365 Days With You: Part 1 and 2 (Sample only)

Chapter 5: Part 2

It was early afternoon. Ali should have been tired, hungry, and uncomfortable. She was anything but that. There had been many beautiful things she had the privilege to see while traveling with the military. Things that many people would be lucky to be able to see in a lifetime.

What she didn't expect was that something this beautiful and grand actually existed. Everything from the hard carved marble walls to the guards uniforms were stunning.

That was nothing compared to the inside though. When they drove through the gates Ali felt like she had been transported to another land: possibly even another time. There were intricate columns lined up on either side of the cobble stone street. Around those column were beautiful flowers, statues, and paintings. And those were only the things Ali could see. She had no idea what was hiding in the shadows.

As they continued down the road she soon realized that all paths led to a single, huge building. It was in the center of a maze. Almost like a beating, pulsing heart and they were the life lines that kept it going.

"This is amazing," whispered Brooke.

Ali nodded her head in agreement even though Jace was the only one that could see her. "This is...insane."

"It is beautiful," agreed Jace. "The place is well kept by all the staff here."

Justin chuckled. "It's like a modern day castle and the council think they're royalty."

Jace smiled. "Then I guess that makes me their king."

"Just a fancy title for someone who gets the final say in all the decisions," said Olivia.

Ali snickered and quickly covered it up with a cough when Jace glared at her. Olivia rarely teased Jace but, when she did it was pretty funny. At least Ali thought so.

They finally parked the car at a grand entrance that looked like something only Romans would live in. The hand carved columns were so tall that Ali could barely see the top. It was as if the top of the building was built into the clouds.

They each carried their luggage and walked up the long set of marble steps. Once they finally reached the top they were able to set their bags down and have them wisked away by the staff that was so quiet that Ali almost missed them.

"Either I'm losing my touch or a group of assassins infiltrated your staff," said Ali.

Brooke laughed which earned a chuckle from Justin.

"They are trained to be silent and all are full blooded shifter so naturally they are quick and quiet," said Olivia. She sounded slightly annoyed but, Ali didn't care. The capital was fascinating and she was soaking it all in.

Ali was admiring the building when a voice from behind them made her jump. She spun around and came face to face with a beautiful woman. She had her black hair pulled back in a tight bun. It was a sharp contrast to her bright red lipstick and her tan skin. Her chocolate brown eyes looked Ali up and down. She suddenly felt like the most hideous creature compared to this woman.

The woman finally held put her hand. "My name is Juliet. You must be Ali."

Ali slowly took Juliet's hand and shook it firmly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Juliet!" exclaimed Olivia. She rushed over, practically shoved Ali aside, and gave the woman a big hug.

Juliet chuckled. "Hello to you too. It's been a long time. How was your trip?"

"Just great," said Olivia as she pulled back. "It was a bit unexpected and long but at least there were no problems."

"That's good," she smiled, giving Olivia's shoulder a squeeze.