CHAPTER ONE – FIRST MEETING – AN ANCIENT CONTRACT
— jordan’s way of talking is very old fashioned mixed with modern, i dun think he realizes he does that
— oh hi felix. this is a close enough to feel casual with each other relationship
— arnould musta been a clever charmer back in the day, but now he’s bit of a joke. spent too much time partying and gambling. he clearly has zero respect for his daughter, but IS a little bit intimidated by her? He knows she has the power here now to make or break their family.
— Juliette just JUST found out about this mess with a week’s notice so she’s basically pulling all this out of her ass. She very obvsly hates not being prepared ahead of time, and because she’s not prepared all Jordan’s button-pushing is working at keeping her unbalanced and pissing her off.
— she thinking about david as an almost boyfriend here, so she’s still wrapped up in his drama and hasn’t cut full ties yet apparently
–Jordan fully believes this contract was just former King Charles being a power crazed pervert. This is just something very convenient falling into his own lap though at just the right time. *** Jordan musta been looking through stuff looking for whatever could be useful for his current plans.
— JORDAN IS SUCH AN ASS LOLOLOLOL
— oh no juliette wasnt supposed to be this spicy, i will have to tweak bio. SHE SMALL AND ANGRY AND POTENTIALLY VICIOUS APPARENTLY
— FELIX JUST SCRIBBLING DOWN NOTES LOL
— Jordan seems to respect her moxie enough to agree to her demands and to continue with this contract. Doesnt necessarily like her, but at least respects her.
— Juliette thinks he is a huge dismissive asshole that doesnt really give two shits about what’s going on beyond how it’s beneficial for him. She is DEF still a bit under that vengeful influence.
— A mention of Augustus and Emery
CHAPTER TWO — MEETING AT ROSENDREY – RING SHOPPING
— this says three days later, but in introspect it’s better plot wise to make this a little longer than that
— Juliette is in full vengeance harpy mode
— I FUCKING LOVE THE SIMS AND I WANNA RENNOVATE THIS WHOLE BUILDING FOR NO GOOD REASON
— I wonder who takes over in Rosendrey when Jordan has to go underground for a couple decades?
— Haaaa, a sudden fiance really is a big surprise for everyone, i love this
— Yulia is a nice little lady
— okay juliette but WOULD YOU hire handsome young men secretaries?
— peristéri = dove. dove symbolism includes: peace, hope, grace, gentleness, purity, love, devotion and immortality. (Which is all REALLY FUNNY in this context)
—- doves are sometimes associated with columbine flower, some of which seems to be that same blue as Jordan’s eyes. it represents apsirations, good fortunes, risk taking, faith and peace
— i see you jordan, you think she is pretty in green
— Juliette coming out and telling him she is having an issue with her father is kind of a test – but I don’t think SHE realizes that’s what she was doing. And Jordan responds in the right way: not just showing that he is aligning with HER and not her father, but in a way she finds intelligent.
— NYEHEHE Jordan is a book person, so they’ll have something in common later
— Juliette is chock full of PLAYFUL MISCHIEF when she’s up to no good
— She’s earned a bit more respect from Jordan as well in that she listened to his suggestion, and had a thoughtful response of her own.
— LOLOLOL i think he is also a lil charmed and curious by this air of mischief she gives off when she’s very obviously up to something. wise to be wary
— Juliette is 100% a micromanaging, detailed oriented person. She would have made this binder even if it wasn’t to try and hassle him. She’s just that kind of person.
— Jordan handles her wishes pretty well. I kinda feel like he actually likes the challenge of it, especially when she’s being all mischief about it. But NOT when she demands things or makes insults, cause then his hackles go up and he’s offended
— Him snapping at her about it did give her some pause though, even if right now she’s too wrapped up in her own drama to really think about his perspective. She’s leaving this scene having a slightly better opinion of him, but still finding him infuriating.
THE JEWELRY STORE (SAME DAY)
— Hahaha Jordan has to deal with all the work gossip about his fiance.
— He’s making a big fuss about having to be involved in all this planning, but you’re still showing uo my guy, when you know damn well you dont have to. you like the game
— Juliette shows up LATE because she has a SCUFFLE WITH DAVID. Definitely a lightly physical, enough she had to change clothes. It was her WE’RE NOT EVEN FRIENDS ANY MORE, attempt to cut all ties. and I really wanna write that scene out later.
— Girl just pretends like nothing happened and gets straight to business, and Jordan can tell SOME thing is up but doesnt ask.
— PICKING GREEN, JORDAN? HOW PERFECTLY PERFECT. THAT IS HER FAVORITE
—- green is the color of nature, harmony, wealth, rebirth and stability. silver color is wealth glamour and grace
— She actually kinda likes he calls her this pet name, and hates that she likes it.
— Juliette being into gemstones is a neat little hobby. i think she’d enjoy designing jewelry if given the chance to do something new.
—- saphires are all about serenity, truth, faithfulness, prosperity and connecting with the divine. green ones about trust and loyalty
—- silver metal represents protection peace and love
—- it’s a really interesting plot bunny that they both seem to be so attracted to these themeatic things, it’s a testament to what they wish they had in life
— Jordan asks why she was late and she actually apologizes for it, but doesnt elaborate. Instead she changed the subject and Jordan can JUST TELL something isnt quite right there. If it hadnt happened right before she arrived, Juliette might’ve brushed it off or hid it better, but she’s very clearly still shaken up by David.
— AAAAHHHH JORDAN KNOWS FLOWER LANGUAGE AND JULIETTE DOES NOT THAT IS GLORIOUS GOOD FUN FOR ME
—- gladiolus = faithfulness, strenght of character, integrity in general
—- hellebore = hope and good fortune LOL THE OLD MEANING WAS DELIRIUM JORDAN THAT’S CHEEKY
—- cymbidium = respect & friendship (and love and BABIEs jordan be careful)
— They actually get along very well when she’s not actively trying to press his buttons and when he’s not being an ass
— fucking gorgeous ass ring, she’s going to love this forever
—- alexandrite can change color tone in the light. it’s both passion and peace
—- opals, another color changing stone and is made more vibrant by the one who wears it. speace, independance, devotion and releasing of old wounds
— white gold harnesses the energy of both the sun and the moon
— Camera ARE bad for vampires! Imma save this bunny for later
— Jordan is smooth when he wants to be and she a LIKES IT
— Jordan also FOR SURE loves planning this shit just to see what her reaction will be, I will accept no denials. he just doesnt like someone else telling him how to do it XD
— Juliette cant swim which is a lovely plot device to be used later, since Jordan IS a swimmer
— Dont call her kitten, Jordan, you get ONE pet name she likes or she’ll bite you. She’s not settled on what to call him herself, or what really feels right
— He brings up again why she was late and she tried to brush it off, and in his instance of actually sounding concerned about her well being, she offers up a more honest answer — it’s HER fault, HER problem, she’ll deal with it. Jordan has very spicy feelings about that, but you cant help a girl that doesnt want it! They do have a very quick, very honest moment about it though. Jordan backs off when she asks him too, and Juliette leaves this scene with her entire opinion about Jordan starting to turn around.
CHAPTER THREE – DINNER AT THE PIER
— Juliette is showing up with a new attitude and no idea what to expect from Jordan at this point
— JORDAN CANT GO ALL OUT LIKE THIS AND PRETEND HE HATES DOING IT. THIS WAS SO UNNESSARILY EXTRA JORDAN. YOU ARE SUCH A DRAMATIC VAMPIRE. worked though, cause despite all of Juliette’s pretending too, she actually really loves stuff like this
— HELLO MYRA YOU HILARIOUS MONSTER i love her so much. it’s fun seeing Jordan interact with familiar people
— Juliette offers Jordan a gift of one lovely little opal dove. A peace offering and a bumbling attempt at a promise that she intends to respect their partnership and bring her best to the table. Jordan is legitamately taken aback, a Juliette gets that lil glimmer of impression that Jordan is not used to someone giving HIM things. Gifts (giving them) is gonna be one of her love languages
— Juliette absolutely LOVES Myra and her mischief. Mischief knows mischief.
— When they both actually relax and talk to each other, they are very teasy-flirty and really do enjoy each other’s company. LOL they’re both very into being deviant teases at each other!
— OH MY HUNGRY VAMPIRE A SHAME YOU DONT GET A BITE TONIGHT JORDAN
— Juliette does realize that her snappy little sarcastic insults are actually hurting his real feelings and makes the conscious decision that she doesn’t want to do that to him or to be that kind of person.
— Jordan likes to daaaaaance, this will be fun to use in random scenes! I think Juliette will be less skilled for funsies.
— Jordan having a nice lil housekeeper and a cat is so damn adorable for a king of vampires
— Juliette’s ocean trauma will def come up later. 6 years old in Australia
— From boarding schools straight to college! Meaning for little family contact or bonding, life was very lonely for Juliette. Jordan is getting more insight on why she’s so spicy
— Prenup for five years, potential bunny yes
— They do a LOT of getting to know each other bonding and as soon as BOOKS come up, both of them are like WEEEEE and nerd out SO HARD. The fact her favorite story happens to be a vampire story amuses Jordan. And Juliette is so enthused to actually get to be a nerd about what’s she read, she is very into this convo. Which seems to enchant Jordan cause not only is he a nerd loving a conversation about a book, her being her natural self is actually charming.
— Juliette does reveal she is a vengeful sort of person, but takes Jordan’s commentary on the subject into mind. Enough that when she hears his argument, it changes her mind and her own perspective. And THAT gives Jordan insight to her as well, in that she is someone who can have a discussion, listen to someone else’s perspective and actually admit when she is wrong.
—- The Pale Lady being her favorite is a happy accident. It was actually supposed to be The Count of Monte Cristo (a man betrayed comes back for revenge) to keep in with her vengeancy attitude, but The Pale Lady popped up when I was doing my google and wound up being perfect both for the vampire aspects, and for how the story played out. I REALLY REALLY love this scene with them cause it drew out their personalities a lot.
— Jordan doesn’t like that Juliette lives in a hotel, and has brought up more than once about her moving into the manor. She’s a lil dubious about this, but interested.
— Jordan brings up the idea of an engagement party – I got your number SIR. You love planning stuff
–Juliette gets back to her hotel room and David is there being a creepy bastard. It shakes her up even worse since he wasnt there when she left and managed to get himself back in. David makes an OMINOUS comment about Jordan. I am def gonna roll with David knowing that Jordan is a vampire, or at least someone having gave him a hint about it cause what a DRAMA that would be, and I could see his ass trying to be a vampire himself and fucking shit up real bad.
CHAPTER FOUR – THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY
— Juliette is in high spirits and intends to make only the best of impressions on Jordan’s people as well as her own.
— Jordan having this at his house was a big power move on his part. He’s basically setting up his family legacy cover with his human business colleages, so when he does come back from his hiatus as his own damn son/grandson/whatever it’s believable. And it’s also where no vampire minions are gonna come in for a sneak peak at his fiance and ruin something before it’s even started.
— And OF COURSE IT’S LOVELY, JORDAN IS A PARTY PLANNER. damn that’s a fineass suit. But also, Jordan himself is a control freak and detailed oriented. This is his way of keeping control over the situation, even with all of Juliette’s big notebook of demands. She might have the demands, but he’s the one always hosting and organizing.
— i am 100% choosing vampire bait in juliette’s wardrobe and I am not sorry. Jordan seems to appreciate it
— rolling with tiny traumatized gremlin, in that she freaks out when people touch her without warning or permission. I do think she has light self defense training, cause she is a “prepare for anything” person.
— Glenmorangie Signet is an expensive whiskey DAMN how the hell am I supposed to buy THAT for funsies thanks jordan
— She really does like when he does the old fashioned nonsense, despite how she laughs about it. she is an inner romantic
— Juliette does NOT wear heavy perfumes, I do think she likes them but is very light and subtle about them, leaning more into spicy and woodsy notes
— They both hate being AT parties, but both seem to enjoy the dressing and setup for parties. Basically they just hate party GUESTS LOLOLLOLOLOL. They didnt even TRY beyond fifteen minutes before running off to hide with a weak excuse and that’s adorable and hilarious.
— Juliette is immediately in love with this cat. 100% animal person. I suspect Juliette being soft for kitties makes Jordan secretly happy
— JULIETTE CANT COOK IT HAS BEEN DECREED. When an heiress gonna cook anyway, she’s BUSY. She can probably follow a recipe without issue, but she finds it way too much trouble when she can just go out or order something and get a better meal.
— I am going to remodel this house so good
— I think Jordan just wanted to show off his books and see how she’d respond because he actually likes her. A subconscious test for Juliette. They nerd out over his collection and HIS fav book, for which she is not familiar with. I have bought it to read it for funsies.
— They’re being lil deviant flirts again, but Jordan confesses he’s not actually had a serious relationship. At least not any time recently, and def not enough to have one at his house. Juliette does take the opportunity to muss them both up so look properly the naughty engaged couple. AND JORDAN IS REAL SNEAKY VAMPIRE ABOUT THAT PERMISSION TO RAVISH.
— They flirt while dancing too, for which Juliette very much enjoys. She’ll want to take lessons just so she can match his skill, and because this now gives her something actually fun to do at all these parties.
–Jordan does like her company. He’s also picking up that something isnt quite right with her, but not the how and whys yet.
— AS YOU WISH JULIETTE, he’s done that a couple times now and I think that is going to backfire in the long term
— Juliette’s enagement speech landed well, and Jordan gets a nice lil taste of what it’s like to be married to a cheeky gremlin
— OH NO A PARTY CRASHER
— Juliette naturally worries that it might be David, and then is stuck with her parents. She doesnt like either of them, but I think she still has a soft spot for her mother, and despite everything is still trapped in that mindset of hoping they’ll see her accomplishments
— I LOVE SCARY ANGRY JORDAN. Emery is a little shit, she is not going to go over well with Juliette
— Juliette is several glasses of wine and champagne in. Tipsy for sure, enough to be a lil more uninhibited than usual, but not drunk to where she isnt herself. I def thnk David been’s messing with more than just Juliette, and is very likely been steering Arnould in bad directions too. David is a top tier level richboy scoundrel and con artist.
— Jordan handles her parents with absolute ease. Aaaaahh Jordan and Juliette get along so well when they’re just being themselves.
— Juliette does admit that her planner was just to harass him, and that’s she’s now changed her mind. Which prompts more flirting and touchiness and Jordan again suggesting the idea of her moving in. He does honestly LIKE HER and I don’t think he even realizes how much yet. Cause he is not the type to open up and risk his one safe place. It feels like he’s getting caught up in this hopeful idea of this close partnership just as much as she is. And he confirms as much (even if not actually saying it) when Juliette asks him point blank why he’s using this contract.
— They flirt themselves into abandoning their own party which is still SO hilarious. Neither of them give two shits about all this public spectacle.
— Juliette also admits she likes that Jordan is so blunt and honest about what he’s thinking, and this whole new psuedo relationship of theirs has taken off a lot of the pressure of ‘playing the game’. Meanwhile with all this flirting Jordan gets it in his head this is the perfect opportunity to SNEAK A SNACK. Which LOLOL DOESNT GO HOW HE PLANNED.
—- This is one of my fav scenes, cause it turns a big vampire story trope upside down. Juliette isn’t an innocent virgin without excperience – she’s had LOTS of experience. She’s not getting seduced or tricked into bed with him via vampire thralling. She’s consciously making the choice to sleep with him because she actually WANTS to.
—- Also delighted with this because Jordan thinks he’s getting an easy snack, and was probably expecting it to go how it always does. With the coyness, and passiveness and him doing all the leading. But it’s Juliette making the first moves, it’s her that’s taking the lead, and giving instruction. Like he didnt even have to tell her to tell him what she wanted, she was already well on her way to getting it Jordan! He gets so wrapped up in it, he completely forgets he’d meant to bite her.
—- I also have a feeling that Juliette is a hella more kinky deviant than Jordan and that he is actually a softy romantic, which is very funny. Biting doesnt scare her at all, Jordan, she’s definitely been up to spicier things
—- OH OH OH AND THIS PART: “Do you want a reason?” Breathlessly he asked, “Or do you just want to take what is laying before you without complaint? I thought you wanted to construct an empire,” Fingers pressed their prints tightly, widening knees to compliment the balancing act. “Then you are going to need a king to do it, so quit looking for a reason and damn well take it already.” Jordan turned from sweet to a devious sneer, turning to only then brandish teeth hard against the alcove of throat. Avoiding anywhere too sensitive or weak, but assure that the bite was less than nice. “I’m right before you without any strings attached, so maybe stop looking for them and let yourself just fucking have it. Before you waste a chance and before I get tired of playing.”
I HAVE TO QUOTE THE WHOLE DAMN THING BECAUSE HE’S SO THROWN OFF AND UP IN HIS FEELINGS ABOUT HER BEING AGGRESSIVE THAT HE ALMOST SOUNDS MAD ABOUT, BUT LIKES IT CAUSE IT’S HOT, BUT ALSO MAD ABOUT IT BECAUSE HE’S NOT USED TO THIS AND DOESNT KNOW HOW TO REACT SO HE’S SNAPPING BACK TRYING TO KEEP CONTROL
——– AND JULIETTE’S SASSY GREMLIN ASS THROWING BACK THE “AS YOU WISH” LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES TO HER, she knew exactly what was up with that and thought it was hilarious, but also gave her the f e e l i n g s.
—- Jordan takes issues with being on his knees and imma sooooo make that a THING
— Jordan makes a few hints of the supernatural in their hazy lil afterglow. He has NO idea he’s been charmed, totally no self awareness whatsoever. Hell he’s still pleased with himself when Myra gets there and hasn’t a clue that he’s in crush with his fiance!
— Juliette and Myra get along very well, and their conversation about Jordan gives her a ton of insight about him. Juliette is a lil more self aware than Jordan about her feelings, but at the moment trying to brush them off as natural chemistry and that this is just going to be a platonic relationship. Friends with benefits.
CHAPTER FIVE — TOURING BYRON WAREHOUSE, DAVID ALTERCATION – THE EX
— Juliette sneaks out before meeting Elisa. Her office at the main warehouse was once her great grandpa’s.
— A MORNING PAPER Jordan you are such an old man. Elisa gives him THE EYES knowing what he d i d.
— Gertie the warehouse foreman would absolutely yeet Jordan if given the chance
— Yes, Jordan, Juliette DOES like showing off her trophies and hard work. Be that fiance, or this building and business she is super proud of. She really does LOVE her work. She gives a brief tour and shows off her office, which is as expected, a bit of a mess due to the nature of a makeshift office, but there’s all her micromanaging and attention to details everywhere including her offensive five year plan board. She very happily tells him all about her plans amidst more flirtings
— David’s appearance is a huge tone shift for her, and Jordan’s willingness to stay went over well. I do think she is legit afraid of David, and it’s the first time someone actually made her feel physically in danger. That’s gonna make all this vampire stuff really interesting later cause that’s way worse. (OR IS IT? DARK HORSE DAVID) Giving him her old apartment is basically paying him off so he’ll leave her alone, and possibly because he still has that knife she stabbed him with and might’ve blackmailed her.
— Jordan’s first introduction to David goes over as expected, LOLOL he really really can’t stand the man. Juliette’s giving cues that he’s a bad dude, of course, and David has those light douche vibes. Jordan is territorial and protective of people under his purview. David’s attempts at being charming fall flat, and kind of legit surprised Jordan didn’t snatch him up and yeet him.
— David’s papercut stunt was DELICIOUS PLOT DEVICE, everything went as beautifully as I hoped. Still surprised Jordan didn’t yeet him. And Jordan’s trying to get himself under control was misunderstood by Juliette, serving perfect drama. I love, love, love how this turned out.
— Juliette’s relationship with David is going to be abusive, but not necessarily physically abusive (at least not until she was trying to leave it). I don’t think she realizes just HOW MUCH abusive it actually was, because she still thinks most of what happened was her own fault – that SHE was the bad person, and that David was just encouraging the worst in her. There was a lot of manipulation going on there, and David knew what her weakest points were (wanting someone to care about her and be in her corner). I think she snapped into reality when he asked her to marry him, and her life flashed before her eyes – it was a bad one and she finally NOPED out.
— OFF TO CHOOSING A CAKE AND DINNER MENU! They’re both a lil shaken now for different reasons!
— Juliette doesn’t drive! She hasn’t even bothered to learned. No lisence. No Skills. At some point they may want to hire a driver just for her! Jordan can’t always drive her, even if he wants to!
— Jordan very much loves getting her to smile and laugh and it’s super sweet
— Juliette is good with a pistol, oh she can for sure shoot a gun. I bet she’s done those rich people disk shoots.
— they tease about spending the night before the wedding together, which honestly, they probably will and doing something stupidly wholesome XD
— AAAHHHH THEY ARE SUCH DIRTY FLIRTS. THEY’RE GONNA BE THAT COUPLE THAT EVERYONE KNOWS IS STUPIDLY IN LOVE AND HAVING AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF SEX AND MAKING EVERYONE ELSE JEALOUS AND GROSSED OUT
— This is where Juliette is starting to think “uh oh, maybe this is feelings” and that she might actually be falling for Jordan
— Yes Jordan teach her to swim, that will be adorable. Plus, if you dont I am FOR SURE going to try to drown her in some scene somewhere
— Jordan slips in that question about the supernatural and Juliette just rolls with it. She’s genuinely not worried about that sort of stuff, probably because she is so ridiculously practical
— SORRY JORDAN, YOU ARE FOR SURE ENCHANTED BY HER. BUT IT’S OKAY, YOU ENCHANTED HER TOO IT’S FINE
— YES, YES I DID LOOK UP THE BLOOD AND SAND DRINK AND I HAVE TO TRY IT, I KEEP FORGETTING
— Juliette is a touchy, touchy person with people she likes. This is gonna be her love language. She needs as much physical contact as possible.
— They have a sincere conversation about David and Juliette describes it all in a light way, she definitely doesnt recognize the insidious parts of how David got involved with her. He got into her blind spots. Even with her stabbing him part, she talks as if it was her fault and not Davids, and that’s telling. THIS ALSO HINTS THAT SHE GOES FERAL WHEN SHE FEELS BACKED INTO A CORNER SO WATCH OUT
— THE FLIRTING, THE FLIRTING IS SO GOOD
— Jordan can cooooooook
— Lots of teasings and Jordan does amit he’s not had any serious women in his life. Only nonsense ladies for fun and never ever ones he’d brought home. Once they finish choosing the reception menu, he takes Juliette back to the manor to drop off.
CHAPTER SIX – AN UNWANTED GUEST – EMERY SHOWS UP
— Juliette has a cozy conversation with Elisa. It’s reinforced that while she’s cold and a hardass with people she perceives as threats, she’s soft and pleasant with everyone else. She immediately takes a liking to Elisa, learns a little more about Jordan’s lifestyle at the house.
— Elisa is definitely excited about having another woman in the house!
— Juliette is quickly realizing she’s got a crush on her own fiance and trying her best to set some realistic expectations on herself and not let it get any further. And it’s NOT working.
— After the meal Juliette investigates the house a little bit to get an idea of what she would be working with for potential rennovations. When she steps down into the basement, she finds the whole space a little weird – it should be larger for a house that size. There should be better laundry. There’s the strange single book shelf down there and that doesnt make sense with Jordan’s book loving. She doesnt think further about it, though, cause there’s no reason to think anything wild.
— Jordan gets home and has a convo with Felix ouside about what’s been turned up on David in the few short hours so far. It’s made very clear that Jordan has zero respect or liking for the vampires he rules over. They’re just very monsters he uses as tools – it’s such an awesome subtle way of hinting WHY Jordan is having issues now as King. He has ambition but doesnt care about the people under him – like he is on that cusp of becoming an actual monster himself.
— Jordan is a little concern to find that she was snooping in the basement but nothing concerning comes up. They fall into the new routine of getting to know each other and will FLIRTING.
— I love that Jordan plays violin, and it’s interesting that he’s like “why do i even need a room for that” like his own interests and hobbies don’t matter. That along with the state of his house not being LIVED in is really showing how much he’s defaulted to only managing “Work” “Responsibilities”. Even as a very old vampire, he’s lost touch with being a living thing that needs actual enrichment in his life for it to mean something.
— I actively made the choice that Juliette herself doesn’t have any fun creative skills like playing instruments, art, etc, since it’s such a trope for the leading lady to be perfectly talented. It also mirrors Jordan in that she’s been so focused on practical business skills ad her ambition, she’s never allowed herself the time for doing much else. In this whole FLIRTY AS FUCK conversation, they’re both revealing who they’ve been and sort of confessing, wouldn’t it be nice to actually support each other and have a better kind of life.
— LOL and of course once again it’s Juliette making the bold moves to join him in the shower. She’s not a virginal shy MC getting coerced, seduced, manipulated – she has agency. She’s making the active choice in wanting to be direct in communicating with him, as well as what she wants for their relationship. And the best part is that it always catches Jordan by surprise because he’s not used to that.
— They have such an honest and vulnerable conversation in the damn shower and it’s SO GOOD, cause despite all their flirting and sauciness and chemistry, sometimes seeming like on the surface they’re just swept up and carried away – they’re actually very thoughtful and intentional with each other. they’re building the foundations or a real relationship
— EMERY TIME. Legit surprised Jordan was willing to intruduce them so soon. This was definitely Jordan’s way of testing the waters with Juliette to see how she was going to handle his world. Juliette deciding to go down in that little dress and them both OBVIOUSLY post fooling around was a TERRITORIAL BOSS BITCH MOVE.
— Emery is such a shit stirring little twat, she really did only show up to be nosy and cause trouble. She doesn’t respect Jordan at all at this point – if she ever did, she’s def lost any faith or confidence in him. All that’s left is the fear of retribution. She’s def leaning heavily on their history to get away with it too.
— Juliette has her number immediately, recognizes the moment for what it is, shit stirring. She handles it well enough to surprise Emery – who probably wasn’t expecting a woman with an actual ability to snap back – and impressin Jordan, who is getting his affirmation that Juliette can hold her own with his feral vampires.
— Emery is pissed, leaving with a warning that Juliette is a weakness to Jordan. And in this conversation Juliette shows that even with her quick temper, she’s very clever and quick see details that even he might not have thought of before. Even when she’s working with limited information. In these moments he’s starting to recognize she might actually be an asset to his vampire world instead of someone he needs to shield from it. He decides to lay the hints down that he HAS a big secret but would rather her figure it out on her own, because it’s so unbelievable.
CHAPTER SEVEN – RENOVATIONS FOR A QUEEN
— Juliette has a soft spot for her mother Natalie, even though Natalie is a self-involved socialite. Not a bad person, just a shallow person and wasn’t such a great parent. Juliette still allowing this woman to vex her is showing a care and loyalty to her family, at least to the one who didn’t actively do her wrong.
— Jordan hiding in the deepest hole he can find is hilarious, her really is very permissive to someone he has a fondness for. SHE’S A WOMAN WHO GETS SHIT DONE, JORDAN. BETTER KEEP UP.
— With this chaos of a rennovation Juliette is playing detective, learning what she can about Jordan since he basically challenged her to figure out his secret. Old money is obvious, she suspects royalty as the most likely answer because no one sane would think supernatural and everyone tends to treat him like he is indeed a royal figure.
— i love Dominic so damn much i honestly thought he was going to be the one I might try a little side romance with. Although sometimes he is suspiciously nice, like i gotta keep an eye on that one. It’s another fun interaction of seeing how Juliette responds to different personalities. She really is very friendly when she isn’t perceiving someone as a threat or an annoyance. And Juliette is clearly seeing Emery as a nemesis
— Dominic drops this idea of a stag party and what a lovely plot device that is. Real smooth too swooping in to gain her favor after Emery pissed her off. THAT IS SUSPICIOUS
–Jordan makes his appearance finally and Juliette isnt about to let her mother annoy him to death. She’ll deal with being annoyed, but will apparently remove annoyances for Jordan in a split second. They end up discussing the covens and well as David, and there’s a juicy mention of a potential vampire queen over in Europe, and it says “suggested” vampire queen which has me thinking that there’s a lot more drama going on in the vampire world of just who is in charge where, not just in Jordan’s neck of the woods
— While the vampires have a chat, Juliette’s foreman shows her the house plans and LOOKIE THERE, THE BASEMENT REALLY SHOULD BE MUCH BIGGER! Secret room, secret room! She toys with the idea of supernatural things again, but that is absurd and she laughs it off.
— The affianced pair come back together again for their usual cozy flirting. Juliette drops some subtle comments trying to get Jordan to slip up and spill the beans on his secret, to see how close she’s getting. Juliette asks good questions about who of his minions she should trust and which to be wary of.
— AARGHH THEIR SO SWEET AT EACH OTHER SOMETIMES AND THEN SO SAUCY they literally cannot help it
— lol at least until he teased about a potential mistress, which even surprised juliette on how much just the thought pissed her off. She attempted to walk it back with a tease of her own, but damn Jordan for dragging it. Did make her reveal she knew about the basement, though, and they have this wonderful conversation about what they actually want in a relationship. That Juliette actually wants it to be exclusive, and Jordan doesn’t want to control her in ANY aspect, and he was just surprised she even wanted something genuine at all.
— Jordan comes out of this realizing he might actually be enchanted and charmed by her, potentially a very bad thing should everything go sour. He’s still trying to think of it like “well it’s a shame to kill someone so smart when everyone else is so stupid!” instead of admitting he might be falling for her
CHAPTER EIGHT – THE TRUTH ABOUT JORDAN – INTRODUCING HANNAH
— Hannah is basically a die-hard romance obsessed girl’s girl, and as Jordan’s suspects – Juliette’s foil. I wanted them to be besties who have a very similar probablems/traits but how they view and tackle life is different. They both struggle with connecting to others in genuine relationships and ended up bonding over that (along with other shenanigans)
— Juliette’s trying on wedding dresses and and at least is acknowledging that she’s probably in love, but still feels it’s abad idea all around.
— Horus as an old santa-like man who loves his grandchildren is adorable, which is just proving Jordan values all of these humans more than he does the vampires he rules over. This Charity Event is juicy plot setup
— HOW CUTE THAT YOU WANNA MAKE A GOOD IMPRESSION WITH JULIETTE’S BEST FRIEND, JORDAN. I can already tell he’s overwhelmed with Hannah’s extroversion. And of course Hannah picks up on the chemistry and immediately likes Jordan because of it. (helps that he’s everything she writes about too bwaahaha)
— I dont think bright yellow is hannah’s color, and yet she wears it like a damned shield
— Jordan having fussed at Augustus in person about Juliette’s stag being at the Iron Dog is hilarious, because it’s still not clear if he’s doing this just to reinforce his power as king, or if he’s making a big deal about it because he’s worried about Juliette. Even Elisa and Dominic can tell he’s all anxious about it
— The Iron Dog being some boogie high class nightclub with the lights and flash and the untzuntz MAKES ME LAUGH SO HARD because it’s so beautifully 90s Vampire Club. And Hannah clocking it as a BDSM club adds more fun red herrings to Jordan’s potential secrets
— I adore the wholeass vibe of Augustus that I pushed him at the top of my potential Hannah side romance, because nothing is funnier than a vampire romance novelist dating a vampire
— Juliette is too smart to be the dimwit heroine that can’t see the obvious in front of face, so she’s already putting together Augutus’ behavior and commentary with other context clues. And you see the differences between her and Hannah here, where Juliette is very hyper aware of things and always thinking, while Hannah is incredbly knowledgable but more focused on just experiencing a moment.
— SNOOPY VAMPIRES THAT’S NOT SUSPICIOUS AT ALL. The basically affirm all of Juliette’s suspicions, though she’s still thinking it’s a culty roleplay thing and not the real deal. I loved playing with Juliette struggling a little bit with it, unsure if she should be concerned or back out or what. Instead she decided to get real drunk and not think about it all, leaving Dominic having to deal with two very drunk mortals.
— Juliette turns out to be a “functional” drunk at least until she feels her motherly duty has been done, and there’s a lot of trust her in her letting Jordan look after her. She’s still trying to process everything and he’s getting an unfiltered view of the entire process. She recognizes, even if she doesnt fully believe the ‘vampire’ thing, that he’s a dangerous person leading a dangerous life. And in this conversation she blurts out that even if she loves him, she won’t accept a sociopath
— Jordan’s entire thought process of just being absolutely done with everyone’s bullshit always cracks me up. In the same breath he’s trying to reassure her that he’s not going to go out on a murder spree, it’s basically what he’s thinking about doing because they’d nearly ruined something he’s starting to have a fondness for. And this vampire reveal is SO GOOD cause it’s so wonderfully realistic. It’s messy
CHAPTER NINE – FIGHTING PAST EONS OF WALLS
— Myra torturing Jordan first thing in the morning is fantastic. Juliette and Hannah handle their hangovers different, so only Juliette gets to enjoy this sibling nonsense. And I have a feeling Jordan has her there as a buffer in case sober Juliette doesn’t handle the vampire stuff well. She affirms that she is okay with the vampire stuff, learns a little bit more about Myra and Augustus. As well as the previous vampire king and the contract he’d made.
— This is a really good moment where we can see that Jordan had originally taken the coven because he didn’t like what the old king was doing. He’s got a righteous streak to change things, he’s just lost sight of the hows and whys along the way. Juliette’s contract was only meant as an easy stepping stone, but by twist of fate she’s turned out so much more than that
— Juliette’s mention of a new proposal was meant to be good fun on her end, but Jordan’s reaction cut a little too deep on her feelings so SPICY FALLOUT. Jordan’s being an asshole finally went far enough to piss her off again NA DYOU REALLY DESERVE IT THIS TIME, JORDAN. But she notably makes a point to show she might be pissed, that she’s still intending to come back.
— Jordan decided to hide from female wrath, which is such a man thing to do. While Juliette is still seething she has an interesting conversation with Myra: her first bit of advice shows just how young and sheltered Myra is with happy living parents. The second half of her advice is super observant – she clocks that Jordan and Juliette fell so hard and fast that they don’t have a solid foundation yet. They still have a lot of getting to know each other to do. Juliette takes that advice with grace – but a woman doesnt change in a day, so she decides to go out for awhile so he can squirm a little longer and she can cool off her temper further.
— The vampire queen across the ocean wants to meet in vienna, PLOT BUNNIES ABOUND
— Jordan does in fact squirm, MYRA YOU COULDA LECTURED HIM TOO THOUGH >:[ SIBLING LOYALTIES I SEE. Hannah and Myra meet and it’s like watching two goblins come together. Instant besties. They gossip and Myra gets to have the inside scoop on Juliette, and Hannah gets the sibling perspective on Jordan. These two are gonna be up in everybody’s damn business all the time
— That’s right THE SMUT NOVELIST IS A VIRGIN because there is nothing better than someone who is so in her own head about romance and relationships that she can’t take anything in reality seriously. LOOK OUT DOMINIC AND AUGUSTUS
— A glimpse of Jordan actually being upset that Juliette still isn’t home. He knows he fucked up, he hates that he has feelings about it at all, and he hates even more than he has no idea what to do about it. Jordan is so used to being in perfect control, that this is really fucking with him
— Juliette arrives home and attempts to play it cool, calm and collected – which sorry girl, that’s a bad move with Jordan. She admits she shouldn’t have threatened him with leaving, but is quick to remind him how wrong HE was. And her peace offering is badly timed and comes off terribly. SO A FIGHT IT IS.
— Jordan can always dish a bunch of insults and sarcasm and jokes, but he absolutely cannot take them in turn. Juliette is just as bad at taking everything personally and nitpicking at every little detail. The fight is messy, goes in circles, and is a whole lot of their own fears and insecurities getting slung back and forth. IT’S DELICIOUS DRAMA. A GENUINE FIGHT OF MISUNDERSTANDINGS.
— They come out of this with Jordan realizing that if he does have feelings, he could ruin this before it even gets started if he doesn’t take a more active role as her partner. To actually engage with her, that she wants that connection with him. Juliette recognizes that she jumps straight to being advisaries, that she’s still treating him like someone to fight instead of someone she can confide in. They finally have a candid conversation about their past and what they’d like to have together in the future.
— In this convo Juliette realizes David might know that Jordan is vampire. Context is starting to line up, and in her experience David is very good at being a slippery snake. Jordan is confident, maybe even over-confident that he’ll have David managed. He’s got his people on it.
— Chapter ends with the three girls continuing girly gossips, they really are going to be all kinds of trouble. In fact, plans for trouble, while Jordan is off enlisting Dominic to be a babysitter for Hannah so Juliette won’t worry so much about her with David being sketchy.
CHAPTER TEN – HANNAH’S BOOK SIGNING
— It’s Felix in the kitchen instead of Dominic and I was NOT PREPARED was this weird vibe between Felix and Hannah. They have this snappy back and forth and I am kinda mad about it, cause I had my (and hannah’s) heart set on Augustus, but there is this palpable THING with Felix. They make all kinds of dumb assumptions about each other, as they should
— In any case, Hannah can cook, but that dont mean she’s not a disaster while she’s doing it. Felix gets a better feel for Juliette – a much better second impression that the first time they met. There’s a lot of teasing of Hannah, especially because she’s still not in on the big secret, before Juliette bails to run her own errands. Hannah is on board for having a personal body guard, and enjoys declaring her intentions to flirt with the whole town to find herself a Mister Perfect
— With Felix left alone at Hannah’s mercy, they have very interesting conversations. She enjoys talking and is a lot smarter and more thoughtful that she lets on – Felix is really good at poking buttons and asking actual deeper questions. She has a perfect answer for everything which seems shallow on the surface, and he can’t seem to crack her and I think that kinda intrigues him. She’s also very reactionary to pestering. Hannah’s own thoughts lean toward him being a curmudgeon grump that’s lost all joy in the world and kinda sticks her own foot in her mouth when she learns he lost his wife. She’s quick to admin when she’s wrong and apologize.
— damnit i ship them now, goddamnit I WANTED HANNAH TO HAVE A SERIES OF TERRIBLE ROMANCES FIRST
— i had a lot of fun with those book titles. Her publicist is a bitter mean woman, and Hannah just takes it all with a smile. Through the whole book signing, there’s hints that Hannah tends to give a lot of herself to please others. Smiles, friendliness, always genuinely wanting to give everyone the best experience even when it’s starting to wear her down. She has a little paranoid scare about a not-David. Then it’s right back to the grind.
— Where Juliette built an icy wall of spite around herself and keeps people at a managable distance, Hannah is so desperate to connect she is a people pleaser, so the people who end up around her are usually ones taking advantage of it. Those who see red flags for others can’t ever seem to catch them in their own lives
— Damn them, they have so much chemistry. THAT’S RIGHT HANNAH, TELL HIM HE’S NOT YOUR TYPE. HE’S NOT. godamnit