yeah. And like, brickery. But definitely, like, old enough for her to question, like, how long has this place been here? Yes. Yes, I like that. And I almost wonder if like, if in some way there was embedded like a single skull as it being like a little bit more creepy, like a little more like that's a real one, you know what I mean? Versus if you saw a lot you might be like, maybe this is some kind of a set. I don't know, right? Like, I don't know. What about a vampire skull? Where you could see their like fangs extended? Ooh, yes. Yes. That could be the piece de resistance. Yes. And she would still be thinking though, is that just part of it? A prop. Exactly. Exactly. And then I think confronted with this guy, I like, I want like the classic in the lens sort of like masculine shirt open abs, you know what I mean? Like he is surrounded by an orgy, but he's also like bored of it. Yeah. That's the very classic, like I've been around this earth for hundreds of thousands of years and like, Yeah. Yeah. I'm just bored and tired of the mundane. Right, right. Exactly. I want that classic, like, pleasure is just boring now. What could make it interesting? I don't know. I think his mate could make it interesting. Like, I think his mate. Is that what you do in like the, in your Lucinda Dark books? Sometimes. I mean, fated mates is a trope, but I do like magnetic pulls. I've done soulmates before, reincarnated soulmates, and then I've done like, I've done, like, a vampire mate before. Ooh, I like that. Like, I'm intrigued by this reincarnated soulmate thing. Mm hmm. Ooh. Are you thinking she could be, like, a reincarnated mate of his from, like, all the stuff that's died? Yes. What if she just looks like one, and so he's, like, automatically, he's like, don't hurt her? Well, and the question can then be, even for the reader, is that what she is? Exactly, like, is she, like, his actual mate reincarnated, or is she a descendant of his mate? Or just looks like her, even. Mm hmm. And then I almost feel torn, like, which way would you even want it to go, right? It's hard. I mean, like, honestly, you wouldn't really have to decide until closer to the end. It could always just be like a big question mark. And then at the end, you could decide like, okay, is, is she actually his mate? Right. Right. So, okay. So I like that, you know, and then it also adds to the sort of like tortured hero background, right? Like the whole only reason he has turned to all of this hedonism is his grief, you know. You know, I love a good tortured hero. I love them when they're sad with their big, handsome, sad boys. He's been so big and handsome and sad for so many years, you know, and she, okay, so he's, she's dragged in front of him, like, here's this girl. And she, even though she's disturbed by everything that has just happened, she's going to pick herself up and be like, are you in charge here? Because did you know that that guy was with my friend and she went missing and we need to call the cops? I could just picture it though. Like, she just like, you know, kind of gathers herself up when everybody's staring at her like, you know what? I'm just gonna face the music. I'm just gonna like, this guy looks like he's in charge. And, uh, dude, he might be a murderer. This friend of yours might have killed my best friend. So I'm gonna need you to get it together and help me. Yeah. And I think, like, I think he'll find it quaint, right? Like, he'll be like, She's not terrified of him. And she's so brave. And she thinks that he's going to do, he's going to do the right thing. But does that make him want to do the right thing or does he just think it's funny? I think, okay, I think everyone else is going to laugh. Everyone is going to think it's funny, but he's also busy being struck by her, by the way she looks. He's not just going to be like, Oh, I love you. He's literally, he's going to almost, what if he's, I don't know how to describe it, but like, what if he's almost like suspicious or angry of how close she looks? Like he he's intrigued. But part of him is also like, because his grief, he's been sitting in with it for years, right? I mean, he could think that somebody just, like, brought her because she looks like his, you know, deceased mate. And that would make him suspicious, like, who's doing this? Like, who brought you? Oh, yes. Okay. Did the vampire lord who brought her know that she looked like his dead mate? So when you've done the soulmate thing, how would he eventually know if she is or isn't? In this situation, I would say if she accepts like a mate bond with him or she accepts that she loves him and then he would know and she would know. Or if something were to happen to her and he's forced to turn her and she becomes a vampire, then like automatically, if they're the same species, whatever mate bond they have, if they do have one, would snap into place. Oh, I like just his backstory just came to me. What if at first I was thinking maybe his previous mate was a vampire and you know, she could still be killed, right? Like by his enemy or whatever, but what if they were human together and they were in love all of that and she gets sick? This is like, I'm thinking, I'm thinking sort of like middle ages or something. So there's like not modern medicine and he goes searching, but he's like, he sails the seas to try to find a cure for her. Because like, even being with her is not enough, like, like he'll lose the years with her if he could just, you know, save her life and he discovered like what, you know, he, whatever, spends money, searches, explores, and instead of coming up with like this magical potion, he discovers that this like vampirism, basically, and he gets turned so that he can go back and turn her, but by the time he gets back, she has died. Oh, I love that. I love that backstory. That's sad, but also like awesome. So this is great. It's going to be really sad. I, you know, I love it. So I also love it morally gray, but that could also, I mean, like if he became a vampire for her to turn her and then she dies on him, like how did he become the vampire king? Right, exactly. You don't accidentally become a vampire king, right? He probably did a lot of fucked up shit because he's grieving and now has immortality. And nothing left to live for. Yeah, I would agree with you. I think he possibly, like, became a vampire king just to, like, distract himself from his grief. Yeah, and you'd have to be ruthless, right? To be the king of ruthless people. You can't be kind as a vampire king. Like, so many people are going to try to kill you. And in a way, like, that's why he could, right? Because no matter how callous another vampire would be. They have other vampires that they care about. They have family or they have things that they care about. And for him to just be like, I care about literally nothing. That's how you can be the most ruthless. I would agree with that. Maybe he like started it as a path to try to die. Yeah, he could have done it. He could have taken such like reckless decisions and like risk. To, like, try to kill himself without, like, you know, outwardly, like, committing suicide or whatever. Yeah. And then ended up being, like, the most powerful vampire in the world. Yeah. And everyone assumes that he did all of this because he likes the power or he likes the pleasure. And in reality, like, it was never that. Yeah. So it's not even what we said before, where he's bored of all of it. Like, she never wanted it. That's never what he was in it for. Yeah, I could see that. I love that. I think I like that way better than just him being bored of, you know, all the luxury and hedonism. And the fact that he just doesn't care for it, and he doesn't, like, he's just following his day's way, and it's like, expected of him, and he just does not give a fuck, and he doesn't, doesn't want it, never wanted it. Yeah, he's almost like, challenge me. Would someone challenge me? And of course, no one, and she challenges him, he does challenge him and a better person. The one who's been ruthless for centuries. Yeah, I think they could, I think other people could like laugh at her just for her sort of like girl scoutness and for, you know, specifically that up against him. Like it can just seem like a mouse confronting a lion, you know, It would just be funny. And he's gonna be like, she looks like her. I'm a little suspicious. What are you, you know, who sent you? She's like, what are you talking about? Like, I'm here for my friend. At some point he's, he's gonna have to buy it. Right. And he's going to then what, what is he going to do? Is he going to like, claim her in front of everyone? Is he just going to drag her away? Is he going to give her a task? I don't know what. Oh, that's a good question. I would say I don't see him claiming her in front of everyone because I think that, keep in mind, he's been hurt by the loss of his mate for centuries at this point. Like, he's not initially going to want to get involved with her, but she's kind of presented herself, like, and challenged him, so he's going to be curious about her. I think he might Invite her to stay and talk to him and give him more information. So I think he might be very suspicious of her and think that this is a ploy from some from another vampire. And so he's going to try to get information from her. Yes, and you know what I also love doing is kind of setting up the situation where, like, the meaner he is to her, the more it proves that he loves her. Because I think what would be better is not him being like, Oh my God, what if she is my soulmate reincarnated? I want him to be like, soulmates aren't real. Love isn't real. I was an idiot. I was a dumb dumb and nothing matters. I'm like, nihilism reigns like chaos reigns. The fact that she looks like her complete happenstance. And you know how I'll prove that to myself by treating her like crap. Like I would never have treated my, my, the person I thought I loved all those years ago. Or he could treat her like crap because he's angry at the mate that he lost. Because she died before he could save her. Could be a little bit of Cause a lot of times, like, anger just comes from hurt. Yes. So I don't know what came What popped in my head was like, That's book two, but We're already making this a trilogy. It's It's a little bit of an instinct at this point. Okay, so, yeah, so either way, He's quite He's quite mean to her, And because they're in such, like, This sexually charged environment, Like, it's gonna be kind of a sexual sort of, like, I'm not even thinking of him, like, putting his hand on her, as much as, like, taunting, you know? Making, yeah, belittling her, making her feel stupid. Like, she's gonna, like, blush, you know what I mean, at what she's seeing, and he's going to find that, he's gonna secretly find it charming, but he's going to outwardly mock her. Like, bop at her, yeah, mock her, for sure. I like him doing it in front of everyone, just because I think it's this double, Whammy of the reader's going to be kind of guessing why he's doing it, you know, stemming from some kind of her, especially depending on what POV we're in and, but everyone watching in his court is going to assume it just means what it means. We're going to assume it's very superficial. Yeah. And none of them know, knew the wife, the, yeah, his love from before. Yeah. It wasn't like part of the vampire world or anything. No, because this was before he was a vampire. So they don't even know what's going on. And I think maybe they could, someone could try to drag her away, like, Okay, like, you've had your fun batting this mouse around, like, Do you wanna, like, drink her blood and kill her, or should we just take her away? And he's like, obviously not gonna let them take her away. He's gonna be like, Oh no, no. She's mine. He drags her into a private room. They assume she's just gonna die. Hmm. I mean, instead of like, him dragging her, I like the idea of him ordering like, his like, servants or guards or whatever take her to his chambers or something like that. And then like, having her kind of like, cause if, it depends on the POV that we're doing, cause if we're doing a back and forth POV of him and her, Or if we're doing a third person POV, it just depends. You know, there could be a scene where she's, like, locked in his bedroom, like, oh my gosh, what the heck's going on? She sees all this memorabilia from his, you know, human days, like, pictures of him, like, riding horses back in medieval times, but he looks the same. She's starting to piece two and two together, and, like, he's just waiting for the party to end so he can go back to her. And he finally it ends and he goes back to her and then it's like time to face the music. What is he going to do? Is he going to drink her blood and killer or is he going to release her? Yeah. So I had this cat, um, I was telling you before we started recording that I had, I had, I have had cats, but I don't have currently have a cat and my last cat, she lived to old age, but she. Was evil, in fact. Some cats are. Some cats are, yeah. That's why we got her, actually. Like, we found this litter, and they were all cute, right? Like, as kittens are. And she was just, there was something off inside her head, and I knew it, and I was like, that's what's gonna happen is someone's gonna get this kitten, because it's cute. And then they're going to like not know what to do or like bring it back or something. So I was like, we have to keep this kid. And she always was, you know, like, like the way we would describe it is she was great. If you assume she's a tiger, like great, well behaved tiger. But as, as a cat, no, like she would swat at you. She would scratch you. Like she was swatting at my kid, like as a baby. And instead of being like this, this cat has to go. I would just be like, baby, you can't go near the cat. Anyway. What she would do though, why I brought this up, is she would bring, she would catch birds, and so many birds, she caught so many birds, and she wouldn't kill them. It's not like she would leave them on her back step, like that's what you hear sometimes. Yeah. She would bring them inside, and then let them go. So they would fly all around her house, unable to like actually escape. Right, like Jen, like literally a mouse that like, you know what I mean, a cat and a mouse like that. Yeah, no, she was, she was quite evil. I did love her in a way, but like, I also saw what she was, you know, um, so we brought a lot of injured cats to like the wildlife center in our city. Anyway, that's how I envisioned this, this, this, this. to go in his, in his rooms, you know, like she's trapped. There's obviously no escape. So would he keep her then there? Well, I mean, I think it's like he's a little bit suspicious, but I also wonder if That's like a really convenient excuse for him to keep her without admitting to himself that that's that he has a personal reason for doing it, you know, yeah, I think if he's suspicious, though, there's got to be some sort of problem. He's got to think someone would do it, not just like random, you know. Well, if he's king, he's a vampire king that I would assume, like, he's got enemies, he's got people, and he's been ruthless, and I assume, and would rightfully probably assume, that he has made quite a few enemies and killed certain people that he probably shouldn't have, and so maybe he's thinking, did somebody find out about my past, did they find out about the woman that he became a vampire for, and are they trying to weaken him? Yeah. By getting the, getting him interested in this girl. Yeah, and so it hasn't happened all this time, so he would have assumed that it couldn't have happened because it's been so long, but she's here, she's proof, somehow, in his mind that it has happened. And he could even say it to her, like, did I think to weaken me because of what you look like? And she's just like, what are you talking about, my dude? She'd be very confused. She's like, I don't know what's going on here. I don't know what your deal is, but just looking for my best friend. And she could keep sort of like, Interrogation kink, but like both sides, you know, he's trying to interrogate her, she's trying to interrogate him, but overall they're both like circling each other and there's a lot of sexual tension. Yeah, and maybe he won't like let her go until she gives him information or if he really does think that she was sent here by another vampire, then he would essentially be like, You can't leave until I know who sent you and she's like, nobody sent me. I'm just looking for my best friend and he's like, I don't believe you. And so he just like, forces her to stay with him. And that's what, that's a little bit of a captivity kink too. That's a little bit of a captivity thing. Could he like, I thought it's two possibilities. They're not mutually exclusive. Could he, like, try to sex her into, like, confessing? I could see that. I could see, like, past a certain point when he gets really frustrated or even, like, frustrated with her. And he's just, like, you know, the interrogation isn't working. So he thinks, oh, if I'm nice to her, when I haven't been this whole time, if I try to, you know, you know, enchant her or something like that. She'll tell me the truth. And of course she, when that happens and he's like nice to her and he's like trying to seduce her and she's of course very attracted to him. He's very attractive as a man but she's also like, uh, I don't know if I can trust my own like body right now because you still haven't answered any of my questions. You won't let me leave. Does she fall for it? And then does she hate herself afterwards? I think, I think she doesn't fall for it all the way, but I think she does fall for it a little because he is so compelling and overwhelming and they're just in this like close quarters, almost like sensual combat situation. But he falls for it a little bit too, right? Like, you know what I mean? He can't help being, and maybe like there are this, there's this moment when they're like sex fighting where like it becomes this genuine moment and they both sort of stop and then their eyes meet and they realize it. The other thing I was thinking of is like, what if they're actually, what if it ends up being that he's accidentally correct? And what if there is a plot and it's done by the guy who was dating her friend and she has some information about it. She just doesn't know it. I like that. I like that. She was not a plant in any way, shape or form like that. That will just say is, but you know, so it's not like the friend used her in that way, but it could be You know, that gives us this, like, external conflict part. Yeah. I mean, it could be that he has to, like, leave her because there's, like, some sort of vampire council he has to attend. And maybe the person who used her friend to try to get close to her, you know, knows that she's there, obviously. So he comes and tries to kidnap her away from the Vampire King. Yes. I almost wonder if before that, what if he is able to confirm Like he sends out his own people and maybe he questions her to the point and they have this moment of like sort of intimacy like genuine intimacy and he's like, okay, no, you really are just looking for your friend and therefore I have no more excuse to keep you like I didn't keep you because I want to but that would admit caring about you and that would admit that I'm like, you know what I mean having feelings which I can't so I'm going to send you back Okay. I'm going to have you escorted back to your little college life and it can feel really strange, right? Because even though it's only been like what, like a day or two or something, but like she, you know, she's now seen this other world. Yeah. But now I wonder if, if the friend doesn't actually go back for her just because she actually does, he has to live in the world, right? And she does know him and that, you know, he, he knows that now that she's suspicious and that she knows where to find him and, and she, he doesn't want any trouble. It's just easier to kill her. Ooh, what if the friend wasn't a vampire though? Like, we, we weren't, uh, we weren't quite sure earlier if she was. What if she's just a thrall? And now that, like, the girl's been introduced to the Vampire King, the vampire who had the friend or whatever has, like, released her and, like, doesn't want anything to do with her. But she's still kind of under the vampire's thrall, so she goes back to her friend or whatever, and she's like, I can't have him because, you know, he needs you, and she's like really upset, and so she either tries to hurt her friend because she's still under that like, kind of like mind control thing, which is like, addicted to being in her vampire's presence, but like, so she doesn't understand what she's doing. Yeah, kidnaps her to bring her to the vampire that she was enthralled to. Yeah. To like, see if she can get back in essentially. Yes, or, you know, like, I think I love that. And what if, even though he's playing it, the king is playing it off. And being like, I'm just going to go, you know, question you or drink your blood or whatever. The guy who's actually has a plot sees that she's special. He can tell that she's being treated in a different way. And this is not how he normally acts. So he's like, wait, I can use her. I don't even maybe know how I'm going to use her, but I can use her. She's a tool, right? Because I'm trying to use her. I'm trying to get this kingdom. So I'm going to use my girl who's enthralled to lure her over to me. And now I've got her. I love that. Okay. So he's got her back. And then the king is like, the king has told himself, move on with life, like, Send her back to the real world, she's not important, like, she's a weakness we don't need. Yeah, she's, like, if I, if I kept her, it would be bad for her, it would be bad for me. We're just going to continue on. So how does he find out that she's been kidnapped? Does he, is he stalking her? Can he like not help himself or? I would assume that he the, he's a king, so he's got to have servants and thralls himself. And maybe just to give himself some peace of mind. He's like, I want to know what she's doing and how she is. Like, can you tell me like, how, how is she? And he's like, oh, well, She's been missing for a couple of days. Like, his servant comes to tell him after he's requested more information on her and how she's, you know, acclimating back to her normal life. And that's when he finds out, oh, she's gone. Nobody's seen her for a couple days and he gets enraged, of course. So I think he would actually leave the Vampire Society to go hunt for her, like maybe go find her apartment, go through it, see what she lived like, try to like catch a scent to see. I love the idea of him looking through her stuff because she looked through his stuff, you know what I mean? So we'll get to, as the reader, we'll get to see the contrast between like his, which was probably what, like luxury, old world type stuff. And hers, which is like Ikea dorm type stuff. But what if she also has something there that is like, what if he's still convincing himself not to, he's still trying to convince himself not to care. He goes there because he can't keep himself from going there, but as he's there, he's still telling himself she doesn't matter. I'm just worried because I don't know. She can be used against me or I wanted to have sex with her again, like he'll have excuses to himself, but, but the reality is that he cares, right? And what if he sees something when he's looking through her stuff that pings back to the woman he was in love with? More than just her looks. Are you talking like, could it be like a family heirloom that was passed down? That, like, maybe a necklace that his, um, his beloved wore? Or are you talking like, something closer to how similar the two would be in personality? I was thinking more personality, but I think either way could work. I was thinking more like, They both had a similar interest in like whatever subject she's learning like it, like, actually with the friend thing that she doesn't even have to be a journalist per se like she could be into poetry or something and that his, his old beloved was into poetry. And it could just be like this ringing bell, you know. Yeah. I mean, if it would be something, I would say something like, Ooh, what if she was a really good, like, getch artist? And like, after she left him, she drew him by memory. And so he finds a picture of himself drawn by her. And then if, and if his old beloved was into drawing, he could have a sketch that maybe even she saw, maybe she didn't of himself. And he would in a way look the same, but also different, right? Like his big, his features would be the same. He's not aged. But like, but his life experience has changed him. So he's no longer this like, innocent guy going out to save his beloved. He's this like, hardened vampire king. Yeah, who's been ruthless for centuries and been through so much shit and grief. It's kind of like that moment when, in like a movie, when they like, look in the mirror and they kind of see themselves and realize like, How much they've changed. Yeah. Yeah. I love that. Okay. So he's, he's now committed. He's going to find her and maybe he's like, not even really able to lie to himself anymore about why, like he just has to. So he probably using what vampire hunting techniques. Well, I would say if he's in her apartment looking through her stuff, he finds that what if her friend was either her roommate or her friend came to her house, would he scent the friend and the vampire that's also, like, because I assume, like, if you're, if you're enthralled to a vampire, you carry your vampire scent with you. Mm. So if he does that, and he recognizes the scent, and then he knows who has her. Okay. And so he goes to find her and they, they aren't going to be prepared. Okay. So they're going to be well guarded I think. Cause it's not like they're dumb. Like if they're really, if they're truly a threat, they've got to be pretty good. Yeah. But on the flip side, it's not like they're prepared. They haven't like sent a ransom note or something like that. They're not actually expecting him to show up. Right. Because maybe Because, I mean, he sent her back to the dorm, right? Like, like, they don't necessarily think she's gonna be retrieved within the next day or something. Yeah. I would assume they wouldn't even consider, like, that he'd already be on his way to get her. Yeah. So, he's able to sort of catch them off guard. I could see her being in like someone's dungeon or something like that. And then them trying to debate like, okay, what do we, how do we use her? What are we going to do with her? How do we use her to get to him? But then boom, it's too late. He's already there and he's angry that she's been taken. Yeah. And they're, they're just, he's alone and they're more than one potentially vampire, but they're taken by surprise. So he is able to overcome them. This is not like the big fight. This is, this is, we're into maybe like, we're maybe, not quite in the middle we're getting there, but, or, or we're maybe crossed it, but, but this is not the big showdown. This is just like the climax. Yeah. This is just like the, what is it called? It's like, you know how when you have in a story, you have like two climax, it's almost like the fake one. The first one, it's like the rising action or something like that. Yeah. Okay. So he takes her back. He's now, you know how, like, I honestly, literally don't even know if this is a real thing, but I've now read it in enough books that I'm going to assume it's a real thing, but you know how like, When you have had a fight, and so therefore, like, you need to have sex to, like, affirm, like, Yes. Or you're just like, you know, it's a make up sex. Right, like, you just, you know, he almost lost her, he was trying to tell himself he didn't care about her, but obviously that was a lie, and he's gonna just, like, actually sex her. And she is maybe, like, out of sorts. But it's also like, okay, I almost died. I mean, this is a crazy world we're living in. My friend betrayed me because she's in for all, she could even know that, you know, but, you know, but still like, this is not an ordinary situation, right? Like I like, uh, you know, it's like the adrenaline rush or the, right after the adrenaline rush, you just like, you want to feel alive. You want to feel like you're still here and you're okay. And that will help her. Yeah. Yeah. And. And in a way, you're also kind of like stripped, right? From your inhibitions or whatever. Yeah, from your inhibitions, from propriety, from the sense that like, what I'm supposed to do is go to class and I'm supposed to have a career and it's like, all that just sort of fades away under this like, okay, this is what I want. And what I want is to be with him and life is short and maybe I just do it, you know? So he rescues her. They have a little sexy time, and then what? Does he have to prepare for basically, like, the consequences of his actions going after a vampire lord or something like that? I think that, you know what I like, is this idea where he goes, storms into this other guy's place, grabs this girl and leaves, and maybe even, like, kills a couple vamps in the process. And in a way it feels like he won the day, but the actual evil guy like the original boyfriend of the roomie kind of like smiles at the end because what he did is just proved that he has a weakness and that's all they've been waiting for. He was never defeatable for like millennia because he didn't have a weakness and now he has one. So what does he do then? Because he, at this point, like, he's, they've had sex. He's kind of admitted to not just himself, but to, he's revealed to the people that she means something to him. He knows that if she remains human, she's in danger. So he's like, obviously she'll be in danger regardless, but she'll be less in danger and less likely to die if he turns her. I mean, I think they can have that discussion. He can, like, they can have sex and it can be not, um, especially, I love actually having like conflict sex, you know, like, like sex where there's, you're really like pushing into the conflict of it, but if this is a good sex scene, like they just both have good sex. Then I feel like you need something really wrong to happen after and so I feel like the wrong thing is going to be the fight that they have when he's like, okay, that was a great sex. Now I'm going to turn you because that's the only option we have and she's going to be like, no, no, exactly. Yeah, absolutely. She's definitely going to turn him down and be like, no, I'm not turning like I don't want to live forever. And he's going to be like, you don't have a choice. Like I'm going to turn you. And she's like, no, my answer is no, it's not happening. And absolutely there'll be a huge fight where he tries to make her understand. Like, if you don't turn, if you don't allow me to do this, like he could torture and kill you to get. Yeah. And I think they, they have to have the discussion that we just had of like her saying, okay. So you're, you're saying if I'm a vampire, I can't die. And he's going to be like, no, you can die. And then she'll be like, then what's the point. And he's going to be like, well, you know, it'll be tougher to kill. Yeah. It's less likely you'll be stronger, et cetera. And she's like, well, less likely is not that helpful when I'm like changing my entire physiology. I don't really like want to drink blood. That's a whole thing. You know, then if he's a good guy, he's not going to try to force on her though. Yeah. I was thinking about it. I was like, I almost think. I mean, it's a decision, right? Like, how good is he, and how do we define goodness? Because he could force it on her, and it would be, it would be both wrong and right, in a certain worldview, you know? But I also like the idea of him not forcing it on her, and like, Trying to keep her protected as she makes up her mind and him hoping she'll come to the right conclusion, but then them getting attacked by the villain again, and then her getting so hurt that he has to save her at the last minute. I always love that. And I don't know what J. R. R. Tolkien said, but essentially it's like the whole idea of like keeping readers guessing and making them really think like, are they going to die? If she is, is this going to end in tragedy? But it's a romance and most romances will end in happily ever after. So, but it's still I love making readers question like, but what if, you know what I mean? Like, what if she doesn't make it? What if he doesn't get there in time? What if he doesn't save her in time? Yeah, and I love parallels. I love it even when we're not doing a soulmate thing. So, like, he went back to his wife and found her and some, something about the setting or the way he found her, the pose she was in is like how he'll find her. You know what I mean? Like how he found her after she passed. Yeah. Like how he'll find the new, how the new girl is, how she's like dying, but not quite dead yet. Yes. I love that. And now, and then he gets that second opportunity, that second chance where he can save her this time. Yeah, and even, like, maybe he gets back all those years ago and she's literally cold to the touch, but he, he does it anyway. He, like, slices himself open and, like, puts a drop of his blood into her mouth in this, like, vain hope, right? And it doesn't work. Yeah, but he does it now and like the strongest guy in the world is like basically shaking a little because it has to work this time. Yeah, because he doesn't think he'll be able to make it through another several hundred years without this one. Yeah, I love that. I think that's a good parallel. I also like the idea of like, if it. For in written, I would love the idea of it, like, him almost like having a flashback as he was doing it all again. Mm hmm. And I, I wonder if like, especially if you're going to side with the idea that, that she is the soulmate reincarnated, which I feel like is the way we've been leaning on this, then it's almost like that drop of blood is what made it so he could have her back. Oh, like if you had never done that, it wouldn't have happened. Oh, I like that. I like that a lot. So, she comes back. Is that it? Are they, are they HEA at that moment? Or is she upset? Like, it's, it's, it's hard, I think. It's hard, this conflict. Because on the one hand, We do respect agency and consent and she had said no, but on the other hand you are alive now and you technically have the ability to undo that if you're really mad about it. So it's kind of like how mad can you be at them? You know? Yeah. I mean, I think honestly when you're on your, like when you've almost died, maybe it could be another one of those things where the last time she almost died they had sex because she was like, Oh my God, take a life by the balls. Like I need Confirmation that I'm here. I made it this time. She, what if she actually did die? Like, what if it was like, 1 of those, like, her heart stopped for a few minutes and then, like, him filling her with his blood, possibly giving her, like, CPR or something like that in the middle of, like, trying to turn her brought her back. And it's like, she's so, like, just thankful to be alive. And the fact that he has really started to show his emotions that he's like, Oh my God, like, I couldn't lose you. Are you okay? I'm maybe he even apologizes. Like, I'm so sorry, but I had to do it. You were dying and I can't live without you. You know what else too? What if from a magical perspective, the flavor of his blood, she remembers it. And it's, it's the key that like unlocks her memory. Oh, like, like, um, be turning into a vampire unlocks her past life and makes her remember together. And then she's totally okay with everything. Yeah. And so she like remembers him. I love that. I think that's a fantastic idea. Okay, cool. Yeah. So that's, then I could really see her being like, okay, no, we're together together. We're good. We're like, cause at that point it's not that, Oh, we've only known each other a couple of weeks, but it's, We've lived lifetimes together, and you've been waiting for me for centuries. Yeah. My whole heart. Yeah. I mean, I feel like there could be a little bit more external conflict, like, even after she's saved and they have the moment of, like, reconnection, and then there's, like, one last stand of, like, the bad guys, and I think it would be an interesting question, a story question of, like, can he lead? Now he can, like, they're, they're, they're like, they're thinking, Oh, we can use her, but it's, it's a separate question of like, can he even be a leader if he now cares about something? Right? Because it's been his strength all along. So I think it'd be interesting to show. Assuming he stays the king, that he can lead, that being, having her makes him stronger. I would argue that, potentially, if there are like special vampires who have extra abilities, that when she's turned, she becomes one of those special vampires and has one of those extra abilities. Whereas, it's not that he can, you know, he can lead even though he has his mate, but that she makes him stronger because she's almost like, she's a powerful force in her own right. Isn't it kind of like a thing where if you're, like, the older of a vampire you are, the stronger you are? And so she is not an old vampire, she was just turned, but in a way because of the soulmate thing she kind of is? Yeah, like, they could share, like, power, but also potentially because she was reincarnated, like, and she remembers her past life. Because I mean, like, even if her body's not that old, her soul would be. Yeah. Okay. So they put down the Rebellion, they're like, super strong leaders together, and, um And they think of the whole vampire world, that they are like a power couple. Yeah. I love it. Okay, so, what would be like the epilogue? Hmm. Maybe the honeymoon they never had. Oh, the honeymoon. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. Okay. She was too sick to go. Right. She had always dreamed of going to like a certain place. And he got to go, but he was only going to, like, search for this cure for her, and she was too sick to go, and so now they get to go. I can even see them going back to their, the old country where they originally, like, were from, and seeing, like, where she died or whatever, like, in her past life and things like that as part of their honeymoon. Oh, he probably, like, Bought up all that land, you know, like. And erected maybe a huge gravestone for her. And she's like, I don't know. I could see like a totally funny thing where she's like, okay, you know, you're going to have to take this down. Right. I could totally see that. Yes. Yes. Yeah. I love that. I love that they can have the honeymoon. They never had, and she has this new body, which is strong and, you know, and they have hope they both have hope. That's so sweet. Yeah, okay. What would be The title. Oh gosh And you have to really you have to carry the load on this one. Sometimes i'll come up with it but I don't do Paranormal, so I don't know as much. I don't know. It depends like if you want to go for something simple, you could just call it the vampire king Uh, but if you want it, I don't know Across centuries. I don't know I do love that. I like simple. I like the vampire king actually I mean, you know, the problem with Simple is it's often been done, but I don't specifically know of one, like, right off the top of my head. So it's not like, maybe Let's see, um If it were like high fantasy, I would call it like a court of bone and blood, but it's really more urban fantasy. Yeah. I feel like we can, we can do the Vampire King. I like, I like Simple. Honestly, I feel like sometimes we can overcomplicate and then it's like, but I want that on the, like, I, in the blurb or maybe even like on the cover, like, he loved, he, he loves her across centuries or something like that. Because I did like that. Or maybe like, um, it could be a tagline. Finding love across centuries. And not love like claims, like he claims her across centuries. Ooh, what about the Vampire King's Claim? Yeah, the Vampire King's Claim. I mean, it's still pretty, like, common slash general and simple, but it's at least a little bit more detailed. Yeah, and then if you did a trilogy, you know, then you could do the Vampire King's whatever. Yeah. His other things that he'll be doing, you know. Even though we, we didn't end on a cliff or anything, but. But that was, it was, I mean, that would have worked as like a, as a standalone, but I'm not very good at standalones, so that was really surprising. Yeah. I draw, I draw shit out. We made it sweet. We did make it sweet. I feel like, I feel like, yeah. It could have gone way darker. Another conflict y element if we were gonna, if we were gonna cliffhanger them. But maybe, you know, like it can be one of those series where like his friend now needs, yeah. Yeah. His second in command. A second in command could have been the one to tell him like, Hey, no, she's gone. She's missing. Yeah. And help him obviously defeat and Right. Protect him, protect her. I could see that. I also like when you have a figure like that, we do that when I kill a prisoner with Anika Martin, where like, he doesn't like her or trust her because of his loyalty to the main guy. And it kind of shows the reader and her how important she is, even as the hero is trying to like play it off. Are you talking about prisoner? I am talking about prisoner. Because I, damnit, I just redid my bookshelves last night. But it was, it was one of the, it was one of the ones I had facing outward. It was like at the front of my shelf,, but now, I don't know, I don't That's gonna drive me crazy. That's what I love to do actually. Like, like this is in certain ways, like a similar, similar sort of storyline. And I like to take them at like, I love to read them in historicals and um, in paranormal. And then I like to like, like how could I do that in contemporary? And then write something. I mean, you can always kind of take a Vampire King idea and make it contemporary by making him like a dark billionaire or something like that. Yeah. I love it. Yeah. It'd be so easy. And, and in a way, like, you do that and people are like, this is shocking. And you do it, you have a vampire do it and you're like, tame. That's ordinary. Do you feel like that? Because you write both. I don't know. I will say, if it's not dark, I'm confused. Like, it doesn't make any sense to me. I was just reading a series. Loved this series. It was a reread. And it's kind of a bully romance, but they were only really mean to her in the first half of the first book, and then it became like a murder mystery. But then they would like, they were like beating up people that hurt her. But that was it. They would just beat them up and leave them. And I'm like, why aren't you killing them? Just kill them. Bury the body. Your bond is stronger than ever. Like you have a secret you have to take with you to the grave. And so now if it's not like, if it's not like that, if it's not that level, I'm very confused. Yeah. Yeah. What, there were vampires doing this or regular people? No, this is just regular people. Yeah. I feel like you can get away with that more with regular people. And that, you know, I know sometimes like I'll read like all the way into like a regular romance and, and the hero will be kind of possessive and productive and he'll be like, I would beat that guy up and then doesn't even beat him up. Like just, what are you doing? Like you said you would, why aren't you? What's happening here? Like, please follow through. No, okay. I love that. We did it. We went all the way through and I only have one last question for you, Lucy, which is, if readers enjoyed The Vampire King and or The Vampire King's claim, what book of yours should they start with? If they enjoyed that idea, I would start with Rest in Pieces. Okay. That is under Loose in the Dark. That is a Barbie the Vampire Hunter series. It is a completed series, but it is, it's, uh, a vampire hunter and a half vampire and then a human male who ends up turning into something else later on. Oh, okay. That was Rest in Pieces. And then what if they want to try out one of your contemporaries, then what would be a good starting place? I would probably recommend Sick Boys, Pretty Little Savage to start off with. Perfect. Okay, well we're gonna put the Links to those books in the show notes. So if you are listening right now, then you can just click on over and start reading a book by Lucy smoke slash Lucinda dark. I am so glad that you came and that we got to do this and I get to tell you about my murder cat and I had a really good time. Thank you so much, Lucy. Thank you for having me. I had a lot of fun. so much for listening to Storytime with Skye. I hope you enjoyed the story we crafted this week. Please subscribe so you don't miss a new episode and leave a review so that other listeners can find our show. We always put links for any books we discuss as well as books by the guest author in the show notes. So you can definitely find something new to read. And if you want to help choose our romance adventure, be sure to join our Facebook group, Storytime with Skye. That's where we Gather suggestions and poll our readers, just like you, to find out what our next story will be. Thank you for being part of the story. Welcome to the story. It's story time with Skye. You can fall in love and laugh until you cry. It's story time with Skye. It's story time with Skye.