《Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes》


 Chapter 1 - The Thief

    [BOOK ONE: THE AVGO GEMSTONE]


    Under the dark LA sky, a grapnel hook swung onto the balustrade and locked into ce.


    From the right side of the building, a figure swung over to the left andnded on the rooftop of the lower building.


    She was a dark shadow, covered from head to toe in a tight-fitting ck bodysuit.


    It hid her identity, but it couldn''t hide her heat signature, nor could it hide the shadow figure her luscious tight body threw on to the wall across the street.


    She ran across the rooftop to the far edge of the building and with a flying leap, jumped across the expanse to the next building.


    It was a done deal. Her getaway helicopter was waiting for her. Two more minutes and she would be up and soaring away from the sewer beast that was LA.


    As her legs reached out for the ledge of her target building, something dark flew at her from the right side.


    "Ooooofff!!!"


    She grunted as her body was mmed in midair.


    Suddenly, she found herself caught in viselike arms, soaring above the pitch ck sky.


    WHAT THE FUCK!!!


    "Aaaahhhh!!!" She screamed and quickly regretted it as a vice band whipped over her throat, almost cutting off her windpipe.


    For a moment, she thought about fighting her captor, tooth and w. But then sanity hit her upside the head as she realized something horrifying. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    She was high up above the city, looking down at the twinkling lights of the buildings below.


    Fighting and wing at the captor would only result in either being dropped at that height and dashing into pieces on the ground, or worse yet, being squeezed to death by what felt like hard iron bands that were squeezing the life out of her lungs.


    She was being carried from behind, like a raptor carrying its prey. Her arms were locked in ce, and so was her neck. She could not turn to see who her captor was.


    In this position, all she could do was catch glimpses from the edges of her peripheral vision; glimpses ofrge powerful wings soaring on the night wind.


    She couldn''t tell if the wings were bird-like or bat-like, but at the very least, she could determine with some uracy that the body and arms of her captor were at least human.


    Male even.


    Her back was shoved up against arge broad expanse of rock solid chest muscles. He was definitely male.


    She grimaced.


    There was no give to his chest at all. It was almost as if the man was made of rocks!


    She nced down at the arm that was squeezing the life out of her diaphragm and making her gasp and fight for every little breath she could take in. It was a strong muscr arm like a huge tree trunk and just as gnarled.


    Unable to take in anything more than a few gasps of breath, she was starting to ck out.


    Fight it girl! Don''t ck out! Don''t ck out or you will die!


    Just when she thought she would die of asphyxiation, hended on top of a tall building and threw her onto the hard concrete surface of the rooftop.


    "Aaaahhh!"


    She gasped as sheid there, gasping and heaving, trying to catch her breath.


    Her face scrunched up into a grimace. Her hip had mmed into the hard ground and her head had also hit pretty hard.


    She reached out and touched her head. It didn''t feel as if it was cracked or anything, but it hurt like hell!


    She nced up at the man who had carried her to this godforsaken ce. His face was in shadows but she could see his wings gleaming in the pale moonlight.


    There were no feathers.


    No feathers meant he was no angel.


    This was some demon with dark leathery looking bat wings. The thumbs of those wings were huge ws that looked like the scythe that the Grim Reaper carried.


    His body was over-muscled but he at least was wearing something akin to clothes. She gave a thankful sigh.


    It would have been far worse if she had to look upon the ugliness of a bare-butt naked demon with all his parts hanging out.


    Before she could do or say anything, six other demons appeared from the cover of darkness.


    "Who are you people?" She tried to scream, but her throat had been constricted so it came out as more of a hoarse gasp.


    "So this is the thief?"


    "Yes. I saw her taking it and then making a run for it, so I grabbed her."


    "Hmmm. It is indeed a woman."


    "Yes, very much so. She did not put up much of a fight though."


    "Were you surprised? You carried her up into the sky. Why would she fight to get away from you? She would have never survived a drop from that height."


    As the demons talked amongst themselves, it was almost as if they had forgotten that she was still on the ground, still gasping for air.


    If she moved quickly, she could make a run for it.


    But then she dropped the idea. Where could she run to? She was on top of a sky scraper.


    "Woman." One of them turned to her. "Who are you working with?"


    "No one." She spat. "I work for myself."


    The demon came closer.


    She held her breath and stared into the dark void of his face. She didn''t know what she was expecting.


    Didn''t demon faces have lumps and bumps? Wasn''t it red and gnarled with hooked noses or pointed chins? It definitely wasn''t this ck void that showed no features.


    She swallowed her fear down.


    If these demons wanted her dead, she would have been dropped from the heights as they were flying above the city, or hacked and wed to death as soon as shended on top of this building.


    The fact that she was still alive meant they wanted something from her.


    "What is your name?" The demon asked. His voice was deep and gravelly, just as she expected a demon''s voice to be.


    "Can¡ªCandi."


    "So. Cancandi. Out of all the baubles in that exhibit, you knew exactly what to take. What do you know about it?"


    "Candi."


    "What?"


    "My name. It''s not Cancandi.. It''s Candi."

 Chapter 2 - The Seven Demon Princes

    For a moment, the demon leaned back, saying nothing.


    Then all seven demons beganughing.


    "Hahaha! Did you hear that? Any girl would have died of fright by now, but not this Candi girl."


    "Okay then Candi. How did you know that this one gem was the only one worth taking?"


    She took a deep breath. She could not tell them the truth. She had to make up something quickly.


    "It was a deep pink color and I liked it."


    Another demon approached her. This one peered at her with curious eyes before speaking.


    "You are lying. Your eyes give you away."


    He turned back to the first one who had carted her off.


    "When you first saw her make the heist, did she look around at all the other gemstones?"


    Tree-trunk arms shook his head. "No. She went straight for the Avgo. She knows its significance."


    The demon who asked the question turned back to her.


    "You still have the Avgo, yes?"


    "Yes."


    He stood up. "We''re done here."


    He reached out and passed his hand over her face, phasing her into oblivion.


    ???


    When Candi came to, it was morning.


    She was lying on the floor of her tiny apartment on the neenth floor of a high rise building in the middle of bustling LA.


    Candi sat up and immediately gasped as a shrieking pain hit her. She was still fully dressed in her ops clothing.


    Within the arm of her jacket was a hard lump the size of the gem she had stolen the night before. Why she still had this thing, Candi had no idea.


    The seven demons had returned her to her home, along with the very item she had stolen from them.


    She pulled off her ski mask and a tumble of honey blonde hair fell from its restrictive. It cascaded down past her shoulders to the middle of her back.


    She gripped her head and swallowed. Her throat hurt. Her chest hurt too, as if she had fractured a couple of ribs.


    She tried to stand up and nearly fell back onto the floor. Her right hip was aching so badly, it almost felt as if she had broken it.


    "Aaaaaahhh." She groaned as she crawled to the bathroom. She needed to soak her body in some very warm water.


    Within fifteen minutes, Candi had stripped herself of the ck bodysuit and thrown a couple handfuls of epsom salt into the water.


    She lowered herself into the steaming water and gasped as the heat caused her body to ache even more.


    Candi looked down at her battered and bruised body and winced. She almost looked like a ck and white Holstein cow!


    As she rested within the water, the events of the night before shed before her eyes.


    She grimaced and recoiled from the memory of the ck featureless faces of the seven demons with huge ck leathery wings.


    Candi reached out and touched the areas where the rock hard bands of the first demon had clutched her.


    He had not been gentle, but what did she expect? She was a thief and he had caught her. She was lucky he hadn''t killed her!


    What Candi was really surprised about was the fact that she was still alive and back in her safe little apartment, soaking her wounds.


    By rights, she should be on top of that sky scraper, torn to pieces by those seven demons.


    Candi took a deep breath and tried to clear her mind of the horrors of the night before.


    She had no idea who or what those demons were, but if she didn''t believe in angels and demons beforest night, she surely believed in them now.


    She was still soaking in the now cooling water when her mobile rm rang. She had run out of time to nurse her wounds.


    Candi got out of the water and quickly got into her field clothes, a pair of jeans, white cotton button-down shirt, and a light jacket.


    Within fifteen minutes, she had exited her apartment and taken the elevator down to the lobby.


    No time to think about whatever supernatural event that had just happened to her. She needed to focus on the convention that was about to ur.


    Candi stood out in front of the apartmentplex and punched in the code on her mobile device for a driverless pod.


    Within a few minutes, a small white pod stopped in front of her and she stepped in.


    The interior was cool and smelled faintly of mint and sandalwood. It reminded her of something.


    As she closed her eyes, the frightful vision of those dark featureless visages once again appeared before her.


    The fourth demon, the one who had said that she had lied, that her eyes had given her away. He smelled like mint and sandalwood.


    She quickly opened her eyes.


    She could not sink back into that abyss. It was too scary to dwell upon.


    Within twenty minutes, the pod deposited her in front of the San Lorain Hotel. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She had barely stepped out when a porter appeared at her side.


    "Miss Candace Farrah."


    She gave him a startled look.


    The man was not asking if she was Candace Farrah. He knew exactly who she was.


    Perhaps the organizer of the event had given this porter her personal details. She wasn''t exactly an unknown. She had done quite a few of these fundraising events in the past.


    "This way, Miss Farrah." He took her arm and led her through the double doors that had swung open.


    Candi pressed her lips together and apanied him.


    Obviously, they were expecting her.


    It was also obvious that there was no backing out of whatever it was that would be waiting for her.


    He took her to the elevator and slid into the interior with her.


    As the elevator door slid shut, he stuck a card into a side slot and punched a few buttons on the panel.


    Once the elevator began to move, he started humming a little tune that sounded like ''C''est si Bon''.


    "You''re French?"


    "No." He grinned. "I just like this song."


    "Ah."


    In no time at all, the elevator had "stopped.


    The porter held the door and bowed. "This way please. The Princes are waiting for you."


    "Who?"


    The porter smiled and indicated for her to step into the hallway.


    As soon as she had stepped out, Candi knew this had nothing to do with the event organizer. She turned back around, but the elevator doors had closed.


    There was nowhere to go but forward. The little hallway was not so much a hallway as it was a foyer.


    From the foyer, there was only one set of double doors.


    Candi gritted her teeth and walked towards the doors. Even before she reached the threshold, the doors had opened for her.


    The first thing that hit her eyes was the bright blue sky showing from every single ss floor-to-ceiling window in the entire sun-drenched room.


    As she narrowed her eyes to the brightness of the space, she could hear voicesing from one side of the room.


    "Ah. There she is. The Cancandi girl."


    Candi turned in the direction of the sound.


    Seven beautiful men of great height and varied colorings stood around a seating area.


    Two of them were identical twins. The others looked as if they could be brothers, but their hair, skin, and eye colors were so different that it would have been difficult for them to have the same set of parents.


    They were dressed in expensive looking suits and looked like exceptional specimens of human males.


    But Candi knew better.


    These were the seven demons who had haunted her the night before.

 Chapter 6 - Custodian Of The Tower

    Before she had a chance to ask, the now-familiar hot molten energy was pouring over the bump on her head.


    She shook her head. It must have been just her imagination running away with her.


    She looked up, and as she did, she noticed the bandage that she had ced on his arm.


    "I guess I didn''t need to bandage your arm, did I?" She turned away, feeling embarrassed about her pathetic attempt at healing his wound.


    His method was instantaneous healing. Why did he even allow her to put a stupid fucking bandaid on his arm?


    te ced a protective hand over the bandage. "This made me feel much better. Thank you."


    Candi bit her lip. He was probably just saying that to make her feel less useless.


    "Are you hungry?"


    Candi looked up with shining eyes. "What do you have?"


    He smiled. "I was going to make some eggs for you. I saw you have some in the refrigerator."


    "Do you¡­ummm eat?"


    He smiled as he took the eggs out of the refrigerator and grabbed a pan that was hanging on a hook over the kitchen sink.


    "You''re asking me if I need to take in nourishment for this body?"


    "Yes that''s what I mean. You''re obviously not human. You look different right now fromst night when you had, umm." She reached out her hands in a vague motion to describe therge wings behind his back.


    Heughed and began frying the eggs. "I do need to eat, but not as often as humans do." He paused as he flipped the eggs. "Last night, you looked different too."


    Candi scratched her head. "That was just my ops outfit, for when I need to go out and do some special work¡ªohhh. It''s the same for you too, isn''t it?"


    "Yes. We turn into the forms that we need to be so that we can do what we need to do. In our daily lives, we prefer to be in our natural forms which is what you see here." He indicated his body.


    "Sost night, when you had no faces, was it to hide your identities?"


    He nodded. "It was just a mask. If I recall, you were also wearing a mask."


    Candi nodded. "Ski mask. Also to hide identity just in case someone happened to catch a glimpse of me."


    "So would you considerst night to be your true form or as you are now?"


    She thought about it for a moment and then grinned. "Does it matter? It''s both me at the core."


    "Likewise," he responded with augh and pushed a te of warm scrambled eggs towards her.


    "Eat. Then I need to take you back to The Tower so we can discuss a few important things."


    "Ummm. Will the other men be there as well?"


    "My brothers? Of course. They have been waiting for you to recover from your escapade. There are many things to discuss so we need to get moving quickly."


    After her impromptu breakfast, she showered quickly and got dressed in a white summer dress.


    By the time she was done, te took her down to the lobby of the condominium where a ck limo was waiting to take them back to the hotel.


    Once the limo arrived at The Tower, te escorted her back up to the penthouse at the top.


    As soon as she and te walked through the double doors of the penthouse, they were immediately greeted with six crystal vases, each holding several dozen fresh roses in various colors.


    The vases were ced on florist stands nking the entry, as if waiting to greet them as they walked in. The scent of all the roses were at once sparkling and heady.


    "Ah, there is our little Cancandi." Blondie gave a bright smile as he saw the two of them enter through the double doors.


    Candi''s jaw dropped as she looked around. They had changed the ce out a bit. There was now a round table at the center of the room, with ten chairs surrounding its diameter.


    Six of the demons had already taken their seat and te helped Candi to sit before taking his own seat next to her.


    "Wee back, Candi." The demon sitting on her other side greeted. It was Red Hair.


    She smiled and thanked him perfunctorily. She didn''t know what to say to any of them. Thest time she had met them, she was basically a screaming banshee.


    "Ah. Everyone has finally gathered I see." A voice called out from the doorway.


    Candi turned her head. It was the porter who had taken her up to the penthouse the day before.


    She smiled and waved at him, d to see a friendly non-demon face.


    He grinned at her and approached the table.


    "I see you are doing well my dear." He took a seat at one of the two remaining empty chairs. "I hope these seven boys have treated you well."


    Boys?


    "Let''s get started shall we? How about we formally introduce everyone to you."


    The porter indicated his hand at Candi. "I''m sure you all know by now. This is the beauteous, gracious, most brave Candace Farrah."


    He then went around the table and dropped a name to each of the men seated at the table.


    "The red-haired one is the eldest of this group of degenerates so he gets the dubious distinction of keeping them in line. His name is Byron."


    "Next in line is Dante who heads various businesses in this area," he pointed to the demon with the spiky blue hair.


    "Then we have Lucas, the only show monkey of the group." He indicated at the demon with the gold and pink hair.


    "And thenes Leonardo. He takes care of sick people even though sometimes, he''s the one who puts them in the hospital to begin with." He smirked and pointed to the man with the bright blond hair.


    After him are the twins, Jason and Jared. They call themselves fashion creators, whatever that means." He waved a dismissive hand.


    "And of course, you''ve met the baby of the family, te."


    Candi nodded at each, trying to remember all the names.


    "What does te do?" She turned to the dark-haired man sitting next to her.


    The porter grimaced. "He''s the warrior of the group. He does what needs to be done."


    "And you, sir?"


    "My name is Ray Torra. I am the Custodian of The Tower. I''m here to make sure everything is as it should be." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    His eyes turned dark. "Yesterday, we ran into a bit of a snafu even though I PERSONALLY took the time out of my busy schedule to escort you to the top of The Tower."


    He bared his fangs at the men, which suddenly grew long and sharp.


    A chill hit Candi''s spine. Was this the same friendly porter who had whistled ''C''est Si Bon'' in the elevator yesterday?


    "There was supposed to have been an important Event." Ray''s voice grew dark and menacing.


    Candi''s heart jumped and caught in her throat. His face was starting to change. He was no longer looking so jovial and friendly.


    As the Custodian looked around the room, a twin set of red mes appeared within the pupils of his dark eyes.


    "Any of you boys care to exin to me what happened?"

 Chapter 10 - Demon Massage

    te''s ''living quarters'' on the transport pod turned out to be almost as sparse as the ''parking garage''.


    Aside from two egg-shaped console chairs with a small side table between them, there was nothing else. The chairs faced a huge expanse of ss that, at the moment, showed nothing but a grey swirling mist that was the lenticr cloud cover it was parked within.


    "Have a seat." He pointed to the chair on the right.


    Candi mbered onto the seat and within seconds, the automatic safety harness slowly lowered, locking her in ce.


    He took the seat to her left and began tapping on a side panel. She looked down at her armrests. It had the same type of side panel with strange markings that lit up with the cadence of his tapping.


    Candi quickly pulled her arms back not wanting to touch anything that she didn''t understand.


    "Don''t worry about touching your panels, Candace. I''ve locked them so you don''t inadvertently tell the system to kill us while we''re inflight."


    He settled back onto the seat as his own safety harness lowered over hisrge body.


    "Jezebel. take us home."


    From within the bowels of the transport pod, there was a barely audible hiss. The transport pod shot up straight into the sky, all pretense of cloakingpletely obliterated.


    The ss panel in front of them went from a murky greyish cloudy fog to one of clear blue skies.


    As they continued to climb out of the atmosphere, the blue thinned into a dark violet. Then the dark violet turned in darkness, but it was hardly pure darkness.


    There was too much light in the sky for it to be a ck void.


    There were billions of tiny pinprick lights twinkling and pulsing all around them, as well as a bright blue orb below.


    "Wow." Candi breathed. "This is gorgeous!"


    "You think so?" He turned to gaze out at the darkness of the Void. "It''s not as beautiful as the blue and green world we just left, but it has its own beauty."


    "I''ve never seen space like this before." Candi covered her mouth with shocked fingers.


    "Your people are and-locked race. You need to explore your back yard a bit more. There are twelve others for you to visit, not to mention a couple of rogue entric orbital ones."


    "I can''t wait." she turned to him with excitement only to find him looming above her.


    His deep raven ck hair had escaped the tie that normally kept his long hair neatly back and was now tumbling down his shoulders in a dark shiny cloud.


    He leaned closer, drowning her with the intensity of his dazzling blue eyes. She could smell verbena and the musky scent of his skin. Thebination was heady and made her slightly dizzy.


    For a moment, Candi could barely think. She leaned back trying to put a little distance between them but her back was already up against the chair. There was nowhere else to go.


    "You''re¡ªaren''t you supposed to be strapped in for the ride?"


    "For the entire 24 hours? Hardly. We just needed to be strapped in for the lift off."


    He reached out and touched a tab on the side of her chair. Instantly, the safety harness retracted.


    As he leaned back, Candi breathed a sigh of relief. He was just releasing her from the chair.


    And here, she thought he was¡­


    "Come. It''s morefortable here." He swiveled her chair around so that it faced the center of the ship.


    The center had risen up, revealing a perfectly round bed with cushions scattered about.


    "It''s¡ªthat''s a bed." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Very perceptive. Come."


    He led her over to the bed.


    "Have a seat."


    She sat down, feeling like amb being led to ughter.


    He began reaching for her feet.


    "Wait. What are you doing?"


    "You are wearing shoes. I don''t want shoes on my bed."


    Her lips trembled.


    "I can take them off myself."


    "Just sit." His tone broke no arguments.


    As te''s fingers began undoing herces, Candi pressed her lips together. He had very strong fingers, but they were so very gentle.


    With slow gentle motions, he slid her shoes off her feet and then he began massaging them, one toe at a time.


    "Umm. Haha." Candi gave a nervousugh. "No need to do that. My feet aren''t cramped or anything."


    "Your feet are cold." He responded with gentle patience.


    His fingers moved towards the arch of her feet. With a gentle motion, he shot a small warm electrical current into her foot.


    "Haaah!" She gasped.


    Her feet were tingling with the energy he sent into her arches, but it did its job. Her toes had warmed up considerably.


    "You are so tense, it''s amazing you can stand." He whispered. "Rx, Candace."


    Candi grimaced. I''m tense because you''re rubbing my feet, you big lug! She wanted to say that to him, but she couldn''t because she could barely breathe.


    He was already reaching up to gently rub her calves.


    "Oooooh. That''s not¡ªnot my feet, te." She breathed.


    "No, it''s not, but your calves are also very tense."


    He ced his palms on the calves and applied an even amount of heat energy throughout his palms as he continued to rub her legs.


    "Aaaaah." She exhaled. "I¡ªI think I''m good. You, you can stop now." She reached out her hands to push him away.


    That was a bad move.


    Her hands hit up against those rock hard pectoral muscles and suddenly, she remembered them pressing up against her body the first night he took her up into the sky.


    She quickly withdrew her hands, feeling her face turning hot with embarrassment.


    te''s dazzling blue eyes crinkled up in amusement as he saw her blush to the roots of her hair.


    That first night she met te, she was sure he was going to kill her. He was sorge and dark and dangerous, and she had nearly died of fright and asphyxiation.


    But now that same man was kneeling in front of her. Hisrge hands were kneading her legs in that warm gentle motion and his bright blue eyes were gazing at her as if he wanted to consume her.


    And then his hands slipped up into her white summer dress, wandering up towards her thighs.


    "Hold on! No need to massage there. Haha!" She gave a nervousugh and pushed his hands away.


    "I''m really loose and not tensed up there at all!"


    "Your whole body is tense, Candace. Every part of you need massaging."


    He leaned forward, one hand easing her body back onto the bed, the other hand sliding under her back.


    In one quick smooth movement, he had levitated her up and moved her towards the center of the bed.


    Candi blinked. How in hell did he manage that???


    Oh duh¡­he''s a demon!

 Chapter 15 - Bath Time

    "I''m not bathing in that thing." She stood there, staring at the tub.


    "Why not? I can make the water whatever temperature you wish."


    He moved to the edge of the tub and stuck his finger in. Within seconds, steam began to rise from the water.


    "Come. Touch it and see if it''s warm enough for you."


    "No." Her eyes were daggers.


    "You should bathe now. It will help you to fall asleep so your body can be in perfect condition. That way you can win thepetition."


    Candi stewed. So now he was bringing thepetition in to the conversation every time he wanted her to do something. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I''m not taking off my clothes with you in this pod."


    te rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling and heaved a big theatrical sigh.


    "Candace, I''ve seen your entire body."


    "Not." She pursed her lips.


    te sighed.


    He made a few quick gestures and a circr panel extended downward, encircling the tub. It was made of some thin frosted white material that gave her at least some sense of privacy.


    Candi lifted her head up, chin in the air, and marched in through the opening.


    Behind her, te stood with a curious gentle smile on his face that he hid behind his hand.


    The circr panel was not exactly closed off, but it was better than nothing. She stripped and quickly got into the tub hoping to have a bit less exposure.


    The water was steaming up in nice billows of heat. He really heated it up so nicely with his finger.


    She blushed, thinking about all the ces on her body he had touched with that finger and how it had warmed her up, from the soles of her feet all the way to¡­


    Candy shut her eyes and sank under the water, wetting her hair. A few secondster, she rose from the warm bath water and began sshing around.


    Asrge as the tub was, it could have easily held four people. As it was, she was all by herself and it made for a wonderful hot tub.


    Her only issue was the clearness of the water. It was rose scented and warm, but there were no suds.


    Unfortunately, unlike all themercials she had ever seen where there were mounds of bubbles that could hide any parts of her body that was supposed to be hidden, this water was crystal clear.


    "Do you have any bubble soap, and maybe some shampoo?" She called out.


    "Just lie there and rx," she heard a voice behind her.


    Candi''s eyes bulged! He was right behind her!


    She gulped a lungful of air and sank under the water, hugging her knees.


    Immediately, she felt hands pulling her back up out of the water.


    "Candace! Are you okay??? What''s wrong? What happened???" She heard his insistent voice next to her ear.


    "I''m taking a bath! Why are you in my bathroom???" She yelled back at him, eyes tightly shut, arms still hugging her knees.


    "You asked for soap. How am I supposed to give it to you if I don''te in here?"


    She cautiously opened her eyes.


    He was on his knees in the water, holding her up above the waterline. His glittering blue eyes held¡­panic?


    "This water is only up to my neck even when I''m seated." She mumbled, not taking her eyes off his. "There''s no way I can possibly drown unless¡ª"


    te exhaled, releasing her body back into the water. She was stark naked in his arms but he was not looking anywhere. He was looking straight into her eyes, searching for reassurances that she was unhurt.


    "Unless what?"


    "Unless you push me under and hold me down until I drown."


    His mouth worked for a moment.


    "Why would I do something like that? I was holding you up!" He exhaled harshly.


    "I thought you had suffered some medical condition that caused you to slip under water."


    Candi shook her head.


    "I was just startled and¡ªand embarrassed."


    te closed his eyes.


    "Candace. You have a beautiful body. A beautiful face. Why are you so embarrassed about it?"


    "I just." She curled up into a small ball, hugging her knees up to her chin. "I don''t know you well enough to befortable parading my body about."


    te nodded.


    Without a word, he reached out into empty space and magicked into being, a ss vial holding an amber liquid. He took off the stopper and poured a small amount of viscous liquid into the water.


    He kissed his fingers and waved it into the water, heating it back up to the temperature it was when she first entered.


    As if by magic, huge amounts of bubbles began to rise, covering the surface of the water and spilling out onto the sides of the tub.


    "Turn around. I''ll wash your hair."


    "It''s¡ªit''s okay. I can wash my own hair."


    "This is to ensure you win thepetition. Turn around." His voice broke no arguments.


    Candi pressed her lips together and turned her back to him.


    It was at that moment when she could not see him at all that she could feel him all around her.


    He was the billowing scented steam swirling around her. He was the soft gliding water that streamed around her. He was the millions of scented foam that tickled and kissed her skin with each tiny air-filled bubble.


    His fingers were softly gathering her hair and caressing her head as the mounds and mounds of soap floated around her and melded into the mounds and mounds of soap spilling over the sides onto the pristine white floor.


    She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle pressure of his fingers on her scalp as he rubbed the soap into her skin. Then he ran his fingers through her hair, gently spreading thether around.


    "Keep your eyes closed," she could hear his voice softly reverberating around her.


    There was a cascade of clear warm water that came sprinkling down from the ceiling, as if a tropical rainstorm had just blown through.


    His fingers worked at her hair until the water ran clear. Then he gently picked her up and folded her withinrge sheets of soft warm towels.


    With unspokenmands, te made the tub disappear and the bed reappear from the floor, rising up in a swirling circr pattern, like an exquisitely frosted white cake.


    "We have taken up several hours eating and bathing. There are only about fifteen hours left until we reach our destination."


    "Get some sleep so you will bepletely rested by the time we get there."


    Candi nodded. She had no strength left.


    He gently deposited her onto the circr bed and drew the covers up over her shoulders.


    With a touch of his finger onto her forehead, she sank into a dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 16 - High Level Dangerous Criminal

    When Candy opened her eyes, she could see a green and blue world beyond the horizon of the ss window.


    It was so beautiful. It looked like Earth from above, but the continental shapes were different. It was most definitely not Earth.


    te was sitting on his egg-shaped seat staring out the window, his long ck hair flowing all around him, glinting in the light of the world before him and spilling onto the arm rest.


    Candi sat up, rubbing her eyes.


    "Are we there already?"


    te swung his seat around. His eyes were bright and sparkling as he took in her disheveled sleep-tousled honey blonde hair.


    "We reached Erenveil a short time ago. Since we still had plenty of time, I let you sleep for awhile longer.


    "You didn''t sleep at all." It was not a question. She could see the weariness in the cast of his shoulders.


    "I had to make sure we got to Erenveil. For some reason, there was a starship that kept trailing us from one space hop to the next."


    Candi looked at him with startled hazel eyes.


    "From where?"


    "Earth."


    Candi gasped.


    "Was it the same one that was able to see through your cloaking and shot at us?"


    "No." He shook his head. "This one was different. A much more advanced technology."


    "How could you tell it was from Earth? We don''t have the kind of technology that can follow you all the way to Erenveil." She scratched her head. "Do we?"


    te gave her a strange look and shook his head. His dazzling blue eyes stared through her, as if he was thinking about something.


    "You shouldn''t, but it has your world''s g colors on the side of the starship. There was no mistake."


    He stood up.


    "We don''t have a lot of time. Let''s get you fed and dressed, and then I take you down to join everyone. You are thest Avgo female and nothing can start until you arrive."


    Asrge as dinner was the night before, breakfast was only a few slices of toast and some eggs, piping hot. Then she was given a few minutes to wash and dress in a stark white bodysuit with some boots of the same color.


    Candi threw it on with the same familiarity that she did with the ck bodysuit she normally wore to do her cat burr heists. It was as if it had been created especially for her body.


    As she was getting ready, the transport pod was taking them down to the below.


    As she took her seat, te strapped her in and the transport pod flew through the atmosphere, spiraling downward in a curve that took advantage of the natural shape of the.


    In no time at all, it approached arge t expanse that looked suspiciously like one of the tabletop mountains on Earth.


    "Wow. This looks like Table Mountain in Africa!" She gasped as she looked down at the vista below.


    "It''s made in a simr way." teughed. "We sliced the top off the mountain so we could have a t ce tond."


    "So this is like a spaceport for you?"


    te shook his head. "No. It''s just anding field for small transport vehicles like this one."


    Suddenly, he leaned forward.


    "Oh you gotta be shitting me!"


    He began hammering on the panel, pulling back up into the sky, even as the transport pod was starting tond.


    "What''s wrong? What''s going on?" Candi clutched at her armrest with rm.


    "That starship from your world is on thending field ahead of us. How it got here I have no idea."


    As the pod sailed back up into the azure sky, te was hammering at the panel.


    "Father." He called out. "Are you there?"


    The familiar face of the Emperor of Erenveil appeared in front of them.


    "Son. I just saw youing in for anding and suddenly you changed trajectory. What''s going on?"


    "Father, what is that Earth starship doing on thending field?"


    "I''m not certain, Son. The Earth Viceroy said you had picked up the wrong Avgo female, so he had to transport the real one to Erenveil."


    "Father. You know as well as I do that we do not actually choose the Avgo female. It is impossible to have a fake Avgo female."


    te''s Father raised an eyebrow.


    "Are you telling me to doubt my own Viceroy on Earth? Does the female in your pod have the Avgo?"


    te turned to Candi.


    "Where is the Avgo?"


    She blinked for a moment trying to remember where it was.


    "I think it''s in the pocket of my summer dress but I don''t know where the dress is."


    te shook his head.


    "The Avgo will follow you wherever you go. It will not be in the summer dress. Call out to it."


    "Call out? Does it have a name or do I just say something like: ''Hey Avgo! Show yourself!''"


    In the blink of an eye, the pink egg shaped sapphire appeared in front of her, twirling in midair, catching the light and reflecting it around like a mini disco ball.


    te turned back to his Father.


    "Do you see the Avgo, Father? Do you see her calling to Avgo and it obeys hermand?"


    "Hmmm. Yes. I''m just telling you that the Viceroy is here demanding to meet up with you. He says the female with you is the thief who stole the Avgo from the real female who is supposed to be the Earth Avgo female."


    "Father, the Avgo cannot be stolen."


    The Emperor of Erenveil harrumphed.


    "You know that and I know that, but try telling that to the Viceroy. He is adamant that the thief must be caught and persecuted. Meanwhile, he has brought what he considers the real Avgo woman to our world."


    "I don''t care." te grounded. "Send him back to Earth. He does not deserve to be here. He was the one who sent that first ship to fire at me."


    "He said those were warning shots, fired to stop you from taking a high level and dangerous criminal out of Sol System."


    te narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.


    "What, pray tell, is her crime?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The Emperor''s eyes grew cold.


    "Theft of the Avgo and Earth''s only copy of ''Ellipsoidal Macrocosm''." He sniffed. "They even have an image of her with the book and the gem."


    He raised a finger and the image of Candi''s pale face showed up next to the pink Avgo egg sitting proudly on top of the ancient bound book.


    te startedughing as Candi lowered her head into her hands.


    It was the image that te had taken of her and sent to her boss.

 Chapter 21 - Bruised And Bloodied

    By this time, Dahlia''s red stiletto heels had been ripped from her feet.


    The red shoes went tumbling and swirling around, ttering against the ss cylinder. They quickly got pulled up into the bright blue sky and disappeared from sight.


    The only reason why Dahlia had not flown away was because she was clutching onto Candi''s arm with both hands in a death grip, her legs iling upward as her body began to be sucked skyward.


    In any normal circumstance, Candi would have most likely been dragged along with Dahlia up the wind tunnel because Candi was physically much smaller than Dahlia.


    The Avgo gemstone however, was far stronger than any wind of this nature. It kept her anchored on the tform and protected her from the wind. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Meanwhile, Dahlia was crying desperately. Her clutch was so strong that Candi could not pull her arm away even if she wanted to.


    "Help me!!! Please!!!" Dahlia''s eyes were desperate and tearful.


    Candi looked at Dahlia. She turned to Lorem Ipsum who stood there with a smirk on his lips. He was unaffected by the wind.


    She stared at him, aghast. He was trapped within the same cylinder as she was but why did it not affect him?


    Even his perfect silvery white goatee, which was curled and gelled to perfectiony untouched on his chest.


    Candi looked around.


    Aside from all the wind noise and the women around her squeaking and squawking as they tried to deal with their own hair and clothing and wing disturbances, it was strangely anomalous.


    Obviously, the wind was fake!


    Once Candi saw that the wind was fake, she could not unsee it.


    "Avgo. Shut down the wind!" She called out.


    Instantly, the wind stopped.


    CLUNK!!!


    Dahlia dropped like dead weight beside her, crying and sobbing and clutching onto Candi''s ankles for fear of being lifted by the whirlwind again.


    Candi scowled at Lorem Ipsum as she clutched at her aching arm. He no longer seemed as nice and friendly as he did when she was standing on the stage next to him.


    This was all his doing.


    He could have simply asked for all the women to produce the Avgo gemstone in their possession and the ones who had it would have it. The one who didn''t could simply be disqualified.


    What he did instead, had damaged their hair, their clothing, their fragile wings and scales, and turned them into clowns for the public to gawk at. It had certainly destroyed any sense of pride that Dahlia had.


    She scowled, looking down at her arm.


    Damn that hurt! Underneath her long sleeves were most likely bruises that would match Dahlia''s red-tipped ws.


    Those would most definitely not be fake!


    She sighed.


    te was going to be super mad about the bruises!


    Lorem Ipsum raised his arms up into the air.


    With a wave of his hand, he called out a loudmand and the items that had been taken from the women fell back down from the sky, ttering onto the stage like so much glitter debris.


    Even Dahlia''s red shoes had dropped onto the stage with a tter, breaking off one of the stiletto points.


    Dahlia stared at her broken red shoes lying among the heap of loose jewelry, ck and red feathers, and broken butterfly wings. Her face was streaked with ck tears as her eye makeup ran down her cheeks.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, I hope that was as entertaining as it was enlightening. We now have the real seven contestants and the stage will be adjusted ordingly."


    He waved another hand and two people approached the tforms. They made their brisk way to Dahlia who was still on the floor, clinging onto Candi''s ankles.


    Without a word, they extricated her grasping fingers from Candi''s legs, picked her up and carried her off the stage, kicking and screaming.


    Everything happened so fast, Candi did not even have a chance to think about an appropriate response. All she could think of was her bleeding ankles.


    Dahlia had dug her fingernails into her legs, not wanting to leave the stage and had gashed her up pretty good.


    As she stood there on the stage, bleeding on the tform, the people screamed and cheered and the perfectly and beautifully coiffed goat man stood in front of seven disheveled, torn, bleeding women and yed up the crowd.


    Candi closed her eyes.


    This was going to be a rough and bloody pageant, from what she could already see. She was starting to really hate that old goat.


    As the crowd went wild, the dais lowered into the floor, leaving behind the noise and lights of the coliseum. Once the dais had sunk down to the floor below, the ceiling closed and they were inside a chamber that only had one exit.


    The women stepped off their tiny tforms and began streaming out through the opening. Not knowing what to expect next, Candi followed all the women towards the exit point.


    Immediately beyond the chamber, she found te, back in human form and leaning against a support column waiting for her.


    He took one look at her and his eyes grew hard and cruel.


    Candi was about to give some off-handed excuse for looking so bad when he strode to her side.


    "What happened to you? Why are you all bloodied???"


    Candi sighed. He looked really mad.


    "The old goat set up a whirlwind inside that ss cylinder and blew everyone around."


    He crouched down and began gently taking off her shoes. Then he touched her ankles with healing power.


    "I saw the Avgo test." He growled. "I''m talking about your bloody ankles. Didn''t I tell you that your body had to be perfect for the physical?"


    Candi grimaced.


    "That Earth woman got sucked upward by the whirlwind and she grabbed onto me. What was I supposed to do?"


    "You could have kicked her off instead of letting her damage you like this." He looked up, brilliant blue eyes fierce with rage.


    Candi sighed.


    "She is huge te! The woman is six feet tall, and she had her long w fingers dug into my skin. She was gripping me so hard, I would have bled no matter what I did."


    He stood up.


    "I''m taller than that. If I ever hurt you like this, kick me. Hard!"


    Candi shook her head.


    "It was not on purpose. The woman was afraid for her life and was just clinging onto me."


    If I had been under water and she was dragging me under, I would kick her," she grimaced. "But in this case, I wasn''t really in any danger. I just got a little bruised and bloody is all."


    "Bruised?" te turned to me, anger once again ring in his eyes. "Where are you bruised???"

 Chapter 25 - Double Kissed

    Jason and Jared did not live in a traditional home. They lived on a floating ind.


    The floating ind was way up in the sky and the only way to reach it was to fly up. Anyone who didn''t have wings or a hover pod could never visit them.


    Since it was dark, Candi could not see much detail, but as soon as they reached the floating ind, there was plenty ofndscape lights scattered about for her to see the grassy clearing and a small rocky hill upon which a small crooked house was perched.


    There were trees of varying sizes growing in profusion all around the edges and a small pond towards the center.


    Theynded on the grassy clearing and gently deposited Candi down. She looked around, eyes wide with appreciation.


    "Wow. How do you get an ind to float in the sky like this?"


    "Magic." They both chorused in unison and reverted back to their human forms.


    Candi nodded. Of course it was magic. What else could it be?


    "Come in. The house is tiny, but it''s veryfortable." Jason said, leading the way.


    She followed them on a small lighted stone paved path that meandered through clumps of daffodils and jonquils, towards the rose bushes.


    "Here we are. Home atst." Jared reached out and opened the door.


    Ooooofff!!!


    Arge animal with long floppy ears came bounding out and jumped on Jared, knocking him to the ground.


    Even in the darkness, it was easy to see the unmistakable shape of a short-legged basset hound.


    "Stop it Bug! Get off me you dummy!" Heughed and wrestled with the very excited chubby dog, finally managing to regain his footing.


    The dog panted and ran to Jason, licking his knees and looking quite pleased with himself.


    "His name is Bug?" Candi gasped.


    "It''s actually Bugaboo, but we all just call him Bug." Jasonughed and reached down to pet the dog before leading Candi into the interior of the house.


    The interior was warmly lit and far more spacious than the exterior led her to believe because most of the house was built into the mountainside.


    It was sparse.


    There was not much in the way of furniture, but what was avable was of the highest quality. These men were not Princes for nothing.


    The crystal chandelier hanging at the center of the room looked to be worth a fortune. It radiated light around the chamber, twinkling and sparkling with its own built-in magic that made everything a little bit warmer, a little bit rosier.


    The walls were covered with rich brocade fabrics in deep golds and greens. They made a perfect setting for the huge mirrors with gilded frames hung in strategically spaced areas along the walls.


    On the creamy marbled floors, scattered brown shag rugs brought warmth to the room. Bugaboo ran over to his little shag rug by the side of the hearth and snuggled into a round doggie shape.


    Up against the walls were several teak wood divans covered withrge plump cushions and soft looking throws.


    The twins led her to one of the divans and sat her down.


    "It''s veryte. Why don''t you lie down and rest a bit. You have a full day tomorrow and you need energy to get through the day." Jared plumped up a pillow and ced it behind her while Jason took her shoes off.


    "Oh but isn''t there something I can do to help?" She protested.


    They gently pushed her back onto the pillows.


    "Of course. When te gets here, you can help him with things he need you to do."


    She nodded. She wasn''t sure what kind of work te needed her to do but she was ready, whatever it may be.


    Once they got her settled, they began reconstructing the ephemeral mannequin that had been taken from them to be used as a decoy for Candi.


    As promised, within a matter of minutes, a full entourage of hover pods hadnded on the grassy clearing.


    A group of servants spilled out and began hauling trunks, chests, and wardrobes into the interior of the house. By the time they left, the entire ce was filled with equipment.


    The twins continued their work unabated as Candiy on the divan trying hard not to fall asleep. It was gettingter andter and te still had not arrived.


    "I wonder what''s keeping te," she mumbled, yawning.


    "Why don''t you rest a bit and when hees, we will wake you up." Jared came and sat down next to her. "He''s just out hammering down a few things that are a sticking out a bit."


    "You promise you will wake me up?" Candi yawned again as she slumped over onto the thickrge pillows. They were so soft.


    "Close your eyes, Tiny Dancer." He whispered and pulled a quilt over her shoulders. Then he leaned over and dropped two soft kisses onto her face, one on each eyelid.


    His soft sensuous lips must have beenced with some kind of sleeping magic because she could not keep her eyes open after that.


    Hershes fluttered and closed as she drifted off to sleep.


    Morning came with the twittering of birds and the sound of a babblingughing brook as it sshed its way down the mountainside and into the pool below.


    Candi shifted her body and found herself pinned on both sides by tworge bodies.


    She opened her eyes and found the twins gently sleeping next to her, one on each side. Their soft even breathing filled her ears with a soothing rhythmic cadence. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The twins'' sleeping faces were so close to her, she could see their soft pink shapely lips and their long darkshes resting against sculpted regal cheekbones. Their long green hair was syed out like silky sea foam on therge cushioned pillows.


    In their sleep, they had wound their arms so tightly around her that she could barely move.


    Her breathing quickened. They were under the covers with her, their legs thrown over her body as if she was a dakimakura anime body pillow.


    Her slight change in breathing tipped them off and their soft brown eyes slowly opened.


    "Hmmm. Tiny Dancer woke up." Jason murmured and began kissing her corbone.


    "You must have snored too loud and awakened her." Jared turned his nose into her neck and inhaled deeply the scent of her hair.


    "I think you must have kicked her in your sleep." Someone''s hands began wandering about, touching her breasts.


    "No, I think it was you I kicked." Another set of hands began rubbing her stomach.


    "I can''t move," she murmured.


    "Yeah, Jason. Ease up a bit on Tiny Dancer." Jason''s tongue began licking the pulse point between her cor bones.


    "Of course I will." Jared smiled and pulled her even closer to him as he began nibbling on her jawline.


    "The both of you stop smothering her!" A familiar voice called out from above.


    "te!" Candi called out.

 Chapter 30 - The Nutcracker

    Candi barely listened to the background announcer who was chattering about her background and about Earth. She was barely even listening to Lorem Ipsum.


    "¡­are you ready?"


    She nodded.


    Once Olivia got disqualified, it was no longer apetition to wrestle the remaining spot from another contestant. All she needed to do was walk down a ss walkway and make it to the bottom where she could take her ce on the seventh tform.


    Candi could just hug the side and crawl down there on her belly like the fish girl Helene Cordera did, but that would damage the beautiful dress that Jared had made for her.


    She could walk down the Sky Walk like Ana?se but since she did not have the ability to melt ss with the soles of her feet, she would not be quite as sure-footed.


    Candi exhaled. She would just have to pretend she was doing a heist and do it her cat burr way.


    Taking a deep breath, Candi stepped onto the Sky Walk.


    Immediately, she could see why the fish girl Helene was so scared.


    From afar, the ss Sky Walk looked solid, but in reality, it vibrated and swayed from every wind gusts.


    The sounds were nerve-wracking. It twanged and cracked, sounding as if it was ready toe crashing down at any moment.


    Walking the Sky Walk would be almost like walking on a tight rope, except the tight rope was a t wide thirty-inch walkway.


    Piece of cake, right?


    Candi steeled her nerves and squared her shoulders. Her eyes zeroed in on the footprints that the silicon girl Ana?se left behind.


    It would provide enough traction to keep her feet from slipping and sliding on the ss.


    The only problem was the fact that Ana?se was a foot taller than Candi was. In order to step into the same footprint Ana?se left behind, she would have to do a leap to reach each step.


    Throwing her hands out for bnce, Candi began leaping¡ªballet style, down the walkway.


    This was not for show but for bnce; however, the crowd didn''t know that.


    From the audience perspective, they were looking at a graceful bride wearing a white wedding gown made of gossamer silk and cotton candy fluff skirts.


    Her honey blonde hair was styled in a sweeping updo that looked ssic and elegant, yet young and fresh. On her feet were ballet slippers that were tied with pale pink satin ribbons onto her shapely legs.


    As she leaped from one footprint to another, it looked as if she was dancing ballet down the Sky Walk.


    Her dance training had given her the one thing she needed most in this Sky Walkpetition: bnce and agility. She did it unconsciously, in the most practical manner possible.


    From her vantage point, she could see the Sky Walk extending downward and then curve to the right into an ''S''. It was the first curve that was where the wind gust hit.


    If she could bypass that curve, she would be able to avoid getting hit by that windpletely.


    She had to time it just right.


    There were four steps that Ana?se took which brought her into the area where the wind surged.


    All Candi had to do was jump right before the first step, andnd on the fifth step which curved downward and back on itself.


    Here it came.


    Four


    Three


    Two


    JUMP!!!


    She reached with her legs and body, performing a grand jet¨¦ onto the walkway below,pletely bypassing the jutting S curve.


    The crowd gasped.


    BAAM!!!


    She hit the fifth step.


    The momentum was carrying her body forward. Unable to stop herself, she vaulted into a front flip and ran the rest of the way down. She twisted her body and pirouetted onto the stage,nding with her arms outstretched in a final bow.


    The crowd went wild!


    Suddenly, there was loud cheering and feet stomping. They were calling out to her.


    "TINY DANCER!" (Stomp. Stomp).


    "TINY DANCER!" (Stomp. Stomp).


    "TINY DANCER!" (Stomp. Stomp).


    Candi looked out into the audience andughed as she saw the green haired twins riling up the crowd. They were truly her biggest fans.


    They looked up, saw her and began waving wildly and jumping into each other''s arms in celebratory dance.


    "Oh my goodness!" The sound of Lorum Ipsum filled the airwaves. "Earth''s very own Tiny Dancer just danced her way down the Sky Walk as if it was her very own choreographed dance routine!"


    He hovered downward as she took her position on the sixth dais.


    "Congrattions to the six of you." He began moving amongst the contestants.


    "You have all won your way to the nextpetition. It will be held tomorrow morning in front of the Palisades. Don''t bete!"


    He hovered over to each of the contestants and handed a single red rose. By the time he reached Candi, as he handed the rose to her, he whispered a single word.


    "Careful."


    Before she could ask him what he meant, he had hovered back to the front area and was starting to interact with the audience.


    Behind her, the pageant workers ushered everyone off the tform and into the back area where their groups and entourage were waiting.


    As before, te stood waiting for her. He looked calm and cool with his long ck hair tied back, wearing a white button-down broadcloth shirt and casual ck cks.


    He saw her entering through the open entryway and was about to make his way to her when a group of people intercepted her, only yards away from him.


    One moment, they were within arms reach of each other and the next moment, she had been swept away by the horde that descended upon her. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "te!" She screamed, trying to reach towards him.


    Four human men descended on her and caught her around the waist.


    Without thinking, she whipped her elbows out and whacked two of them in the faces.


    It barely slowed them down. They were going to take her away, whether she liked it or not.


    Candi DID NOT LIKE!


    She wasn''t trained in martial arts for nothing.


    Her body twisted of their own ord and she broke free from their grasp. She spun to the ground and mmed her fists into the crotches of the two men in front of her.


    "Aaaahhhh!!!" The two who got crotch-mmed screamed like little pigs.


    Taking advantage of the chaotic situation, she kicked out with her powerful dancer''s legs, catching the other two in between the legs.


    All four strong men dropped to the ground, clutching their testicles and howling with pain.


    The remaining dozen surrounding her were swept aside by a ferocious man with scythe-like ws that descended upon their heads.


    "Candace!" He roared.


    "Behind you!" She screamed as more men descended upon them.


    te did not have the chance to change into his bat man outfit, but it didn''t mean he was not strong. He threw off three men who had jumped on top of his shoulders and ran to where Candi was.


    She jumped up and grabbed onto his arms as she kicked her body upward, swinging her legs out.


    THWAPPP!!!, THWAPPP!!!, THWAPPP!!!


    She aimed her powerful dancer''s legs and kicked the men behind him in the head.


    They spun away, spitting blood and teeth.


    "Let''s go!" te yelled and grabbed onto her waist.


    As they ran, his wings sprang from his shoulder des.


    FWOOOMPHHH!!!


    Within threerge strides, they were airborne, up into the deep blue sky of Erenveil.

 Chapter 32 - Freefall In Mid-flight

    The feeling of flying through the air in the arms of a strong male was something that Candi was starting to get used to. It was thrilling in a heart-stopping manner.


    They were up at dizzying heights with the wind rushing through her hair and making her eyes water.


    Most of the times, hisrge body and wingspan sheltered her from the sun''s re. At the moment however, they were flying into the sun so it was shining directly on her face.


    She turned her eyes away from the re and pressed her nose into his chest, inhaling the scent of his maleness.


    As always, he smelled like the fresh scent of leaves and trees with a touch of wild grass mixed with that unmistakeable musk of te-ness. She could recognize his scent anywhere.


    "Uh oh. We havepany." She heard him whisper to her inside her mind.


    Candi looked up.


    From the distance, she could see another fliering towards them. It was most likely one of his brothers, but she could not tell because this man was alsopletely covered in bat-wear.


    The two were talking, she could tell, because he was focused in the direction of the oing winged warrior.


    As they got closer together, he hovered in the wind and waited until the other warrior came closer. They began circling around each other on the wind surge.


    "That''s Byron. I''m going to transfer you over to him."


    "Why? What''s happening?"


    "There seems to be a bit of an issue at my castle that I need my free hands to deal with. He will take you to a safe ce."


    Candi nodded. It wasn''t as if she had much of a choice.


    "Wait. How are you going to¡ªAAAAAHHHHH!!!"


    She screamed as he pushed her away from him.


    In the space of a few seconds, there was no support and she was levitated away from him. Her arms came out and stretched towards him, but he had already begun to move away.


    Suddenly, a new set of arms grabbed her from behind and she was once again enfolded in the arms of another winged warrior.


    She turned into Byron''s arms and squeezed her eyes shut. It was terrifying, those moments where she felt no support at all and was in between the two of them.


    Her fluffy white skirts red out around her as her arms clutched onto Byron.


    Free-falling was not something she enjoyed, especially with no parachute and no lifeline.


    Once Candi was caught in Byron''s arms, she could immediately feel the difference. He smelled differently, felt differently, and did not hold her in the same manner as te did.


    With te, she felt as if tree trunks were squeezing her tightly to his body.


    Byron, on the other hand, held her princess-style. There was less intensity, but it was a bit more rxed and graceful.


    "Hold on. I will take you to a safer area. There were a few more Earth ships that havee into Erenveil."


    "Why? Are they hostile?"


    He shook his head. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "On the contrary. They are visiting dignitaries. Your heads of states are here. They are insisting that you be released into their care."


    "They''re going to arrest me, aren''t they?"


    "I''m afraid so, and we cannot allow them to do that. I do not want to start intergctic incidences, especially at such an important event as the Avgopetition."


    "What are we going to do?"


    "We are going to avoid thempletely."


    "How?"


    "You areing with me back to the Royal Pce. They will not dare to intrude there."


    He began to soar downward towards a destination in the distance.


    She turned her head and saw the greens and golds of arge walled gardene rushing at them.


    The pinks and blues andvenders of flowers became clearer and within moments, they had dropped down into a garden filled with strange flowers of all colors and shapes.


    As they touched down, a myriad ofdies in green and gold came rushing towards them.


    "Take her to get changed. I wille for her within the hour."


    "Yes, Your Royal Highness." Thedies bowed and ushered her away.


    As Candi walked away with them, she turned back and saw Byron changing from therge dark bat warrior back to the tall red haired male she had met at the top of The Tower.


    His reddish-brown eyes caught her gaze and he nodded with assurance.


    "Go with them. I will see you shortly."


    She pressed her lips together and turned back to thedies who were now surrounding her. There were four of them, all red haired and wearing the same green and gold outfits.


    "This way, Mdy." They led her past blooming camellias and alstroemeria bushes towards a covered walkway. The breeze riffled through the palm leaves, bringing the unmistakeable scent of water and in fact, she could hear the dull roaring of falling water from a distance.


    The walkway led into a building that was made of huge cut chunks of a creamy white stone with flecks of gold glitter. The outer chamber was lined with marble flooring and spacious high ceiling decorated with touches of amber colored lights.


    They moved past the antechamber into the main room with its skylights and various seating arrangements atop huge rugs of a deep shade of blue.


    Past the main room there were several doors. Thedies in waiting took her through one of the doors which opened up onto arge sleeping chamber with a king sized canopy bed in one corner and a seating suite on the other.


    One of thedies went to the bank of windows and drew back the curtains to let in the light.


    Candi''s eyes widened. This room had its very own mini courtyard,plete with tiny trees and bushes, and a tiny sshing fountain at the center, surrounded by colorful flowers.


    They began helping her to undress all the carefulyers of skirts that the twins had put on her and then led her towards a bathing room.


    After a fairly brief bath, she was once again led to the bedroom where she was helped into arge flouncy dress made of some heavy hunter-green brocade material decorated with fancy gold trimmings. It was fancy and quite formal.


    "Am I going to be attending a party or something?" She asked thedies.


    "You will be attending the Royal Lunch alongside the Crown Prince, M''Lady."


    "Crown Prince?"


    "Yes, M''Lady." The Lady-in-waiting nodded as she put her finishing touches on Candi''s makeup.


    They were putting shoes on her feet when Byron stepped into the room.


    He was also simrly dressed in royal robes of the same hunter-green style and fabric that brought out the deep red of his hair and eyes.


    The white of his crisp inner shirt reflected against his rugged jawline and noble nose. His angled cheeks and high brows were elegant and regal; his air, indifferent.


    "I see you are ready." He looked her up and down, his red-brown eyes temperate and satisfied.


    She gave a hesitant smile and nodded.


    He held out his arm.


    "Come."


    She ced her hand on his arm and he led her through yet another doorway which led them deeper into the pce.


    Past several turns and hallways that were almost identical to each other, Candi was not sure she could find her way back to the bedroom that she had upied.


    "We will be dining with the Emperor and Empress of Erenveil. Do not be rmed at their mannerisms. They are rather¡­unconventional."


    Candi was about to ask him to borate when she heard a voice call out to them in loud demation.


    "Well well!!! We finally meet in person, Avgo Female from Earth!"


    She turned towards the sound. It was the same person she had seen within the virtual terminal during the flight in te''s transport pod.


    She was in the presence of the Emperor of Erenveil.

 Chapter 34 - Strength And Vitality

    After lunch, she was taken back to her room to rest, but Candi could not lie still. One thing that the Emperor said resonated with her.


    She was entering a series of contests and she didn''t even know what she was supposed to bepeting for or even what the criteria was.


    She was supposed to show up the next morning in front of the Palisades and she didn''t even know what the Palisades were or what she was supposed to be doing there.


    Unable to lie still, Candi threw back the covers and jumped out of bed. She needed to find Byron. She had to rify a few things with him.


    The Ladies-in-waiting had taken her clothes away and only left her with a soft white sleeping sheath. With no other clothing choice, she padded barefoot across the floor and poked her head out of the room.


    "Excuse me." She called out to the Maid-in-waiting outside the doorway.


    "Mdy," the maid bowed.


    "Could I get something to wear? I want to go find Byron and talk with him about something."


    "Mdy, if you please return to your room, I will bring your clothing immediately."


    Candi nodded and retreated back into the room. Were they expecting her to take a nap?


    It was two in the afternoon. For a modern-day woman who spent an inordinate amount of time digging in the dirt with a teaspoon, she could not lie still and nap.


    She tried the French doors and found that they were unlocked.


    Throwing the doors wide, she found that the tiny courtyard was indeed, her bedroom''s private courtyard since there were no other doors that opened onto the small garden.


    Throwing her arms up, she began her stretches. If she didn''t try to keep up her workouts, it would be difficult to do any of her ''cat burry'' work once she returned from this forced vacation.


    Forck of a bnce bar, she resorted to using the handrail of the tiny bridge that crossed a small koi pond. The bridge made a good span to work on her stretches at the very least.


    She was still stretching when Byron walked through the French doors to find her. He had changed out of his formal robes and was now wearing casual pants and a soft gray pullover.


    "You wanted to talk with me but you are undressed and dancing outside in the garden."


    She looked up at him.


    With a fewrge strides, he reached around her and wrapped a thin robe over her shoulders.


    Candi grinned.


    She was so used to wearing ballet leotards that were even more revealing than this sleep shift that she had felt quite natural as he came out.


    "Byron. You know I have to be at the Palisades tomorrow morning."


    He nodded.


    "What am I supposed to do there?"


    Byron was silent for a few moments as he buttoned her robe down the front.


    "You''re supposed to win."


    "But how can I win if I don''t even know what the criteria is?"


    "You didn''t know the criteria for today''s event either and you came in first."


    Candi shook her head and heaved a sigh. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That was a fluke. A huge lucky fluke! I''m not going to get another lucky break."


    "I think you will do well." Byron smiled. "But if you''re really that worried, I can tell you that tomorrow''s criteria will be ''Strength and Vitality''."


    "What does that mean? Aren''t all the contestants strong and full of vigor?"


    "Yes, but how many of those women will be able to scale the Palisades?"


    Candi''s jaw dropped.


    "We''re supposed to climb something?"


    "A sheer cliff, yes."


    "But what if we can''t do it?"


    "Then you get disqualified."


    "But Byron, how could you possibly know if I can do something like that?"


    Byron smiled.


    "Weren''t you scaling tall buildings during your heist?"


    "Yes but I had professional equipment. I wasn''t scaling with my fingers and toes. And I don''t have wings. How am I going topete with women who have wings???"


    Byronughed and tapped her nose with his finger.


    "All those women who had wings couldn''t beat your grace on that Sky Walk, nor could they beat your face."


    Candi wrinkled her nose.


    "I told you. That was a fluke!"


    Byron gave her a slight frown.


    "Are you trying to lose on purpose because you don''t want to marry me?"


    "What?" She nted her hands on her hips. "I didn''t even know until this afternoon at lunch with your parents that you were the final prize."


    "You make it sound so unappetizing."


    She looked at her bare feet.


    "It''s not that. I thought I waspeting for riches of the Universe, not to be someone''s wife."


    "And finding out that the riches of the Universe came attached to a man made you unhappy?"


    "No, not unhappy. I was just overwhelmed. Honestly, I wasn''t even stealing the Avgo for myself. It was supposed to be turned in to my employer."


    "Madam Broussard of Xolstice."


    Candi nodded. She looked up into his guarded red-brown eyes and shivered.


    For a moment, he stood there, silently assessing her, as if he was carefully measuring his words.


    "Listen to me. At this time, you should be more focused on winning the Avgo Event than worrying about what you will win IF you win."


    His eyes grew cold.


    "Understand this, Candace Farrah of Earth. You are currently an escaped suspect and Earth wants you back for questioning. The only way we can keep them from extraditing you is if you are still a contestant of the Avgo Event."


    He leaned forward with ferocious intensity.


    "If you get disqualified, your part is over and you have to go back to Earth."


    A fear tinged her soul.


    "But what''s to stop them from arresting me after I win?"


    Byron leaned back with a shortugh.


    "If you win, you will be a Princess Bride of Erenveil. Do you know what Erenveil represents?"


    Candi took a breath and shook her head.


    "Erenveil is the Capital of this Gxy. They cannot arrest someone in your position. You can simply order them to go home and they will have no choice but toply."


    "Fine. My life and freedom is on the line. I will fight for that." Her voice came in, strong and stead.


    "Good girl." He nodded. "Now. Let''s get you fitted for the next event, shall we?"


    "Fitted?"


    "Of course. You can''tpete in a strength and vitality event dressed in a wedding gown," he looked away from her, "or this sheer, almost see-through sleep dress."


    He snapped his fingers.


    Immediately a trail of Royal Maids-in-waiting came through the French doors with trays bearing an assortment of things.


    Candi''s eyes lit up as she recognized some of the things that were brought through.


    "Some of this is very simr to the tool belt from my burr outfit!"


    Byron smiled.


    "We had someone retrieve your professional items from your home. Those that needed recement, we reced. Those that were usable are here. Your outfit, we recreated with certain modifications."


    "Modifications?"


    He turned to the head Maid.


    "Take her and get her fitted properly. Make sure everything is to her specifications."


    "Yes, Your Royal Highness."


    As the maids ushered her away, Candi stole a nce at Byron''s stiff unyielding back.


    He seemed so closed and guarded, gentlemanly and correct, but his eyes betrayed him at times.


    She wondered what he would be like once she continued to peel away the protectiveyers that surrounded him.

 Chapter 38 - Fish Girl

    A loud BOOM!!! exploded into the air above them as a huge ball of confetti exploded, sending colorful pieces of paper blooming out in a chrysanthemum blossom.


    The tiny pieces fluttered down onto the contestants, the tform, and the beach, catching the sunlight as it streamed downward.


    Immediately, Jenna and Ana?se jumped from their dais and ran for the cliff face.


    Jenna slumped down on all fours and began jumping onto the cliff, digging her ws into the cliffside. With powerful shoulder and leg muscles, she pulled herself up using all four legs in the only way a cougar could.


    This was her forte, her familiar territory. Her kind wasn''t called mountain lions in some parts of the gxy for nothing.


    Further away, Ana?se reached out with steady measured calm movements and touched each exposed part of rock. As before, she melted the rock face where she touched and built her own small protrusions and toeholds, scaling it with rtive ease.


    Beside Candi, the winged females had already taken off into the sky. This was the least of their challenge.


    Candi was about to head towards the cliff when, from the side of her peripheral vision, she saw something fly at her.


    Ducking with the instinct of a trained fighter, Candi rolled off her dais and sprang up on all fours in defensive mode.


    The thrown object impaled itself onto the tree behind Candi with a solid THUNK.


    She had barely dodged a flying knife, aimed at her gut.


    Helene was still standing on her dais, her face smiling in that gentle sweet smile.


    "Oooh. You''re fast. But that''s okay. There are a few more where that came from."


    Candi clenched her teeth.


    "Aren''t you supposed to save your weapons for that coyote you have to take down?"


    Helene smiled.


    "If you die here, I can take my time and find that coyote. The event doesn''t end until I make it to the final dais." She jumped off the dais and pulled out another knife.


    The two women circled each other. Helene was holding a knife. Candi had nothing in her hands.


    "We don''t have time for this, Helene." Candi warned. "I don''t want to hurt you."


    "Correction. YOU don''t have time for this." Heleneughed in that same cheerful sweet manner that was so diametrically opposed to the evil glint in her eyes.


    Suddenly, Helene lunged.


    Candi dodged the lunge and caught the arm that held the knife. She had already seen the loose way Helene held the weapon. The woman didn''t really know how to knife-fight.


    With a quick twist, Candi bent Helene''s wrist backward.


    Helene howled. The knife dropped to the ground.


    Still working with Helene''s forward momentum, Candi yanked on Helen''s arm, helping to move her body forward. As Helene pitched towards her, Candi raised her knee and jammed it into Helene''s stomach.


    "Uuughhhh!!!" Helene grunted, doubling over.


    At the same moment, Candi brought her elbow down and whacked Helene at the small of her spine.


    CRACK!!!


    "Aaaaaaaahhhhh!!!" Helene shrieked as Candi threw her body down to the tform. Her back was bent at a weird unnatural angle.


    Candi looked up as te''s dark flying body circled around her, casting ominous winged shadows. It had all happened so quickly that he hadn''t even gotten a chance to intervene on her behalf.


    Candi waved at him to signal that she was fine and turned back to Lorem Ipsum.


    "I don''t have time for this. You deal with her. I have to go catch my snake."


    Lorem Ipsum blinked his eyes in rapid session and then made a motion for her to go.


    As she turned and ran for the cliff face, Lorem Ipsum shivered, squeezed his fists together in front of his chest and squealed like a little girl.


    That was such an unexpected thrilling start to what should have been a basic Strength and Vitality event!


    It was too bad it wasn''t a little bit more bloody. Red fluids smeared all over the ss tform would have made an exciting visual disy.


    But no matter. A fish woman with a broken back was just as exciting.


    Out of all the visuals hover pods, there had to be half a dozen that had captured the fight at the right angles for it to be reyed in slow motion and in various exciting sessions.


    All he had to do was get some animation that showed a spine snapping at the joint where Candace Farrah had shoved her strong bony elbow directly in.


    The cracking sound at the point of impact could be superimposed onto the animation and it would be an amazing visual for the audience!


    Ignoring Helene''s loud moans, Lorem Ipsum hovered over to the tree where the knife was impaled.


    Gesturing with his hand, he motioned for a couple of visual hover pods to take a few images there as well.


    When ced together with the visual of Helene''s knife throw, it would eliminate all doubt as to who started the fight.


    ???


    "Disqualify that fish!!!" The Crown Prince raged at his Court Attendant.


    He was standing on the balcony of the Royal Pce, watching the event on a huge virtual screen with a small group of his court aides and the Emperor of Erenveil.


    "Your Royal Highness, it looks as if she is not even able to stand up¡­"


    "Are you arguing with me? I said DISQUALIFY HER!!! How dare she try to hurt my Candi!!!"


    "Yes¡ªyes your Royal Highness. I will send the royal decree immediately."


    Byron''s eyes narrowed as his fists shook with the intensity of his fury. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "Byron." The Emperor cleared his throat. "Didn''t I tell you not to get too attached to any of the contestants?"


    "Yes, Father." Byron nodded. His eyes reverting back to their calm coolness.


    "It is your royal duty to marry the one who wins the Avgo event, regardless which of those women it is. Don''t forget. You are part of the prize."


    Byron sighed with a heavy heart.


    "Yes, Father."


    ???


    te soared above the tform on outstretched wings with his talons unsheathed. His eyes were frenzied with madness.


    Although he was grateful he did not have to intervene on her behalf, te would not have hesitated to kill Helene Cordera had Candace been in real danger.


    Doing so would have immediately disqualified Candace from the Avgo Event, but he would rather have a safe and living disqualified Candace than a dead or severely injured one.


    At the moment that the fish girl threw the knife, he was ready to throw a bolt of fire and incinerate her, but Candace had reacted so quickly he did not even have a chance to defend her.


    She was an amazing woman. Even as he was racing to reach her, she had swiftly and cleanly taken down her opponent with two solid moves.


    Seeing Candi unhurt and moving onto the next part of her event, te circled around a bit and returned to his pod. There was not much else to see here.


    Fish girl was now lying on the ground moaning with pain and unable to get up, but te could care less. He knew it wouldn''t take long before a medical evacuation crew arrived to take her away.


    He grinned. She was about to experience a whole new hell, but he didn''t have time to witness that. He was leaving to watch over his woman.


    Two of the visual-gatherers were hovering around Lorem Ipsum as he spoke with earnest concern directly to the crowd, rying y-by-y, his first-hand eye witness ounts.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the visual-gatherers had moved onward, zooming in on the remaining contestants of the Avgo Event.

 Chapter 42 - Broken Wings

    The four women turned to look at her with unveiled disgust.


    By now, the three beast heads were stinking so badly that not even Candi''s mask was helping much. They were also baking in the sun for hours, just waiting on this ragged red bird woman to finally appear and tempers were soaring.


    "What happened to you, and where is your beast head?" Jenna scoffed at the red haired phoenix girl with the bald patches on her head.


    Bethany red at Jenna saying nothing.


    "Your wings are all broken, Bethany." Ana?se scoffed. "Did the lion beat you up and left you to die?"


    Valeria chuffed and turned away. She was the one who had broken Bethany''s wings, but only because she had been attacked out of the sky.


    Bethany would rather die than admit that though. Not only would it mean that Valeria was a much stronger warrior female, it would also mean that Bethany had attacked an Avgo contestant unprovoked.


    Since Valeria had already gotten her own beast head, there would have been no reason for her to attack Bethany.


    Candi did not even bother to nce at Bethany. After Olivia Faraday had been attacked by Bethany and had lost the first event because of her broken wing, Candi hadpletely ignored the phoenix woman.


    The fact that Olivia Faraday had returned the favor by plucking out Bethany''s hair was karmic retribution, and one that Bethany sorely deserved.


    Getting her wings snapped by Valeria Marakesh was something that she brought onto herself in her desperate attempt to win at all costs.


    Candi only wanted this entire sordid event to end as quickly as possible.


    Now that all five of them had made it to the stage, it would not be long before the old goat made his showing.


    Sure enough, Lorem Ipsum chose that moment to arrive, saving Bethany from further heckling by the women on the dais.


    "Ahhh. It looks like all the contestants have finally appeared on the tform!"


    He hovered over to Jenna Natoli.


    "A huge congrattions! You were the first to reach dais number one! The boar head can be stuffed and mounted to celebrate your victory in this round."


    The canned apuse and shouts followed them from the bottom of the cliffside to the top of the teau.


    He moved through the next few contestants quickly, noting that they were all exhausted and needed rest and medical care.


    Ana?se Paroles stood, cool and detached, watching him with indifference as he called out her second ce.


    Candi smiled but said nothing when he congratted her on third ce. She was truly d he did not offer to stuff the Cobra head.


    Valeria Marakesh was in too much pain to even manage a smile at Lorem Ipsum''s bright grinning face. Fourth ce was nothing to celebrate, on top of a broken wing that needed splinting.


    When he finally reached Bethany, at thest dais, he clicked his tongue with feigned sympathy.


    "Tch. Tch. I see you were not able to kill the Majestic Lion within the forest." He sighed. "Looks like it nearly killed you, instead." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He waggled a finger.


    "We released these beasts into the forest so you would have a Predator Beast to hunt, but since it''s still out there, it looks like we will have to send in the wardens to clear out this dangerous beast."


    "Luckily, since Helene forfeited her spot early on, each of you simply needed to show up on the tform and you would have been assured of a spot to continue thepetition. Nevertheless, you''re all here and safe."


    Upon hearing that, Bethany''s shoulders slumped.


    Lorem Ipsum turned back to the visuals-gathering pods.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen. I hope you enjoyed the Event. This concludes today''s Avgo Competition entitled Strength and Vitality."


    He opened his arms wide.


    "Our next event will be held one week from today, at the Celestial Pantheon. The criteria will be Brilliance and Intellect. We hope to see you then!"


    As the sounds of cheering and apuse rose up into the silence of the forest clearing where the tform was ced, Lorem Ipsum raised a fist into the air, as if he was cheering on the contestants.


    "That''s a wrap!"


    The final sounds came from the visuals-gathering hover pods and they all ascended into the sky as one, returning to wherever they hade from.


    The deep silence of the afternoon forest returned with the departure of the visuals-gathering pods.


    Lorem Ipsum turned back to the women.


    This time, his face was dark and full of anger.


    "No more infighting!" He pointed to each of the contestants.


    "There are five morepetitions to go through. The next person who decides they''re going to go on a rampage is going to be the one that gets kicked out first."


    He turned to Bethany. "Do you understand?"


    The red phoenix bird woman was clearly in the wrong and was barely hanging onto the event by ragged fingernails. The only reason why she was not thrown outpletely was because there was ack of evidence.


    In an event where every second was media gold and all the contestants actions were captured from multiple angles by multiple visuals-gathering pods, there was not a single visual of Valeria and Bethany fighting at all.


    Bethany''s world hadpletely bought out and paid off the entire visuals-gathering media pods.


    Bethany turned her head, looking away into the distance. As long as she survived this round, her people would protect her.


    The various worlds had already begun to descend to pick up the women. Five gleaming brass pods touched down and a dozen cougar humans swarmed out to meet up with Jenna.


    Half a dozen ck pods also flew in with winged raven humans. They brought a stretcher and carried Valeria away into thergest pod.


    The phoenix people had also touched down with their red pods, pulling out a second stretcher for the incapacitated Bethany Dresden.


    Meanwhile, pale blue sslike spheres floated down to pick up the silicon ss Ana?se Paroles.


    Thankfully, the Earth world group stayed away. Candace only had the one pod with the one te. His was among the first hovercrafts tond.


    As soon as she saw therge muscr frame of the Seventh Prince of Erenveil emerged from the craft, Candi grinned broadly and pranced down off the tform, running towards him.


    Her Prince hade for her!

 Chapter 47 - Dantes Moon

    Dante''s moon was a curiosity. On the outside, it looked just like Luna from Earth.


    It was a gray almost spherical orb that sported numerous speckled pockmarks from ancient meteorite bombardments.


    But that was where the simrities ended.


    For starters, it was much smaller in diameter than Luna. It was also hollow, with livable spaces embedded within its 200 kilometer radius.


    Furthermore, it was equipped with gravity fields as well as a trans-gctic space drive that could traverse through the universe. It was essentially a space craft that looked like a wandering moon.


    Candi frowned as she tried to recall Dante''s face, but all she could remember was his spiky blue hair. The past few days had been such a blur of activities and he had not shown his face during the entire time.


    "It will be fine. We''re just going to go have dinner." He reassured her, seeing her slight frown.


    Candi smiled and grabbed onto te''s outstretched hand. He had mistaken her frown for apprehension, but after having seen how kind the other brothers were, she wasn''t all that worried about Dante''s disposition.


    She just didn''t want te to leave. For better or worse, he had turned into her security nket.


    As soon as they stepped out of the pod, they found themselves in arge hangar type of chamber where a dozen other transport pods simr to te''s pod were parked.


    They were in a multitude of colors and shapes, some smaller, somerger than the one they had just exited.


    "Dante''s exclusive collection of pods. Impressive isn''t it?" te grinned, looking around.


    Candi nodded, not sure exactly what was impressive about the pods since she knew nothing about them at all.


    A group of men arrived on several hover tforms, thergest of which had soft cushioned cream leather chairs arranged in a circr seating arrangement around a low table filled with fruits and drinks. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    te led Candi towards thergest hover tform and led her up the few steps that extended as soon as they got close enough to trigger the motion detector.


    "Have a seat. The ride should be no more than ten or fifteen minutes. I parked in the closest hangar to the main pce."


    There was more than one hangar???


    The tform began moving swiftly through wide corridors made of white ster with regr steel beam girders. They seemed to stretch out forever in an endless series of connecting tunnels.


    As they traveled towards their destination, one of the men poured hot tea into tiny dainty cups that looked like pink tulips on green leafy saucers.


    te reached out with his tree trunk arms and barely touched the cup with hisrge hands before withdrawing.


    "Damn Dante and his cutesy cups. I need something a little more¡­"


    "Manly?" Candi suggested with augh behind her hands.


    He gave her a wry look.


    "I was going to say more durable. This looks so fragile I''m almost afraid to touch it."


    In response, the server set a rock ss in front of te and held out a bottle. te nced at it and nodded and the server poured some amber looking liquid into the rock ss.


    "This is more my speed." He sighed and picked up the ss. With one toss, he swallowed the entire content of the ss.


    The tform ride ended all too soon and they reached arge internal courtyard filled with trees that reached upwards into a bright blue sky filled with birdsong and a bright sun overhead.


    "What time is it? How could it be high noon?" Candi gasped with wonder as she looked around the lush garden with arge fountain at the center filled with dancing nymphs and arge centaur chasing them around the water sprays.


    "We''re inside a moon, Candace. It can be whatever timeframe you wish." te kept his hand at the small of her back, guiding her through the winding paths as they made their way towards therge gilded double doors.


    As te threw the doors open, the noise within ceased. There were people milling around, all dressed up in ball gowns of all colors and fancy suits that were of the best quality, but they seemed to have paused whatever they were doing and were simply staring at the open doors.


    The silence reached out through the cavernous chamber lit with a dozen enormous crystal chandeliers hanging high above on the ceiling that was painted with a fresco of blue skies and clouds, and cherubs flying about.


    The walls were covered with gilded carved wood and blue brocade fabrics. The floor was a mosaic of a pale blondwood parquet flooring that was shining with the kind of clean hard surface that begged to be danced on.


    Candi was so busy looking around at the sight that she almost missed the hand that reached out for her.


    "Candace." A deep voice called out.


    Candi blinked and turned startled eyes at the tall man with a shock of spiky blue hair that almost touched the top of his shoulders. He had full shapely lips and sparkling green eyes that were gazing at her with amusement.


    "It seems you''ve fallen in love with my dance floor." He threw his arms wide.


    "It''s beautiful! This room is amazing." She gave a nervousugh. Thest time she had seen Dante was at the top of the Hotel Tower right before she left Earth.


    "I''m d you like it. I had it especially prepared for you so you can dance to your heart''s content."


    Candi''s jaw dropped. The ce was huge! It was almost the size of a football field. How in the world was she supposed to dance through a ce thisrge?


    "You two must be hungry. Let''s go to the dinner hall and start the feast." He wound his arm around Candi''s other arm and led her to the dining hall, with te following behind.


    As they moved towards the dining hall, the guests followed them and soon, the dining hall was filled with people.


    He seated her at the head of the table as servers filled her te high with food.


    Dante sat on her right side, plying her goblet with wine while te sat on her left, watching everything with a gentle smile.


    His Candace would be safe here.


    It looked as if there were dozens and dozens of guests at her weing celebratory party but in reality, each guest was a highly trained personal guard; their only job, to keep Candace safe.


    He could leave and go into battle knowing she would be safe.

 Chapter 48 - The CEO Of The CEOs

    "So, Candace. Has my brother informed you of the scores and tallies up to this point?"


    "Scores and tallies of what?"


    "The Avgo contest." He pped a hand and arge virtual screen appeared in front of everyone.


    The visual had charts and graphs, much like what would have been seen in a business boardroom conference.


    Dante stood up and began discussing the information, as if he was the CEO speaking to his VPs and Directors of management.


    "Take a look at the visuals for your scoring, Candace." He waved a hand and the visual zoomed in on a bar graph with eight names.


    "You see where you are, in rtion to the other contestants?" He pointed to the chart.


    The first name, Dahlia Halloway, had a strike-out line at the starting point. Second to be eliminated was Olivia Faraday. Neither Dahlia nor Olivia managed to gain any points on the board.


    The third one to fall off the board was Helene Cordera. She had struggled with the Face and Grace event,ing in deadst.


    Candi grimaced as she remembered striking the final blow and cracking Helene''s spine.


    "It is possible to earn 100 points for each event if you win first ce. Coming in second gives you 90 points. Third gets 80, and so on and so forth."


    He turned back and smiled at Candace.


    "Since you won first ce in the Face and Grace event, you got a full 100 points for thatpetition."


    The room gave a loud apuse.


    "In Strength and Vitality, due to having been dyed at the very start by Helene Cordera, you didn''t get first ce. Still, you managed to snag third position which gave you 80 points for a total of 180 points."


    The room again apuded.


    "At this point, you and Jenna are neck to neck since she won first position in Strength and Vitality, and third in Face and Grace which also gives her 180 points."


    "However," he held up a finger. "Take a look at this."


    He snapped his fingers and the visuals began with the shrieking and screaming of the contestants on the tform.


    A whirlwind of high intensity swirled around a tall cylindrical ss formation that had been magically created around the tform.


    "This is the bonus event that we weren''t even supposed to have."


    The visual showed Dahlia Halloway clinging onto Candace''s legs in desperation as she was being bodily lifted off the tform by the wind surge.


    "Aaaaaaahhhh!!! Candace, help me!!!" Dahlia Halloway could be heard screaming as she clung onto Candi.


    Candi saw herself looking at Lorem Ipsum with something akin disgust. Her voice could clearly be heard over the noise of the wind and the screaming candidates.


    "Avgo. Shut down the wind!"


    Instantly, the wind obeyed hermand, dropping Dahlia like a bag of rocks onto the floor.


    Everyone in the room stood up and apuded.


    "The initial event wasn''t supposed to count since there was an impostor who tried to take over your position." Dante announced with barely suppressed triumph.


    "But that event, the ''Avgo Verification'', was given bonus points due to its spectacr results with the viewing audience. Ratings went through the roof with the Avgo Verification Event and has been rising ever since."


    Dante raised a ss filled with red wine.


    "A toast, to our magnificent and beautiful rising star of the Avgo Event, Candace Farrah. May she soar through the Avgo with the grace of the goddesses!"


    As everyone cheered and drank to the toast, Dante turned back to Candi.


    "In this Avgo event, you won the bonus prize of an extra ten points for shutting down the magic whirlwind, for a grand total of 190 points, as of today."


    He waved his hand and a final image showed her ahead of the pack.


    "Congrattions, Candace. You are the front-runner of the Avgo Event thus far."


    "Thank you." Candi nodded with a smile. She was still a little confused about the entire thing, but luck had held her up so far.


    Dante waved both hands into the air and all visuals disappeared. Instantly, music swelled up from the stage area, where live musicians were ying various instruments, some of which Candi could not even recognize.


    As the party continued into the night, Candi was constantly plied with food and drink.


    She was encouraged to dry a spoonful of this and a bite of that. Everything passed by in a huge blur, none of which she remembered clearly because there was simply too much food and drinksing at such a fast pace.


    Towards the end of the meal, Candi was visibly beginning to wilt. After the third time Candi had to ask Dante to repeat what he was saying to her because she had nodded off to sleep, he ended the meal.


    "I was going to have dancing afterwards, but it looks like the only thing our Candace will dance to will be lubies." Dante smiled.


    "She''s had a hard day." te leaned over and helped her up.


    "I know. I watched the entire heroic struggle, several times and in slow motion." Dante took her other arm and they made their way out of the dining hall.


    As the brothers left her in the care of six female attendants who took her into the bedroom suite that had been specially prepared for her, they moved away, to the adjoining war room.


    The room was not huge. In fact, there was nothing in the room other than a long oval table with 24 chairs around its perimeter.


    Around the walls were ques and war weapons throughout the ages. Double axes, swords, firearms, phasers. There was even a whip and a ball-on-a-chain il.


    "Take a look at thetest item in my collection." Dante pointed to a que holding the head of a giant cobra that was hanging on the wall directly behind the head of the table.


    "Is that Candace''s beast head?" te narrowed his eyes as he peered at its two deep orange mandarine ga eyes.


    "Absolutely. When I saw her emerge from that forest with the cobra in her hand, I think my heart fell out of my chest and ran to her side." He sighed with ardor. "I''m keeping it for her until she decides she wants it."


    "She will never want this thing." te sniffed with disdain.


    "You never know." Dante shrugged.


    "Actually I do know. It''s you, who don''t know her very well."


    Dante smiled with anticipation.


    "I''ll have all the time in the universe to get to know her. I am looking forward to it all."


    te gave a harsh exhale.


    "What is your connection to all this, Dante?" He asked with measured tones.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Viewers don''t care that much about ratings, nor do they have any choice on how much bonus points are allowed. The only people who care are the ones who set up everything."


    Dante smiled.


    "I am a viewer, just as you are. I just have a bit more¡­pull with the organizers, is all."


    "Pull? As in advertising funds?"


    Dante turned back to te.


    "Are you saying I''m setting her up to win?"


    "I don''t know. Are you?" te stared at his brother.


    Dante gave a cold smile.


    "If I had that much pull, I''d set her up to lose. I''m sure if she lost, you would be perfectly happy, wouldn''t you, Baby Brother."


    te said nothing.


    "If she wins, she goes to the Crown Prince," Dante grimaced. "But if she loses, you might even get a chance to be with her." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He held up a finger.


    "That is, after the rest of us get to pick the woman we want." Heughed.


    "You''re the Baby Brother." Dante leaned in closer.. "You getst choice."

 Chapter 52 - A Princes Ransom

    Dante turned back to Candace. He didn''t want to worry her, but he couldn''t lie to her either.


    "We''re having a little bit of trouble contacting te at the moment. It could be that he is simply cloaking himself to do a stealthy move and can''t answer us right now."


    He rubbed his brows, hoping she would ept thatme exnation.


    Candace nodded, seeming to ept what he said at face value. If only she knew that even with a cloaking maneuver, te should have still been able to respond to Dante, she would not be sitting there so calmly.


    "I need to contact my brothers. Stay here and wait for me."


    At her nod, he moved quickly away from Candace, into another part of the pce.


    "Hey, Byron." He reached out with a quick urgency.


    Byron''s face appeared in front of him. This time, Byron was dressed in royal robes and wearing his crown.


    "I''m just about ready to start court session. Has something happened to Candace?"


    "Not Candace. I can''t get in touch with te. He''s not responding on any frequencies. My men are trying to track him from hisst known position but it''s almost as if he''spletely disappeared."


    "Give me a minute to dismiss court." Byron waved a hand and his visual disappeared.


    A minuteter, Byron, Lucas, Leonardo, Jason, and Jared were all on visuals with Dante.


    "Byron told us you can''t get in touch with te." Leonardo quipped. "When did he leave your Moon?"


    "Roughly ten hours ago. I saw him off and then I went to sleep. I only tried to contact him a few minutes ago, after breakfast." Dante pulled a hand through his spiky blue hair.


    "Have you tried contacting his military Generals?" Byron asked. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "My men are in directmunication with his men. I''m still waiting on word from them."


    "Can we send a small fleet to go find out what happened in that area of space?" Byron asked.


    Dante nodded.


    "I will send a half dozen first ss warships there as soon as my mene back with some solid intel."


    "You have, what¡­one-fourth the armed militia that Erenveil has?" Byron estimated.


    Dante shook his head.


    "My entire private military is roughly equivalent to 58% of Erenveil''s military forces."


    "You call 58% ''roughly equivalent''?" Leonardoughed. "What would be considered exact percentages?"


    Dante narrowed his gaze as he did a quick mental calction.


    "Exact percentages would be 58.395%, Leo."


    "That''s approaching a sizable number of military, Dante. If we didn''t know you well, we''d think you were trying to overthrow the current regime." Lucasughed.


    "I am only interested in making as much money as possible. I don''t care about running a government." Dante responded.


    Lucas nodded. They all knew exactly where Dante stood. He was above board and beyond reproach, the kind of businessman whose word was absolute gold.


    "Does it take that much militia to run your businesses?" Leonardo''s eyes widened.


    "I have to do a lot of intergctic business," Dante sniffed with disdain. "All my business dealings require protection from all sorts of threats."


    He shot a disgusted look.


    "Between space pirates, greedy corrupt governments trying to steal my products and profits, and gangs that extort ''protection money'' from my various businesses and enterprises, if I didn''t have highly armed private troops watching over everything, I would have been robbed blind."


    The brothers were still talking when one of Dante''s men rushed towards him.


    Dante turned to the man.


    "Speak."


    "Your Royal Highness. We found a dozen warships surrounding the area where the Seventh Prince was right before he disappeared from sensors."


    "From what world?"


    "Your Highness, the warships are from Emporia."


    All six Princes gasped.


    "Helene Cordera''s world." Byron breathed. "What gripe do they have with te?"


    "Your Highness, they have a message to the Royal Crown of Erenveil."


    "Read the message." Dantemanded.


    "Yes, Your Highness." The man waved a finger to ess his documents and read with fluent elegance.


    "To the Royal Crown of Erenveil. You are hereby given notice that you have twenty-four unit hours to hand over the Avgo female Candace Farrah."


    A collective gasp came from all the Princes, as the guard continued to read.


    "She is to be extradited to the Moons of Emporia and charged with assault on the body of the Princess of Emporia, Helene Cordera."


    "You''ve got to be shitting me!" Jason snarled. "Everybody and their grandmother saw that fish woman throw a knife at Candi and nearly killing her! That was self-defense!"


    "Yes. Thanks to that onerous Lorem Ipsum goat who documented everything, including his eyewitness ounts." Jared added.


    Dante and Byron bristled with rage, visibly turning red and then pale as a sheet.


    "There''s more, Your Highness." The guard cleared his throat.


    "Continue." Dante said in his usual brisk manner.


    "If the female Candace Farrah is not surrendered into the hands of the Emporium military within the timeframe given, after twenty-four hours, the Seventh Prince, te of Erenveil, will lose one finger for each hour that Candace Farrah is not turned over to the Emporium Kingdom."


    All the Princes reacted with rage and horror as Dante threw a bolt of energy at a nearby tree, engulfing it in mes.


    BOOM!!!


    "Dante!" A high female voice screamed out. "Dante, are you alright?"


    The five Princes on visuals could see, from a distance, Candace running over to Dante. Her small lithe form was graceful, even as she quickly sprinted to the Second Prince.


    Dante took a deep jagged breath as he fought to quell the rage that burned with intensity inside his body.


    How dare they threaten his Baby Brother with bodily injury! How dare they demand him to turn over his Soon-to-be Bride for extradition on their trumped up charges!


    "Dante!" Candace yelled as she raced up towards him. Reaching out to him with outstretched arms, she searched his face and body for signs of physical injury.


    "How close were you to that tree when it exploded? Are you burned anywhere? Are you hurt?" Her eyes were wide with fright.


    Dante breathed heavily, trying to contain his emotions. Reaching out, he pulled her into his arms and crushed her within his body.


    "I''m okay, Darling." He breathed into her hair. "We''re all going to be okay. You will be just fine as well. We''re not going to let anything happen to you or any of our family members. Right?" He turned to his brothers.


    All were in agreement. They gave nods of affirmative as they too, struggled to contain their rage so as to not scare Candace.


    "Absolutely." Byron nodded with a cold hard glint in his deep red eyes. "Dante. I''m going to go find te. Your job is to keep Candace safe. She is not to leave your moon for any reason."


    "You don''t even need to remind me." Dante heaved a sigh. "While I''m here protecting her, if you need my private militia, takemand of them as well."


    Byron nodded.


    Dante''s green eyes narrowed.


    "Who do they think they''re messing with? First Earth and now Emporia? If they want an all-out war, they are going to get all the fury that Erenveil can unleash on them!"


    For a moment, there was silence.


    "Ahem." Lucas cleared his throat. "Does that mean I don''t have to do that...you know....that thing you guys asked me to do?"

 Chapter 53 - The Emperor Strikes Back

    All eyes shifted to Lucas.


    He stared back, morosely twirling his golden pink locks, his exquisite handsome face downcast, his pink mouth sullen.


    "You must still do what you need to do. That threat was from Emporia, not Earth, and the two are not rted." Byron insisted. "We have to take care of that part of the problem as well."


    Lucas nodded grudgingly.


    Leonardo waved a hand for attention.


    "Byron. I''m going to head back to Erenveil and join you. My fleet of starship hospitals and magic healers can join the battles if you need a team of healers."


    Byron nodded.


    "Good idea, Leo. Let''s pray we don''t need to use your doctors and healers for anything worse than a paper cut."


    Leonardo hardened his aqua eyes. "You know my staff are all trained warriors as well. If things turn ugly, they can fight just as well as any soldier."


    Lucas gasped.


    "I thought that was just a rumor." He touched his fingers to his mouth. "You have a private militia too???"


    Leonardo turned and gave Lucas a desultory stare.


    "Never mind." Lucas waved a hand. "I didn''t hear that from anywhere. I don''t know anything about this."


    He turned to the twins.


    "What about you guys?"


    "What about us?" Jason asked.


    "We don''t have a private military." Jared responded. "All we have are fashion shops across the gxy."


    "No," Lucas shook his head. "What I mean is are you going to head over to Dante''s Moon to help him protect Candace?"


    "Good idea." Dante turned to the twins. "You guysing?"


    Jason nodded.


    "We thought you''d never ask."


    =====


    The Emperor was livid! Of course he was livid!


    How dare Mortimer Cordera kidnap his youngest son and hold him up to get their hands on a mere Earth girl? Did that mean that the Earth girl was worth more than his son???


    Preposterous!!!


    "Father," Byron announced. "I am going to take over the Prime Warrior position until te can return and take up his position again."


    "No!" The Emperor harrumphed. "You are the Crown Prince. That position is one that must be protected and cannot be threatened. You have six other brothers but there is only one Crown Prince."


    "And besides," the Emperor turned to look at Byron. "You cannot take a rank that is lower than your current one."


    "But Father, we need to fight against this atrocitying from Emporia!"


    He gave Byron a steady re.


    "In most instances, it is far easier to fight from your Crown Prince throne."


    "But we need someone who can takemand of the vast fleet that has been under te''s control!" Byron insisted.


    "Hand it over to Leo." The Emperor waved his hand. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Leonardo, who had barely stepped into the conference room almost ran back out again when he heard his name being bandied about so carelessly.


    "Leo!" Byron strode over andtched onto the man in the white and gold Royal Physician robe. His long blond hair streamed out loose and unfettered in the light like a golden waterfall, framing a ssically beautiful male face with aquamarine eyes.


    "Father. Brother." Leonardo greeted them as he walked in.


    "Leo." The Emperor tapped Leonardo''s shoulder. "Take over the Prime Warrior position and go pick up your brother. Make sure you count all of te''s fingers and toes. I want him back in perfect condition."


    "Father," Byron interjected. "I can go and find him."


    "Sure you can, but we don''t need to." The Emperor turned his back and walked over to the throne.


    "I hope you boys don''t mind. My back has been hurting me and I need to sit down and take a load off." He groaned as he sat down on the gold throne with its thin red cushion.


    "Ughhh." He spat, muttering to himself. "Been sitting on this cushion for so long that it''s getting thin and ragged. It needs some new stuffing."


    "What do you mean we don''t need to find him? He''s missing!" Byron roared, trying to steer him back to the conversation at hand.


    The Emperor gave him a barely veiled look of disgust.


    "I swear, at times like these, I wonder if you''re really able to take over the throne. Your brother is not missing. We know exactly where he is."


    "We do?" Both Brothers turned and stared nkly at the Emperor.


    "Of course we do. Didn''t we get the ransom note? He''s obviously in the hands of the Emporian Kingdom."


    "Father, you are stating the obvious. I want to go there and extract him. We need exact locations from our intel people there."


    "Not enough time to extract anything from any intel, Son." The Emperor leaned back against the throne. "While we''re here dallying and chattering about nonsense, we''ve wasted an entire hour already."


    "We need toe up with a n." Byron mmed his fist into his palm. His face contorted with frustration.


    The Emperor slumped to one side, propping his head up with his shoulder.


    "Byron. You''re still dressed in Royal Robes. Go reschedule Court Session."


    "But Father!!!"


    The Emperor held up his hand.


    "The 290 ships of fuel that were supposed to be delivered to Emporia¡ªkill that order. And while you''re at it, call back the 384 ships of food that are two days away from Emporia and tell them we will return their money as soon as we get the Prince back."


    Byron took a deep breath.


    "Yes, Father."


    "Also," the Emperor stopped for a moment. "Tell them we are no longer interested in buying tellurium from them. We can get it elsewhere."


    Byron''s eyes red and then he nodded.


    "Yes, Father."


    "Oh. And tell them since their Avgo Female has been disqualified, they have been given 24 hours to withdraw from Erenveil space."


    Byron''s jaw dropped.


    "What happens after 24 hours?"


    "After 24 hours, any Emporian citizen who remains on Erenveil will be exterminated." The Emperor''s eyes hardened.


    Byron took a deep breath.


    "Yes, Father."


    The Emperor turned to Leonardo.


    "Leo. You''re the temporary Prime Warrior. Go to Dante''s Moon and take the girl.. Bring her to Emporia and trade her for your brother."

 Chapter 54 - Courtesy Call

    "What???"


    "No!!!"


    The brothers roared in unison.


    The Emperor straightened his spine and sat up on his golden throne. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "That is an order, Leo."


    He turned back to Byron.


    "And what are you still doing here? Didn''t I just tell you to go call the Court Legitors and Advisors back? Strike at Emporia where they hurt the most. Their money bags."


    Leonardo''s aqua eyes spilled over.


    "Father, I cannot condemn an innocent girl into the hands of the Emporian Kingdom. She has nobody to protect her!" He wrung his hands.


    "Emporia will kill her since she has maimed their Princess. Earth will not intervene since she is just amoner and not one of their Royal Princesses!"


    "She has you boys, doesn''t she? Don''t tell me you Princes aren''t as powerful as the forces on Earth and can''t protect a single female."


    "Father, I am a doctor. I save lives, not send them into danger. I simply cannot do this." Leo mmed his fist into his palm.


    The Emperor harrumphed.


    "Your brother''s safetyes first. He is not just your brother, he is also a Prince of Erenveil. Send her in and retrieve him. Once he is safely on our ship, do whatever it takes to try and rescue her."


    "She is my Bride!" Byron roared. "I will find a way to rescue my brother, but not at the risk of harm to my future Wife!"


    "I am still the Emperor. You have both been given direct orders from me. I expect them to be obeyed immediately."


    "And besides," the Emperor sniffed. "She''s not your bride yet. There are still five other Avgo events that must take ce."


    "Father!" Byron cried. "How can she continue the Avgo Event if she is in the hands of the Emporian Kingdom?"


    The Emperor turned back to Byron with a raised eyebrow.


    "Might I remind you who Candace Farrah is."


    At Byron''s confused looks, he smiled.


    "She is a legitimate Avgo Female. If she is in danger, the Avgo will protect her."


    Leonardo and Byron blinked as they remembered the day of the Avgo Verification event, when all the gemstones protected their charge. The only one who did not get protected was Dahlia Halloway, the fake Earth Avgo female.


    "But Olivia Faraday, Helene Cordera, Bethany Dresden, and Valeria Marakesh have all been injured. Why were they not protected by the gems?" Leonardo asked.


    "Son, they were all injured by other Avgo females. The gemstones can''t protect the Avgo holders from each other. But they can and do protect the Avgo holders from others who are not Avgo females."


    "That means she can still be harmed by Helene Cordera!" Leonardo cried.


    "Tch. Tch." The Emperor waggled a finger at Leonardo. "Helene Cordera has been disqualified and dropped from the Avgo Event. She is no longer an Avgo Female. In fact, she no longer even has the gemstone."


    Leo raised an eyebrow.


    "But I thought that the Avgo winner goes to Byron and the rest of us Princes get our pick of the rest of the candidates."


    "That is true. You boys do get your pick of the remaining females who did not make the cut. But remember, although they are no longer Avgo Females, they''re still part of the cream of the crop. They are top of the line women from all over the Gxy."


    He grimaced.


    "Except for that fish girl. If any of you boys pick that fish girl, I will disown you."


    Leonardo and Byron looked at each other, disgust clearly written on their faces.


    "I don''t think you have anything to worry about there, Father." Leonardo coughed.


    "Hmmm. Good. Now, go carry out your orders." He stared at the two Princes who stood there, frozen with indecision.


    "GO!!!" He roared.


    ======


    "He said WHAT???" Dante bellowed, jumping up from his seated position. "I refuse to hand her over to you. I don''t care if you are the temp Prime and I don''t care if that is Father''s orders."


    The four brothers, Dante, Leo, Jason, and Jared were seated inside the war room, debating the situation at hand.


    "I don''t want her to be taken there either, but Father''s words must be obeyed or we risk insubordination and mutiny charges." Leo sighed. "He is still the Emperor and his word isw."


    "What did Byron say?" Dante''s face was thunderous. "Never mind. I know exactly what he said. ''Yes, Father. Yes Father.''"


    "That would be Byron." Jason agreed.


    "He is such a ''Yes'' man." Dante scoffed.


    Jared snapped his fingers.


    "What if we use our dress dummy and hand that thing over to Emporia? We did that for Earth and it worked!"


    Jason shook his head.


    "Can''t do that, Dear Brother. One of us would have to be there all the time to keep the magic appearance up or the Tiny Dancer dummy turns back into just a dress dummy."


    "Oh. Right." Jared scowled and sat back down.


    "We have only 20 hours left. We have to start heading there soon because it takes two hours to reach the rendezvous point that they have designated."


    Dante mmed his hands onto the table top, making two huge hand-shaped dents into the wood. Along with therge ck burn hole in the wall that he had just created that morning, it looked as if an actual war had urred within the war room.


    "Brother, you need to control yourself. You''ve killed a tree outside and one of the walls inside this room." Jared grimaced. "Looks like you need to rece this table too."


    "Aaaaaaaarghhh!!!"


    Dante gave a roar and mmed his right hand down with force. It broke the table apart, sending Leo, Jason, and Jared scattering back to avoid being hit by flying pieces of the broken table.


    "You''re right." Dante snarled. "It does need to be reced." He kicked the broken table for good measure, sending it mming into the opposite wall with a THUD.


    "And I am going to repeat this onest time. I am not handing my future wife over to you. Period. End of story."


    Jason and Jared looked at each other and shook their heads.


    Dante had always been unnecessarily brutal in his reactions to news he didn''t like. It had always been aimed at inanimate objects but still, it was terrifying at times to watch.


    "Brother Dear." Leonardo shrugged. "Whether she is your future wife or not is still debatable. Meanwhile, your current Father has issued an order to save your current Baby Brother from a bunch of thugs."


    "I will send my entire private military force there and extract te myself." Dante said between gritted teeth. "But I am NOT going to send Candace to them."


    Leonardo shook his tinum blond head with regret, his droopy aqua eyes mournful and apologetic.


    "You don''t understand, Brother. I am not asking you. I merely came by as a courtesy to let you know we will be taking her."


    He snapped his fingers. One of his aides who was standing behind him spoke up.


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "Is the Earth Avgo Female onboard the ship yet?"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    Leonardo nodded.


    "I would love to stay and chat with all of you, but duty calls and I am down to 19 hours to deliver the bounty and retrieve our brother."

 Chapter 55 - Moths To A Flame

    "Leo!"


    Dante''s green eyes were murderous and his body was shaking with fury.


    "You dare walk into my home and abduct my woman???"


    "Dante. Get a hold of yourself." Leo raised a finger in warning. "This is not an abduction and she is not your woman."


    "You!!!" Dante jumped at Leo, even as Jason and Jared held him back.


    "Go!" Jason yelled at Leonardo, who turned away with his aide and left the room.


    "Come back here, you asinine cretine! You bastard! Don''t you dare leave with my wife!!!"


    "Chill down, Dante." Jared growled, even as he held Dante''s snarling struggling body back. "Leo''s not a bastard, he''s our Father''s son. And might I remind you once again that Candace is not your wife?"


    "At least not yet." Jason muttered in his other ear.


    Once they were assured that Leonardo had left, the twins let go of Dante.


    He turned back at them with rage boiling in his green eyes. His blue hair stuck out in porcupine spikes everywhere as he ruffled his head with frustrated hands.


    "Aaarggghhh!!!" He roared and strode out of the war room.


    Jason and Jared nced at each other and ran after him. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Five minutester, he was in the ballroom, shooting at the chandeliers hanging above the high ceiling and ripping up the floors he had so lovinglyid out for Candace.


    CRASH!!! BANG!!! BOOM!!!


    Dante roared like a wounded animal as he destroyed the ballroom within a matter of minutes. Of the elegant stately ballroom, there was not much left but dust and rubble.


    Jason and Jared stood helplessly behind him. It was better to just let him take his anger out on the room than to keep it bottled up inside.


    "Jonas!" Dante called out to his Assistant. "Get all my warships ready. We are making a house call to Emporia NOW!!!"


    ========


    Candi sat on the beige leather chaise lounge that looked almost like an examination chair and stared at the yellow tulips in a ceramic pot on the table in front of her.


    The transport pod that she had been ushered to was very different from the almost sterile empty white transport pod that te always took her around in.


    This one had pale yellow walls and cream carpeted floors, and living palms and fiddle-leaf figs in their own containers with real dirt in it.


    The furniture ced around the pod actually looked like real furniture. There were real Van Gogh paintings on the wall, and the bust of Chopin was on top of a real ck upright piano.


    This was not the clean impersonal white functional piece that te used in all his living quarters. This was like a real room in a real chalet.


    "I''m sorry it took awhile for me to leave. I had to convince Dante to let you travel with me." Leonardo''s voice could be heard as he strode through the open sliding doors.


    Candi stood up with a smile.


    The man with the long blond hair and soft aqua blue eyes who swept into the pod was just as tall as all his brothers and just as handsome in his own unique way, but he had the one distinct difference.


    He smelled of mint and sandalwood.


    "I''m surprised he let me go. I know Dante, Byron, and te had insisted that I remain in his Moon for safety reasons."


    "Well, he finally listened to reason. This is an emergency after all." Leonardo made his way to her and took her over to themand chairs.


    "Let''s strap you in so we can take off. We don''t have much time."


    Candace nodded and followed him to the egg shaped console chair. It was the only piece of furniture in the entire ce that was hover-pod standard.


    "te is in trouble." She said as the automatic safety harness slowly lowered, locking her in ce.


    "I can''t just sit in a safe corner and watch when he needs me. He has rescued me from so many dangerous situations. It''s my turn to be there for him. My turn to protect him."


    Leonardo sat down in his chair and began punching codes into his armrest console. His eyes were downcast as he surreptitiously regarded her from under his long thick darkshes.


    He had not spent much time with this woman, but he was starting to understand why his brothers were all falling over themselves over her.


    It wasn''t because she was breathlessly beautiful. There were so many beautiful women everywhere he looked.


    It was something in the way she moved and something in the way she smiled. It was something in the way she faced the world with so much bravery and heart that attracted them all to her like moths to a me.


    It had started when he first saw her vaulting onto his piano and whipping around that antique crystalmp that had once belonged to Marie Antote. He had also seen how she faced her opponents when things were at their worst.


    And now, her words were like honey dripping into his soul. This little tiny dancer was trying to protect a big strong man like te. It made him want tough.


    It also made him want to cry.


    As hepleted entering the space coordinates into the pod, he turned to her.


    "Just so you know I am not going to send you into the lion''s den alone. My men are going to secure te and then someone from the inside will escort you back out."


    Candi stared at him as the pod rose up into the air and shot out of Dante''s Moon.


    "You have someone from the inside?"


    Leonardo nodded.


    "I''m a physician, but more than that, Imand the entire fleet of starship hospitals throughout the gxy." Leonardo said matter-of-factly and without pride.


    "As it so happens, several of the physicians working on the Emporia starships are part of my staff. They will find a way to escort you back out."


    He turned back to the console with nervous fingers. What he didn''t tell her was that the physicians who were embedded within the Emporian ships were mostly lower-ranked individuals and may not be able to do as much as he needed them to do.


    Still, it was the best n he coulde up with on such short notice. He could not go against the Emperor''s orders. Furthermore, his Baby Brother was in danger and she was the only one who could save te.


    He could only hope her Avgo gemstone was as protective as his father had said it would be.

 Chapter 56 - The Sound Of Her Voice

    Immediately after they had left Dante''s Moon air space, a dozen other transport vehicles went into formation and escorted them to the rendezvous point.


    Two hours of gunning it at maximum speed took them to the perimeter of the rendezvous point on the royal blue world of Emporia.


    Emporia was a water world and as such, had only a fewrgend masses. Most of what was above ground were archipgos and coral reef inds, with a few volcanic protuberances jutting out of the deep blue ocean that encircled the world.


    High above Emporia on one of thend masses was an abandoned sky walk that jutted up out of arge ss dome.


    The dome was an amazing piece of architecture, made of a continuous grid shell supported by 14 ring-like columns and ring beam at the roof''s edge, extending more than 650 feet across.


    Unfortunately, half of the dome had partially caved in from some catastrophic event that destroyed the entire area, turning it into a desertndscape.


    Whatever had caused the destruction of this ss dome had also caused all the life around it to be obliterated. There was nothing around it except desert sand and a few scruffy palm tree heads bravely sticking up above the shifting sand dunes.


    "Wow. It looks deste."


    Leonardo nodded.


    "Twenty years ago, a young Emporian King was murdered here. He was in that dome, waiting to leave the world when it got sted by a weapon from space."


    Candi covered her mouth with shock.


    He pointed to the end of the Sky Walk that allowed passengers to board a small starship from one of the tforms in the sky.


    "We are going to attach this transport pod to the end of that Sky Walk and you are going to have to walk all the way over to the tform by yourself."


    "I understand." Candi steeled herself.


    Leonardo''s aqua blue eyes were sorrowful as he manipted the ship into docking space. "I am so very sorry. I''m not allowed to apany you."


    "What about te? I will not turn myself over to them until I know that he is unharmed!"


    "He will be on that tform and the two of you will exchange ces."


    "How?"


    Leonardo gestured with his head at the ss walkway.


    "You will both walk until you meet in the middle, at which point, we will be able to extract him. They will not allow us to leave with te until you have reached the other tform. That is the agreement."


    "How do you know they will stick with their agreement?"


    "We don''t, but right now, we have no choice. As long as te is in their hands, they call all the shots."


    He pointed to all the Emporia hover pods around them. They massively outgunned the dozen pods that followed Leonardo and Candi.


    "Plus, we are in their territory. I have a dozen ships from Erenveil. They have an entire world of ships all around us."


    As the ship settled into ce, Leonardo sighed with resignation and opened the hatch. All she had to do was walk through the opening and she would immediately be on the walkway.


    Candi nodded and was about to step through the open hatch when she felt strong arms pulling her back.


    "Take heart." Leonardo whispered into her ears with intensity as he sped her in a tight embrace. "I wille back for you."


    She inhaled the sweet scent of mint and sandalwood on his body and nodded. Somehow, that scent calmed her down and gave her an added boost of strength.


    "I am an Avgo woman, not some sacrificialmb." She turned her head to face him about to say something else when his hands cupped her face and his lips descended onto hers.


    It was a chaste quick peck of the lips.


    The quick peck turned a bit deeper as he suckled her gently with his sensuous lips, licking her mouth lightly with his tongue.


    What should have been a quick kiss deepened within seconds as something broke inside Leonardo.


    With a groan of defeat, he gripped her hair with fervent fingers and probed deeply into her mouth with his tongue.


    For a moment, she froze from the intensity of his kiss.


    The unique scent of Leonardo mixed with mint and sandalwood, resulted in an intoxicating aroma that she could barely resist.


    As she began to melt into the kiss, he plundered her lips onest time before lifting his head.


    "This is not the time and ce to make love to you, but there will be a time and ce for us, I promise you this." He released her from his ardent grip.


    Candi turned blindly away from the intensity that was Leonardo, trying to put some distance between them. She could not be distracted by him at this moment. She had to focus on what was before her.


    With one swift intake of breath, she swallowed her fear down and stepped onto the ss walkway.


    High above the ground, the swaying ss walkway crackled and snapped as if at any moment, it would splinter into tiny pieces and plunge her to the ground¡­it was truly terrifying if she gave in to the frightful experience.


    From within the partially sunken ss dome, two men led the unmistakeable form of a powerful Prince of Erenveil up onto the tform.


    It should have been a simple walk across a ss bridge for someone like te, but nothing was ever simple.


    He was dressed in his warrior outfit. His powerful chest and leg muscles dwarfed the two men who led him, but something was horribly wrong.


    They had tied a bag over his head, and his hands were secured behind his back. It looked like he was drugged because he was unsteady on his feet and barely able to stand.


    He was only 150 feet away from where she was standing but it could have been a world away.


    The expanse across from the Sky Walk was a long straight line made of clear ss that had a 100 feet drop to the ground. It was barely three feet across without a single handrail to grip onto.


    One of the men, the short fat one, kicked him from behind and hended on his knees, tumbling forward on the tform, unable to break his fall without his hands in front of him.


    "te!" Candi called out, unable to contain her fright that he would fall off the tform.


    His body stiffened and then perked up as he heard her voice from across the chasm.


    Struggling, te got up onto his knees and then, slowly, he got back onto his feet.


    "te. I''m here Sweetheart." Candi called out to him, afraid to talk too loud for fear of startling him.


    "You''re turned the wrong way, Love. Turn ten degrees to your left."


    He turned towards the sound of her voice.


    "A tiny bit more. Perfect. I''m right across the sky walk from you Sweetheart. You have to walk towards me. I will meet you half way across this sky walk."


    "I promise you it will be okay. Just follow my voice and walk. I will guide you."


    She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.


    "Take two steps forward. It will take you to the edge of the sky walk."


    He took two steps and stood, poised at the edge of the ss walkway.


    "Good job, Sweetheart. One more step will take you onto the walkway." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He took one step and hesitated as he could feel the undting vibration of the sky walk.


    "That''s right te. Walk straight to me, Darling.. Follow my voice."

 Chapter 61 - In Hot Pursuit

    By the time Dante reached the sandy ground, there was no one left up on the tform.


    "Let''s move it!" He waved his hand and several dozen men disembarked and ran towards the derelict ss dome.


    The warm afternoon sun beat down upon the sandy ground even as the winds began to pick up. A storm was heading this way in a few hours and he needed to find her before then.


    Dante passed the two men who had been kicked down from the tform by his brave ferocious woman. They were lying in a pool of blood that had already begun to congeal into a deep red-brown jelly.


    He grimaced and passed them, moving further into the ss dome.


    There were signs of struggle everywhere that resulted in dead men. Candace had put up a tremendous fight, all alone and surrounded by armed militia.


    He nced at the discarded sculpted stone arm with the bloody shoulder that had been used to clobber the two dead men on the floor. That was a ssic Candace move.


    Several other men had fallen where they stood and had been abandoned to their fates.


    Following the trail of dead bodies, he finally reached the second floor where it all abruptly ended.


    Aside from thest three shurikens Candace had thrown at the three dead bodies lying helter-skelter, there was no other sign of her.


    They must have taken her away from this spot, most likely alive. It had cost them a Prince of Erenveil in exchange for this woman. They would not kill her so needlessly.


    There was a part of him that swelled with pride at her bravery and fighting skills. But the part of him that was angry and frightened that she could be injured or worse was at the forefront and in full control.


    Suddenly, there came a rumble and a transport pod shot up from the center of the imploded ss dome.


    "You!" He pointed to one group of men. "Stay here and sniff out the rest of this area. I want to find out exactly what happened here!"


    "The rest of you follow that pod! See where it''s going!" Dante yelled to his men.


    He and the second group ran back to their pods. As his men got ready tounch, Dante was already in contact with the rest of his private guards who were on standby above the.


    "A pod just flew up from this location. Follow that transport pod!"


    A few minutester, word came back from the starship above him.


    "Your Highness. It just docked into a starship."


    "Which one?"


    "It looks like one of Seventh Prince''s Command Starships, the Raptor 437."


    "Damn." Dante mmed his hands onto the armrest.


    This was an inside job. Bio-sensors were required to fly the military crafts. Whoever did this was inside at very high levels. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Get me in touch with whoever''s flying te''s Raptor."


    A few heart pounding minutes passed before Dante received the answer he demanded.


    "Your Highness, the Captain of the Raptor 437 is refusing all calls from us."


    "Who is this man, and why is he not responding to me?"


    "Your Highness, his name is Niles Garr. He is the Captain of this Raptor."


    Dante narrowed his gaze. If he remembered correctly, te had boarded the Raptor so he could personally deal with the Earth delegates'' annoying threats. The Raptor''s captain must have betrayed him.


    Dante squeezed his eyes shut.


    Damn!!!


    He could only think of two reasons why all this was happening.


    It could be due to te putting military pressure on Earth warships.


    It could also be Candace injured the Princess of Emporia and this was payback for Helene being eliminated from the Avgo Events.


    Either of these could have triggered this cmity, and in both cases, it all pointed back to the Avgo Events. Whether or not they were connected, Dante couldn''t be sure.


    He had to figure this out quickly and deal with it in a swift decisive manner.


    "Where are all the other Raptors?"


    "Your Highness, Prince Leonardo has given themand for them to follow Raptor 437."


    "Follow the Raptor and surround it but do not fire upon it. I repeat. DO NOT FIRE ON THE RAPTOR. My future wife is on that ship!"


    Dante sted themand out to all his merchant Guard-ships and mmed his hand on the console, cutting off themunication lines.


    Then he jumped up and paced back and forth across themand deck, looking as if he was ready to explode.


    His men sat at their consoles feverishly trying to dock the transport pod with the starship as quickly as possible.


    "Your Highness." The Captain of the Guard-ship Cerberus 86, Don Kassim, strode towards Dante as he emerged from the transport pod.


    "Status." Dante called out, not missing a step.


    "Several of our Cerberus starships are in hot pursuit. They have the Raptor surrounded."


    "Any word so far on what they want?"


    "Not yet. We''ve been hailing them every few minutes, but there still has been no response. They''ve gone silent."


    Dante huffed and stepped into the elevator along with the Captain and his aides.


    "Stop hailing!" He rubbed his blue hair with frantic fingers, making the spikes even spikier. "We''re not trying to send a friendly ''hello'', for crying out loud!"


    "Yes, Your Highness."


    "I want the names of all the officers onboard the Raptor."


    "Yes, Your Highness." The Captain bowed.


    As the elevator''s doors opened, Dante strode over to the Captain''s chair and plopped himself down.


    "How much longer before wee into range of Raptor 437?"


    "Twenty-two minutes, Your Highness." One of the officers on the Command Deck responded.


    "Make it fifteen minutes."


    He turned to the Captain who was standing next to him.


    "How much longer before I get the names of all the officers onboard the Raptor?"


    "It is being popted at the moment, Your Highness." The Captain waved a hand. The virtual monitor popped open and twenty names appeared alongside small images of the officers.


    Dante pointed at Niles Garr''s face.


    "Does he have any family left?"


    Captain Don Kassim shook his head.


    "No, Your Highness. His wife diedst year."


    "No parents? Siblings? Side lovers?"


    "Not that we know of, Your Highness."


    "What of the other officers?"


    "Most of those officers have immediate families, but they are currently living onboard the starship."


    "Then go after their parents and other rtives still living." Dante''s snarl grew more pronounced as his fangs grew.


    Damn it! He needed to control himself. The angrier he got, the more he was starting to crave blood. He could not afford to lose control at this moment.


    "st a message to them that all the officers'' families near and far, will be imprisoned until they return the Avgo Female Candace Farrah safely. Tell them that if one hair on her head gets harmed, their family members will all be bald!"


    Captain Don Kassim gasped.


    He had never seen Prince Dante not follow through with anything he ever said, threat or otherwise.


    "Yes, Your Highness."

 Chapter 67 - The Legal Contract

    Candi was merely holding out her hand for him to shake but suddenly, she found herself wrapped up within his arms. He was holding her with extraordinary gentle care, but it didn''t matter.


    Candi could barely breathe.


    "Haaaaahhh¡­" she gasped. The nearness of him was affecting her breathing!


    At 6''4", he was also the tallest of all the brothers, towering over her like a giant.


    "Here in my world, we don''t shake hands for deals this important. We seal it with a kiss." Her ear was pressed to his chest and she could hear his voice rumbling.


    "Wha¡ª" She barely managed to choke out half a word when his lips dropped down and imed hers.


    And for a moment, Candi was breathless.


    As hot-tempered as he was to everyone around him, he was extraordinarily gentle to her.


    He did not ground his mouth into hers. He did not force his tongue into her mouth. He did not make her feel as if he was assaulting her with his hands.


    His lips were feather soft. His tongue glided in with tentative touches, as though he was afraid he would hurt her.


    She could feel his body tensing up. He was shaking with the effort of holding back, but he continued to hold back.


    Then, with great regret, Dante released her. His face stoic and frozen.


    "Consider our deal sealed."


    Candi touched her lips. They were still tingling even though his touch was so extraordinarily gentle.


    "Do you seal all your deals with kisses?"


    He smiled.


    "Only ones that have to do with people named Candace Farrah. For those deals, I will seal kisses as many times as possible. I will even create deals in triplicate forms which must be kissed in triplicates for them to be legally binding."


    "Ahhh. So this is a business deal."


    Dante shook his head.


    "Consider it a legal deal."


    "I don''t understand."


    "Candace, I am an intergctic businessman and what I have found is that most things in life are legal deals of some kind. All marriages that require paperwork are legal deals. So are birth certificates. Bank ounts. School diplomas. They''re all legal documents."


    Candiughed.


    "But surely my staying here and reading old books cannot be considered a legal deal."


    Dante lowered his head down to look at her in the eyes.


    "I''m not sure if you are aware, but Earth has changed its stance in your case."


    Candi shook her head in confusion. What did he mean by that?


    Dante''s green eyes were furious. His body tense.


    "The Earth Ambassador has proimed that they will not be actively pursuing you for arrest and detainment because you are now the legal proxy female for Dahlia Halloway."


    "What does that mean? I don''t understand."


    "It means you will be acting as her body double. Anything you achieve will go to Dahlia. If you win First ce at the Avgo Event, the winnings and the glory goes to Dahlia Halloway."


    For a moment, Candi was ck-jawed with disbelief. She clenched her hands into fists, her body shaking with anger.


    "Who do they think they are??? Is that even legal?"


    Dante shook his head.


    "No, but they will argue that it is because you are a criminal in their system, which means you have no rights other than what is allowed to you by their justice system."


    Seeing Candi''s pale angry face, Dante reached out and touched her cheek.


    "You have nothing to worry about. Trust in me. You are sheltered under my wing and I will protect you."


    He straightened up, and in a dry business tone of voice, stated matter-of-factly. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I will throw my VERY SUBSTANTIAL legal team at them to ensure that you will not be legally required to hand over your winnings to that gross Earth Princess."


    "Unfortunately, all legal proceedings take awhile to resolve, so in the meantime, I did something that ispletely legally binding which will allow you to remain on Erenveil regardless of the results of the Avgo."


    Candi breathe a sigh of relief.


    "I thought the only way for me to be able to remain here would be to win Avgo first ce. Is it even possible any other way? What did you do?"


    "I created a shell corporation and ced you as the CEO. In essence, you are currently working in an official capacity for an intergcticpany based out of Erenveil."


    "How does that help me to remain in Erenveil?"


    "Business residents have a maximum of five years to remain in Erenveil for business-rted purposes until they have to renew their legal statuses."


    "Thank you so much!" Candi''s sudden bright smilebined with tears welling in her eyes caught Dante off guard.


    His breath got stuck in his throat and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.


    She reached out and clutched at his hands.


    "You have done so much to help me through all of this craziness. You even chased after that ship and rescued me from Mattheus Cordera."


    A tear rolled down one cheek.


    "And now you''ve created that fake corporation to help me so I wouldn''t feel so much pressure at the Avgopetition. I don''t even know how to thank you." She took a deep breath.


    "Maybe¡­after five years, I can figure out how to continue to evade Earth''s legal justice system."


    Dante blinked, not quite sure how to respond to her. He leaned down and kissed her tears away, wicking them with a gentle tongue.


    "Candace, it won''t take five years. A couple of weeks at most."


    "What do you mean?"


    "If you win, part of the stiption for Avgo First ce prize is the provision of an automatic marriage certificate. You will automatically be married to the Crown Prince and the title of Crown Princess will be transferred to you within 24 hours."


    He leaned his forehead against hers.


    "If however, you do not win First ce, the Business Residency from your position as CEO of an Erenveil Corporation will kick in automatically so that you do not have to leave Erenveil at the conclusion of the event."


    He pulled back to look into her eyes.


    "But that Business Residency is just to tide us over until I can get the documents together. It buys me enough time to set up marriage documents for you to remain permanently on Erenveil."


    His eyes began to dart about as he began calcting the next stage of his ns.


    "It normally takes about five days to request for an Erenveil marriage contract and another five days to go through the legal procedures. The Business Residency will cover those ten days so you can remain within the protection of Erenveil space."


    "M¡ªmarriage contract? Who am I marrying?"


    Dante smiled and enclosed both her hands in his.


    "Me!" He looked bashful.. "If you''ll have me."

 Chapter 68 - A Prince Awakens

    Seeing the shocked look on her face, Dante pulled back.


    "You don''t have to answer now. Just give it some thought. I know you have a lot to think about, with five more Avgo events to go through."


    "Dante." Candi pulled her hands from his warm sp. She could not think clearly when he was this close to her.


    "Everything is so confusing right now. I don''t even know if I should purposely lose so I don''t have to deal with that Earth Princess."


    He shook his head.


    "Try your best. Don''t lose on purpose. With the Avgo wines so much more than just a chance to remain in Erenveil by marriage. It''s the chance to stand on top of the Gxy as a reigning monarch with your husband."


    He closed his eyes.


    "I would want the best for you, even if it''s not with me."


    =======


    It was another three days before she was allowed to meet up with te.


    True to his word, Dante took her on his transport pod to Leonardo''s floating hospital, high above Erenveil.


    Dante''s transport pod was the mother of transport pods. He didn''t even bother with using one area to do all that was needed to be done. The pod was split up into four sections, each with a dedicated purpose.


    There was the bedroom, with an oval shaped bed that could easily fit two people the size and height of the Second Prince. The walls were a muted grey blue color and the bed and floors were of the same muted blue grey colors. It was very much a man''s room.


    There was a full size bathroom with an oval bathtub the size of the bed. There was also a dining room, with a table that could aodate four people.


    The final space was themand console where the two egg-shapedmand chairs were located. It seemed as if these two chairs were the base standard around which everything else flowed.


    He took her to the chair and made sure she was securely seated before going to his own chair.


    "It''s just a short fifteen minute hop, but once we''veunched, you can move around and take a short rest in the bedroom if you wish, or we can have some drinks in the dining room."


    Candi nodded but she was too anxious to do any of those things. She wanted to see te again and to assure for herself that he was doing okay. They ended up just sitting at the console chairs for the duration of the short flight.


    Upon docking, Dante had barely taken her out of the transport pod before Leonardo had joined them.


    "Where is te?" Dante asked without preamble.


    "This way." Leonardo took hold of Candi''s other arm and led her through a maze of corridors and hallways, past severalrge hubs of activity.


    They finally stopped at a set of double doors.


    "Before you walk in, I want you to understand that te is not fully conscious. I had to slowly bring him out of his medically-induceda because Dante said you needed to see him."


    Candi turned to Dante with shocked eyes.


    "You said in three days!" She hissed.


    "You insisted on seeing him even though I told you he was being cared for by Leo." Dante sighed. "I gave it three days before I contacted Leo and told him you needed to see te."


    "But you said he would be okay in three days." Her eyes teared.


    "Candace. I''m not a doctor or a miracle worker. I said you could see him in three days. I didn''t say I could cure him in three days." Dante ruffled his spiky hair.


    Candi nodded. This was not Dante''s fault. She was the one who insisted on going to see te. They were simply trying to amodate her request.


    "How is he?"


    "See for yourself." Leonardo pushed the doors and walked through.


    te was lying on the hospital bed with monitors attached to his body. His long ck hair had been tied back to amodate all the wires that were attached to his head and neck. His eyes were closed and he was breathing normally.


    He wore nothing except for a sheet over his torso and legs, leaving exposed, his powerful chest and shoulders. There were more monitors attached to the soles of his feet.


    "Oh God." She breathed. "He''s all hooked up with wires."


    Leonardo shook his head.


    "It''s alright, Candace. They are just monitors to make sure everything is normal."


    "This is to monitor his heart." He pointed to the one on te''s chest. "And these monitor his brain waves." He indicated at the wires on te''s temples.


    "What about these on his feet?" She looked at the various wires taped to his soles.


    "Those monitor the central organs such as the spinal column and stomach. Organs like the liver are on the right foot, and others such as the spleen are on the left foot." Leonardo indicated with a gentle finger.


    "His lungs and kidneys are on both feet and his toes are used to monitor brain functions along with the monitors at his temples."


    "I see," she nodded. "He''s still unconscious. Maybe it''s best just to let him sleep. I just wanted to take a look for myself, so I know he''s okay."


    "It''s fine. I will wake him up."


    Leonardo beganying his hands on te''s chest. There was a warm yellow orange glowing from his hands.


    Within minutes, te began toe out of his induceda.


    "Hey there." Leonardo greeted te. "How''s my Baby Brother doing?"


    "Thirsty." te whispered, his blue eyes dull and lethargic.


    "You''re not dehydrated. I''ve been giving you intravenous water all this time. I can give you a little bit to wet your mouth and throat."


    te nodded and Leonardo gave a dropper full of water.


    "Stingy ass." te growled.


    Leonardoughed.


    "Nothing wrong with your spirit, which makes me very happy." He moved back. "I have a visitor here who has been asking about you for days now."


    He motioned for Candi to move into te''s view.


    "Candace." te whispered, his eyes suddenly lighting up.


    She moved closer, reaching out to touch his shoulder. It was the only ce that was bare and not covered with some monitor or bandage.


    "I''m so sorry for waking you up." She choked back tears. "I was just so worried about you."


    "I will be back on my feet soon. Don''t worry." He whispered again.


    He sighed.


    "How many days have I been unconscious?"


    "Three." Leonardo responded.


    "That''s good." te nodded with relief. "I was afraid I would have missed out on her events."


    "You just get well. Don''t worry about a thing. I want to be able to spend some time with you so you have to get better. Otherwise, Dante and Leonardo won''t let me see you."


    "They won''t dare. I will insist on seeing you, even if I have to crawl out of this bed on my hands and knees." His eyes narrowed for a moment.


    "Your next event ising up in four days. I will be there at the Celestial Pantheon cheering you on."


    Candi shot a quick nce at Leonardo. Whether te could attend, or even leave this bed, was up to Leonardo. So far, he was holding his cards close to his chest. She could not tell what he was thinking. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Candace blew a breath full of apprehension and anxiety.


    "The criteria will be Brilliance and Intellect. I have no idea how to prepare for that."


    The men looked at each other and suddenlyughed.


    Leonardo turned bright aqua eyes at her.


    "I think this one is the easiest of all the events for you, so don''t worry too much."


    She was about to ask him what he meant when a sobbing cry sounded at the door.


    Candi turned towards the sound and found herself facing a tall ethereal pale goddess with long ck hair and eyes the color of a bright summer day.


    "te!" She cried and ran to him.


    Disregarding all the wires that he was tangled within, she sprang towards him and buried her face into his neck.


    te chuckled.


    "Ease up Lyra, or Candace will think I have a girlfriend."

 Chapter 72 - On Gossamer Wings

    "Oh no!" She protested. "He doesn''t even know I have this. He''s been away for thest few days. I borrowed this from the handmaid who helps me get dressed in the morning."


    Jared shook his head, clicking his tongue as he surveyed her outfit with a critical eye.


    "This is an abomination! It''s a scullery maid dress that isn''t evenced up properly."


    "I purposely left theces off." Candi grimaced. "It''s just easier for me to move around in this when I''m in the museum working with ancient artifacts and books."


    "You need working clothes." Jared rubbed his jaw. "Why didn''t you tell us? We could have made all sorts of work clothes for you that would have been stylish, beautiful, and appropriate for the Princess of this pce."


    Candiughed. "You''re both so busy¡ª"


    "Never too busy for our Tiny Dancer!" Jason interrupted.


    "Thank you both. You are so very kind. But I''m not really a Princess."


    "My sweet darling. You are far more than a Princess. You are a Queen."


    Candi smiled. They were both so sweet to her.


    "A. Thank you. I really missed you both."


    Jared took a deep breath.


    "It has been a holy hell thest few days. We have been inundated with orders for outfits for Mother''s soir¨¦e and we''ve worked our staff to death."


    "But we did not forget about our Tiny Dancer. You are the High Queen and you will dress the part."


    Candiughed.


    "I was going to wear the purple and gold dress you made for me. It is beautiful!" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Jared waved his hand in protest.


    "It is beautiful but it''s too dark for this event. This event is the one event that you need to look as if you are a Goddess descending from the heavens!"


    Jason nodded. "With your porcin skin, honey blonde hair, and those stunning hazel eyes, you need something that will floor people and give everyone something to talk about for the rest of this year."


    Candiughed. "I honestly cannot think of anything that would be so stunning that people would talk about for the rest of the¡ªOH MY GOD!!!"


    She choked back her words as Jared and Jason waved their hands into the air and a dress literally fluttered down from somewhere above the ceiling.


    "Candace, do you know why there is a raven, a phoenix, and a butterfly in the Avgo lineup?" Jason asked.


    Candi shook her head.


    "Wings, My Love."


    Jason flexed his chest muscles and FWOOMPH!!! Hisrge dark bat wings unfurled.


    He spread the wings out until they reached their full span and then he raised them above his head.


    Candi stared at the tall, powerfully built man standing before her. His long flowing dark green hair spilled out over his shoulders and onto the wings themselves, turning him into a deity. A demigod. A demonic being full of power and grace.


    "Do you see?"


    Candi nodded, mouth open, eyes wide open.


    As many times as she saw the Princes unfurling their wings, it still made her heart thump so hard she could barely breathe.


    It was a solid reminder that they were not just regr people like her. With their wings alone, they transcended the mortal to be almost immortal.


    "I think I''m jealous." Jared folded his arms and grinned at Candi''s reaction to his brother''s disy of divinity. "Tiny Dancer is impressed with your wings brother."


    Jason smiled.


    "She''s seen them before. I''ve just been keeping them from her because thest time she saw our wings, she seemed a bit afraid of us and I didn''t want to frighten her any more."


    Jason flexed his muscles again and the wings retracted, disappearing into his body. He turned back to her, once again looking like a normal man, or at least as normal as a muscr 6''1" man with green hair could possibly look.


    "Avgo Females with wings are otherworldly." Jason smiled. "They alone can fly and outdistance others in most instances whereas those without wings struggle to remain relevant. More importantly, they look majestic!"


    Candi nodded. The event at the Sky Walk proved without a shadow of doubt that the winged Avgo contestants did better than the non-winged women.


    "But I''m just an ordinary human girl. I don''t have anything that amazing." She bit her thumb nail with a bit of trepidation.


    "So says the woman who has been beating the tar out of the Avgo women as well as eliminating all those mermen on Emporia." Jared scoffed.


    "That''s different." She rolled her eyes. "I just got lucky."


    "No Candace. Don''t downy your brilliance. You have that inner spark that is the hallmark of a true Goddess."


    Jared shuddered as he touched a finger to her dress.


    "You''re just not allowed to wear that disgusting brown bag. Take it off."


    "But¡­"


    "I said take it off." Jared''s brown eyes were serious as he reached out and began untying the ribbons at her neckline and pulling her dress off.


    Toote.


    She remembered the times when they were dressing her at their floating ind. They had manhandled her in the same way they handled their mannequins.


    It was truly professional work for them and they handled it with the intensity of creative geniuses.


    It barely took a few minutes and she was stripped bare, standing before them with nothing on but her bra and panties.


    Jason and Jared began talking to themselves as they normally did when creating something new.


    "Orange?" Jason asked.


    "No. Pink." Jared said.


    "No. Orange."


    "Okay fine. Orangy-pink."


    "No. Pinkish orange." Jason insisted.


    "Just find a shade in between those colors. Or better yet," Jared snapped his fingers. "We can do an ombre!"


    "Yeah. Flow it from orange to pink?" Jason suggested.


    "No. Let''s flow it from pink to orange. Look at her skin tone. You can''t put orange directly at her neckline. It will drown out her coloring." Jared muttered.


    "You''re right. Use pink for the top. I''ll create jewelry with orange gems, to offset." Jason said.


    "That''s perfect, actually. Add some small peridots for green touches."


    Suddenly, they were muttering to each other and arranging the dress that they had brought with them onto her body.


    With a few magic touches of their fingers, the colors began blending themselves onto the dress. Jason added pink touches while Jared added the orange color.


    "And now for the special touch." Jared breathed.


    Jason and Jared looked at each other for a moment. And with a huge grin, touched their hands together.


    They pulled their hands back to reveal a semi-transparent, iridescent gossamer silk which they threw up into the air. It settled gently over her entire body, draping down like a misty translucent veil.


    Suddenly, the fabric dissipated and translucent pink dragonfly wings with orange fringe tips unfurled from the back of her dress, extending outward until it reached a length that was almost her height.


    Candi gasped with delight.


    She had turned into a colorful dragonfly fairy!

 Chapter 74 - Princess Is No Big Deal

    They stood there for a moment, in an awkward position where therge man was leaning on the small woman and she was barely able to keep on her feet, he was so heavy.


    "Ugh. I''m so exhausted. Let me borrow your shoulder for a moment."


    Candiughed. She didn''t know if she could hold him up much more than a moment longer.


    "Isn''t that ufortable for you? I''m a bit on the short side."


    Dante was bent almost double trying to rest his head on her shoulder, but he didn''t care. He inhaled the scent of the woman he''d been missing for days and felt a rush of pleasure.


    "I barely slept. Ipressed an entire week''s worth of work into three days and made my aides and attendants work round the clock just so I could return in time to escort you to the ball."


    "I have no sympathy, you party animal, you." She chuckled.


    He groaned. "I don''t care about the party. I just didn''t want anyone else apanying you to that party but me."


    "te is going to be at the ball." Candi reminded him.


    Dante raised his head and gave her a look. Leonardo hadn''t really told Candace the extent of injury that te had endured.


    "te is going to attend only for a short time."


    He led her over to the lounge area and plopped down on therge divan filled with colorful cushions. As heid his body down with a groan, he pulled her with him so that she was supine alongside his body.


    "He''s still in recovery mode. Leonardo is going to let him attend the ball in a hover chair for about an hour and then he has to return to the hospital starship."


    "If he''s still not well enough, why is he insisting on going to this thing?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "For the same reason that even though I''m half-dead with exhaustion, I also need to be there. We both need to make sure you are fairly treated and not bullied by all the women who are going to be at that ball."


    "All the women? I thought it was just Avgo¡ª"


    "No, no my Dear." Dante closed his eyes and pulled her into his arms. "It''s Empress rissa''s chance to shine, so she will invite every single eligible female to be paraded at all of us Princes."


    He yawned, trying to fight off sleep.


    "Avgo females are given top priority, but just in case one of us seven Princes don''t like one of the seven Avgo women, and I''m pretty sure nobody is going to be pining for the fish girl, a non-Avgo female has a sliver of a chance of being selected."


    "Selected for what?"


    "To be married. The chance to turn into a Princess of Erenveil."


    "That''s quite an amazing opportunity."


    Dante''s eyes werepletely closed by now. His breathing was steady and regr.


    Just when she thought he hadpletely fallen asleep, he muttered onest thing.


    "Princess¡ªno big deal. Empress¡ªbig deal."


    And with that, Dante fell asleep on the divan, with Candi trapped within his embrace.


    =======


    The next morning was a blur of activity.


    As exhausted as Dante was the day before, he had awakened refreshed and alert, discussing urgent matters with his aides and assistants as they ran about, carrying out his orders.


    Candi was still lying on the divan, sleeping so he covered her with theforter and went about his business. He took his coffee at the small hover desk they had moved next to the divan so he could still work and be near her.


    His normal office was much closer to the inner sanctum of the Moon, isted from everyone, but today, his entire staff was rushing around the cavernous formal living quarters, attending to his needs.


    They tried to be as quiet as they could, knowing she was still sleeping, but eventually, Candi woke up.


    "Wow. I can''t believe we both fell asleep on the living room couch." She rubbed her head and looked around.


    The divan was surprisinglyfortable. It was more like a full sized bed than a couch or a settee.


    "You have half a day to do as you please, and then you have to get ready for the Royal Ball." Dante smiled as he continued working on the stack of documents in front of him.


    She got up from the divan and came closer to him.


    With a sigh, she leaned up agains him and pressed her face to his back, huddling to absorb the warmth of his body. Although the Moon''s temperature was moderate, it was always a bit on the cool side. He had been keeping her warm all night long and and Candi wasn''t too proud to use him for his body heat.


    "I''m sozy. I don''t feel like doing anything." She mumbled into his back.


    Dante smiled.


    "Then don''t. Your body feels cold. Get back in bed and just hang out with me. I''ll have the servers bring breakfast for both of us."


    She nodded and trudged back to the divan. She didn''t n on falling asleep again, but didn''t awaken until the servers came with a rolling trolley, filled with the scent of delicious fooding from domed tes.


    Dante continued to push through his work, even as he sat and ate a few bites of breakfast with her. They didn''t talk much, but the silence wasfortable and warm.


    She spent the rest of the dayzing around as Dante worked, not doing much. It was almost like thosezy weekends when simply existing was all that was required.


    Towards the afternoon, Dante had several maids in waiting take her away to get ready for the Royal Ball which would start that evening.


    The dress and jewels that the twins had created were waiting for her when the maids finished getting her ready. As they helped her into the dress, the wings became activated and began to unfurl.


    "Oh my!" The maids gasped. "You will be the darling of the Royal Ball. I have never seen wings like this."


    "Best of all, it''s just an illusion!" Candi grinned, moving her hand back and forth through the ephemeral wings, to the delight of the maids in waiting.


    Within the hour, she was ready and the maids escorted her back out to the Main Hall where Dante was still working at his desk.


    "Take care of this stack of documents for me Nigel. I need for it to be ready to sign when I get back. Tanner, go talk to the Ambassador of Peoria. Tell him I need to talk to him after the Ball."


    As the aides rushed off to do his bidding, he yelled at their backs.


    "And respond to that nitwit Palmer that I will pay him 7 billion jemals and no more, for that dust ball world he calls a resort."


    Dante stood up and turned towards Candi as she walked in through the hallway.


    "Oh¡­wow¡­" Dante sucked in a deep appreciative breath as he sank back into his chair. "You are a vision of breathtaking beauty. Since when did my Candace turn into a stunning dragonfly Queen?"


    Candiughed.


    "Jared and Jason made it for me. It''s fake wings. See?" She pped her hands back and forth, breaking the illusion.


    The Second Prince of Erenveilughed and shook his head.


    "It''s going to be tough to ensure that my Candace won''t be too ashamed of her escort for the evening."


    "My escort?"


    He grinned and ran his fingers through his spiky blue hair.


    "That would be me."

 Chapter 75 - The Princes Royal Ball

    It took almost three hours for the hand-maidens to get Candi ready for the Royal Ball, but Dante was in and out of the shower within fifteen minutes.


    He came back out of his private quarters, dressed in a ck suit, dark leathers shoes, and crisp white shirt with a ck tie.


    His normally spiky blue hair had been gelled back, revealing his dashing widow''s peak that was normally hidden under all the spiky hair. The long spiky ends that reached his shoulder had been gathered and tied at his nape with a ck bowtie.


    As he came closer, she could smell the mossy woody scent of green grasses and wild heather.


    Candi''s jaw dropped. He looked and smelled good enough to eat.


    "Do I match well enough with you?"


    "You look amazing!"


    Danteughed.


    "Thank you. I can''t allow you to be too embarrassed to be seen with me. I even fixed my hair for you." He pointed to the perfectly styled hair that tamed the usual wild spikes he sported every day.


    Candiughed.


    "You look perfect. Worn this way, I can see how you''d look with long hair."


    Dante smiled.


    "If long hair is what you wish, I will grow it out just for you."


    He reached out and was about to usher her out the door when a patter of feet could be heard from behind them.


    "Your Highness!" One of his aides rushed through the entry, panting.


    "Please wait. Prince Jared just sent this. He said you would need it."


    In the aide''s hand was a small wood box.


    Dante gestured with his eyes and the aide opened the box.


    Within the velvet interior was an iridescent gossamer pinkish gold neck tie and kerchief with arge cushion cut diamond pin.


    Candi gasped. It perfectly matched her wings!


    Dante smiled and turned back to the aide, who quickly stripped the ck tie off him and made short work of recing it with the new tie.


    He pinned the diamond to the tie, keeping it in perfect position and then tucked the kerchief into Dante''s breast pocket. With ast tug to straighten the tie, the aide nodded.


    "You two are now a perfectly matched pair."


    Dante gave a satisfied nod and turned back to Candi.


    "Shall we?" He held out his arm for her to take.


    =======


    The Royal Ball was already starting to get underway by the time Candi and Dante arrived.


    Thest time she was at the Pce, she had been carried in on Byron''s arms so she missed seeing the outside of the castle.


    It truly was magnificent.


    The pce itself was built from a pinkish beige, cleft-cut, textured, fossilized stone. Many bs, split along their natural grain, showed fossilized leaves, branches, feathers, and even bones of small starfish, shells and seahorses.


    From afar, the castle exuded that shining castle-in-the-sky feeling that exemplified the power of the Erenveil Empire. Up close, it embodied warmth, ss, and craftsmanship.


    At the moment, there were pinknterns and sashes of gold and red hung at the entrance to wee the invitees.


    As soon as Dante''s transport pod hovered into ce, they were immediately escorted to the gold carpet where they walked in together, through the throng of people waiting to be allowed in.


    Since Dante was technically not an invitee but rather part of the Royal family, it was not as if he was allowed into the Royal Pce ahead of everyone else. People just assumed he was returning home from wherever it was he normally stayed.


    Candi''s eyes lit up as she walked past the double line of armed sentry standing at rapt attention. At the gate, the Gatekeeper bowed to the Second Prince and opened up.


    Once they entered the outer yard, several people came up to escort them into the inner courtyard where the festivities began.


    If the outer yard was grand, the inner courtyard was jaw-dropping.


    Colored silknterns had been strung across walkways and hung on tree branches, glowing in pinks, oranges, yellows, blues, and greens. There werenterns along the walkways and on the scattered tables. The entire ce was lit up with lights from the outside in.


    "This way, Your Royal Highness and Mdy." More people came to escort them into the Grand Ballroom.


    Suddenly, the scent ofvender and mimosa effused through the air, blending with the smell of lemon oil soap that had been used to clean the ballroom.


    "Ahhh. Your Mother has done an amazing job organizing this Royal Ball." Candace breathed, looking around the glittering ballroom.


    "That would be the Empress, who is most certainly not my mother. Speaking of whom," he gasped. "I want to introduce you to Mother when she gets here. I''ve told her all about you and she is excited to meet you."


    Candi''s eyes glowed. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Oh I would love to meet your mother!"


    He smiled. "She doesn''t get out much any more, but she decided toe to the party because all the Avgo Females would be attending, and she is particrly a fan of yours."


    Candiughed. She had no idea she had actual fans.


    They moved to the inner sanctum where the immediate family members were allowed to retreat to.


    There were chaise lounges in convenient locations as well as a table filled with covered dishes of various finger foods along with the attendants ready to serve them if they did not want to partake from the dining table for the rest of the party-goers.


    "Have a seat and I will see if te has arrived." Dante led her to one of the soft cushioned settees as an attendant came by with a tray filled with various drinks.


    She gave a smile of thanks and took a ss with something white in it thinking it was water. One taste revealed that it was white alcoholic beverage.


    She discretely ced it back on the table. No sense in getting wasted before the party even started. Tonight was a night that she needed to be on her toes.


    The attendant saw her rejecting the drink and came back with another ss of clear liquid.


    "Might I suggest this refreshing drink, Mdy?"


    Candi smiled and took the fluted ss. She took a quick sip.


    Chilled water with a twist of lemon!


    She nodded and smiled at the observant attendant. The woman was not much older than Candi herself and was not outstanding in face or demeanor.


    She had brown hair and brown eyes and was dressed in the basic burgundy and gold Royal attendant outfit. In her unassuming manner, Coral simply melded into the background.


    "What is your name?"


    "My name is Coral, Mdy."


    "Are you one of the attendants for tonight''s party?"


    "My mother is the Empress'' personal attendant. I take care of the needs of the immediate Royal family within the inner sanctum."


    "Stay close to her, Coral." Dante spoke up. He had returned to her side.


    "In fact, you will be her personal attendant for tonight''s party. Make sure she is unharmed."


    Coral''s face lit up.


    "Yes, Your Royal Highness."


    Dante leaned over and whispered into Candi''s ear.


    "Coral is an assassin."

 Chapter 77 - The Scent Of A Woman

    Everyone looked in horror at the sight.


    The woman''s eyes widened with sudden fear. She had not expected to have had even the chance to get near him, let alone have a piece of him.


    Yet, here she was with a scrap of his tie in her hand and nowhere to hide.


    With a growl, Dante snarled and bared his slowly lengthening fangs, his green eyes glittering with rage.


    His blood boiled as it raced through his body. It was pounding into his temples and shouting at him to strike his prey and devour her blood.


    He began to advance on her, sparks snapping and sizzling from his fingertips.


    Suddenly, six Royal Attendants sprang to his side.


    Everyone froze. Then, a melee ensued as the guests scrambled to put a distance between themselves and the Royal Attendants. Everyone knew what the appearance of Royal Attendants meant.


    They did not hesitate to strike down anyone who looked as if they could be a threat to the Royal Family.


    As two of the Royal Attendants held him back, the remaining four advanced towards the hapless blonde still holding onto the tattered rag that was once Dante''s pride possession.


    "Arrest that woman for attempted theft of the Royal Family Diamond, the Taralei." One of the Royal Attendants pointed to the hapless woman.


    "No, No! I wasn''t trying to steal the diamond. No!" She began yelling as the Royal Attendants converged on her.


    As she was pulled from the ballroom, kicking and screaming, all the other women backed away.


    Stealing from the Royal Family automaticallynded a person in the royal dungeons for at least a couple of decades. The woman had also torn the Second Prince''s tie off, which would be considered assault on a Royal person, most likely earning her another twenty years.


    She would be an old woman by the time she was allowed to see the light of day, but at least she was lucky enough that the Royal Attendants had arrived when they did or she would have been a bloody stump on the ground.


    The guests murmured among themselves as they looked at Prince Dante, still standing there. The Second Prince was not someone to get close to if one valued his or her life.


    Dante stood alone in the middle of the ballroom, quivering with barely suppressed rage. This was his Empress Mother''s Royal Ball. He had to try to control the rage and the urge to devolve into that bloodthirsty animal that sought blood in any form.


    The perfectly dressed Prince was disheveled. His shirt was ruffled at the point where the tie had torn. The sparkling Taralei Diamond was several feet away, looking abandoned and forsaken on the hardwood dance floor.


    "Hmmmphh!" Candi jumped up onto her feet, bristling with indignation.


    How dare that woman attack Dante like that and destroy the outfit he had so carefully worn for this Royal Ball!


    She could not leave him alone on the ballroom floor like that.


    As Candi rose from her seat and crossed the floor, the guests quickly noticed her pink and orange ombre dress with the glistening gossamer dragonfly wings of iridescent pinkish orange spread out behind her. In her blonde hair was a tiara of gold, and on her neck was a choker with a pink stone that looked suspiciously like the Avgo gem.


    She was a vision of beauty, something that could not possibly exist on the ne of the ordinary. Those amazing wings perfectly matched with the damaged tie on his neck. This woman was obviously Prince Dante''s escort for the night!


    Not only that, the woman looked familiar!


    Could it be???


    Oh my! The crowd gasped.


    It truly was her! The ballet dancer that was currently holding first position at the Avgo Events!


    But wait! Everyone knew that the winner would be the Crown Prince''s bride. Why was she the Second Prince''s escort?


    This was an anomalous situation that needed to be endlessly debated over teas and coffees and parlor halls. Was she just going after the extreme wealth of the Second Prince?


    Would she purposely lose so that she could be the Second Prince''s bride? But if she were to purposely lose the event, who would be their new Crown Princess? This was important, as that woman would eventually be the Empress!


    The initial silence of the shocked guests slowly turned into a dull roar as they began to specte and ponder over the new turn of events.


    Throughout all of this, Candi waspletely unaware.


    On swift ballet toes, she pranced over to where Dante stood, alone and quivering with rage.


    As she reached the Taralei Diamond, she reached down and picked it up.


    Two stepster, she was standing in front of him. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Goodness gracious. This thing doesn''t look too good, now does it." She eyed his bared fangs and his bloodshot green eyes. "Whatever shall we do?"


    He stood there, staring at her, trying to say something to reassure her that he was not upset at her, but nothing wasing out. His blood was still boiling in his brains and he could not turn off the physical transformation that quickly.


    Sensing his difficulty, Candi smiled.


    "Let''s get rid of this thing, shall we?" She quickly pulled the torn scrap of tie off his neck and dropped it to the floor. Then she began straightening his shirt.


    "You are so tall, Dante. You are making my neck ache from constantly looking up at you. Even on my ballet tippy toes, you''re still way taller than I am." She gave a gentleugh.


    Her tender voice and soft touch was calming the beast within him. As the rage receded from his face, Dante''s green eyes began to fill with sorrow.


    He had not only embarrassed his beautiful escort by almost devolving into a beast, he had also inadvertently allowed her colors to be damaged.


    Candi took note of the sadness enveloping him and took a deep breath.


    "Since you''re my escort for the evening, you need to wear my colors so everyone knows I''m your date tonight." She smiled as she whipped the matching scarf off her neck.


    Reaching up on ballet pointe toes, she tied the scarf around his cor in the form of an ascot tie. Then she gently tugged his shirt back into its pristine condition.


    "See, you look perfect again." She looked up at him. "No harm done."


    Dante began to smile. With just a simple action, she had changed what was wrong, to right again. His anger and sadness dissipated into thin air, to be reced with joy.


    He lowered his head and gave her a soft gentle kiss on her lips.


    "Thank you." He inhaled deeply. "This scarf has your perfume on it. Now I will smell like you for the rest of the night."


    "Are youining?" She raised an eyebrow and handed him his diamond pin.


    "No no! I love your scent, woman. It will feel as if you''re hugging me all night." He again inhaled deeply, her scent and then held up the diamond.


    "Thank you foring to my rescue. In return, I offer the Taralei Diamond to you in hopes you will ept it."


    She smiled, nodding.


    It was a grand gesture, and epting such an expensive piece of jewelry was something Candi normally did not do. But Dante seemed to have recovered hisposure and she could not ruin his mood since he''d been so enraged only minutes earlier.


    He pinned the diamond onto the front of her dress and then took her hand and led her back to the Royal Banquet Table.

 Chapter 84 - Attack Behind The Curtains

    Jared smiled at Valeria.


    "Valeria Marakesh. The sole Princess of the tropical world of Peoria. Why would you want to leave such a beautiful ce, where you are a pampered and adored Princess and go to Erenveil to marry a man you have never even met?"


    Valeria looked up at the tall green haired Prince of Erenveil with the soft brown eyes and smiled.


    "Do you know how boring being a Peorian princess is? We''re not allowed to do very much other than to learn how to be part of the royal scene."


    Her eyes became animated.


    "I wanted to see more than just Peoria and its surrounding space. All the people around me are avians of one type or another and this was my chance to see other types of people."


    "And to marry an Erenveil Prince?"


    Valeria Marakesh smiled.


    "That would be the icing on top of a delicious cake."


    "Thank you. That is all."


    Lorem Ipsum gave a silent sigh of relief. Jared was at least civil, and asked a nice boring question that could be aired with some interest.


    As Valeria and Jared exited the front, Lorem Ipsum faced the crowd.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen. We have one final Prince to showcase. And of course, the Avgo Female he will be questioning has already been up onstage with the Crown Prince. I cannot wait to see what his question will be."


    He turned to his assistants who had already started escorting te and Bethany.


    It was a strangely paired meeting because they were both in identical white hover chairs, having endured some serious injuries.


    te sat in his hover chair, a brilliant figure in all white save for his long dark hair and his bright blue eyes.


    Bethany sat in her chair across from him, waiting. She was at thest position in the Avgo contest, but unlike Olivia, she still had a chance of winning first ce.


    This was her chance to recover from the previous near-fatal fail. The Prince in front of her exuded so much masculine vibes that she shivered. His clothes could not hide the huge muscles, the strength, and the virility of his body.


    Bethany found herself drooling with desire, even though her body was still in pain from the injuries.


    "Go home." te stared at her with frosty blue eyes.


    Bethany''s eyes widened. What was his question? This did not sound like something she could answer.


    "Even if you win first ce, which is not going to happen because you are the least of the Avgo Females, no Prince will choose you as his mate. Go home."


    te turned his chair and went back to join his brothers, leaving Bethany clenching her teeth and seething with anger.


    Lorem Ipsum made a quick gesture for the assistant to escort Bethany back to the table.


    "Hahahaha. What a jokester the youngest Prince is." He raised his hands into the air.


    "Well, now that you''ve actually met the Princes and the Avgo Females and learned more about them, now is your chance to vote for your favorite couple."


    He sprinkled his fingers into the air and images of the seven Princes and six remaining Avgo contestants hovered in the air.


    "Guests here, as well as all of you watching from home, will get the chance to pick one Prince and one Avgo Female of your choice. You have thirty minutes as of," he raised his hand.


    "NOW!"


    He waved a hand as a timer began to hover in the air, ticking off the seconds of the thirty minutes allowed for the vote.


    "The couple with the most votes will win the People''s Award, brought to you by the Princes'' Fashion House, where you get to dress like a royal and be your fashionably best!"


    "We will announce the winners after the thirty minutes are up."


    He threw back his head.


    "And now, let the dancingmence!" He roared out as the band struck up a happy dance and guests began piling out onto the dance floor.


    From behind him, the curtains closed, shielding the Avgo Females and the Princes from the guests.


    Candi sighed. She didn''t have to pretend to be all smiley and happy, at least for a little while.


    "Don''t rx your stance, Earth Woman." Jenna hissed through lidded eyes. "Everyone sees how the Princes treat you and there is a venomous snake sitting at the Royal Banquet Table eyeing that Avgo stone around your neck."


    Candi nodded and gave Jenna a smile. She had finally figured out Jenna''s behavior pattern.


    The woman was not beingbative or hostile. She was simply trying to warn Candi of the danger that she was sensing emanating from Dahlia.


    She was about to go join the Princes when from behind, she felt something fly at her.


    Jumping with a swift kick, she buffeted the flying object away with her foot, where it thudded into the wall beside the Avgo Female table.


    Had she not moved, she would have been impaled.


    She and Jenna stared at each other, then at the direction the object had flown. From the edge of the hallway, she saw a figure disappear around a bend.


    Within the space of a heartbeat, she and Jenna had sprung into action. They raced after the offender even as the Avgo Females screamed and shrieked all around them.


    On the other side of the stage, the Princes saw what had happened. Several of them sprang up and ran towards the melee but could not even make it to the side where the Avgo Females sat before Candi and Jenna had disappeared around the side.


    Leonardo stayed with te, who punched at his armrest, frustrated at his inability toe to her defense. They quickly made their way to the object embedded into the wall and inspected it.


    It was a star-shaped shuriken, its tips stained with poison. This was no joke. Someone wanted Candi dead and was not averse to doing it in a room full of people, within the very heart of Erenveil Pce.


    Leonardo and te looked at each other. Their eyes murderous.


    Meanwhile, the rest of the Princes had rushed through the hallway in hot pursuit of the perpetrator and the two Avgo Females who had chased after the attacker.


    Candi was slightly ahead of Jenna. She was less powerful than Jenna was, having less dense mass, but she was a dancer who was lighter and slightly more agile.


    "This way!" She shouted at Jenna as she saw the figure moving around another bend. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    As they both raced towards the end of the hall, another figure flew out at them from one of the side halls and tackled Candi.


    Before she could react, he had torn the ne around her neck where the pink gem had been carefully ced by Jason. Apparently it was all he was after because as soon as he had taken the gem, he dashed off into another side hallway.


    Candi hit the ground and rolled, trying to break her fall.


    As sheid on the ground trying to catch her breath, Lucas, the first Prince to reach Candi, picked her up into his arms.


    The other Princes split forces.


    Jason and Jared went after the attacker who had thrown the shuriken while Dante and Byron went after the attacker who had ripped the pink gem off her neck.


    "Oh my God, you''ve been hurt!" Lucas breathed as he held her in his arms. "I''m going to carry you back to Leo so he can take a look at your injury."


    "Hurt? I''m not hurt." Candi protested as she looked down and saw blood dripping from her neck and staining the top of her pink dress.


    The attacker had cut the ne off her using some vicious weapon which had also taken a gouge into her skin and had hit a major artery.


    She was bleeding like a gutted pig.

 Chapter 86 - Trouble In Paradise

    Candi turned to look at the looming Alpha Indigo Hospital and marveled at howrge the starship was. In fact, it looked almost like a warship.


    As they entered in through the airlock, te eased the harness off her and she was able to sit up a bit morefortably instead of lying almost directly on top of him as she had been.


    This hospital visit confirmed something that Candi had been thinking about for awhile but could never substantiate.


    Something was terribly wrong with Erenveil.


    For attackers to be able to prate the royal pce in the middle of a ball was something so outrageous that it would have been unthinkable.


    Except it had happened.


    It was also unthinkable for te''s own warship captain to debilitate te and hold him for ransom. Something of that magnitude could have only happened as an inside job.


    But that had ALSO happened.


    Something was terribly wrong with Erenveil and it was getting worse each day.


    The more time Candi spent on Erenveil, the more she realized that the peaceful calm exterior of the world was only a thin veneer that hid much turbulence underneath. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The three Princes of war, te, Dante, and Leonardo, each held within their control, a huge number of starships that were capable of defending their vast territories.


    Of the three, only te''s star ships were conspicuous warships.


    Dante held his star ships under the guise ofmerce guard ships while Leonardo flew the easily identifiable blue and white medical logo on his hospital ships.


    Still, she had no doubt that in times of war, Leonardo''s ships could easily turn into defensive machinery.


    This Avgo Event was actually a brutalpetition grab for the top power prize. No wonder it was a no-holds-barred fight to the death.


    Kingdoms and worlds jockeyed their women into position for a stab at the prized Empress position in order to obtain half the power of the Erenveil Empire.


    It was a ma for all the turbulence and strife to rise to the surface as greed for power and wealth became the driving factor that propelled the Avgo Event into something that was dark and ruthless.


    She only hoped she could survive it to the end.


    ========


    Deep within the bowels of the Royal Pce, Jenna gave an inhuman spurt of cougar speed, leaping with all her feline might at the attacker.


    She had left the bleeding Candace Farrah behind to pursue the attacker knowing that the Princes were immediately behind her. They could take care of the human female.


    She wanted a piece of this trash.


    "ROAAARRRR!!!" She growled as her long sharp carmine ws extruded from her paws.


    As the attacker looked back, he saw a ferocious cougar with deadly green eyes and sharp glistening fangs descending upon him.


    She was wearing a fluffy creamycy ball gown which did nothing to hamper the speed at which she wasing at him.


    Her ws were outstretched, their tips razor sharp.


    "Aaaaaaaaarrrgggghhh!!!" He screamed as she swiped her nails across his face, raking up his cheeks and exposing his teeth and mouth cavity.


    Those same bloody ws were now around his throat.


    "Who sent you?" She growled.


    He choked as urine leaked from his pants, staining her creamycey ball gown.


    "Speak!" She tightened her ws on his throat just as Jason and Jared arrived on the scene.


    "Em¡ªEmporian Princess." He muttered.


    Jenna raised her eyes up at the twin Princes.


    "You heard that, right?" She asked.


    They nodded.


    She squeezed her ws, crushing his windpipe.


    "Kaaaaachhhh!!!" The attacker choked and fell back as Jenna released her choke hold of his throat.


    Jenna stood up and, with one swipe of her sharp ws, tore the skirt of therge ballgown off.


    Jared and Jason winced and looked away.


    "What?" Jenna scowled.


    She pressed her lips together as she realized she had bared herself in front of two Princes of Erenveil, dressed in nothing but the bodice of her dress and her bikini panties.


    "He peed on my skirt." Jenna snarled, looking away.


    Jason and Jared tried to hold back their chokingughter.


    "Thank you for catching the attacker." Jared took off his outer robe and ced it over her shoulders. "We owe you our thanks."


    "We also owe you a brand new outfit." Jason added.


    ========


    While Jenna, Jared, and Jason were flying down one end of the hall, Dante and Byron were dashing down the other hallway after the attacker who had shed Candi and robbed her of the pink gemstone around her neck.


    The hallway was too small for them to transform into their bat wings or they would have caught him sooner.


    Nevertheless, a thug for hire could never possibly run from two powerful Princes of Erenveil, especially after they had witnessed the attacker injuring their woman so grievously.


    Within a few minutes, they had jumped on the thug and mmed him to the ground.


    Dante was behind him, twisting his arms out of their sockets while Byron had his foot on the man''s head, grinding his face into the hard te floor of the pce hallway.


    Dante''s fangs were extended and his eyes had turned blood red. Unlike before, on the ballroom floor, he was no longer even trying to hide his transformation. He was out for blood and he was not leaving until he was satiated.


    As he pocketed Candace''s pink jeweled ne, Dante yanked hard on the attacker''s arm for good measure.


    "Aaaaahhhh!!!" The man squealed in pain.


    "Who sent you?" Byron asked.


    "Aaaaahhhh!!!" The man screamed again.


    "I guess he''s not going to talk, so I''ll take one of his arms. The one that hurt my Candace. Was he right-handed or left-handed, Byron?"


    "Hmmm. I think he''s right-handed, but I''m not 100% sure."


    "Right arm it is."


    "Aaaaahhhh!!!" The man screamed in panic. "I''ll talk, I''ll talk!!!"


    He huffed and puffed with pain.


    "Earth. Earth Ambassador wanted the pink Avgo to be returned to him because it had been stolen. I''m just taking it back from the thief who stole it AAAAHHHHHHH!!!"


    THUNK THUNK


    Two arms promptly got detached from the shoulder joints and fell to the floor.


    "AAAAHHHHHHH AAAAHHHHHHH AAAAHHHHHHH"


    Dante took a delicate signature handkerchief and rubbed the blood from his razor sharp ws.


    It was nasty bloody work, but s. He didn''t have a sword on him at the moment, so out of necessity, he had to dirty his finger nails.


    He grimaced at Byron and dropped the handkerchief on the bloody stumps of the man who was still alive and howling in pain.


    "I couldn''t tell if it was the right hand that hurt my Candace or the left hand, so I took both."


    "Good call." Byron nodded.


    They both turned away, leaving the man on the floor to bleed to death in the hallway.


    By the time Byron and Dante returned to the backstage area, Lucas and Leonardo had already left for the Alpha Indigo Hospital, right behind te and Candace.


    There was no further reason to stay at the Royal Ball so they took off for Dante''s Moon to await the return of their Princess.


    Meanwhile, Jason and Jared had taken Jenna into their private transport pod to get her changed into something more appropriate.


    Once they emerged, Jenna was more appropriately dressed in a sleek ck sequined dress that made her cougar spots pop with visual appeal.


    She seemed to be far morefortable as well and held her head high as she walked back to the area where her group was located. She was, after all, wearing an exclusive design that the Twin Princes of Erenveil had created just for her.


    Once the twins had ensured that she was cared for, they returned to the Royal Banquet Table to keep an eye on the Royal family.


    It seemed as if nobody else knew what had happened behind the curtains. The festivities and revelry continued on throughout the night without stop.


    By this time, the Princes had regrouped via visuals and exchanged what they had gathered from the two attackers.


    It did not take long to see that both Earth and Emporia were partners of the same crime, but for very different reasons.


    All the Princes were of one mind about one thing.


    It was time to clean house.

 Chapter 87 - Lucandace Ship

    Byron rubbed his chin.


    "Are you sure it''s Emporia that''s behind this? I just can''t see King Mortimer Cordera pulling off something like this. Could it be Mattheus Cordera causing trouble for Emporia again?"


    te shook his head.


    "Mattheus went through a lot of trouble to take Candace alive. He even used me as ransom to get his hands on her. He wouldn''t want her dead."


    "But there is someone else who would have a motive." He raised an eyebrow. "Helene Cordera."


    Lucas rubbed his chin. "What about Earth? I was with that Dahlia woman for a week and I know one thing about her. She doesn''t want Candace dead. She''s not interested in going through the events."


    "Why?" Jared asked.


    Lucas rolled his eyes.


    "She doesn''t have what it takes. Not smart enough, not strong enough, not beautiful enough, not agile enough¡­she''s just not enough of anything."


    "She would rather Candace win everything and then hand it over to her so she doesn''t have to do anything to get the prize. She told me this herself." Lucas grimaced in distaste.


    "So if it wasn''t Dahlia who tried to kill Candace, could it be the Earth government so they can hand the Avgo stone to Dahlia?" Leonardo suggested.


    "It''s a distinct possibility. They''ve been trying to retrieve that gem from the start and they truly don''t care about Candace at all." Jared said.


    "So it''s a distinct possibility that Helene Cordera and the Earth delegates are together behind this." te pondered out loud.


    Dante narrowed his eyes in suspicion.


    "But who would be audacious enough to send attackers into the Royal Pce?"


    "And more importantly, who would have the power and authority to send all the Royal Guards away from the back area so the attackers could have ess to Candace?" Byron scratched his head.


    The Princes all looked at each other, not daring to voice the one thought that suddenly appeared in their minds.


    Could it have been an inside job done by someone who had ess and control of the Royal Guards? Someone they knew personally?


    Amidst the shocked silence of the Princes was the noise and mor behind Jason and Jared. Suddenly, the visuals shed the hottest news of the moment.


    Chosen by the trillions of people across the gxy was the winner of The People''s Choice award for the Cutest Couple of the Gxy.


    stered across huge visual banners were the faces of the Third Prince of Erenveil, Superstar of the entertainment world Lucas, alongside the People''s Choice as his perfect mate, Candace Farrah.


    "What the hell is going on behind you guys?" te snarled at the twins.


    "What? Hang on let me look." Jared turned and saw at the huge visuals of Lucas and Candace.


    "Hahaha!" He cackled and pped Jason on the shoulder.


    "Tiny Dancer and the Flower Boy just won the People''s Choice Award for ''Cutest Couple of the Gxy''."


    Jason turned to look at what Jared wasughing about and nearly fell over.


    "Holy macaroni! They''re now called Lucandace! Hahaha!" Jason guffawed as tears sprang from the corners of his eyes. "They actually look hot together!"


    "Cutest Couple of the Gxy?" Byron repeated, unable to believe his ears. "Whose horrible idea is this?"


    Lucas looked away, barely able to hide the pink tinge emerging on his cheeks.


    He had never thought about Candace as someone he could be with.


    Although he was Third Prince, even if she did not win first and go to Byron, the chance of him being able to approach her AFTER Dante rejected her was absolutely zero. Dante had fallen hard for this woman and would waste no time making her his woman.


    Lucas was also under no illusions about his chances. He was just an actor with no great wealth or skills. Added to that was the fact that he was a bit shy around her and it was hopeless from the very start.


    Dante scowled. "What the hell is a Cutest Couple of the Gxy?"


    Jason pursed his lips and had the temerity to look guilty.


    "It was my idea. We wanted a big ssh tounch our next fashion collection and we thought maybe we could use one of the Avgo Females and one of our brothers to help model our newest clothing line¡­"


    His voice trailed off as he caught sight of te''s furious blue eyes.


    "And?" He sounded furious.


    "So me and Jared came up with the idea for The People''s Choice Award for Couple of the Gxy."


    "I honestly never expected¡ª" Jason paused, turning away from te''s frosty stare.


    Lucas'' lips were pressed into a thin line as he stared at the visuals above him. The announcers were already starting to create memes about them and calling them the Lucandace couple.


    He was trying hard not to smile as he saw images of himself merged with images of Candace.


    The merges were so wless that the images portrayed them as if they were a solid couple who were deeply in love and were simply waiting for the right time to announce their rtionship.


    For a moment, Lucas dared to wish that it would somehow be true. But then he heard his brothers talking around him and that dream popped like the pipe dream that it was.


    "Jason." Dante''s face was a dark fury. "You know Lucas is famous across the gxy. He''s a mega star! Of course people are going to vote for him!"


    "And you also know thatpared to the rest of the Avgo Females, Candice''s beauty is beyondpare." Byron grounded. "Of course they are going to vote for her!"


    "Yes, yes. We realize that now." Jason stared miserably at Jared. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    When looked at it in that light, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Gctic public would support the Lucandace ship.


    It was unfortunate for Lucas that Byron, Dante, and te were at this moment, fuming at him. Leonardo didn''t say anything. He hadn''t said much the entire time, but Lucas could feel Leo''s disapproval.


    "What???" He turned back and red at his brothers. "You guys are acting like this is my fault. I have nothing to do with this. I''m a victim too!"


    "Don''t you dare y the victim card." Jason snickered. "I saw you smiling at that image of you and Tiny Dancer. You''re really enjoying it, aren''t you?"


    Lucas sighed.


    "I''m the one who has to escort that damned Halloway woman around while the rest of you get to spend real quality time with Candace. And you''re begrudging me a few faked photo ops?"


    The brothers looked away. They couldn''t argue with that.


    "So who is the person that has the ability tomand royal guards and would benefit the most if she died?" Leonardo grumbled, growing more frustrated.


    te closed his eyes.


    "When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."*


    ===========


    *Arthur Conan Doyle

 Chapter 88 - The Big Kahuna

    "Do you know who the Captain of Raptor 437 is?" te posed the question to his brothers.


    Jason and Jared shook their heads and Lucas looked confused. Leonardo''s face was uncaring.


    Dante and Byron however, gave swift intakes of breaths.


    te nodded.


    "That''s right. Do you think just any random person walking down the street could be a Captain on one of my Command ships?" te snarled with barely suppressed fury.


    "Niles Garr was made Captain because he has very deep and strong ties to our family and nobody thought he would ever betray us."


    Lucas scratched his head. "Are you telling me that your ex-ship captain wanted Candace dead?"


    te shook his head.


    "He has a younger cousin whomands the Royal Guards¡ªthe same guards who were responsible for security at the Royal Ball. His name is Joshua Darvin."


    te''s eyes grew frosty.


    "Niles betrayed me. Joshua is highly suspect."


    "Why have we not rooted this man out once Niles was shown to have been a traitor to the Crown?" Dante scowled.


    "Because Dante. Do you remember who his mother is?" te raised an eyebrow.


    "Oh that''s right!" Dante gasped. "The Empress has a twin sister. He''s the Empress'' nephew!"


    Byron pressed his palms to his head. "He''s my maternal cousin. His mother is my mother''s twin sister."


    te stood up.


    "I''m going to go confront him now."


    Leonardo pulled him back down.


    "Sit. You''re supposed to be an invalid right now."


    "But Josh needs to be¡ª"


    "I''ll take care of Joshua Darvin." Byron''s eyes glittered with something that was far more than rage.


    It almost seemed personal.


    Leonardo turned to te. "Candace is just about done with the physical examinations from my doctors. Let''s just go get her and you can spend some time with her."


    He turned back to Byron. "I''m sure our eldest brother can handle Josh."


    "With pleasure," Byron grated through gritted teeth.


    ======


    Candi was sitting up on the bed, bored out of her skull when te finally appeared. She gave him a broad smile and patted the side of her bed.


    "You''re finally here to take me home!"


    "Home? Where is the home that you want me to take you to?" te asked with a grin as he approached her bedside.


    Candi blinked. She hadn''t thought about it much, but obviously, home was no longer her apartment in LA. She was now a wanted fugitive there.


    The only ce that seemed to be home to her was the set of suites that had been carved out for her inside Dante''s Moon, along with the museum and dance hall.


    "I don''t really have a home any more, do I?" She looked up as he sat down next to her.


    te reached out and gathered her into his arms. This time, he was reserved andposed and didn''t seem as if he was starving to death for her touch and taste.


    "Your home is anywhere Erenveil has amand presence. You are my queen and wherever you go, that is home."


    Candi smiled into his shoulder. te always said the nicest things.


    "I''m actually healed. I feel just fine so we don''t have to remain in his hospital any more."


    "I''m d you''re healed, but we will remain here for a bit longer. "


    "But tomorrow is the Avgo Event," she gave a mild protest.


    te pulled back to look at her.


    "Yes, but that''s tomorrow. For the rest of tonight, the doctors will want you to remain in this room so they can keep an eye on you."


    "My room is across the hallway from yours, so I won''t be too far away just in case you need me for anything." His blue eyes sparkled with hope and anticipation.


    "But I don''t have anything to wear to the event." She looked down at her hospital gown.


    te smiled and tapped her forehead.


    "Do you think the twins are going to allow you to appear at any function without wearing one of their creations? Jason and Jared will bring your outfitter on so you will be able to depart directly from this room to the Celestial Pantheon for your Brilliance and Intellect Event."


    Candi sighed. The Brilliance and Intellect Event. She absolutely had no idea how to prepare for this one.


    Somehow, reading just one more book wasn''t going to make her any smarter, and rubbing more lemon on her hair was not going to make her look any more brilliant.


    te leaned over and kissed her cheek.


    "Don''t worry too much. The Brilliance and Intellect Event is very low-impact. You won''t be asked to climb up cliff sides or fight off snarling beasts. You will do just fine."


    Candi nodded. She could only trust that it would be something she could surpass with little preparation.


    But something in the pit of her stomach kept churning. It was like sitting in a very important examination and not preparing anything at all for the test.


    Dinner that night was a muted affair. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    te had joined her at the dining table that had been wheeled into the hospital room by the staff and was trying his best to get her to eat something.


    Candi was not a picky eater. She truly gave an honest effort to swallow down the meal, but partway through, she gave up. Hospital food was normally not that tasty due to dietary restrictions of patients, and it was no different here.


    She was staring at her dish of nd looking rice porridge when a knock on the door sounded.


    "Just in time." te threw his napkin down and went to open the door.


    In trooped Jason and Jared along with their two assistants, carrying bags and boxes of things.


    "My Dearest Tiny Dancer!" Jared announced as he approached the dining area.


    He took one look at her meal and gave a disgusted look.


    "Is Leo trying to poison my Tiny Dancer? Get rid of that stuff." He motioned at one of the assistants.


    Jason smiled. "It''s a good thing we brought some food along."


    He ced a stacked basket of steaming dumplings of all varieties, shapes and sizes.


    "Ahhhh!!!" Candi shrieked with excitement and picked one out with her fingers.


    "Ouch!" She threw it back and forth between her quick fingers. "Hot! Hot!"


    She promptly stuffed it into her mouth, burning her tongue in the process. But Candi didn''t care. It was soooo good!


    "Ummmmmm." She smiled at the dumpling''s hot savory taste.


    The Princes allughed and watched as she ate with gusto. Meanwhile, Jared had already begun to pull out the outfit they brought along.


    "Since you will not need to do any strenuous physical activities for this next Avgo Event, we have decided to dress you in our family''s traditional outfit."


    Jared began pulling the paper tissue wrapping from the outfit. With a flourish, he pulled thest of the white tissue to reveal a full length dress of the finest gold muga silk.


    It had arge cor that was worn off the shoulders and gathered at the waist, with flounced skirts that fell in voluminous folds all the way down to the floor.


    At the center, where each end of the cor met, the pink Avgo gemstone replica that had been forcibly taken from her was now back in ce.


    Next to the dress, Jason had also produced the finest Princess diadem and bracelets that would go with the pink Avgo gemstone.


    Candi''s eyes rounded.


    "Your family''s traditional outfit?" She gasped. "Wait, but you''re royalty."


    "Yes. This is an outfit that a Princess from our royal lineage would wear. Only the royal women of our lineage are allowed to wear gold muga silk." Jared grinned.


    Candi grimaced.


    "But I''m not royalty."


    "Then I suggest you take it up with the Big Kahuna. He was the one who ordered it to be made for you."


    "Big¡ªwho?"


    te''s eyes crinkled with merriment.


    "Big Kahuna is what we call our father when we''re teasing him."


    "Wait.." Candi held up a hand in protest. "The Emperor ordered this dress for me?"

 Chapter 89 - If You Need Me, Come To Me

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT] n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After the twins had left the night before, leaving the dress and jewelry with her, te had also returned to his room.


    ''If you miss me,e to me'', he had said, but her mind was in such a whirl, it was as if she needed the time and space to be alone, to rest, to not even think.


    She turned this way. Then she turned that way. Then she turned on her tummy. But then her neck began to ache, so she flipped onto her back.


    It was impossible to sleep. Her mind kept whirling with everything that had happened and she could barely contain her tumultuous thoughts.


    Her life was such a huge chaos at the moment. All her carefullyid ns for bing an archaeologist and traveling the world to study ancient civilizations seemed to have belonged in a past life.


    It was barely two weeks ago, but it seemed so long ago and far away. she could barely see what wasing next.


    Candi endured another hour of restless twisting and turning and finally, she gave up. Throwing her covers back, she slid to the floor and padded to the door.


    Poking her head out into the hallway lit with cool blue lights, she nced this way and that. No one was around.


    She quickly moved across the hall and stood flushed against the entryway. Reaching out with a hesitant hand, she gave a gentle rap against the door.


    Within seconds, the door opened. Candi felt herself being picked up and carried inside by a pair of very familiar tree trunk arms.


    "What took you so long?" A deep husky voice sounded into her ear. "I was starting to think you no longer cared and had forgotten about me."


    He sounded forlorn and woeful as he nuzzled his head into her neck.


    The room was dimly lit and she could barely see him after having emerged from the bright hallway, but she could smell the familiar faint musky vani scent of his male skin.


    She reached out to touch him, feeling his familiar hard tree trunk body.


    "Were you waiting? What if I''d fallen asleep?"


    te picked her up and took her over to his bed where he sat both of them down, with her settled on hisp.


    "Then I would have stayed up until morning, and then I would have invaded your room and demand just payback for making me wait all night in vain."


    He began nuzzling her neck with soft warm lips even as he rubbed his thumb over the tip of her right breast.


    "I have missed you so much. We''ve been apart for so long that my body is going into withdrawal for want of your touch."


    Candi gave a swift intake of breath as the sweet sensation from her nipple blossomed throughout her body. Her nipple hardened and became erect within seconds, poking from behind the fabric of the hospital gown.


    He smiled at her reaction and reached out with both hands, cupping her breasts and squeezing them gently. Then he lowered his head and pushed his face into the space between her breasts, breathing deeply.


    "You smell so good Candace, like sweet summer fruit wine. I am trying to contain myself because you''re not mine, but I cannot help myself. I am starving." He whispered into her bosom.


    "What happens if you cannot control yourself?"


    He paused for a moment.


    "I''m not sure, but I know this. If it wasn''t for this damned Avgopetition which binds you to its ancient marriage dictates and stiptions, do you honestly think I would allow for any other man to have a chance to be with you?"


    Suddenly, with the growl of a beast, he grabbed the neckline of her hospital gown with both hands and tore the fabric apart, exposing her entire front.


    Her pink ares peeked out at te, making him smile with anticipation. His fingers curled around the soft mounds, kneading and ying with them.


    Leaning closer, he began rubbing them against his face and his lips. "Ahhhh. I can''t get enough of your breasts. They drive me insane."


    Candi leaned her head back, her pink lips parted as she breathed in the scent of his body and hers, intermingling.


    She could hear the uncontroble wanton sounds that her throat was making, a mewling gasping choking sound that incited te more and more. Her body trembled from the sweet tingly sensations he was causing on her nipples.


    He cupped her breasts and sucked hard on the milky softness, creating red kiss marks. Then, he returned to her nipples and concentrated on them, licking and sucking, first one then the other.


    He continued licking and sucking at her erect nipples until she could no longer sit still.


    "te¡­" she mewled.


    "Use your words, Candace." He whispered. "If you want me to stop, tell me now because I am close to reaching the point of no return."


    "Aaaahhhh, te." She gasped "Don''t stop¡­"


    "Hold on, Baby Girl." He whispered.


    He shifted her body until she was straddling him on the bed, and then slowly, he reached under her gown. The fabric was so thin that it might as well have been nonexistent.


    He pushed the front of the fabric up until he could see her underwear. His fingers reached in and he began gently tickling her bud from the outside.


    The sensation of his touch was electrifying. Candi gasped, twitching her body.


    He grabbed her jaw and brought her mouth back to his. As his fingers yed against the cloth fabric of her underwear, he began plundering her mouth with his tongue.


    The intery of the two stimulus points was more than she could handle. Candi sobbed and mewled, the sounds caught in her throat.


    Her underwear had gotten soaked from his touching. With one quick movement, te hooked a finger into the fabric and with a sharp extended w, tore it from her body, setting her womanhood free from the constraints of the panties.


    Then he retracted his w, exposing the soft tips of his fingers. Reaching down, he began swirling and rubbing against her nub, dipping into her moist sensitive crevice, ying her like a sweetly taut instrument.


    "Aaahhh! Haaahh haaaahhh," she gasped. Her toes curled with the intense sensation. Her fingers reflexively reached for him.


    "I want to---haaaah---touch you too¡­" she blindly grabbed at the front of his robe, pulling apart the ties and reaching in to touch his chest.

 Chapter 90 - The Taste Of A Demigod

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    te''srge body trembled at her touch. He could not hide the raging desire wracking through his body.


    Candi fondled his male nipples until he shivered with delight. Leaning forward, she began tasting and nuzzling his male nipples, causing him to hiss and groan with pleasure.


    Then she slowly moved her hand lower, touching each ne of his muscled torso until they touched his lower abdomen. The muscles of his stomach quivered with anticipation.


    He was still wearing his pajama bottoms and he was far too heavy for her to remove them. She also didn''t have the kind of ws he had to just tear into them and rip them off him.


    Seeing her struggle with the front of his pants, te shifted his body from her and pulled at his pants until they slipped to his feet. With a swift kick, they were on the floor a few feet away, and then he was sitting naked on the bed.


    Hisrge swollen member was now free and wide open for Candi''s ministration.


    Her hand continued moving down until they touched the edges of curled hair on his groin. And then her hand reached down to grab the base of his erect member.


    te threw back his head and hissed.


    She slid down to the floor onto her knees and leaned forward. His shaft was hard and hot, standing in erect attention. It was waiting for her eagerly with its one weepy eye.


    Candi wasted no time. She parted her lips and covered the tip of his erection with her mouth. Her tongue darted about, licking and tasting the juice running out of the little weepy eye.


    Then her tongue ran under the base of his shaft, tickling the raised underside tube which ended into his sacks.


    With her hands still grasping onto his rock hard member, she began licking each individual pearl, tonguing the soft undersides of his pouch. This caused te''s breath to increase, so she paused, and then licked it again.


    He began growling softly.


    Candi smiled. She had found a sensitive spot.


    Her tongue darted out and she began licking the base of his testicles and gently suckling on one of his spheres.


    He began to quiver uncontrobly. She moved onto his other testicle and took that into her mouth, rolling it around with her tongue.


    "Aaaaagghhh." He groaned with pleasure, his shaft pulsing several times as his muscles spasmed.


    Slowly, she lowered her head, even as her eyes continued to gaze into his passion filled face. He stared at her through half-lidded blue eyes that widened as he saw her open up her mouth to take the head of his length inside.


    Slowly, she moved her head down until she could feel it hitting the back of her throat. She pushed further down and began swallowing the head of his shaft into her throat.


    Then, slowly and with steady strokes, she began to pump his shaft into her mouth.


    As she stroked him into her throat, he groaned and shook with the effort of trying to control himself. But there can be no control when he was already so close to the edge.


    "Aaaaaarrgggghhhh!!!" He roared and gasped as his body hit the zenith of his desire.


    Clutching her head, he pulled her hard into his crotch. His shaft pulsed and throbbed as spurts of hot desire filled her mouth and spilled from her lips onto his body. There was so much semen that he drenched the bed where theyy.


    For a moment, it was all te could do just to gasp and fight for his breath as his body quivered and shook with the spasms of ecstasy. It took a few moments, but he was finally able to regain his senses.


    "I''m so sorry, Baby." He whispered, still panting. "Did I hurt you?"


    "No. You didn''t hurt me at all." She smiled, wiping his fluids from her mouth. "How are you feeling?"


    "It felt so good my sweet adorable Baby Candace. I can''t hold onto my self control when you do that. Come back up here and let me make love to you."


    As he lifted her up off the floor, te gentlyid her on the bed and rolled over her, his long dark hair falling down around him, his brilliant blue eyes looking down at her like a male demigod.


    "You have to be at your best for tomorrow''s Avgo Event so we can''t take this entire night to make love, but at the very least, we can slow down a bit."


    He took a deep shuddering breath.


    "With the way you kissed me just now, I am elerating too far too fast." He leaned down and touched his lips to her forehead.


    "Let''s take it slow."


    Lowering his head to her breasts, he began to kiss her nipples again, fondling them between his fingers. "You are so soft¡­" he muttered. "I love your unique scent."


    "I have a unique scent?"


    "Yes. You have a unique scent, Candace. I am addicted to your smell. When you have no perfume on, your skin naturally smells like fresh milk...and I am so hungry for your milk!"


    He began suckling her once more. First one breast, and then the other. He could not get enough of her, licking both breasts in turn and suckling like a newborn babe.


    Candace forgot to breathe.


    She could barely take a breath, as the sensation of his wet tongue flicking and swirling around the tip of her nipple caused her loins to gush with moisture.


    His fingers continued to torment her body.


    "You are so wet. I want a taste so badly."


    Sliding down, he reached with his hands and spread open her thighs. Her flower opened up before his eyes, pink and moist.


    He reached between her legs and separated the lips of her petals. More nectar gushed out, in anticipation of his touch.


    "Candi baby, your scent is driving me insane." He lowered his lips and dipped his tongue into the separated petals of her womanhood.


    "Haaaaaahhh." Candi gasped as she felt his hot wet tongue sliding in and out of her opening. Her legs shivered, but he grasped her thighs and kept them spread wide open, giving himplete ess to her body.


    He continued prating her lightly with his tongue until it seemed as if she would explode from the sensation of his licks inside her body.


    And then he backed off her fleshybia and moved upward, onto the tight hard bud that had swollen to the size of a small bean.


    "Oh Woman. You taste so good." He nuzzled her clit with his lips.


    "I love the scent, the taste, the feel of your female body. The more I suck, the more you gush."


    He lowered his head and continued suckling her bud until Candi cried with ecstasy.


    His tongue flicked, gently and quickly at first, but then as she rose higher and higher, he slowed his licking down and took her entire bud into his mouth, suckling it gently, rhythmically, skillfully.


    It was so exquisite. So elegant. So deliciously rapturous that she could not help but tremble and shiver with a delight so pure that tears sprang from her eyes. The more he sucked, the higher she flew.


    She began to convulse, her body trembling, trying to reach the climactic point, which was about to happen. It was so close¡­so, so close.


    And then Candi saw a sh of light exploding from her eyes.


    "Haaa! Ahhh! Ah!" She shrieked, clutching onto his head and shoving his mouth into her womanhood. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The sweetest sensation gushed and pounded over her as she shook in cascades of orgasmic release.


    As Candi fell back onto the sheets, te moved up, taking her mouth with his, letting her taste the nectar of herself, mixed with his own saliva.


    "Let''s run away from here." He muttered into her mouth. "Let''s go somewhere far far away where nobody knows who we are."


    Candi sighed.


    "You''re a Prince of Erenveil and I''m an Avgo Female. We''re not exactly incognito. Everyone in the gxy has seen us. Everyone knows who we are. Where can we go?"


    te sighed and rested his head on her body. He had fallen in love with this woman so hard that he could not see himself living without her.


    But the truth remained.. She was not his to im.

 Chapter 91 - The Golden Couple

    It was past midnight when te finally carried Candi back to her room and tucked her into bed. The Avgo event would start soon and she needed to sleep as much as she could to be mentally ready for it.


    As it was, Candi was up and about early in the morning.


    The twins had arranged for their assistants to arrive that morning to help her bathe and dress for the event, but she was so full of nervous energy about the Avgo Event that she had already taken her bath and was sitting there waiting for her hair to dry.


    By the time she had gotten dressed in the heavy gold royal dress, with her hair styled and jeweled with the tiara, Leonardo hade knocking on her door to escort her off the Alpha Indigo Hospital.


    Her mouth dropped when she saw Leonardo.


    His long golden blond hair had been tied back in a neat ponytail, revealingrge aquamarine eyes, high cheekbones and a noble nose. His ssically beautiful male face was heart-stopping.


    Men should not be this beautiful!


    His lush shapely lips curved in a beautiful smile as he saw her.


    "You are a goddess," he breathed as he stared at her, mesmerized.


    Candace was checking him out at the same time.


    He was dressed in royal robes of the same gold silk muga fabrics she wore. On his brow was a royal band denoting his rank of Fourth Prince of Erenveil. On hispel, the blue and white insignia of a First ss Physician.


    As he moved closer to her, she could smell that familiar mint and sandalwood scent that was so very unique to Leonardo.


    "We have matching outfits!" Sheughed.


    Leonardo grinned.


    "Each of the royal children have a set of this exact same gold outfit to be worn at the winter solstice event each year. Father has weed you into the family. In his mind, you are already a Princess of Erenveil, and who is going to argue with the Emperor?"


    Who, indeed? Sheughed again nervously.


    He looked at her with appreciative aquamarine eyes, .


    "But to be honest, it doesn''t matter what you wear. Your spirit shines through so brightly that I can barely breathe." Leonardo reached out and touched her cheek. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Thank you, Leonardo." She smiled up at him.


    He bowed and extended his arm. "If you are ready, we can leave for the Celestial Pantheon for your Brilliance and Intellect Event."


    ========


    The Celestial Pantheon was a white marbled columned structure with 18 giant scantily-d carved figures holding up the roof line of the portico in front, and a round domed structure attached at the rear.


    It was built on a floating ind that was above the scattered cumulus clouds and looked like a castle in the sky.


    Once she and Leonardonded on the circr pavednding pad, hundreds of media pods that were aiming their visual instruments at the front of the portico began to converge in on Candi and Leonardo.


    Virtual screens popped up around the floating ind showed their images as they walked on the paved pathway across the green scape towards the front of the portico.


    The images were a dizzying kaleidoscope of green grass and gold royal outfits, with closeups of Candace''s and Leonardo''s faces and their fair golden hair.


    Candi''s hair was a slightly darker shade of honey blonde than Leonardo''s spun pale gold hair, but theyplemented each other so beautifully that they looked like the Golden Couple of Erenveil.


    Suddenly, new memes began to spring up everywhere around the gxy as the Leonandace ship began to sail.


    Once they were safely inside the Pantheon, a waiting attendant took them through a side aisle and up a set of stairs.


    Leonardo was shown to a waiting area that had been set up with food and drinks and plenty of seating that was arranged so that it had a clean view of the stage area at the back of the Pantheon.


    "Good luck." He whispered and leaned down to give her a kiss. It was a gentle kiss, brief but full of promise, and the media pods caught every angle of that kiss, sting it out everywhere for the gxy to see.


    She was then escorted to a very familiar looking ss tform at the back of the circr chamber.


    There was arge lush deep carpet of a pale champagne color on the ss tform and a kidney shaped brown leather couch that was set on top.


    Around the back area was a series of cream panels that were erected, causing the tform to seem as if it was enclosed within a room.


    Seeing no one around, Candi went to the leather couch and sat down.


    Although Candi was about five minutes early, she was surprised no one else had shown up. Jenna and Ana?se should have been here by now. Those two were always early to a fault.


    Five minutester, she was still sitting there, alone on a ss tform, staring out at a cavernous chamber of apletely empty Celestial Pantheon.


    As she sat, her eyes took in her surroundings with a touch of suspicion. Something was not quite right.


    If it hadn''t been for the fact that she had arrived with Leonardo and had been escorted to this room by an attendant, she would have thought she was herepletely alone.


    She was about to go look for Leonardo to find out what was going on when one of the panels disappeared.


    Behind it was a table with an assortment of items. A hammer, some pliers, a pair of scissors, a knife, and a bundle of rope.


    Ah. Finally. They were going to be tested on how to use tools.


    She got up from the sofa and went to the table to take a closer look at the tools.


    As she approached the table, a panel to the right of the tools table opened to reveal a bloody, beaten Leonardo, chained to one of the marble support columns that surrounded the ss tform.


    Candace gasped.


    "Oh my God!" She ran to him and quickly unbound his gag. "Can you speak? What happened? Who did this?"


    Candace ran her fingers around the chains that bound him to the column. There was no obvious lock mechanism she could pick and there was no way she could break the column apart.


    She pushed his long blond hair from his face to check on his physical condition.


    Leonardo was barely conscious. His aqua eyes were bloodshot and dted and he could barely focus on her.


    He whispered one word. "Bomb," and fell unconscious, his long gold hair tumbling over as he grew ck against the chains.


    Bomb? She looked around Leonardo seeing nothing.


    She had to unchain him from the column, but the chains wererge iron links that could not be removed with the few pitiful tools that were at the table.


    What could she do with a hammer, some pliers, a pair of scissors, a knife, and a bundle of rope?


    As her eyes darted back to the tools table, another panel opened up to reveal arge metal box. It had a timer set on top for five minutes, and that timer was rapidly moving down.


    So that was the bomb he had spoken about.


    And this stupid Brilliance and Intellect test was to see what she would do in a crisis situation, with a Prince''s life on the line.


    Candi groaned.


    Wasn''t this supposed to have been an easy no-stress situation where she was just supposed to answer some math or logic questions?


    How was she supposed to handle a crisis situation like this, stuffed like a turkey into a heavy gold royal dress?

 Chapter 92 - Leonandace

    Candi eyed the tools table.


    There was a a hammer, some pliers, a pair of scissors, a knife, and a bundle of rope. They were the usual generic tools that could tackle most any situations.


    Unfortunately for her, this was not one of those situations that could be fixed with a hammer or a pair of pliers.


    On one side was a bomb with less than five minutes left to go.


    On the other side was a chained Prince of Erenveil in desperate need of medical assistance.


    There was no way to cut through the iron chains.


    The hammer would be useless. Even if she used it to beat down on the knife to see if she could shatter one of the iron links, there was still the matter of time.


    There was not enough time to extract Leonardo from his chains before the bomb exploded. It would take too long to even break a single link of that iron chain. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She nced at the doorway on the other side of the Pantheon.


    If she ran really fast, she could easily make it out of the Pantheon before the bomb exploded, but that would mean leaving Leonardo behind to die when the bomb exploded.


    She could never do that.


    Candi turned back to look at the bomb. It was set up in the normal way, chained to the box with the same type of chain that was used on Leonardo.


    She leaned in closer to look at its timer mechanism. It was a simple set-up.


    There were two obvious wires that connected the timer to the bomb. One was pink and the other was yellow. The wires were even pre-exposed for her to choose.


    Candi looked at the tools table.


    She had a pair of scissors that she could use to cut one of the wires. The problem was, there would be no way to know which wire to cut. Snipping the wrong wire would mean she and Leonardo kissed this life goodbye.


    The other option would be for her to drag the bomb away from Leonardo.


    A quick nce at the table threw that idea out the window. Not only was it was bolted to the hard concrete floor, it was also too heavy for her to lift.


    Dragging it using the rope was no good either. She wouldn''t make it past the stage area before she ran out of time. With only three minutes left to go, Candi was quickly running out of options.


    She gritted her teeth and ran to the tools table.


    Reaching out, she grabbed the pair of scissors. Wasting no more time, Candi ran back to Leonardo.


    Damn.


    He was bleeding all over the floor from the cut on his head.


    She leaned in closer to him and checked his breathing and pulse. He was cold to the touch, but his vital signs seemed to be functioning.


    "You''re going to be fine, Leonardo. Don''t worry Honey. I''m right here." She leaned closer and kissed his cheek.


    Blood from his head smeared onto her hands and face but Candi disregarded the mess. The most critical part of his injury was his bleeding. She had to try and stem the blood loss.


    She grabbed one section of her skirt and snipped a few sections of the fabric. In quick motions, she tore long strips of the priceless mugo silk into bandage sized sections.


    With deft hands, she bound his head with the silk, effectively stemming the tide of blood that was flowing from his head injury.


    A quick nce showed that she had less than a minute left of time before the bomb exploded.


    Taking a deep breath, she called out.


    "Avgo, get your ass out here!"


    Instantly, the pink Avgo hovered above her, refracting its deep inner brilliance and throwing its faceted light around.


    With fierce eyes, she raised herself onto her toes and wrapped her arms around Leonardo, sheltering his head into her shoulder and covering his ears.


    "Hang on Honey!" She called out to him and closed her eyes, bracing for the impact of the explosion.


    ¡­


    ¡­


    ¡­


    BOOM!!!


    The st was so loud, for a moment, she could not hear anything. She could feel the force of the heat that the st generated, but it was a diffused heat and not one that would be able to kill her.


    The pink Avgo gemstone had done its job by throwing a force shield around her, and because she was holding onto Leonardo so tightly, it had also protected him from harm.


    "Oh thank heavens." She muttered, rubbing at his golden head that was still sheltered within her embrace.


    "And there you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen! That concludes our exciting Brilliance and Intellect Event!"


    The sound of Lorem Ipsum reverberated through the Celestial Pantheon as the cheering and pping rose to fevered pitch.


    Candi opened her eyes and saw Leonardo''s aqua blue eyes gazing down at her full of love and adoration.


    Was this all a fake unfunny joke?


    "You''re not hurt." She mumbled, still in shock.


    "Thanks to you, I''m perfectly safe, My Love." He leaned down and kissed her with a desperate fierce intensity that he had never shown before.


    Leonardo found himself falling into the abyss with no way out, and he was weing the fall with open arms. If there was ever any doubt that she was heaven sent¡ªthe perfect woman for him, it hadpletely been dispelled.


    This was a woman who disregarded her own safety to protect others around her. She had shown that when she ran into danger to save te.


    She exemplified it again today, when she used her own body to shield him from the effects of the bomb st.


    He muttered a couple of words, disengaging himself from chains that fell away at his magicmand.


    Reaching out, he picked her up and carried her to the center of the ss tform.


    The st had damaged everything within the vicinity, but it did not damage the tform itself.


    He spoke another powermand and reality shifted. Suddenly, Candi could see the interior of the Pantheon.


    It was filled with people!


    Lorem Ipsum was standing on a small floating tform among the crowd, smiling at her and Leonardo. He waved a hand and a virtual screen showed the close up image of Leonardo holding onto Candi, their faces mere inches apart.


    They were both bloody and disheveled, their clothing torn and ripped, but they were apparently unharmed.


    From everywhere, the audience began a chant which sounded suspiciously like Leonandace.


    "LEONANDACE!!! LEONANDACE!!! LEONANDACE!!!"


    "What''s going on?" She murmured into his ear.


    "It looks like you did well at this event," he turned to look at her with aqua eyes as warm as a summer day.


    "You saved me, Cancandi.." He whispered as he once again leaned down and kissed her in full view of the entire audience.

 Chapter 94 - Ana?ses Test

    Leonardo did not wait for Candi to agree.


    With a flourish of his hand, the virtual monitor shed to a different view. It was another empty tform with the same cream carpet and the same brown couch.


    Ana?se Paroles didn''t even bother to sit on the sofa. She wandered around, taking note of everything that was in the room.


    Her eyes nced up to check ceiling height and the walls on all sides. She even checked the stability of the sofa and flipped up the underside of the carpet to check for anomalies.


    Candi was impressed.


    This was a woman who was thorough with all her preparations. If anyone would win a Brilliance and Intellectpetition, it would be Ana?se.


    The moment the Event officially began, the center panel disappeared revealing a table holding the hammer, pliers, scissors, a knife, and the bundle of rope.


    Ana?se grabbed the rope and hung it on her belt, along with the pliers, scissors and knife. The hammer, she picked up and held in her hand.


    If there was need for any of these tools, she would not have to run back to the tools table to pick anything up. Candi shook her head, impressed at the way Ana?se''s brain worked.


    What a smart woman.


    Candi was smiling at the ingenuity of the silicon blue ss female when the right side of the room opened up showing te tied up and bleeding from an open wound on his torso.


    Even knowing it was fake, Candi could not hold in a sharp hiss. He looked badly hurt, which brought back very recent memories when she had seen him badly hurt before.


    Beside her, Leonardo reached out and gave her a reassuring hug.


    She leaned against him, drawing in his warmth andfort as she continued to watch the virtual screen.


    Like Jenna and herself, Ana?se ran to him, checking his pulse and breathing. As soon as she had assured herself he was not in imminent danger, she began trying various ways to extract him from the chains.


    The one advantage Ana?se had was the ability to work with rocks. She began melting parts of the marble column, and had she been given another twenty minutes, Ana?se would have been able to shape enough of the marble to loosen up the chains and pull te out.


    Unfortunately, the bomb appeared a few minutes into her marble sculpting attempt.


    Ana?se ran over to the bomb and studied it from various angles. Her fingers flexed and clenched as she stood there thinking through the problem.


    At one point, she looked at te, and then at the scissors on her belt. But then she shook her head. There was no way she could use any of these tools.


    She threw the hammer to the ground and began rubbing her hands.


    At first, her rubbing was slow. One minuteter, she had increased her rubbing that her hands were starting to glow a white yellow color. The faster she rubbed, the whiter the color became.


    With only two minutes left on the bomb timer, Ana?se began building a ss bubble around the bomb. Suddenly, all around her, the marble floors were starting to melt. She was taking marble from the floor to build the ss bubble around the bomb.


    Candi''s jaw dropped. This woman''s rock magic was so amazing she could not believe her eyes.


    One minuteter, a strong ss bubble had epassed the bomb, and Ana?se ceased her ss magic. She turned to look at te, as if wishing him good luck, and then made a mad dash for the front door. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It seemed as if Ana?se felt that she had done all she could to try and contain the st with her magic. She could not extract te in the amount of time given.


    There was no other choice. She had to save herself


    Thinking it through in a logical fashion, the percentage of his death was very high whereas the percentage of her death was extremely low if she simply ran from the building before the bomb went off.


    She had already calcted the time it would take to reach the front doors and had allowed the timer to roll down to the final second to give the ss bubble as much strength as she could fortify it.


    As Ana?se raced through the double doors of the portico, the st roared through, sting her onto the grassy area in front of the Pantheon.


    Because she was far enough from the center of the st, Ana?se was able to roll through the force andnded back on her feet after the roll.


    The monitor split screen showed the fire raging through the tform, engulfing te where he was chained.


    Candi''s eyes watered, but of course, once the fire blew past, he emerged without a scratch.


    Pulling on his chains, he threw them down onto the floor and stood at the front of the tform, staring out into the bright sunshine.


    From outside, the crystal blue figure of Ana?se stood in the grass, looking back at the partially destroyed Celestial Pantheon.


    It was too dark within the Pantheon for her to see him, but there was no need. Two assistants were striding up to Ana?se and escorting her off the floating ind on a transport pod.


    It was then that the visual of Ana?se Paroles ended.


    "Oh wow. She ran away." Candi choked out. It was something that didn''t even cross her mind to do. All the Princes were supremely important to her, and she would have never abandoned them to face death alone.


    "Yes," Leonardo took a deep breath. "Her Prince died in her care."


    Candi turned to him with a quizzed look.


    "I don''t understand. Are each of us given a Prince that we''re supposed to protect? Is that the end goal? Is that the real test?"


    Leonardo smiled.


    "My Darling, the real test was to see what each of the Avgo Females would do given the exact same situation. Based upon each of your personalities, we had some ideas of what you might do, but of course, there were surprises."


    "Surprises?" Candi asked.


    Leonardoughed.


    "Watch what happens to the next Avgo Female."

 Chapter 97 - Royal Family BBQ

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    What was he talking about? Only Winner?


    Candi followed the royal family to the dining table and sat down where the twins ced her. Lyra and Daisy promptly sidded up next her and became her best buddies.


    Ariana followed behind the Empress, sitting next to her and across from Candi. The girl continued to gaze at her with shy light brown eyes, even as she held onto the Empress'' arm.


    The Emperor sat next to the Empress, chatting about court things that Candi didn''t understand.


    The Princes never really sat down anywhere. They moved about, serving the family the meats and grilled vegetables and corn cobs as they wereing from the grill cooked to perfection.


    Of the servants, there were none. The Princes had sent them all away, insisting on being the ones to serve the family with their own hands.


    They weren''t hurting for food at any rate. The men stuffed their faces as they stood around the grill talking about whatever it was that royal Princes wearing tight colorful swim shorts talked about.


    "So, my dear Candace," the Emperor said as he munched on the grilled corn on the cob. "Have you thought about what you will showcase for your next Avgo Event tomorrow?"


    Candi shook her head. She hadn''t even thought about what the next event was supposed to be.


    "Your Majesty, I¡ª"


    "Ack! Don''t call me that. It makes me feel like I should put on my work robes. Call me Father. You might as well get used to it since it looks like you''re going to be married to one of these bums."


    He pointed at the seven tall Princes who were still at the barbecue grill talking andughing to themselves.


    "So tell me My Dear." He chortled. "Which of these gutterpups of mine have you set your sights on?"


    "It''s a little early yet to be talking about choices, Rex." The Empressughed a light tinklyugh. "There are still four Avgo events left, and if she wins, it will be Byron she marries."


    "Right, right." The Emperor chuffed, patting the Empress on the shoulder with his greasy food-stained hand. "At this moment, she is far far ahead of the others which means she''s getting closer to bing the Crown Princess."


    The Empress gave Candace an excited smile, even as she surreptitiously wiped her shoulder with a napkin.


    "Have you had a chance to take a look at your rankings for the Brilliance and Intellect Event yet My Dear?"


    "Not yet, Your Royal Highness." Candi looked down at her hands. She hadn''t had a chance to do anything, as the Princes had been dragging her from one ce to the next.


    The Empress smiled. "You are doing a fantastic job. Keep it up my dear and you will definitely win First ce prize."


    "Yes! Haha!" The Emperor banged on the table with his fork and knife. "Speaking of whom¡ª", he hollered towards the barbecue grill.


    "More ribs, Byron! Stop eating them all and bring some here to the table. Your future wife hasn''t even had a piece and the seven of you have eaten most of them!"


    The Empress closed her eyes and shook her head.


    "You''ve eaten the entire te of ribs that the boys brought to the table. If Candace didn''t get any, it''s because of you!"


    "Oh hush. There''s plenty more. They just need to cook faster!" Heughed to himself and took thest rib on the serving te.


    From the grill, Byron brought another tter of ribs to the table.


    "Who''s been eating up all the ribs that I made for my future wife?" He pretend-scowled as he picked up a juicy piece and ced it on Candace''s te.


    "Your Father," the Empressughed.


    Byron tossed his red head and sniffed.


    "You''re getting too fat, Father. Save some for the children." He poked at Ariana''s thin frame. "Look how skinny your kids have be!"


    The young girls giggled at their brother''s foolishness.


    "Seriously though. I can''t believe how far from the pack Candace has pulled just from the one event." The Empress shook her head in disbelief.


    "That''s because she was the only one who managed not to kill my son!" The Emperor roared. "Do I want a Daughter-inw who is not willing to live and die by her husband''s side?"


    Byron nodded with a grin.


    "From a total of one-hundred points, she received the entire amount for Brilliance and Intellect."


    He turned to look at Candi.


    "Let''s take a look at the visuals for your scoring, Candace."


    He waved a hand and a virtual screen appeared. Another wave of his finger and the visual zoomed in on a bar graph with the original eight names.


    There were several names that had a line drawn through them.


    Candace''s jaw dropped when she saw that Bethany Dresden had joined the ranks of the disqualified and dropped, alongside Dahlia Halloway, Olivia Faraday, and Helene Cordera.


    Only Candace, Jenna, Ana?se, and Valeria were left on the scoreboard.


    All the girls stared at the monitor with rapt attention. Byron smiled and pointed at the master score chart.


    "See there? It is possible to earn 100 points for each event if you win first ce. Coming in second gives you 90 points. Third gets 80, and so on and so forth."


    Byron turned back and smiled at Candace.


    "Since you won First ce in the Brilliance and Intellect event, you got the full 100 points for thatpetition. Add that to your previous score of 190 and your new grand total is 290 points."


    He turned back to the scoreboard and pointed at Jenna''s score.


    "Jenna went into this event at a healthy 180. Not running away and trying to solve the issue earned her 50 points."


    "Unfortunately, she failed to keep her Prince alive," he raised an eyebrow and tapped at his chest. "That would be me, so she doesn''t get the full amount. 50 added to 180 equals 230."


    "She''s getting farther and farther behind you, Candace." He smiled at Candi.


    "And what of the others?" Lyra asked.


    "Aside from Jenna, who received fifty points, the others got nothing." Byron indicated the scoreboard with his finger.


    "Nothing?" Lyra''s eyebrows rose.


    Leonardo chuckled.


    "Well, one of them got less than nothing. Bethany got tossed from the Avgo Events, Ana?se is stuck at 170, and Valeria is still 160."


    He shook his head. "In my opinion, she should have been tossed from the Avgo Events when she couldn''t even bring her lion head back from the forest."


    The Emperor leaned forward, cackling with hrity as he eyed the selections on the table.


    "I''m d that ugly molting red bird got thrown out." He reached for arge slice of watermelon.


    "I couldn''t believe she took one look at Lucas'' ugly mug and ran away. Hahaha!!!"

 Chapter 98 - Space Pirates

    Lucas, hearing his name spoken out loud by the Emperor came over to join the discussion along with Dante, leaving te and the twins to man the barbecue grill.


    "Excuse me. That was due to my perfect execution of a severely injured man."


    "Maybe she wouldn''t have run away if you were your normal handsome self," Daisy grinned looking up at her brother.


    Lucas looked down and rubbed her golden head.


    "That''s what you call a fair-weather friend. They only stick around when things are good, but they will be the first to run away when you''re half dead and you need them most."


    His eyes were grim. "Looks aren''t everything when you''re searching for friends or a life partner."


    Daisy nodded, taking in her brother''s advice with a grin. This was the man who had been voted Most Handsome Bachelor of the Gxy three years in a row. It sounded as if he spoke from experience.


    As the family chattered around him, Dante was staring at the score board with a calcting look.


    He reached out and gently rubbed Candace''s shoulders, pressing firmly at a sore knot that he found and sending warm beams of heat from his fingers.


    "The next event is Abilities and Expertise. It will be happening tomorrow at the Space Amphitheater. Any thoughts about what you n to do?"


    Candi closed her eyes as she reveled in his gentle ministration of her aching shoulders.


    "Does Abilities and Expertise mean what it sounds like?"


    "Yes." Dante grinned. "Yes it does. You pick an ability or expertise you''re good at, and you are given a fixed time onstage to perform."


    "I''m going to put in my vote for a ballet dance routine from you." Byron said in between bites of his chicken wings.


    "Yes!!!" Jared injected,ing in from behind her. "Everyone loves to see our Tiny Dancer''s moves!"


    te approached the table with another te of grilled steaks and chicken wings.


    "You know, Candace can do more than just dance ballet. She also sings and ys the piano." He set the tes on the table and sat down, joining the rest of the group.


    "Perhaps after this meal, I should take her back to my Moon and give her a chance to practice in her dance hall." Dante mused, his fingers continuing their work on her shoulders.


    Leonardo leaned forward. "You y piano also?"


    Candi looked up at him, suddenly remembering the piano she had jumped on top of the day she met them at the penthouse Tower. She wondered if it was his piano she had mbered onto.


    "That''s right. You have a piano."


    Dante cleared his throat. "I can get a piano brought up into the Moon."


    Leonardo shook his head. "It would take an entire day to get such a heavy thing to your Moon. By the time you get it all set up, she will have lost half a day of practice time."


    He turned back to Candace.


    "Come back to my hospital ship. I have a very high quality Steinway in the living quarters you can use to practice with."


    "What is a Steinway doing in your hospital?" Sheughed.


    Daisy chortled, her tiny cupid lips parted with joy.


    "My brother Leo is a very good pianist. He''s the only musician out of all my other brothers." She looked at Lucas. "Except for Lucas. He''s a singer of sorts."


    The ''singer of sorts'' who had won multiple awards for both acting and singing turned to Daisy with a silly grin.


    "Thank you for not forgetting me." Lucas gave her a misty-eyed look. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Daisy scampered off her seat next to Candi and mbered onto hisp. He seemed to be her favorite brother.


    Taking advantage of the empty seat that Daisy had just vacated, te slid himself in between Candi and Leonardo and grabbed a bottle of beer. As long as he had a chance to be near his woman, te could not ask for anything more than that.


    The family ate andughed around her as the sun shone down upon the sparkling blue pool water and heat up the paver stones. The flowers bloomed and the butterflies fluttered about. It was just about as perfect a day as it could get.


    Candi wanted to push the pause button and enjoy that time for as long as she could, but eventually, the barbecue came to an end.


    As the family began to scatter in different directions to go back to their work and various duties, she found herself being shuffled over towards Leonardo''s transport pod.


    "We''re going to move the Alpha Indigo Hospital closer to the Space Amphitheater so when it''s time for you to leave, it will only take a few minutes to get you there." Leonardo said as he strapped her into the podmand chair.


    As they shot up into the sky, an alert came onto the virtual screen in front of them.


    "Leonardo. Divert! I repeat. Divert! Your hospital is under attack!"


    A vivacious woman with deep set violet eyes and red hair popped up onto the screen.


    "What the hell!" Leonardo cursed . "Poppy, where are you?"


    "I''m about thirty minutes away from Alpha Indigo Hospital. Where are the guys?"


    "Hang on!" He waved his fingers and four of his brothers came online.


    "te, Dante, Lucas, Byron! The Alpha Indigo Hospital is under attack!" The red haired woman informed in no uncertain terms, her violet eyes stormy and filled with fury.


    te and Dante rose from where they were seated.


    "We''re on our way. Take Candace back to the Royal Pce!" te shouted as he took off running.


    "Don''t take her there. They will attack the Royal Pce because she''s their target!" Dante yelled out. "Take her to my Moon. I have a bevy of guard ships surrounding it! I''ll be there waiting for you two."


    Without hesitation, Leonardo switched courses.


    "Why me? Why am I the target?" Candi breathed.


    "Because you won thest event, pushing you closer and closer to being the Avgo winner." He turned his aqua blue eyes and gave her a worried look.


    "The audience doesn''t understand because all they see is the mour of the Avgo Events, but there is a nasty underside to it. The Avgo event has never been fun and games. There is so much power at stake here that people will do anything to ensure their side gets the best chances to secure that power."


    "But what could they possibly do with me if they take me hostage again?"


    "Darling, some people don''t want to take you hostage." Leonardo sighed. "They want to eliminate you from thepetition."


    He turned back to the visual monitors and made a few more adjustments.


    "Unfortunately, the more you win, the more of a target you be. If you are eliminated, then the other Avgo Females'' worlds could stand a chance of winning."


    Candi nodded. She had already figured as much.


    "Who was that red haired woman who called you? She looks familiar¡­"


    Leonardo smiled fondly.


    "That''s Poppy. She''s Byron''s maternal cousin. They were born around the same time. She looks familiar because she is the daughter of the Empress'' twin sister."


    Candi frowned. "I thought the Empress'' twin sister only has a son, what''s his name?"


    "Joshua Darvin. He''s Poppy''s younger brother."


    "What? So why would Poppy be warning you of danger, while Joshua sends in the attackers to eliminate me?"


    "That''s because Poppy had a falling out with her family. There was a huge fight between her and her parents and she left her family when she was sixteen. She can''t stand her mother and she can''t stand her brother."


    "Where did she go?"


    Leonardo shook his head.


    "We lost track of her for a couple of years. Turns out, she joined a space pirate starship and became a pirate. One day, Dante''s guard ships caught her pirate ship trying to attack one of his cargo ships. She was sent to Dante''s holding cell."


    "Dante recognized her immediately and pulled her out. After that, she began working for him, eventually bing captain on one of his ships."


    "So that was one of Dante''s ships calling you?"


    Leonardoughed.


    "Remember I told you that I also have my own warships?"


    Candi nodded.


    "She''s the Admiral of a fleet of my warships. Dante transferred her over to me when sheined about having to fight pirates all day long." He shook his head in disbelief.


    "Apparently, she has a soft spot for pirates."

 Chapter 99 - Butterfly Abduction

    Back on board Dante''s Moon, Candi changed into her cat suit and went back to the dance room.


    As she was warming up, her mind wandered to the attack that was happening on board Leonardo''s ship.


    She couldn''t help but notice that these attacks always happened wherever she went, and it all started even before she left Earth Space. Even te was surprised that they were willing to fire upon his Erenveil Empire craft to stop her from leaving, something that had never happened before.


    They wanted her dead.


    Then, the moment shended on Erenveil, again, it was the Earth people who wanted to arrest her and to get their hands on the Avgo. If they couldn''t get the Avgo, they were willing to use deadly force to ensure she did not participate in the Events.


    This was most likely due to the mistaken assumption that Dahlia''s fake Avgo would make it through the Events unchallenged. te had to destroy an entire squadron of armed Earth men just to keep her safe.


    It was obvious that Earth wanted her dead. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Not long after that, te was the one who was targeted and kidnapped, but then in the end, they traded te for Candi because it wasn''t te they were after but her.


    This group, surprisingly, wanted her alive.


    Then, at the Royal Ball, the shuriken was aimed at her and not any other Avgo Female. Although flying weaponry would not be able to hurt her due to Avgo''s protection, the attacker did not know that and tried to kill her anyway.


    Someone here wanted her dead.


    When she ran after the first attacker, a second attacker showed up and went after her Avgo replica but did not try to kill her.


    This guy wanted her Avgo but not her life.


    Since she had been assigned as Dahlia''s proxy, they no longer had an incentive to kill her, but that also meant someone else was after her Avgo since Dahlia had stated to Lucas that she did not want to be a part of the grueling events, she merely wanted the prize at the end of the rainbow.


    It was most definitely an inside job, from what she could reasonably deduct.


    It would make sense then, that whoever was after her would have known she was at the Alpha Indigo Hospital. They''d been following her around and most likely had eyes and ears in the highest ces.


    The only thing that didn''t make sense was that the Alpha Indigo Hospital had been attacked during the time when she and Leonardo were not even there. It was as if¡­


    Candi was in the middle of a difficult jump when her mind fixated upon that thought. Shepleted her jump and then stood, transfixed at the center of the floor, even as the music continued without her.


    "Leonardo!" She yelled as she ran out of the dance hall.


    Several attendants ran after her.


    "Mdy, the Princes are in the War Room."


    "Take me to them!"


    "Yes, Mdy."


    As they all ran to the War Room, Candi''s brains continued to race through all the possible connections.


    "Right here, Mdy." The attendants showed her the doorway of Dante''s War Room.


    She ran up to the door and pounded on it.


    "Dante! Leonardo!"


    The door quickly opened, revealing the two Princes within the room.


    Dante moved quickly towards the door and pulled her into the room.


    "Darling. What is it?"


    "The attack on the Alpha Indigo, it''s not me they''re after. It''s Olivia Faraday!"


    She turned to Leonardo. "She was admitted by you to treat her wings the day of the Royal Ball."


    Leonardo looked at her.


    "We know."


    He sighed and stood up.


    "Olivia had been a target, even from day one. Insectoids as a group are not favorably looked upon by other groups in the universe. Birds have traditionally viewed insects as prey, even to this day of supreme enlightenment."


    "But insectoids are very strong." Candi


    "Yes they are. Although they can hold their own when they are within their hive, when they are singled out, as this Avgo contest had done with Olivia, they are easy picking for strong alpha females like Bethany. "


    "But Valeria never treated Olivia like easy picking."


    "Valeria is of the corvid family. She is different from Bethany who is part of the ibis family."


    "Wait. I thought she was a phoenix."


    Leonardoughed.


    "They call themselves that because their plumage is red, and it sounds better than ibis, a wading bird, but the woman most certainly cannot be reborn from the ashes. Once she dies, she''s dead."


    "That''s right." Dante nodded. "The Empress is also an ibis. When she was younger, her red hair was much brighter and when she transformed into her bird self, she was quite spectacr."


    "Ohhh, so Byron is also an ibis."


    "Well, only half." Leonardo smiled. "We Princes are all halflings of one sort or another."


    "Is Olivia okay?" Candi turned a worried eye at Leonardo.


    "We don''t know." He waved once to activate a virtual monitor. "We were going to call te and Poppy to get an update when you burst in through the door."


    Candi looked away in embarrassment.


    "I''m sorry."


    Dante reached out and touched her head.


    "Don''t be. We would have included you in this meeting if it wasn''t for the fact that you were practicing for the Avgo Event tomorrow. That''s more important than this."


    She was saved from having to answer when both te and the red haired woman named Poppy showed up on a split screen.


    "How is Olivia?" Leonardo jumped in without preamble.


    "The Princess has been taken." Poppy responded in the same brusque manner.


    "Were there any other injuries?"


    "No. It looks as if she is the only one they were after. They were waiting for you to leave the Alpha Indigo before attacking."


    Leonardo rubbed his eyes with weary hands.


    "Any calling cards?"


    "None, but motive-wise, the only person who has a vendetta against her would be the Princess Bethany Dresden." Poppy shook her head.


    "Immediately after she was tossed from the Avgo Event, she went after Olivia Faraday with a vengeance."


    "Olivia Faraday came to the Alpha Indigo Hospital with an entire entourage of her people from Laroche Gardens. Where were they?"


    "They''ve all been taken as well."


    "Who did the extraction?"


    Poppy sighed and closed her eyes for a moment.


    "The Devolu Pirates took her. They were probably hired by whoever wanted her taken from the Hospital."


    te sighed and leaned back.


    "I could send my troops to overtake the Devolu Pirate ships."


    "No." Poppy held up a hand and closed her eyes. "Let me handle them. I may be able to get Olivia back without anyone getting hurt."


    "Poppy, they abducted her." te''s voice was stern.


    "They''re just doing a job. It''s not personal."


    "That still does not excuse their behavior." te insisted.


    "I know, but at least let me try first, before you send all your men into Pirate space."


    "You have twelve hours to extract Olivia Faraday." te informed her. "After that time, I will go in personally and recover her myself."


    "Understood." Poppy responded with a stead gaze.


    te nodded and turned to Dante.


    "I need my codes back."


    Dante nodded and, with a sigh of relief, tapped a few things on a virtual pad in front of him.


    "There you are."


    te did something on his end and nodded with satisfaction.


    "I''m back on track."


    "I''m d you''re the Prime Warrior again, Brother." Dante smiled.. "It''s good to see you back to full fighting strength."

 Chapter 100 - Good Guys Vs Bad Guys

    "How is your practice going?" Dante turned back to Candi once te and Poppy had signed off.


    "I couldn''t really practice," Candi admitted. "I kept thinking about all the dangerous situations that have been happening around me."


    "It is true that much of the dangerous situations have increased dramatically since the Avgo Events started, but that''s been true each time the Avgo showed up."


    "What causes the Avgo to show, or don''t show?"


    Dante shrugged.


    "I had always thought it was just to keep the royal family from getting too inbred."


    He and Leonardoughed.


    "I''m not sure if that''s the real reason," Leonardo shrugged, "but it does achieve that purpose. All the royal families would rather just to keep things nice and tight. No hybrids or halflings allowed in their family."


    "And here''s the Emperor''s lineage, repleted with all sorts of people of every race known in the gxy."


    Dante turned to Candi with his warm green eyes. "And now we will have human blood mixed into the family gene pool."


    Candi grinned.


    "You guys make me sound like a breeding sow."


    Leonardo grinned.


    "It''s really not that way. There are so many of us brothers that the chance of the Empire not having enough candidates to run the throne is very low."


    Leonardo gazed at her with adoration. "But the man you marry will want to have children with you."


    Candi smiled. "You''re assuming I''m going to win First ce."


    "No Candace." Dante waggled a finger. "It doesn''t matter what ce you take."


    =======


    For the rest of that evening, Candi spent the entire time inside the dance studio. Whatever was happening with Olivia and Poppy and te, she could not afford to focus on.


    Dante had immediately called for a piano to be delivered to the Moon, but even with his considerable resources, it would take more than a day for one to be transported.


    A piano would not be in the cards for Candi''s Avgo''s Abilities and Expertise event.


    Six hourster, an alert came through Dante''s War Room.


    Even though it was past midnight and Candi had already turned in for the evening, he was still working in the War Room and had been waiting for this call.


    "Speak!" He barked at the virtual screen.


    "I could not retrieve Olivia." Poppy bluntlyid out.


    "Of course you couldn''t." Dante harrumphed.


    Poppy''s violet eyes were stormy.


    "We always need to start with diplomatic efforts before we pull the big guns out."


    "Of course we do. Has te left for Devolu Space?"


    Poppy nodded. "He left fifteen minutes ago with several starships in pursuit of the renegade Devolu Pirate ship."


    "Were you able to get any word on the condition of the Princess of Laroche Gardens?"


    "They assured me she is being treated with kid gloves. They do not want to deliver damaged goods." She sneered. "It''s bad for business."


    "Have you found out anything more about the people behind Candace''s attackers?"


    Poppy pressed her deep burgundy lips together and gazed at him with a strange expression.


    "For someone who''s a plebeian¡ªin fact a lowestmon denominator female, from a no-name that only has one im to fame, its guerri no-holds-barred war tactics, Earth seems inordinately interested in getting its hands on her."


    "Are you sure she''s not of royal birth?" Dante pursued.


    "Absolutely. I dug back over twenty generations. Her family is peasant level all the way back for hundreds of years."


    "Then exin to me the Avgo''s preference for Candace Farrah." Dante''s green eyes glinted in the semi-darkness.


    Everybody knew that Avgo gemstones only fell into the hands of royalty.


    Or did they? n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Poppy''s eyes narrowed in thought.


    "Could it be that the Avgo gemstones have a different criteria for seeking out the possible Avgo contestants?"


    Poppy shrugged. "There is also the possibility that Candace is someone like me."


    Dante put a finger to his lips.


    "Shhhhhh." He shushed Poppy. "All in due time, my dear. All in due time. Patience is your only virtue right now."


    Poppy nodded. If there was anyone she trusted to do exactly as he said, it was Dante. This was the one thing that delineated Dante from everyone else that she had ever met.


    He always said what he meant, and he always meant what he said. Furthermore, he had the ability to turn what he said into reality. In essence, his words were worth the weight of his financial empire.


    Once Dante finished his conversation with Poppy, he ced a call to te.


    "What is it?" te''s face looked grim.


    "I hear you deployed your troops into Devolu Space."


    te nodded. "I don''t like invading Pirate Space, but when they invade our territory and prey on our people, they should expect swift and retaliatory responses."


    "Especially if it''s the Princess of Laroche Gardens."


    "Olivia''s is in an uproar over this. If we cannot get this resolved, we could see a serious intergctic war over this incident."


    "That could be what they''ve been angling for all this time. War ships from the moons of Coraline have been taking pot shots at Laroche Gardens all this time, and you saw how Olivia got attacked by Bethany even before the first Event began."


    te''s blue eyes glowed with fury.


    "The birds are trying to start an intergctic war with the bugs, using the Avgo Events as an excuse. When their Princess was still in the running, they held back because they did not want to damage her chances of winning."


    "But now that she''s been kicked off the ss tform, they don''t have to hold back any more." Dante finished the thought.


    "We have to nip this in the bud before it deteriorates any further." te voiced his agreement.


    Dante nodded. "I concur. If you need any of my guard ships, just let me know and I''ll transfer theirmand codes over to you."


    te nodded.


    Once Dante finished his conversation with te, he leaned back agains the seat and heaved a huge sigh. They had too many enemies from too many directions.


    Control of the Erenveil Empire was slipping day by day and the Avgo Events were, in and of themselves, catalysts for further change.


    With a huge show of reluctance, Dante ced a third call.


    "I''m here." Leonardo''s face appeared onscreen. He looked as if he''d been up and waiting for this call the entire time.


    "It''s time, Leo."


    "Are you sure?" Leonardo furrowed his brows.


    "Yes. Switch all the hospital ships over to full-fledge Military warships."


    "What of the Avgo Event tomorrow?"


    "It will continue as scheduled. Everything must still remain as normalized as possible until the Avgo is concluded." Dante''s eyes red with intent.


    "We have to give Candace every opportunity to win, and we have to give our enemies every opportunity to strike first. Remember what I said."


    "Yes." Leonardo nodded grimly. "The side that strikes first loses the ability to dere self-defense as their excuse for massive warfare."


    "Yes. It''s all perception. Good guys versus bad guys. We never want to be seen as the ''bad guys''.. We have to rule the gxy after the war is over and it''s easier to be seen as the good guys who won the fight against evil."

 Chapter 102 - Valeria The Musician

    "Ladies and Gentlemen! Wee to the Avgo Abilities and Expertise Event. I''m your host, Lorem Ipsum!"


    The sound of trumpets red out, ying a cheerful thundering sound to pump up the crowd.


    "Today we are going to be witnessing the Avgo Females at their best! They will be showcasing for us to enjoy, their wide range of abilities and expertise!"


    The crowd went wild as they heard his voice piped into speakers that were located in all directions.


    A tiny figure wearing all white ran up onto the ss tform from a side ess.


    His gait was a half run half gallop on a pair of cloven hooves and his long white hair was flying in the artificially-created wind swirling around on the tform area.


    Above their heads, huge virtual monitors began zooming in on his iconic face with his famous curled horns as he stood before the crowd doing his usualedic monologue before the event.


    "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for. The fourth contestant in the Avgo Events, the beautiful Raven Princess from the tropical world of Peoria, Valeria Marakesh!"


    The crowd roared their approval.


    From high above, the heavenly sound of young angels humming a harmonizing sound could be heard.


    Descending from above was a tform that had been shrouded in invisibility magic. It was as if a goddess wasing down from heaven to share with the mortal beings something of the divinity.


    On the tform were four instruments of a harp-like quality. Thergest one was taller than the figure of the female standing beside it and the smallest one was norger than arge book.


    The virtual screen zoomed in on the breathtaking Beauty with therge brown eyes.


    Valeria''s baster pale face was instantly recognizable, with her deep ruby lips and pointed chin. Her long wavy raven ck hair fell in thick shiny waves from a pronounced widow''s peak that made her look ethereal and otherworldly.


    Her wings were bound behind her to resemble a cape of shiny ck feathers, and on her head was a silver crown with arge amethyst to resemble the purple Avgo gemstone she had in her possession.


    For a moment, she stood there, silent andposed, looking regal and majestic.


    The crowd held their breath.


    In one fluid motion, her arms raised and she began plucking on the strings of thergest harp.


    Strains of heavenly sounds, amplified by hidden microphones echoed throughout the entire amphitheater. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    She threw a magic spell that allowed thergest harp to continue ying the riff she had started and went onto the second harp.


    Again, her fingers moved across the midsize harp with ease and rity, setting off yet another series of riffs which she yed in perfect rhythm to the firstrge harp.


    Her second magic spell kept the midsized harp ying while she fondled the small harp, teasing out higher notes to join therge and midsized harps.


    As the third magic spell kept the small harp ying its part, she picked up the tiny harp and stepped out from the row of harps.


    Her body began to sway as she caressed the tiny harp, teasing out the highest sounds.


    It tinkled out crystal clear notes at the top of the harmonic strings,yering its sound waves over therger harps that were plucking themselves from the magic that she wove.


    Throwing her fingers around, she shot purple and pink and green lights at the various instruments. Within moments, the colors began wavering and dancing in the air along to the sound of the music.


    The crowd gasped with astonishment and delight. This was harp ying at a level that approached the unreal.


    Smoke of varying colors rose in rhythmic releases. The sounds of the harps heightened in intensity as she continued to y until Valeria threw her hands back, distorting the soundspletely.


    Suddenly, the sound of heavy metal reverberated throughout the Space Amphitheater, bringing the crowd to their feet! They cheered and hollered as she brought the sounds to decibels that were ear-splitting.


    With a thundering explosion, she ended the harps in abrupt silence.


    For a moment, there was no sound. Even the audience held their collective breaths.


    Then a roar called out as everyone thundered their feet and screamed out her name.


    VALERIE!!! VALERIE!!! VALERIE!!!


    "Wow." Candi breathed as Valerie exited the stage in the same way she came¡ªstraight up into the dome before disappearing from sight using her magic.


    "That''s going to be hard to top."


    "Oh, I''m sure my Babe will win this one." Dante growled within his chest.


    Lorem Ipsum howled with delight along with the rest of the audience.


    "Oh my Lawd! What a musician!" The old white haired faun whooped. "I never would''ve thought Princess Valeria Marakesh was such a musician with such amazing showmanship!"


    "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, as we clear the stage for the next contestant, I''d like to remind you of next week''s Avgo Event."


    Lorem Ipsum paused for effect.


    "This one is the most anticipated Event of the Avgo. All seats were sold out within an hour of it being offered. If you were not able to obtain a ticket, the only way to see this show, Ladies and Gentlemen, is through our Visuals Team."


    He extended his hands at the dozens of hovering visuals gathering pods flying around the stadium. The crowd yelled and cheered in support.


    Ladies and Gentlemen, mark your calendars! This time next week, we will be offering you, the one, the only¡ªMAGIC AND ILLUSIONS EVENT!!!"


    The crowd went wild!


    Lorem Ipsum allowed them a few minutes to calm down before he continued.


    "This event will showcase the time-honored reason why these Princesses have been chosen by the Avgo. They are our modern-day, contemporary goddesses!"


    AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!


    More screaming and yelling emitted from the crowd. They werepletely riled up with excitement for the show next week.


    "Throughout our gxy''s long history, the chosen Princesses used their magical abilities to protect and shelter the people of the gxy."


    From behind him came a stream of Avgo winners of past Events, going back into antiquity. The faces of the women were strong, beautiful, and full of vigor and noble strength. Last of those faces was the Empress herself.


    As her beautiful majestic face appeared on all therge visual monitors around the amphitheater, Lorem Ipsum continued speaking, his voice ringing through the auditorium bringing tears of pride to all those who were listening.


    "This is the keyponent to what makes an Avgo Female the ultimate goddesses of all our races of sentient beings. They are willing to extend themselves to protect the gxy of beings."


    "Please support with your time and energy, our Avgo Princesses. This will be a time for our Avgo Females to show off their magical abilities!"


    WOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!


    The audience howled with love and joy.


    Lorem Ipsum stood there smiling.


    His was the magic of oration, and the reason that he was the sole announcer for each and every Avgo Event. He was the mouthpiece of the Erenveil Empire.


    "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, our next Avgo Contestant to showcase her talents. Please give it up, for Ana?se Paroles from the sandy paradise of Haribou!!!"

 Chapter 103 - Ana?se The Sculptor

    From a side entrance, Ana?se Paroles came hovering into the center of the amphitheater on a clear ss pod.


    Candi gasped with surprise.


    Ana?se was usually a clear light blue shade of ss but at this moment, she was a colorless ss woman riding a colorless ss hover pod.


    Herck of color was visually stunning. She looked like sculpted ice!


    The visuals zoomed in on her beautiful clear ss face. Ana?se''s familiar cute pointed nose and small mouth came into view. Herrge ss eyes blinked and looked around as she waved to the crowd.


    The audience pped and cheered as she emerged. They could hardly wait to see what she was going to wow them with!


    A thick ss block the size of an 18-wheeler truck descended from somewhere above and settled onto the tform. It looked like a block of clear frozen ice, saw ded into a perfect rectangr form.


    Ana?se''s hover pod took her to the ss block and dropped her off on top. She stood there for a moment, still and unmoving.


    Candiughed. Ana?se looked like a tiny ice woman sculpture on top of the huge ice block. What in the world was this woman going to do?


    Suddenly, the sound of Strauss'' Voices of Spring emanated from the speakers.


    For the first few strains of the song, Ana?se stood still. As the song began to build, she started prancing around on top of the ss.


    It was not a dance per se, and she was not trying to dance. She was moving around the ss block with precise motions and practiced ease, using it as her medium to sculpt her art piece.


    Her hands worked their magic, pulling here, pushing there, and stretching the clear ss into all sorts of fantastical shapes. She was treating the ss as if it was taffy candy and creating a new environment from the very spot she was standing on!


    As the music continued to y, Ana?se continued her sculpting with precision. There was no wasted motion and no mistakes.


    From her fingers, mountains began to form on either side, as valleys began to sank in various spots. She made rocky cliff ridges in the back with pine trees andrge boulders. In front, she ced smaller trees and a few houses scattered on the valley floor.


    Taking a gob of ss, she ran across the block, draping it down onto the lowest areas to create a brook running through the valley between the tiny houses.


    Her skillful hands created a waterfall from the top of thergest mountain, captured in a frozen single moment of crashing down onto a small pond at the bottom of the cliff face.


    From her hands grew willows and bushes along the pond andke area. There was even a tiny bridge across on small section of the brook.


    "Oh wow, she''s good!" Candiughed and pped as Ana?se continued to work.


    It was a marvelous sight to see an artist as precise as the ss woman was, working such a huge project in such a short amount of time.


    "Hmmmmm." Dante rumbled in his throat, keeping his lips as still as possible on Candace''s nape so she would not realize that he was surreptitiously kissing her.


    He was not even bothering to look at Ana?se''s art work. His focus was all on Candi and her cute and funny expressions and sounds of surprise and joy as she watched the ss being sculpted.


    Candace had not moved away from his embrace, which was encouraging to him.


    He was grateful to find that she was epting and even weing to his few restrained advances on her but he did not do much more than hold her as she watched the show unfolding below them.


    Dante was clear about one thing. He was here to support her, not to make things more dibobting for her and fluster her right before her big event.


    There would be a time for them, Dante promised himself, but he had not achieved the kind of sess he had by rushing into something without a n.


    Now was not the best time or ce for him to make love to this ravishing woman.


    She had to maintain her focus for the event which would being up soon, and Dante respected that single-minded focus. It was also how he did his best work and he wanted to give her every chance possible to seed and achieve her goal.


    Before them, Ana?se had created a ss masterpiece. As the music reached itsst section, she hopped upon the pond she had created and began pushing with her feet until it was t as a mirror. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    And then, as the music moved into its finale, she began skating on the pond as if it was winter time.


    By the time the music reached its crescendo, she was at the center of the pond, twirling like an ice skater spinning on ice.


    As thest thundering sounds of Fr¨¹hlingsstimmen op 410 died away, Ana?se lowered her body into a skater''s bow, ending with her arms outstretched and prostrated.


    WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!


    The crowd roared. This was simply amazing and something they had never seen done before in their lives!


    She was not just a woman who could work ss. She was a sculptor who worked in real time and with the kind of speed that only an aplished mage artist could do.


    Of course, ice skating like that was the cherry on top of what this woman was capable of doing and the crowd loved it!


    "Oh WOW!!!" Lorem Ipsum''s voice could be heard above the roaring of the audience.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen! This was truly a remarkable aplishment! What a master artist our Avgo Female Ana?se Paroles is. I have never seen a ss sculptor at this skill level before in my life!"


    As Lorem Ipsum continued to work the crowd, he moved back into the limelight, chattering and throwing jokes to make the audienceugh.


    Behind him, the event workers removed the ss sculpture in the background, with Ana?se Paroles still prostrate on the pond and looking like part of the frozen sculpture.


    Her time to shine was over. The ss tform was now cleared and ready for the next Avgo Female.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen! I am seriously looking forward to the next Avgo contestant who will be joining us shortly." Lorem Ipsum held up a hand.


    "To take advantage of this momentary pause, I''d like to remind you again to tune in next week for our Magic and Illusions event."


    The crowd cheered in anticipation.


    "Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen. It is the one most anticipated event of the Avgo, although to be honest, we''ve seen quite a bit of magic here today!"


    More cheering. More yelling.


    Lorem Ipsumughed, waving his hands up in the air and shooting purple sparks into the sky for added special effects.


    "And now, without further ado, Ladies and Gentlemen. Please give a warm wee to our second finalist, Jenna Natoli, from the jungle world of Calend!"

 Chapter 105 - Dance Of Death

    Candi took several deep breaths to instill calm into her mind.


    She had done these dance moves all her life. There was nothing that was crazy difficult for her and she did not want to attempt the truly ridiculous Olympic level moves.


    Apetition like this, where she was that far ahead of thepetition in points meant she did not have to risk her lead by trying to do more than was necessary.


    All she had to do to hold her lead by NOT messing up and not stumbling or falling or making mistakes.


    From outside the pod, she heard Lorem Ipsum cracking a few jokes, and then he raised his voice, clearly calling out her name.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen. The moment we have all been waiting for. Please give all your love to the front runner of the Avgo Event thus far, the one and only, the beautiful and talented¡­CANDACE FARRAH!!!"


    AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!


    The crowd yelled and screamed.


    Her name had been announced. She could now exit the pod, as Dante had told her to do.


    The pod lowered itself to the ss tform.


    Candi had barely cleared the pod and moved to the center of the ss tform when the familiar pale pink shield appeared around her.


    Six shurikens flew at her and was instantly absorbed by the Avgo force shield.


    What the hell???


    Suddenly, from all sides surrounding her, six men dressed in ck with their faces covered appeared.


    They were not part of the performance, and after sneaking shuriken attacks on her, they certainly were not props that had been sent to make her dancing more lively.


    But she was supposed to be performing, which meant the audience thought this was all part of her performance!


    Not even Dante knew what she was going to be doing onstage! The fact that he was noting to her rescue also meant he thought these men were nned by her as part of the performance!


    Aaarghhhhh!!!


    As the men began to converge on her, Candi threw away her hopes of winning this Avgo Event and mentally calcted her next few moves.


    To hell with the Avgo performance! These men were out to get her and she could not afford to think about anything but surviving this attack.


    She eyed the closest two. They wererge men, easily a foot taller than she was.


    They wereing at her fast and she needed to keep a distance between them. She could handle a couple, at close range, but six all at once would overwhelm her.


    With calctions flying in her head, she began vaulting around, never staying in one spot for long.


    The crowd gasped. This show of athleticism from the top ranking Avgo Female was intense!


    Candace led them chasing her around the ss tform, springing away quickly as soon as they got closer.


    She was smaller, faster, and far more agile. She could dance around this tform all day long and not feel tired.


    If she could get one or two of them to be fatigued, she would have at least a fighting chance. She knew that the only thing she had over them was speed and agility.


    If they caught her, it was GAME OVER.


    A couple of men were starting to pant. One of the men who was starting to fade had begun to get frustrated from trying to chase her darting body around. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He suddenly whipped out a knife, brandishing it around.


    The crowd yelled out her name.


    CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!!


    She gave a hand gesture at him, inviting him toe closer to her. The others backed off. They wanted to see what she could do against one of their own.


    She was all alone on the stage, a tiny unarmed woman wearing a frilly little red dress. What could she possibly do against a man who had a knife?


    They would give her a chance to fight him and see what she was capable of.


    As the man roared out his challenge and came running at her, Candi lowered her body and waited for the perfect moment.


    NOW!!!


    She sprang up, whipping her body into a rotation and kicked his head, even as his hand reached out with the de.


    "Uuggghhh!" He flew to one side, teeth falling out of his mouth.


    She jumped on his arm, pinning it to the ss tform and ripped the knife from his hand. In one swift upward slice, she had shed his throat.


    The crowd went wild.


    CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!!


    One down, five to go.


    She looked up at the stunned men. They thought she was easy picking. They thought she was toast.


    But she had taken down one of their burliest, meanest, most aggressive men in a split second!


    Without waiting for them to recover from their stunned silence, she threw the knife at the nearest man, aiming for his face.


    The de hit him straight between the eyes, going all the way into his brains. His hands convulsed, grabbing blindly at the handle of the de.


    But it was toote. He was already a dead man.


    As his body came thundering down onto the tform, Candi could hear her name being chanted yet again.


    CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!!


    Two down. Four to go.


    Reaching down, she yanked off the long silken skirt at the waist and ran back to the center of the ss tform.


    The twins had designed it so that she could remove it quickly if she deemed that a long silk skirt was too restrictive for her to do what she needed to do onstage. Smart twins!


    They wereing for her again, but at four to one, she actually stood a chance against them.


    All four howled their intent and began charging at her. Whipping her body around she kicked out at the closest one, nailing him in the crotch.


    CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!!


    The crowd cheered again. This was so exciting and the action looked so real! They could hardly believe it was all just a show!


    As the man slumped over with pain, holding his crotch, she elbowed him in the neck, bringing him all the way down.


    CRACK!!!


    She broke his neck in the same way she had broken Helene Cordera''s back.


    Three down. Three remaining.


    Springing up, Candace began running again. The remaining three were clumped together in one spot. She had to separate those men.


    As if in answer, one of them charged at her. Candi braced herself.


    Here was her chance.


    Quickly side-stepping his advancing body, she threw out one end of her red skirt at him like a whip, looping it around his neck.


    Launching up, she vaulted over his head. As her body passed over him, she grabbed the other end of the red sash and gave a hard yank, twisting the fabric into a noose.


    The man choked as his head was caught into the red sash. As her body''s momentum moved away from him, his neck was yanked backwards, caught in the noose that she had made.


    His bodynded on the tform with a loud THUMP!


    At the moment of impact, she twisted her body and gave his head a hard swift kick, knocking it off alignment with the rest of his body.


    CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!! CANDACE!!!


    The crowd was on their feet, screaming and yelling their excitement.


    Oh my God!!! This looked so real!!!

 Chapter 109 - At The Tiki Bar

    When Dante called an in-person meeting of all the brothers, everyone dropped what they did and rushed to Dante''s Moon to make the meeting.


    The Princes of Erenveil arrived one by one, alone and unapanied by any attendants or servants.


    Jason and Jared were the first to arrive. They had a shorter distance to travel since they had been floating their ind immediately underneath Dante''s moon the entire time. They had wanted to be near Candace should she need them, so it was a quick transport pod trip straight up.


    They were standing around the tropical garden tiki bar having Mai Tais and chatting quietly to themselves when Lucas appeared.


    "Yo, Bros." Lucas called out. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Wow. You''re looking mighty raggedtely," Jared noted Lucas'' non-movie star looking face with the blonde evening shadow starting to grow around his mouth and on his jawline.


    "Since when did you let your blond roots show?" Jason gave a wry grin at the slowly fading pink streaks in his blond hair.


    Lucas grimaced. "Ever since Dante took me off the movie set I was working on, I''ve just been loafing around." He blew strands of pink hair from his eyes.


    "That''s because you have another acting gig." Jasonughed. "How''s the bit part of acting like Dahlia''s boyfriend going so far?"


    Lucas''s amber eyes deadened just a little.


    "If it wasn''t for the fact that I''m a very good actor, she''d have realized just how bored I am to be around her. That woman has just about as much personality as a toad. She''s just as ugly too."


    Jared clicked his tongue. "Tch-tch. Has shee around at all to favoring you over Big Brother?"


    Lucas nodded as he epted a pi?a cda from the attendant at the tiki bar.


    "She''s starting to warm up to me. Unfortunately, she''s also gotten the strange idea in her head that once Candace wins first ce, she can marry Byron and keep me around as her no-tell lover."


    The twinsughed again. Poor Lucas.


    From around an Areca palm, Leonardo was the next to arrive. He looked tired, as if he hadn''t slept much.


    "I swear," Jared took a sip of his Mai Tai as he looked Leonardo up and down. "You two look like wrecks."


    Leonardo called for a mojito from the bar attendant and turned back to the brothers, rubbing his head with frustration.


    "I''ve been running into some snafus. Do you know how hard it is to tell head physicians that they have to now change over and be warship Captains?"


    "I cannot imagine." Jared shook his head. "If I told my head fashion creators to change into warship Captains, I think they would sew my mouth together."


    Leonardo rubbed his tired eyes, barely hearing what Jared was saying to him.


    "I also have the added problem of needing to find a ce to move all my patients. There are some who are about to die and some who are waiting for invasive medical intervention. What the hell am I supposed to do with all of them?"


    "More will die if you don''t sessfully turn those hospital ships into warships." Byron''s voice could be heard as he approached the tiki bar. "Make me a jungle bird," he called out to the attendant at the bar and turned back to the group of brothers with a grimace.


    "I wonder why Dante''s called this meeting, and why we have to be here in person. Isn''t a visual call good enough?"


    "If I have to fly all the way back from from Laroche Gardens, you can make the short trip from the Royal Pce." te said as he strode up.


    "Ah. You actually managed to retrieve the butterfly." Leonardo greeted te with a p on the back.


    "It wasn''t so much a retrieve as it was a trade." te sighed. "I made an offer the Captain of the ship couldn''t refuse."


    "And that was?" Leonardo asked.


    "I traded three of his young children for one butterfly."


    "Ho ho!" Byronughed. "Are we using children to fight our wars now?"


    te shook his head. "I don''t use children to fight wars. I was simply giving them a free ride to their father''s ship. They were quite excited to see him, and also had fun as they got to ride a real warship. They were treated very well on my Raptor 653."


    Leonardo handed him a mojito.


    "No thanks." te waved a hand. "I don''t drink."


    "Since when?" Leonardo raised his eyebrows in surprise and drank the mojito himself.


    "Since I''m on duty twenty-four hours a day now." te sighed and turned to the tiki bar attendant. "I''ll take a lemonade."


    Dante was thest to appear. He walked alone into the tropical garden, wearing his bat suit, his spiky blue hair no longer as spiky now that he was growing it longer.


    "I swear, you''re looking worse than Lucas or Leonardo. What is up with you men?" Jared shook his head. His fashion sensibilities had been seriously perturbed by his brothers'' increasing grunginess.


    "I just canceled the remaining Avgo Events." Dante announced without preamble.


    He reached the tiki bar and grabbed a bottle of tequ. With a quick twist of the cap, he took a good swig of the golden liquid before mming it back on the bar.


    Jason grimaced. "I was going to order a margarita for you since I know you like tequ, but never mind that now."


    te stared at Dante.


    "Was it because of the failed assassination attempt this morning?"


    "Wait. What???" Leonardo mmed his rock ss on the counter.


    te turned his bright blue eyes at Leonardo.


    "You didn''t watch the Avgo Event this morning?"


    "I was in the middle of an emergency surgical procedure. I just barely got out." He ran a weary hand through his blond hair.


    Byron''s eyes were on fire. He''d barely managed to contain his anger but now it was back, stronger than ever.


    "Six assassins infiltrated the Avgo Event this morning. They cornered Candace right on the Avgo tform."


    His red-brown eyes smoldered with intensity.. If he found out the person responsible for this, he would kill them with his bare hands.

 Chapter 110 - The Avgo Females Mate

    Leonardo''s face lost all color. He turned to Dante.


    "Weren''t you the one who apanied her to this event? How did this slip by your people?"


    Dante sighed. "I flew to her as quickly as I could, but by the time I got to her, she had nailed every single one of those bastards to the tform."


    te''s dazzling blue eyes were filled with admiration.


    "I was watching it all on my Raptor 653 and I couldn''t tell you if I was more scared or more proud of my Candace." He rubbed his chest in dismay as he recalled the moment when he realized she had been surrounded by assassins.


    "That woman has moves that are so precise and so deadly, I cannot believe that we have viewed her all this time as just a Tiny Dancer, or a reader of antique books."


    te shook his head. "I don''t even think that most of my warriors could outfight that woman. She''s that good."


    "That''s my girl." Leonardo breathed a sigh of relief as the rest of the men nodded in agreement.


    Dante''s bright green eyes were scary fierce.


    "She did a spectacr job in defending herself against unexpected violence, but this is not going to quietly go away."


    He snarled as his fangs began to lengthen as that old familiar rage began to slow boil within him.


    "I''ve got my inquisitors digging into it all right now and they will turn over every single rock looking for the perpetrators. By the time they''re done, those responsible will have been turned into ground beef."


    Leonardo patted Dante on the shoulder and handed him a mojito. He grabbed the drink from Leonardo and downed it in one go.


    "Ugh." He grimaced. "How can you drink this vile concoction? It''s so damn sweet!"


    teughed. "It''s just some fancy limeade with some rum in it."


    Byron watched his brothers clown around with the alcoholic beverages and clenched his fists.


    He was so tired of being the one who had to hold himself above the foray. So tired of acting impartial and non biased, while being stuck on the sidelines watching all his brothers enjoying themselves as they escorted Candace around.


    Punishing the perpetrators was one thing. Canceling his chance to marry Candace was another thing altogether.


    He wanted this Avgo event to be over and done with so that he could finally show Candace just how much he cared about her. She was his bride, but he could not im her until she had officially won.


    "If we cancel the Avgo Events, how is Candace going to win first ce?" He growled at Dante.


    "First ce is not important." Dante retorted with a cool eye. "Keeping Candace alive and healthy is my only concern."


    "I''m afraid I have to agree with Dante." te crossed his arms across his chest. "This Avgo event stinks to high heaven of interference from a very high ce, and most of it, targeted at Candace."


    Byron shot te an intense look. "Do we actually have some idea of who''s behind all this?"


    te''s blue eyes burned a deep silent anger.


    "If you eliminate all those who are incapable of carrying out these attacks, the ones who remain are the most likely suspects."


    te and Dante gave each other knowing looks.


    "But you can''t just stop the Avgo events!" Byron shouted his frustration. "That''s unheard of!"


    He would be damned if he let them take his bride away from him.


    "She''s in first ce, and after this Abilities and Expertise Avgo Event, her lead has grown considerably!"


    Byron leaned in closer to Dante''s face, his eyes narrowing.


    "I''m not going to let you take her win away from her."


    Dante shook his head. He knew Byron would be the most vocally outspoken against his decision to cancel the Avgo Events. Byron did have the most to lose, after all.


    "We can''t actually stop the Avgo''s events." His voice was conciliatory. "It will continue regardless of what we do and whether or not we build round ss tforms in fancy stadiums across the gxy."


    "I was wondering about that." Lucas scratched his head. He did not pretend to understand all that was going on.


    "How did the Avgo Events take ce in the distant past, before all this huge brouhaha and money-making multi-world effort to organize it for viewership ur?"


    Dante sighed. This had been his burning question ever since he became aware that Byron would be marrying the winner of the Avgo Events.


    Before he met Candace, he didn''t care. Now, it was his burning goal to find out more about the reason behind the arbitrary designation of an Avgo-dictated marriage to the Crown Prince.


    Dante turned to Lucas.


    "The organized Avgo Events are an artificial construct that was built around the Avgo''s innate actions to find prime candidates to continue future generations of sentient life."


    "That''s right." te nodded. "Somewhere along the way, it became subverted into something that resembled a high-stakes beauty pageant that was used to find a bride for the ruling ss."


    He shook his head. "That was never its intent."


    Lucas gave te a confused look. "What do you mean?"


    Danteughed and pped Lucas on the shoulder.


    "Little Brother, the Avgo does not care who the Avgo Female marries."


    "Really? Then what''s the point?" Lucas rubbed his eyes. He was truly confused about the whole thing.


    "Hahaha." teughed. "The point is that there is no such thing as an Avgo Male. There is only the Avgo Female."


    "And?" Lucas stared at him with a nk look. Was te trying to be Captain Obvious?


    Leonardo rubbed his eyes. Lucas was older than he was and they had the same mother and father, but it sometimes struck Leonardo that aside from taking the lion''s share of the looks, Lucas seemed to have left some of his extra brain cells behind to make room for all that good looks. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "It''s got to do with basic biology, Lucas." Leonardo tried to exin to him. "In the animal kingdom, females have to carry the bulk of the responsibility for continuing life."


    "It''s very costly, in terms of energy and time, for females to have babies. They only have a limited number of infants they can carry. That''s why in the natural world, it''s their choice and they try to choose only the highest-quality males."


    "Wait, wait." Byron held up a hand. "Isn''t the Avgo Events something that is held for the Empire to choose the highest quality FEMALE for the Crown Prince, whoever he may be?"


    teughed. "It seems that way, doesn''t it? But the truth is, the Avgo Events have been subverted."


    "What do you mean?" Byron looked at him with suspicion.


    "He''s right." A voice called out from beyond the bird of paradise bushes.


    All the Princes turned their heads with joy at the sound of Candace''s voice.

 Chapter 111 - The Pink Avgo Gemstone

    "Candace!" The twins jumped up and ran to her side as they each took one of her arms and escorted her back to the Tiki Bar.


    Suddenly, their world was sparkling and joyous again. Their muse and the source of their artistic inspiration was here!


    "Cancandi!" Leonardo breathed. Leave it to his woman to grasp the intricacies of biology that his own dunderhead brother failed toprehend.


    They say that the brain is the biggest sex organ in the body and Leonardo could not agree more. There was nothing more exciting to him than an intellectually brilliant woman.


    te smiled. "There''s my girl," he murmured under his breath as his body began to respond to the mere sight of her walking across the garden.


    te could not control his reaction to her. The woman physically aroused him merely by walking into the room!


    Images of their lovemaking began to appear before his eyes and he had to look away before he embarrassed himself in front of his brothers.


    Lucas smiled as he saw her walking towards them. Her eyes met his and he looked away as shyness rose on his cheeks like the bloom of a virgin rose bud.


    He knew that she was too high above him to even think about having a chance with her but nobody could take away Lucas'' right to hope and dream that she might think of him as someone she could be with.


    Byron stared at the woman destined to be his bride. His throat tightened and his chest swelled with emotions that he could not put a name to.


    He had no doubt in his mind that she would be the winner of the Avgo. In his mind, she was already his wife.


    He had been preparing since the start, his mind and soul to receive her into his inner sanctum, to be his mate and the mother of his children. The thought gave him such a thrill that he could barely breathe.


    Dante''s green eyes glinted with something that looked suspiciously like tears. He turned away, and when he turned back, the momentary reflection of light that bounced off his bright green eyes were gone.


    No one knew of his emotional break down but Candace and his servants. He had always been too emotional, felt too intensely about the people and things he cared the most for.


    The depth and breadth of his emotions was something that Dante wrestled with every day of his life. She was like the balm to his tortured soul and the medicine he needed to control his mental and emotional demons.


    He needed her to survive this crazy world.


    Escorted by the noisy and chattering green-haired twins, Candace waspletely unaware of all the internal turmoil of the Princes. She turned to all of them standing around the Tiki Bar and waved with an excited grin.


    As she came closer, the attendant made a drink and ced it on the bar for her. She frequented the Tiki Bar quite often and he knew exactly what she always asked for.


    Dante smiled and picked up the drink, intending on bringing it to her, but then he raised his eyebrows as his nose picked up the scent of the drink.


    "Water?" He asked the attendant.


    "The Princess always asks for water, Your Royal Highness."


    Dante nodded and brought the drink over to Candace.


    "I''m d you could join us." He handed her the ss.


    Candace took the drink from his hand and took a sip.


    "Hmmm. How did you know I wanted this?"


    Dante indicated with his head at the attendant on duty.


    "I hire excellent help, and they all only have one duty¡ªto take good care of you." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "So tell me," Dante asked as he led her back to the group, with the twins following behind. "What did the Ellipsoidal Macrocosm say about the Avgo?"


    Candace sipped her water and sat on the bar stool they pulled out for her.


    "I don''t know if I should say anything. I''m sure you all are far more knowledgeable about the Avgo and the Ellipsoidal Macrocosm than I am."


    "Don''t be too sure," Leonardo''s aqua eyes twinkled. "Most people have never even read the book although it is supposed to be required reading for all ages."


    "I''m guilty of that. I''ve actually never read it." Lucas blushed and looked away.


    "I don''t me you," Jason''s face fell. "It''s a rather boring book that only philosophers read. I think I scanned through it once just to be able to say that I read the thing."


    Jared turned to Candace. "But we are curious about what you were able to gather from it. It could help shed light on this whole confusing situation."


    Candace looked at the men. They seemed to be intensely interested in what she had learned.


    "Well," she cleared her throat. "It starts off sounding like it would be some creation story about the universe and all, but that''s not the bulk of the material."


    She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she tried to recall the words as closely as she could.


    "If you read carefully, the Ellipsoidal Macrocosm talks about the Avgo in very poetic detail."


    "In chapter six, section ten, the Avgo Females who are chosen from among the myriad of females across the gxy are selected for specific traits."


    "Such as?" Byron asked. His eyes opened wide with wonder. This woman was quoting a book from an ancientnguage and notating the specific section and chapter.


    "Well, the desired traits change throughout the ages. Sometimes, it''s for traits that have either been lost due to active gic pruning or inadvertent inbreeding."


    "At other times, it''s desirable traits that have sprung up independently from the general trends on some far remote corner of the gxy."


    "Ahhh. Is that why sometimes the pink Avgo shows itself? Is it looking for someone specific to its¡­spectrum?" Dante mused.


    Candace scratched her blonde head.


    "Well, we all know that the color pink doesn''t actually exist on the visible spectrum of rainbow colors. Maybe the trait of being able to see the color pink is one that''s targeted."


    "Of course the color pink exists." Lucas touched his pink hair. "I color my hair this way because it attracts the visuals and the crowd."


    Byron held up his hand.


    "Wait. I don''t see any color in your hair other than the pale blonde color that you and Leonardo both have."


    Lucas turned to Byron, his eyes wide open with astonishment.


    "Byron. Don''t tell me you''re partially colorblind!!!"

 Chapter 121 - Rightful Heir

    It was almost midnight in Erenveil and yet, the Second Prince was still standing by the firece within his study, staring into the flickering mes.


    The warmth of the fire kept his mind anchored to the reality that he had suddenly found himself. This was one of the most explosive days in his entire life.


    There had been so many things that had been revealed to him that he could barely hold onto his humanity.


    There was the surety and steadfastness of his deep love for Candace. There was also the pride of finally being able to announce to the world that he was a legitimate Crown Prince who had been born to an Avgo winner, no less. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    And intermingled between these two shining thoughts was the sublime satisfaction of seeing his mother''s opponent finally ousted from her position.


    All these things kept shing through his mind in session, making him dizzy at times.


    "Have the visions appeared from the mes? Have you seen any way out of this dilemma you''ve created for yourself?" A voice called out from within the room.


    Dante smiled.


    "Don''t you ever announce yourself when youe to visit, Father?"


    "I didn''t think parents had to ask permission to see their child." Another voice called out.


    Mother!


    Dante''s eyes lit up and he turned around.


    There, in the flesh, was his own parents. This was no visual or 3D call. They were really here!


    The Emperor''s raven ck hair and stormy violet eyes contrasted greatly with his white and gold royal robes.


    Standing next to him was the ethereal Anastasia, looking even more lovely than she did thest time he saw her at the Royal Ball. She was also dressed in the full white and gold royal robes that matched Father''s.


    Dante''s eyes glistening with unshed tears as he caught the dull glimmer of the Empress crown on her head, resting on her long blue hair as if it had always been there.


    Finally. After so many years, Mother had finally been able to take her rightful ce as Empress of Erenveil.


    He made his way to the both of them and held out his hand.


    Mother ignored it and reached out with her entire body, enfolding him into her arms.


    She was a tall Nymphalidaen woman but Dante was a full five inches taller than she was. Nevertheless, there was no doubt he was still the young child she cared for.


    His body shrank into hers as he rested his head on her shoulder while she rubbed his back. It was as before, when she wasforting her only child.


    "I was expecting to speak with at least one of you tonight, but I did not expect for you to be here personally." He whispered softly into her neck.


    "It was important." The Emperor responded in his deep gravelly voice.


    "We needed to discuss this very important situation with you and it must be done in person. This is in regards to the position of Crown Prince."


    "Byron..." Dante sighed and paused.


    He did not know what to say. The position of Crown Prince was always something he knew should have been his, but when he thought about Byron, it had always given him pause.


    Byron was his blood brother. That fact had never changed.


    "Byron has told us he will step down from the position. It is now your mantle to pick up, and in fact, you must do it." The Emperor''s eyes were grave.


    "The Empire cannot be without a Crown Prince. If something were to happen to me tomorrow, it would be chaos."


    He reached out with both hands and ced them on Dante''s shoulders.


    "We need to ensure a calm and peaceful session of the throne by someone powerful enough to maintain the stability of the Empire."


    "Is there any way for him to keep the Crown Prince title?" Dante asked.


    Although he knew it was his title by rights, it still felt as if he was robbing it from his brother.


    Anastasia looked up at him, her bright green eyes, the color of ss.


    "You are my son. If I am to be Empress, you must be the Crown Prince. There can be no other way."


    The Emperor cleared his throat.


    "I have been grooming you to take over the throne for your entire life, Dante. You are the only one I can trust to do this."


    Dante looked at his father, confused. "I don''t understand."


    "Son." The Emperorughed. "Why do you think I''ve been steering you into the role of controlling the vast riches of the gxy?" The Emperor''s violet eyes sparkled like amethysts.


    "Power¡ªreal poweres from the ability to make things happen and do what must be done for your voice to wield the power it needs to be an Emperor. People must quake at the sound of your voice."


    He held out his hands in a grand gesture.


    "To you, my son, I have bequeathed the real power of the Emperor''s throne."


    Dante took a deep breath. He knew much of what he had initially been able to attain had been with the Emperor''s assistance and at his Father''s direction and guidance.


    He had always thought it was because Father felt guilty about not being able to treat Mother as the Empress she truly was and this was the way for him to assuage his guilt.


    It was the first time he had heard his fathere out and state with finality that he had been groomed to take over the throne.


    Dante swallowed a huge lump that was forming within his throat. He didn''t want to cry again but he could not help himself.


    The Emperor cleared his throat and patted him on the back awkwardly.


    This son of his had always been the most sensitive child. Who ever heard of a sensitive Emperor?


    He had to toughen up his son a bit more. Teach him how tough and be boisterous when emotions bogged him down.


    "But what will happen to Byron?"


    Anastasia turned her green eyes and gazed at her son.


    "He is still your brother. That will never change. However, as an illegitimate child of a woman who has been divorced from her husband, he will be stripped of the title of Prince of Erenveil and be given a lesser title of Duke¡­unless I agree to adopt him as my child."


    Dante sighed. So Marissa had gotten a bted divorce for having a child out of wedlock, and Byron would have to step back into that big mess.


    "Please adopt him, Mother." Dante stated baldly.


    Anastasia gave him a hard stare.


    "His mother and aunt have treated us like trash and lesser beings all through your childhood and that treatment has never changed a bit, even after you grew up."


    She eyed him with a searching re.


    "Are you sure you want to give quarter where none was given to you?"


    Dante shook his head.


    "That was rissa and her sister. Byron never treated me badly. Sure, he was a bit pompous and arrogant at times, but he''s like that with all the brothers, and only because he thought he was the eldest brother."


    Anastasia nodded. She had taught him well.


    "Understand that even if I adopt him, he has forfeited the Crown Prince title. Although he will still hold the title of Prince, he will not be able to seed the throne since an adopted child cannot take the Crown Prince title."


    Dante nodded.


    That meant Dante himself would be Crown Prince, and Lucas would, in turn, be the Second Prince, with the rest of the Princes changing their session numbers.


    Those numbers in front of their titles were important designations because they denoted the cement in the line of session to the throne. If something were to happen to him, Lucas would be the next Emperor of Erenveil.


    Suddenly the thought of the shy, extremely handsome Prince taking over Father''s throne made Danteugh.


    Lucas was the least capable of them all to be Emperor and yet, he was next in line right behind Dante.

 Chapter 122 - Bloody Bat

    Morning brought with it a major change that was palpable to hear and see and feel.


    At the moment that Candi woke up, there were several attendants who had arrived to assist her with bathing and dressing.


    Although she could never get used to the idea that these attendants didn''t think she could wash her own hair or clip her own toe nails, she still let them do whatever it was that they did.


    It was just easier to acquiesce than to make a huge protest and end up having to allow them to do whatever it was that they were going to do any way.


    It was a strange morning indeed. They had pulled out a beautiful white and gold dress that she had never seen before and dressed her in it. Then, they had fussed with her hair and makeup until she looked as if she was ready to go to a royal ball.


    It was barely 8 AM. She hadn''t even had breakfast yet. It was also useless asking them the reason for the dress up. They knew even less than she did.


    "This way, please, Princess." They gave a gesture and led her out of her quarters.


    Halfway through the walk, they passed by the library, and as she walked past therge double doors, Candi saw a light through the window of the library.


    "Wait." She held out her hand.


    "Princess, we have been told to take you directly to the Alcove Gardens."


    She turned to the handmaids. "Give me a few minutes."


    They looked at each other.


    "If I am the Princess, you must listen to my request. I need a few minutes."


    "Yes, Your Royal Highness." They bowed.


    "Stay right here. I will be right back." She held out a hand and turned towards the door.


    No one should be in the library at this time. A light within was a serious anomaly.


    Candi poked her head in through the doorway and nced about. There was no one in the anterior of the library. The light was further back, within the section that housed the museum.


    She narrowed her eyes and slowly crept into the central chamber where the art pieces were showcased. The light wasing from between two book cases.


    Slowly, Candi moved forward until she could clearly see the light.


    There in the corner was the shivering form of a bat. He was huddling in between therge impressive life-size stone sculpture of a male Erenveil bat warrior and arge carved omphalos.


    Dante???


    No. This was not Dante. His form was different from Dante''s.


    She moved closer to him, noting for the first time, his long dark copper red hair and hisrge muscr frame.


    "Byron?" She whispered.


    The form that was Byron hid his face into his wings and waved his hand in a gesture that told her with desperation to go away.


    But of course, Candi had never been one to walk away from such pain and suffering.


    She came closer to him and reached out to touch his hand.


    Byron''s body jerked, as if in shock.


    He pulled his hand back, curling even tighter into his shell.


    "Byron. It''s me, Candace."


    "Go away. Leave me alone." His voice sounded muffled and bleak.


    "I''m not going away and I''m not leaving you alone." She moved even closer until she was almost touching him.


    Up close, she could see where he had torn handfuls of fur from his body and where his wings had been shed until they bled.


    It all looked self-inflicted.


    "Oh Byron." She whispered and cradled his body within her own.


    Byron''s bloody gashes and raw patches of skin bled all over the brand new white outfit she had just been carefully dressed in but Candi didn''t care.


    "Sheath your ws Darling," she murmured. "If you identally touch me with them, you will give me puncture wounds."


    Byron''s body stiffened. Slowly, he retracted his ws and reached out to hold her.


    Suddenly, his grip tightened and he clutched onto her like a drowning man.


    "Oh Candace," he choked. "My life is such a huge mess. I don''t know what to do. I''m so ashamed and embarrassed."


    "Hush Darling. It''s okay. It will all work out." She murmured into his ear.


    "I can''t¡ªI can''t face my family and my brothers." He whispered, weeping openly.


    "You know they still love you so very much, and you''re still part of the family."


    "I don''t¡­I don''t know that."


    "Of course you do. You''re still here inside Dante''s Moon, aren''t you?"


    "Of course but what does that¡ª"


    "Dante does not allow anyone inside his Moon unless they are family, or his own people. I''m the exception. I''m not family or his servants and workers."


    "Who said you''re not family? You are wearing the royal robes."


    For the first time, she looked down and noticed the gold embroidered patterns of the Erenveil crest on her white outer robe.


    "I wasn''t sure why the handmaids dressed me in such fancy robes just to go have breakfast."


    "It is because the Emperor and Empress are here. You are dressed in this manner to greet them as their Daughter-inw." Byron closed his eyes.


    "You should go and meet them. Leave me be. I am no longer worthy to be with you." He began sobbing again.


    "I am not the Crown Prince. My life has been a total lie."


    "Byron," she touched his face with gentle fingers. "You are still the Emperor''s son. You are still worthy, and you are still so very valued and loved."


    He crouched there, in that corner, shaking with the grief and pain of loss of dignity. And Candace held him as he worked through wave after wave of grief.


    "I love you Candace." He whispered to her. "And because I love you, I am withdrawing my marriage proposal to you. You deserve a better man than me."


    "Byron¡ª"


    "Hush. Listen to me. As I am right now, I have nothing to offer you. It will take me time to rebuild myself, and once I do, if you are still avable, I will return and I will ask you to marry me again. But for now, the we that was us is gone."


    "Where will you go? Your family is here! Please don''t go anywhere." Candi''s eyes grew rmed.


    He reached out and cradled her face in between his hands. "It won''t matter where I go because you will always be with me here in my heart." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She sighed. He was not listening to her. She needed bigger guns.


    "I want you to clean yourself up ande have breakfast with me and the family."


    "Candace." He shook his head.


    "Will you refuse to do the one thing I''m asking?" She threw out her chin in challenge.


    Where was the proud Prince of Erenveil that she once knew? He still had to be there somewhere inside this hurt and quivering humanoid bat.


    In frustration, she pulled his face down and gave him a hard fierce kiss.


    With a gasp, Byron''s body stiffened. His red-brown eyes widened as he realized what had just happened.


    The woman he loved and thought he''d lost was kissing him with an urgency that matched how he felt about her.


    He uttered a guttural groan deep within his chest and reached out to cup her blonde head in hisrge hands. Unable to hold himself back, he returned her kiss with an even more intense urgency.


    Oh God. She tasted so good. And he was starving to death.


    Her kisses were healing him from the inside out and staunching the blood flow. His world was no longer so bleak, no longer so damned. His torn and bloody soul was bing whole again.


    It was a while longer that he was able to let her go, once his desperation and hunger was no longer so sharp and acute that it caused him pain.


    Byron sighed and flexed his muscles. In one swift move, his wings retracted and disappeared.


    Once again, the Byron that she knew appeared before her, wearing the ck bodysuit of the Erenveil warrior.


    He stood up and helped her to her feet. Then, he looked her over carefully and began touching the various bloody spots on her gown with his fingers, magically removing the stains. Within minutes, she was spotless as before.


    "You have to heal yourself too." Candace turned and inspected his warrior outfit with a critical eye. "You cannot appear in front of them in such a bloody outfit."


    She touched his ripped and torn bloodstained suit with gentle fingers.


    "We also can''t go to breakfast with you smelling so bloody." She wrinkled her nose. "I wouldn''t be able to eat."


    For the first time since the fallout, Byron began tough.

 Chapter 128 - Fur Colors

    Lucas said he would be right back.


    In reality, it took him over an hour to return, but it was very much worth it because right behind him was Jason and Jared.


    "So our little Tiny Dancer wants to be a Tiny Dancer Bat, huh?" Jasonughed as he strode towards her and picked her up, swinging her around.


    Jared had already begun to pull out his measuring tools, muttering to himself.


    "Bat wings on her body will have to be this size. Do we wantrge hooked thumb nails?"


    "That would make her look wicked awesome." Jason rubbed his hands together. "Hmmm. We could adorn it with jewels or something."


    "We could also paint her wing nails a pretty color to go with the jewelry you''ll be making for her. Do we want to make her a dark olive brown bat like us or do we want a lighter shade of blonde?" Jared asked.


    "Well, we''re all varying shades of brown when we''re in beast mode, so she should be the lightest of the brown shades to match with us." Jason murmured, gazing at her.


    "Yeah. If you look at te, who''s the darkest bat, all the way to Leo and Lucas who are the lightest of the bats, if we make her any lighter than them, she''s going to be almost white¡­" Jared mumbled and turned to Lucas.


    "Hey Bro. Change so I can see the actual color of your hide and your wings."


    Lucas grinned.


    "My pleasure."


    He began unbuttoning his shirt sleeves and chest buttons and in seconds had stripped down to his waist.


    Candi''s eyes widened. The man truly had impable pecs and perfect abs! Holy moley!!!


    Lucas flexed his muscles.


    FWOOOMPH!!!


    His wings sprang out from his back as his fangs began to grow.


    His fur and wings were a tan color, several shades darker than the natural pale blond hair on his head that had been tinted a pinkish gold color.


    "Do you want me in full beast mode or is this good enough?" Lucas mouthed around his fangs.


    "This is fine. I just wanted to see the exact color you change into." Jared scratched his head as he looked at the fur that was on Lucas'' shoulders and back.


    "Hmm. Howe it''s not a pinkish gold like your hair?"


    Jason popped him on the head with a gentle fist.


    "Because, you doofus. The pink is a dye job."


    Lucas grinned. "I could dye my fur and wings a bit pinkish if you need it to be."


    "That''s not a bad idea." Jared scratched his cheek. "Do it."


    Lucas shrugged and began focusing energy on his fingertips. He reached back and began rubbing his wings and shoulders.


    Where he touched the fur began to turn pink.


    "STOP! STOP!" Jason yelled. "You''re making a big pink striped mess of your body because you can''t reach certain areas."


    He reached out with a practiced hand.


    "Let us do it for you."


    In no time at all, under Jason''s ministration, Lucas'' wings and bat fur began matching his pinkish blond hair.


    "Wow!" Candi breathed with a huge grin. "You look like a delicious rose gold lollipop!"


    Lucasughed, blushing at her words.


    So many women had said far more lewd things to him but it never made him feel the way she made him feel because it was all fake.


    They were merely reacting to his external physical image. She was the only real thing in his make-believe world. Everyone else and everything else, except his family, was fake.


    Okay, since Lucas'' hair is one shade lighter than Candace''s hair, should we make her bat outfit a darker shade than his?" Jared asked.


    "No no. He''s a man. He needs to be darker than her, no matter what his hair color is. Even if we have to make her pure white, she has to be lighter than him." Jason responded.


    "I don''t think we need to go that far. A pale blonde is good enough since Lucas'' wings and body are darker than his hair."


    Jason turned towards Byron.


    "I can''t remember, Byron. What''s your natural hair and fur color?"


    Byron stared at him with a disgusted look.


    "This is my natural hair color. I''m a redhead."


    "What shade is your fur again?" Jared asked.


    "What, you guys don''t know each others'' fur colors?" Candiughed.


    Byron turned to Candi with a grimace.


    "We''re guys. We don''t notice that kind of stuff."


    "What DO you notice?"


    "Well, you know." He waved his hands helplessly. "We notice each other''s physiques and¡­such¡­"


    "Oh like howrge each guy is?"


    The men burst outughing.


    "What???" Candi threw up her hands.


    "Never mind Tiny Dancer." Jared turned back to Byron.


    "Can you change real quickly so I can see your exact shade of fur and wing color?"


    Byron threw off his shirt and transformed in the same manner as Lucas. His wings and fur were a deep coppery red-brown several shades darker than his hair.


    "Wow!" She muttered, looking at Byron standing next to Lucas. These were absolutely drool-worthy men.


    Something in her eyes must have shown her delight and admiration because they smiled with pride.


    Instead of being turned off or disgusted by their fur and leather wings, she was actually physically attracted to their beast mode bodies! n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    It took another hour before the twins were satisfied with their designs and they left, promising to return within twenty-four hours with mock ups of their designs so that Candi could get a real bat-looking outfit for her Illusions Event.


    "Okay, Sweet Love," Lucas pinched her nose with light fingers. "Let''s go grab lunch while we discuss what we''re going to do." He turned to Byron. "Want to join us for lunch?"


    Byron shook his head. "Father wants to discuss with me various things so I need to get back to the Royal Pce and have lunch with him."


    He turned to Candi with a smile.


    "You take good care of this woman for me while I''m not here."


    "Always, Brother." Lucas responded. He knew Byron loved her. If anything sealed that knowledge, it was the very public disy of affection and the marriage proposal that Byron had given to Candace in front of all the brothers.


    Byron reached out and kissed her forehead.


    "Have fun with Lucas. I''ll be backter this evening to join you all for dinner."


    Candi nodded.


    For now at least, things were quiet and they could enjoy these simple peaceful times together.


    She had a feeling things were going to be much less simple and much less peaceful in the very near future¡­

 Chapter 133 - Bite Me!

    Candi pulled back from Dante. His eyes were glittering with rage and he was shaking with the effort of holding it in.


    The fright must have shown in her eyes because he closed his eyes and exhaled a long and shaky breath.


    "Please don''t be frightened of me, Love. I''m not mad at you, and even if I were, I would never do anything to hurt you."


    He opened his eyes. This time, his green eyes held remorse and pain. He reached out and cradled her face.


    "When did he inject his venom into you?"


    "Right before breakfast with your Mother and Father."


    "So that was why you werete for breakfast, and with the Emperor and Empress of Erenveil, no less."


    "Yes. I found Byron. He was a big mess, so Iforted him as best as I could. He told me he was leaving soon so I asked him when he wasing back."


    "I heard about that," Dante frowned. "But my mother just adopted him! Why would he treat her precious gift to him as if it was nothing and just leave?"


    "I think he''s just trying to find himself and figure out what his future holds. His entire world had just been dumped upside down and he was picking up the pieces trying to figure out how to put it all back together again." Candi murmured gently.


    She was still trying to understand why Dante was so upset over what seemed to her like an ingenious and simple method ofmunication.


    "And so he decides to bite you so he could figure out what he wants to do with his life?"


    "It wasn''t like that Dante. He wanted to have a way tomunicate with me once he leaves this area." She murmured softly, hoping Dante would take it at face value, because truly, she had also taken this at face value.


    "And the man doesn''t have ess to a virtual monitor and just call you up like any normal human being would do? He''s never heard of a voice or visual call?"


    Dante threw his hands out with frustration.


    "Heck, if he really missed you, he could just do a 3D call and it would be like having you in the same room. Instead, what does he do." Dante''s eyes were once again raging.


    "He fucking infects you with his venom!"


    Dante reached out and gathered Candi into his arms, shaking with rage and grief.


    "Dante." Candi whispered. "I didn''t think it was such a big deal. It''s just a little bite, right?"


    "It''s not just a little bite. You''re now infected with our family''s venom."


    She pulled back to look at him with fear-tinged eyes.


    "Am I going to die?"


    Dante smiled despite his overwhelming sadness.


    "No Darling. Of course you''re not going to die." He pulled her back into his arms as he fought the waves of rage coursing over him. "I would never allow that to happen."


    He could feel Candace''s hands rubbing his back in a gentle soothing manner, as if she was cating a child.


    Strangely enough, it worked.


    Her warm gentle hands and her soothing aura assuaged his raging anger and calmed his soul.


    He could not believe that this tiny woman was the only one who could quell the avnche of emotions that catapulted around him causing him to lose control and turn into a monster.


    Candi rested her head within the shelter of his arms for awhile, trying tofort him from that which was causing him to be so upset.


    Could it be that he was jealous because Byron could telepathically talk to him and Dante could not?


    What if he could, would that make a difference?


    "Dante," she whispered.


    "Hmmm?" He rumbled in his chest.


    "I have an idea."


    "Hmmm¡­" More chest rumbling.


    "What if you bite me too? That way you canmunicate with me in the same way."


    Dante''s body shook. She pushed him away so she could see his face.


    He wasn''tughing. He was crying.


    "Dante. I''m sorry. Forget I said anything."


    "You don''t understand. Nobody in their right mind, let alone a tiny female like you, would volunteer to be bitten by one of us." He whispered.


    "It''s just¡ªjust a tiny bite to establishmunication link, right?"


    "No!" Dante shook his head. "You don''t get it. The telepathy was a side-effect of mind control, something that was needed to keep the prey in line."


    "Prey?" She looked up at him, horrified.


    "Yes. There''s a reason why we''re called demons by those around us. We''re the only mammals that can fly, and we are the only ones who need to drink living blood to survive!"


    He turned away from her, hiding his face with deep shame.


    "A long time ago, it was normal for a vampire blood bat like me to have a harem of people, both male and female. Everyone hears the word harem and thinks it has to do with sex, but it really wasn''t."


    "No?"


    He shook his head. "Most vampires only have one mate, and most mate for life. The harem was used to feed."


    He shuddered with distaste.


    "The vampire would rotate through the harem, drinking the blood of each person and then giving him or her enough time to recover from the blood loss before the next feeding session."


    "Therger the harem, the longer time they were given to recuperate. In that manner, they were kept indefinitely as a food source."


    "But you''re not like that. You''re not a demon." Candi reached out to rub his shoulder.


    "We might as well be. Our bodies need fresh living blood to sustain itself."


    Candi gave him a dry dull look.


    "Well, I hate to break it to you but my body needs the flesh of animals to sustain itself too. I haven''t gotten to the point where I could just chew on leaves and be satisfied."


    "But you eat farmed, butchered animals. You don''t bite the flesh off living people to survive."


    "No, but Byron did say he used animal blood to keep from being malnourished."


    "Yes. We do." Dante''s face twisted in a grimace. "It''s pretty nasty though, but I had food manufacturers reformte cow''s blood. Once it''s been through a processing nt, it got rid of prions and is also nd enough for us to take internally without gagging."


    Candi''s eyes widened. "Wow. You''re really something. How do you think up all this stuff?"


    Dante gave a short miserableugh.


    "Isn''t that what we''re put into this Universe to do? Improve everyone''s lives as best we can? I''ve even had it formted as a dietary supplemental pill because some people just can''t drink the blood in liquid form, and they get very malnourished."


    "Do people buy it?"


    "Yes. It sells quite well and I make a lot of money off that blood pill." He said with a sad droop to his shoulders.


    "So what you''re saying is you don''t see me as a food source."


    "NO!!!" He gave her a horrified look.


    "So what do you say, hmmm?" She gave him an encouraging smile.


    "About what?" He gave her a wary eye. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Bite me.." She leaned her head over to one side and exposed her neck.

 Chapter 134 - Raspberry Pie

    "No." He was stern.


    "Come on. You know you want a piece of me." She tapped her neck with her index finger.


    "Candace¡­"


    "Bite me already!!!"


    She grumbled and shoved her neck into his lips. Now that she knew it didn''t hurt any more than a needle jab for a flu shot, she was no longer hesitant. She was ready for him.


    Dante inhaled sharply as the warmth and scent of her skin touched his lips. The hunger that he thought had waned from his temporary pause suddenly red back up again.


    It was so acute that he could not hold back his need tovish caresses and kisses on the woman he cherished with his entire being. Against his will, he reached out for her.


    He shut off his sharp rational mind and fell into the depths of his emotions as he began kissing her soft creamy neck, suckling it and leaving a dark red bruise mark.


    Candace shivered in his embrace as waves of desire began spreading out from his suckling kisses, expanding outward in radiating rings of ecstasy.


    Dante marveled at Candace''s reaction to his kisses.


    She had no fear!


    And because she had no fear, he took a deep breath and let go of his own fears.


    Candace was right there with him. He didn''t have to be afraid of drowning in that scary ce where emotions overwhelmed him.


    As his fangs grew, his craving for her increased until it was all he could do just to maintain his human form.


    At the moment when he could no longer hold back, Dante closed his eyes and slowly sank his fangs into the warm throbbing carotid artery that flowed through her neck.


    The moment his fangs sank into Candace''s skin, she felt that slight sting which vanished almost immediately from the pain killer that he released into her body.


    And then she could feel the familiar warmth of his liquid venom flowing into her bloodstream. It started at the point where he bit her and within seconds had raced throughout her entire being.


    Candace gasped and moaned with ecstasy as she felt Dante sucking on her neck and taking her blood into his own body.


    She wound her fingers into his blue hair, clutching reflexively. Her body was heating up from the venom and she was shaking with the joy of it.


    Dante pulled back, his lips stained with the color of her blood. He licked her wound clean of blood and then reached out to heal her skin.


    Within seconds, her bruised puncture wound waspletely healed.


    "Was it painful, Love?" He touched her with tender fingers.


    "No. It was very pleasurable." She smiled.


    He shook his head as tears threatened to fall from his eyes.


    "I''m very sorry. That''s also part of the venom''s effect that I have no control over."


    "What do you mean?"


    He reached out and gathered her head into his chest.


    "My vampiric venom has certain¡ªproperties, one of which triggers dopamine which caused you to feel pleasure. The feeling of happiness and pleasure is all chemical and it''s all fake." He choked on his words.


    "Fake?" Candi murmured. It didn''t feel fake to her.


    "Yes. It was evolved to keep prey happy and not struggling while they are being fed upon. I''m so very sorry."


    Candi frowned. "How is my pleasure from you biting me any different than my pleasure from you kissing me, or doing any other intimate things with me?"


    Dante paused as he thought about her question. For once, he was truly stumped.


    "I don''t know. Maybe you being happy on your own is different than you being happy on demand because I injected you with venom?"


    Candi shook her head. "But I was the one who insisted on being bitten. Wouldn''t that be me who was doing the demanding?"


    Dante was silent. The woman was doing it again.


    She was taking what was so very wrong and turned it so very right. How was this possible?


    She reached up and kissed his lips.


    "Don''t underestimate your charms. It''s not your venom. It''s your lovemaking that gave me great pleasure."


    We haven''t done anything but kiss¡­"


    "Well," Candi smiled. "We''ve barely just begun to get to know each other. We could explore and find out more."


    He held her with great care.


    "Listen to me, Candace." His eyes were serious.


    "You are not just some generic prize that the Crown Prince gets, and you are not some random winner of a contest. I have been pursuing you, and ONLY you, since the very beginning."


    He touched her cheeks with tender hands.


    "It didn''t matter if I became the Crown Prince or not, you have always been MY chosen bride."


    "But¡ª"


    He shook his head.


    "There are only two more weeks of the event, after which, win or lose, you will be my bride."


    His eyes danced with promise.


    "At that time, you couldn''t stop me if you tried, but right now, I want you to focus on the next event. It will take all your efforts and concentration so don''t be sidelined by all this other baggage."


    Candi nodded. This was the Dante that she knew. He was back in charge again.


    "Are you less hungry, now that you''ve taken some of my blood?"


    Dante pursed his lips.


    "I didn''t take very much, just a couple of sips. It was only so I could find you and connect with your specific gic marker."


    "You could have taken more. I have plenty of blood."


    "No Candace. You are my wife, not my prey."


    ''Raspberry pie.''


    "What?" He stared at her, notprehending what she said.


    "You heard me."


    "I heard you said Raspberry pie. Are you hungry my love? Dinner is being served at the moment. We should go check it out."


    Candiughed.


    "I was just testing out our telepathy." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Dante blinked. "I didn''t think to test it out in that manner."


    "Well how do you vampires test it out?"


    Dante blushed and looked away. "It''s mostly something along the veins of¡ª". He turned back to her, his mesmerizing green eyes focusing in on her.


    ''Come to me.''


    Candace found herself unconsciously moving towards him.


    He snapped his fingers and she blinked reflexively.


    "What happened? Weren''t you going to test it out?"


    Dante sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. Just¡ªif you ever need me for anything, I want you to call me, no matter the time of day or night. Will you promise?"


    "I promise."


    He seemed happier once he had been able to extract that promise from her.


    ''Dante.''


    "Yes Love?"


    ''Kiss me again.''


    Dante smiled and lowered her back onto the bed.


    "Your wish is mymand."

 Chapter 135 - Butterfly Kisses

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    There was an unhurried calmness to Dante''s kisses this time, as if he knew she was his and he had all the time in the world. With one hand, he held both hers up over her head in a grip that was gentle but firm.


    Dante was so strong that even without using a single binding method, she would not be able to use her hands on him at all.


    His mouth teased and fluttered over her face and lips in feather soft touches, as if he wanted to dy the moment of gratification.


    His tongue darted here and there, tasting in tiny butterfly kisses that both tickled and maddened her. His soft shapely lips poised over hers, moving with deliberate care in a manner that would have been rough and ardent if it hadn''t been on extreme slow motion.


    As his tongue thrust in between her lips, she quivered uncontrobly. He dipped into her mouth for a few seconds, only to retract and move elsewhere on her face.


    He moved on, kissing her earlobes, the corners of her eyes, and the back of her neck with darting, gentle touches that left her crying for more.


    This man knew how to tease!


    Candi wanted to grab his head and shove her mouth into his just to satisfy herself. She''d kissed him before. She knew he could be rough if he wanted to, but he held both of them back in a pace that was maddeningly, teasingly, deliciously slow.


    Dante caressed her body with the same slow steady hands that promised much more that what it delivered at that very moment.


    With leisure fingers, he yed with the buttons of her shirt and slowly unbuttoned them, one at a slow one.


    As the first button came off, he began nuzzling her neck and corbones, concentrating on the hollow between her vicles.


    His tongue began dancing on her throat as his fingers slowly unbuttoned the second button.


    With more exposed skin came more maddeningly slow kisses that covered the area he had just revealed.


    Slowly, he covered every inch of her body with kisses, moving from the hollows behind her jawline to the point between her breasts.


    Dante spent considerable time there, teasing out each individual nerve ending and licking it until it was tingling with desire.


    His hands reached up to cup her breast and he continued his exploration, flicking his tongue back and forth between each pink aure.


    And then with a sigh, he gave in to his need to possess her nipple. As his mouth fixed over the first one, Candi shivered with anticipation.


    He did not disappoint.


    His wet tongue moved with masterful strokes, flicking and licking her erect nipple, running round and round, her aure with precision and control, leaving her gasping for more.


    The feeling of his lips on her nipple sent a jolt of electricity directly to her womb. Her petals began to engorge as wetness gushed from between her legs.


    "Mmmmmmh." She began mewling.


    ''Does that feel good, Baby Girl?'' Dante mentally connected with her, even as his suckling continued.


    ''Haaaaah¡­yes!'' Purring with delight, Candi''s hands began to roam all over his neck and shoulders.


    ''Because if it feels good, I have one more breast to kiss.'' He slowly moved to the other breast and began nuzzling it with his wet tongue.


    "Aaaaaaahhhh," she gasped as he gave a single hard suck to her second nipple, and then went back to teasing it gently.


    Candi leaned her head back. Her lips parted as she inhaled the woody spicy scent of his body. Her body trembled from the sweet tingly sensations he was causing on her nipple.


    From her throat came uncontroble wanton sounds. She was mewling and gasping and choking, causing Dante to slowly lose control of his deliberate love making.


    It was obvious that he was not going slow because he was feeling his way around and not knowing what to do.


    It was because he was extending the sensation of each erogenous zone as long as possible, extracting the most delicious thrills from her body.


    From the hollow of her throat to the tips of her nipples, his fingers danced and caressed, never stopping anywhere to focus on a single erogenous point.


    He touched them all.


    Those feather soft touches stoked her desires to the maddening point, until it was all she could do just to hold back from jumping on him and satisfying her carnal desires.


    And he had barely taken her shirt off.


    ''You are so beautiful.'' He touched her mind with the merest of whispers.


    ''I think you are the one who is beautiful.'' She smiled and responded mentally to him.


    ''I love the color of your hair. It''s such a brilliant blue that I cannot keep my eyes off it.''


    Candi touched his brilliant iridescent blue hair. He had let it grow to the point that it was no longer spiky. It was soft and full, and the color of a blue butterfly''s wings.


    He turned his bright green eyes at her, gazing with adoring reverence.


    ''I know you only asked for kisses, but I''m so hungry for you I can''t control my body responding to you.''


    He took her hand and guided it to therge bulge that was straining to be released from his pants.


    ''This is what you do to me. I need you so desperately but all you asked for were kisses, so I respected your wishes.''


    Candi''s hands began to touch him of her own volition. Through the fabric of his pants, she could feel hisrge hard shaft and his bulging sacs.


    His green eyes darkened with the pain of pleasure.


    ''We could go much further if you wish.'' He whispered inside her mind.


    ''Much further?'' Candi looked up at him and gasped as his fingers began to touch her stomach.


    He breathed softly. Reaching out, he kissed her eyelids.


    ''I know I never formally asked you to marry me, but that was because the Avgo Events were so brutal that I did not want to distract you from it.''


    He kissed her mouth, even has his words continued inside her mind.


    ''I had also not been formally named the Crown Prince, which meant I did not have the right to ask you because at that time, Byron''s right superseded mine.''


    His tongue reimed her mouth. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ''I''m asking you now. Will you please ept me as your physically, soulfully, and spiritually bonded husband?''


    ''The Avgo event is still not concluded. If Jenna wins¡­''


    ''Even if Jenna wins, I will not marry her.'' He broke free from his kisses to look into her eyes.


    ''I am always a man of my words. Even if Jenna wins, she can never be my wife because I will have changed the rules so that marriage to the Crown Prince is not a given and it must be agreed to by both sides.''


    ''Since I will never agree to being her husband, it will be a given that I will never marry her.''


    ''Everything I am and everything I have is all yours if you will just say yes.'' He suckled on her lips even as his words came through clear and shining inside her mind.


    "Do you love me?" Candi asked with finality.


    It was the first words that had been spoken out loud between the two of them since they began kissing.

 Chapter 141 - Alone At The Avgo Event

    For a moment, there was no answer.


    Candi covered her head and gasped. Oh God not him too.


    ''Byron! Byron are you there???''


    ''Darling! Is everything alright? Are you hurt?''


    ''Oh my God, Byron!" Candi began panting, her fear exploding. He was answering which meant he was not hurt.


    "I''m fine, but the twins, Lucas, and Dante were supposed to be here to help me with the Event. It''s almost time, but nobody has shown up!''


    ''Listen. Just rx. Breathe deeply. Everything will be just fine.''


    Candi closed her eyes and breathed as Byron told her to do. The breathing helped quell down her panic, but she was still extremely worried.


    ''Good girl. Now listen carefully. You only have fifteen minutes left. From the dressing room where you are to the stage is going to take about ten minutes to get to.''


    His voice sounded urgent. Something was truly wrong.


    ''You need to start walking there NOW.''


    ''But Byron, I''m not dressed for the performance!''


    ''What are you wearing?''


    ''My¡ªmy white outfit from yesterday.''


    ''That''s good enough. You looked delectable yesterday so you should be fine. Remember, you don''t have to do much. Just show up on the stage.''


    ''But¡ª''


    ''Start walking Love.'' Byron''s voice was insistent. ''You only have thirteen minutes left to walk.''


    Heaving a cry, Candi ran out of the dressing room and began heading in the direction of the ck and blue arrows that clearly pointed the way onto the stage.


    ''Remember. All you have to do is show up onstage. You don''t really need to do anything and you would still take third position since this is not an elimination event.''


    ''It''s not?''


    ''No. Remember, it was just a talent show for the top three Avgo Females to show off their magical talents. Even if you didn''t do anything, you''d still be fine and in first ce still. Just show up when your name is called.''


    ''Okay Byron.'' Her voice shake, partly because she was running through the corridor and partly because she was scared.


    ''Please go find your brothers. I don''t know what happened to any of them.''


    ''Leave them to me. You just go out there and do your best.'' He responded in a rushed manner, as if he was running himself.


    The halls were twisting and turning. The arrows continued to point, but half way to the staging area, she no longer needed them.


    The noiseing from the stage area was like a dull roar. It sounded as if someone had just finished their Avgo Event.


    ''I''m here at the back lobby area. I can hear the crowd and Lorem Ipsum.''


    ''Good luck Darling.'' Byron said and then there was silence on his end.


    Since she didn''t have ess to any of the monitors, she had no idea who was performing what and how the scores were racking up.


    At this point though, the Avgo was not on her list of the most important thing to think about. Aside from Byron, who sounded as if he was in some sort of distress himself, she had no idea where the others were.


    Candi was gulping down tears as she ran towards the back stage.


    The back lobby area was filled with Lorem Ipsum''s attendants.


    When they saw her running up, one of them ran out to let the old goat know she had arrived.


    The other attendants converged in on her. They looked her up and down without saying a word.


    The top ranking Avgo Female hade with no attendants of her own and looked as if she had been running through the halls to get here.


    "Good morning Princess. d you were able to make it on time."


    One handed her a cup of water and another was wiping the sweat off her brow and dusting something light on her face.


    A third attendant gave a nervous smile as she looked at the white outfit that looked as if it was the same J&J exclusive that Candi had worn yesterday.


    Although it was still clean, it wasn''t exactly appropriate and proper for the leading Avgo Female to show up at the Avgo Magic and Illusions Event in a J&J outfit that was not specifically created for it.


    The Twin Princes would never have missed an opportunity of this magnitude to show off more of their magical creations on this perfect woman who had modeled everything they had made for her to perfection.


    "It''s fine. This outfit is part of my performance." She lied.


    They nodded, as if relieved to hear her say that. Obviously, this was supposed to have been seen twice. It must be the gship outfit.


    "We were told you would be here almost an hour ago to get set up so we reserved a special stage for you, but there''s nothing on it. It''s just an empty stage."


    Another spoke up as he quickly brushed her hair back into some semnce of a sleek blonde ponytail and then sprayed it into ce.


    Candi beamed a bright smile at all of them. Her mask was firmly in ce.


    "Something unexpected came up so I was a bit dyed, but I''m here and I''m ready now."


    The attendants nodded and bowed to her. They had seen this woman in action. Anything Princess Candace Farrah did was always spectacr and stunning.


    What were they worried about? This event would be no different.


    An attendant ran back to the staging area.


    "Get ready, Princess. You''re on next." She called out in a low calm voice.


    Candi looked up at the woman and nodded.


    From backstage, they could hear the sound of Lorem Ipsum''s announcementing up.


    "And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment you have all been waiting for. Please give a big wee to our current top ranked Avgo Female, the beautiful, multi-talented, exquisitely stunning Candace Farrah, from the blue green world of Earth!!!"


    A huge whooping and hollering rose up among the crowds.


    How much of it was real and how much was canned, she could not tell. It was all one huge noise to her.


    Candi took a deep breath and walked out onto the brilliantly lit stage.


    A single spotlight found her small white-d figure walking out through a small sliver of the huge curtained back and began to focus in on her.


    Suddenly, all the visuals pods began training their eyes at her wide-eyed innocent, unadorned face. Her hazel eyes and soft lips popped up on therge screen everywhere.


    Everyone gasped.


    Most of the visuals that had been shown around the gxy was of this woman in carefully created fashions from the Twin Princes Jason and Jared.


    There was also the abundance of still images of Lucandace from the ''Couple of the Gxy'' which showed her in beautiful costumes and a perfectly made-up face standing alongside the most handsome Prince of the Royal family.


    But at this Avgo Event, she looked so fresh and natural! With her shiny smooth blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, she barely looked seventeen!


    Wait a moment. How old was she?


    Some quick-thinking media expert pulled visuals of her first onstage appearance. It was an up-close zoom of her face as she was being flown onto the stage and dropped from the arms of one of the Princes of Erenveil.


    This was most definitely a natural beauty. She needed no makeup to walk onstage and perform brilliantly.


    On the running text below her visual, it clearly stated her name and her age: Candace Farrah - 22 Earth years.


    She most definitely was past legal age. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 146 - Clueless In Erenveil

    The Emperor nodded. "That''s right. Lucas may not be the best choice to be Crown Prince, but he is at the very least NOT an insectoid."


    "And of all my children, he has the highest charisma which will make it easiest for him to rule properly. People will listen to him because he is extremely good looking and can act the part of a perfect Emperor."


    He sighed. "However, he doesn''t know much about running the gxy so all you boys are going to have to prop him up in every direction so he doesn''t fall over."


    "But Poppy is next in birth order." Candi murmured.


    "She''s a woman." The Emperor sighed. "No one is going to take too kindly to having a female rule the gxy."


    He scratched his chin.


    "I take it back. The only group that would support that decision would be the insectoids. Most of their monarchs are females so they don''t see any issue with having a woman lead the hive."


    "But." He turned to Candi. "This means once you win the Avgo Event, your future husband will be Lucas."


    "Your Majesty¡ª" Candi began to protest, but the Emperor would have none of that.


    "Call me Father. You might as well get used to it since you are my Daughter-inw now."


    "Yes Father." She acquiesced, looking down at her hands.


    "Now, I know it has been a strange situation where you thought your future husband would be Byron, and then Dante, but in this you must do as I say."


    His eyes narrowed and he leaned towards her.


    "You MUST choose Lucas because if you don''t, you will be extradited back to Earth immediately, and we can''t have our Primary Avgo Female taken away from us. The only thing that will protect you from this is the Crown Princess position."


    Candi suddenly remembered the fertilized egg within her. She lowered her head into her hands and squeezed her eyes tight as a welling of protective instinct rose within her.


    At this point, it wasn''t just herself she was protecting. She had to protect her egg as well.


    Going back to Earth to be incarcerated in jail for years was going to doom her child. She could not allow that to happen.


    Misunderstanding her distress for having to marry someone she did not want to marry, namely Lucas, he lowered his voice in constion.


    "Child, you must understand something that all my children have known for a very long time. Royal marriages are not what they seem to be."


    He sighed with deep regret.


    "It''s almost like a curse, marrying into the royal family. There is very little choice in who you marry. It is all up to the throne and what that throne needs to maintain the bnce of power."


    The Emperor cast apassionate look at Candi and turned back to te and Byron.


    "You boys are the only hope of the empire. You win and Erenveil stands. You lose and we vampire blood bats will be chained ves for the next several hundred-thousand years." His eyes were grim.


    Candi opened her eyes. Her egg held a vampire blood bat as well. That child could not be born into very.


    ===========


    A sudden ssh of water rudely woke Lucas from what was a dreamless sleep. He blinked and tried to wipe his eyes but found his arms were chained to the bed he was lying on.


    The chain was not a big deal. Once he transformed into his bat self, it would not hold up to his strength, but a presence standing above him was already unlocking the chains and removing his shackles.


    "Get up, Your Royal Highness. Time for you to go home." A rough male voice called out.


    Lucas turned to the voice and found himself staring at a space pirate mask. It had the ck and green swirls of thergest space pirate group in the gxy, the Vert Noir.


    He narrowed his eyes. If the Vert Noir were part of all this, then it had to be from very deep pockets. Rogue smalls couldn''t afford the rates of the Vert Noir.


    He allowed them to lead him to the transport pod. Father must have negotiated something with them and it was best just to do as they say¡ªfor now.


    He needed to find out what the situation was before he did something drastic.


    The transport pod they led him to was ancient, creaky, and had to be at least two generations old.


    Six masked Vert Noir were already seated around a dpidated seating arrangements at the center of the pod. There was a small dirty white table that a couple of the pirates had thrown their feet on as they slouched on the grimy cushioned seats.


    Lucas stood near the doorway without moving further into the pod.


    "Have a seat." One of the masked pirates indicated a spot across from him with a long slim cigarette holder. "We''re not gonna do anything to you."


    He stuck the end of the cigarette holder into a small slit where his mouth should be and took a deep drag.


    Lucas threw a nce at him and remained standing.


    Aside from the nasty smell of the smoke, there was no reason to get chummy. If they were going to let him off, in the near future, he was going to hunt them down and make them regret they''d ever met up with him.


    The man shrugged his shoulders.


    "Suit yourself. It''s a thirty-minute ride so you won''t have to stand too long."


    Ten minutester, the familiar beautiful face of his sister Poppy came on the virtual monitor.


    "Lucas," she greeted him. "I see they didn''t damage your Flower Boy face."


    "Hey Poppy." He nodded at her. "I was just being a regr Sleeping Beauty for awhile there."


    Poppyughed. "You can rx a bit now. The six men you''re with were hired by me to take you home."


    Lucas frowned. "What''s going on Poppy?"


    She waved a hand as if to indicate that it was not the most appropriate time to talk.


    "All will be made clear once you return to Erenveil."


    "Erenveil? What about Nymphalidae? There''s an Avgo Event that I have to attend!" Lucas gritted his teeth.


    "That Avgo Event is over. Come home and I will exin everything." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Lucas nodded and disconnected the call with a quick wave of his hand. He was supposed to be with Candace at that event and he had screwed up somehow and left her stranded.


    Lucas squeezed his eyes shut and gave a sad sigh. Candace was going to kill him when she met up with him.


    He turned to look at the masked hooligans who were sitting around the cushioned benches and sighed some more. Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.*


    Within the hour, Lucas had been deposited back into the loving arms of his family''s armed troops. Lucas had sent two dozen men to escort him back to the Royal Pce where his father and the Empress were waiting.


    As soon as Lucas walked into the throne room, he knew something was badly wrong.


    Not caring that his clothing had been slept in and his pink blond hair was tangled and sticking out like a homeless bum, two attendants threw a white cape onto his shoulders and pinned it with a huge gold sp.


    Then they led him to the throne tform where his father and Empress Anastasia was standing.


    There was a chubby priest and several stiffly robed Advisors standing around with dour faces.


    As soon as Lucas arrived, they immediatelyunched into a quick prayer session over him, the details of whichpletely flew over his head.


    Father was never that religious, and as far as Lucas knew, Empress Mother Anastasia wasn''t either. And yet, they were praying over him with solemn faces.


    Lucas was now starting to worry. Was he dying of some rare and terrible disease which he didn''t yet know about?


    Someone handed him a round ball thingy to hold in his left hand and they began sprinkling him with drops of water.


    Wait a moment. Was he getting baptized again?


    Lucas pursed his lips. This was all starting to stink worse than he was.


    He was about to interrupt the incessant chanting of the chubby priest to ask them what in the world was going on when the Advisors began tapping him on the head and shoulders with some kind of wand and chanting some weird ancient words he did notprehend.


    Tap, tap, tap. Chant, chant, chant. Tap, tap, tap. Chant, chant, chant.


    "Congrattions, Prince Lucas." The Advisor advised. "You are now our newest Crown Prince of Erenveil."


    ===========


    * William Shakespeare

 Chapter 147 - Onboard The Raptor 600

    The Raptor 600 was mostly cruising in a small circle awaiting the word to pick up Dante. So far, they had received no word other than a ''stand by''.


    Not knowing how long a ''stand by'' order from the Emperor would take, te took Candi into his quarters to rest while he continued to work with his troops out in themand deck.


    The Prime Warrior quarters was not something that most space warriors ever got a chance to experience.


    There was a spacious set of suites for the Prime Warrior to use while he was onboard. Three full-sized rooms took up a fairlyrge amount of space on the Raptor 600.


    Since it was a warship and not a luxury cruise ship, the luxurious touches within the Prime Warrior''s room were most definitely not standard issue.


    There was a king size bed by the window that looked out onto a field of stars, gleaming in the deep darkness.


    The linens were of the finest fabrics that were reserved only for the royal family and the rugs were deep pile that made the room seem warm andforting, even in the middle of deep space.


    One side of the room had a seating area with cushioned seats surrounding a low table. There was a fully-stocked mini bar that had everything avable to make any kind of drink imaginable.


    There was also another room that opened up into a full-sized office where te could do his work without having to leave his quarters.


    After taking a long hot bath in his bathroom, Candi emerged smelling like his normal woodsy verbena self from the soaps that he used.


    She slipped into a set of standard issue female warrior bodysuit and crawled under the thick quilts, snuggling herself into the pillows.


    And there sheid with her eyes closed and her mind exploding with thoughts.


    After several hours of intense work with his troops scattered throughout hundreds of different Raptors, te returned to his quarters to rest for the night.


    He found Candi in the bedroom sitting on the window bench staring out into the vast ocean of stars shining through the window.


    Her honey blonde hair contrasting against the darkness of deep space beyond, turning her into a pale angel of light.


    "Were you able to get any rest?" He asked as he entered the bedroom.


    Candi turned to him with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.


    "I''m tired but I''m so anxious about Dante and Lucas and the twins. I know you''re doing everything you can, but it''s still nerve-wracking."


    "I should leave so you can try to get some rest. Although out here in space there''s no day or night, it''s still the resting hours and it''s fairlyte."


    "No. Don''t go." She reached out her hand to him. She didn''t want to admit it, but she did not want to be alone through all this crazy mess.


    te came and sat down on the bed beside her and reached out for her hands.


    Without saying a word, he leaned down and pressed his warm shapely lips to her cheek. His blue eyes were tender and without recrimination.


    Candi bit her lips. She needed to say something to him, but she didn''t know what to say, and the sweeter he was, the more difficult it was for her to say anything.


    "You and I, we''ve been through so much together." She began haltingly. "I¡ªI honestly don''t know what to say."


    She looked down at hisrge hands, holding hers. They were warm and strong, and capable, like tree trunks holding up her sky.


    "There''s no need to say anything, Candace." He sighed and held her hands even tighter. "I understand more than you think I do."


    "I''m d you understand because it''s been very confusing for me." She admitted with a frown. "It''s like, I''m iling in the wind of turbulence and I''m being dragged under the waves crashing over me."


    He leaned over and touched his forehead to hers.


    "Let me see if I can clear things up a bit for you." He murmured gently. "It wasn''t just my father who had told me not to touch you. All my brothers did as well."


    Candi shook her head. Was she that ''untouchable''?


    "We knew you were an Avgo Female which meant you were critical for the sessful continuation of the Erenveil empire. We couldn''t destroy your chance to be Prime Avgo Female by being selfish and iming you for ourselves."


    His eyes were bleak.


    "You didn''t belong to any one of us. If you turned into the Primary Avgo Female, your destiny was to be the Empress Mother of the Gxy, regardless of who the Crown Prince was."


    "As you can see, Crown Princes change with the winds of fate." He smiled a tiny bitter smile. "They are arbitrarily chosen by men, and they change with the direction of political winds."


    "The Primary Avgo Female however, is always the Primary Avgo Female. Avgo Females are chosen by the sacred Avgo gemstones which cannot be stolen by any person, organization, or entity."


    "But Empress Anastasia¡ª"


    "Abdicated her position to the next Avgo Female to protect her world. It was her choice. You do have a choice to take up the Empress throne or transfer it to the next Avgo Female. That''s why there are more than one Avgo Female."


    "But when you first met me, there was no way you could have known that I would be the Empress." She protested.


    "It didn''t matter, Love. The moment you jumped onto Leonardo''s prized piano and waved around his antique crystalmp and screaming at us, I knew."


    "You knew what? That I was a good fighter?"


    teughed. "No silly. I knew for certain that one of my brothers would have grabbed you for his wife, even if you ced deadst in the Avgo ranking."


    He shook his head with sad fondness.


    "You were so adorable and full of spirit, we all fell just a little in love with you that day."


    Heughed, but then sobered.


    "I''m going to confess something that I did which I''m not particrly proud of."


    Candi looked at him questioningly.


    "Do you remember that noxious, Nirovium that I took you to when we were running from the Earth warship?"


    Candi nodded, recalling the alien world with the swirling royal purple clouds over a liquid green ocean. It wasn''t that long ago but it seemed like an eternity away.


    "Nirovium is clear across the gxy. Nobody goes there because it''s just a noxious on the edge of nowhere, but it has three moons orbiting it."


    "One of them is a habitable moon very simr to Dante''s Moon." He gave her a proud smile, "It''s my moon."


    Candi''s mouth opened with surprise.


    "Do you call it te''s Moon? "


    te smiled. "I''m not that vain. Its catalogued name is N532SPR." His sparkling blue eyes turned misty, "but to me, it will always be Candi''s Moon."


    Tears sprang from Candi''s eyes. He looked so forlorn and lost, it broke her heart.


    "At that moment, I had the mad thought of taking you inside Nirovium and holding you hostage there for one full day. That would have caused you to miss the initial screening and you would have been disqualified."


    "And then?"


    "And then I could have just run away with you."


    He shook his head, "I stalled for as long as I could but Father called and forced my hand to delivered you on time to the event. As it was, we barely made it and I had to fly you into the stadium."


    "And after that, you kept winning event after event after event." He shook his head. "I always knew inside that I wouldn''t have the chance to be with you for long."


    "I knew that you were destined for something big¡­far bigger than I had the ability to give you." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om

 Chapter 149 - The Fall Of Nymphalidae

    Candi stared at him with widened eyes.


    "I''m just joking Love." te''s eyes crinkled with amusement. "That''s something you should only say if you mean it, not just because someone else wants to hear it."


    "Did you want to hear me say that I love you, te?"


    "Well, you just did, so I made a mental record of it and now that it''s been said," he smiled craftily, "it can''t be unsaid."


    Candiughed. He was so easy to be with.


    There were no demands and she could just be herself and he would ept whatever and whoever she was as long as she was safe and happy.


    For a moment, she wished that her life was uplicated and things could go back to being simple again, where her most difficult choice was to have macaroni-and-cheese, or baked eggnt for dinner. Or both.


    "te. If I don''t go to the next event, would the winner be Jenna Natoli?"


    "Why would you give up your position? You''re the ted winner." He leaned back and looked into her eyes to discern her reasoning.


    "I just¡­te, I hate this power grabbing and fighting. I just want to be a normal person, doing the things I enjoy and being with people I love."


    te sighed.


    He remembered Lucas'' question at the Royal Ball. It was a brilliant question, and one that mattered the most to all the Princes.


    He had asked Candace, if she didn''t have to be at the Avgo Contest, battling for the chance to marry an Erenveil Prince, what would she most like to do with her life?


    Candace hadughed and answered in such a straightforward manner that it was clearly unmeditated and exactly what was in her heart.


    She loved archaeology and wanted to travel far and wide, to get lost in all the far-flung worlds to explore everything to her heart''s content. And of course there was her dancing and singing and ying piano.


    It was such a simple joyous life she wanted to lead, and yet, the Avgo was forcing her into this role that would restrict her and tie her to the very foundations of the Royal Pce.


    Lucas had turned back to the brothers and stated with force.


    "There you are, Brothers. If you cannot provide this woman with what her heart desires, I suggest you leave the line right now, because you''re not going to qualify to be with her."


    And that was when te knew he had to leave the line. Not that it mattered much since he was at the tail end of that line anyway.


    He was Prime Warrior of Erenveil.


    If he didn''t hold the border skirmishes and keep the various factions from fighting, war would erupt everywhere.


    Once that happened, Candace would never be able to do all the things she loved to do in all the peaceful areas of the gxy.


    te''s heart gave a twinge. In doing his job to provide a safe environment for her and the rest of the empire, he had relegated himself forever to being her silent protector from afar.


    Candi was chewing on her lip again. It was what she did when she was thinking about somethingplex.


    "What if I don''t show up for the next Avgo Event? Could I just forfeit it and go back to being a normal person again?"


    te shook his head.


    "Toote, Love. None of the other candidates have enough points to win even if one of them takes first ce at the next event."


    "What do you mean?" She asked


    "I set the events for you to watch earlier. Didn''t you see the scoring?"


    Candi shook her head. She had barely made it through Ana?se Paroles'' surprising reemergence.


    "At the Magic and Illusions Event, you scored the highest points and the judges called the contest because mathematically, you had won."


    "I did?" She gasped. "How? I went into a Magic and Illusions event and did ZERO magic. How was that possible?"


    te gave her a grimace and waved a hand, calling forth the virtual monitor.


    Instantly, the panoramic view of a huge stage appeared.


    Without preamble or any sshy introductions, Candi''s small blonde head peeked out from between the folds of the curtains.


    And then she walked out, her steps full of the natural grace that dancers possessed in abundance.


    As the music began, she started dancing.


    Although Candace had hinted at her dancing abilities in one or two of her previous events, she had never actually performed in front of such arge audience before.


    Now, armed with the choreographic mad skills of a mega star, namely Lucas, she was merging not just her ssical dance training but also his very modern moves into a dance routine that was at once stunning and historically noteworthy at the same time.


    Candi herself enjoyed her own show.


    She had actually never seen a disy of her own dancing before and if she hadn''t danced it herself, she would have thought she was watching some professional dancer out there on thepletely empty stage.


    It was truly a nk canvas that she had used to paint the scene. Even her own unadorned face and clothing was a nk canvas for the imagination to fill in.


    It was such a stunningbination of ssical and ultra-modern techniques that people around the gxy had already begun to study it and incorporating her style into their dance sses and routines.


    The visual imagery she evoked was so vivid that as a spectator, Candi could easily imagine it all.


    But the biggest surprise was the ending.


    The entire audience could see the tiny white form of Candi magically grabbing onto the red bird that was a phantasm of Byron.


    Right before their eyes, she began levitating upward into the twenty-foot ceiling, disappearing from sight.


    It was the only bit of real magic that had been employed and she had pulled it off in a show stopping spectacr fashion.


    Candi''s jaw dropped. "Wow. I didn''t think I looked like that."


    teughed. "You never think you''re amazing, but we can all see that so very clearly."


    Since this was no longer a live stream, the visual screen shed the scores for the performances.


    First ce had gone to Candi for a full 100 points, with second ce going to the resurrected Ana?se Paroles at 90 points.


    "Thatst bit, where Byron managed to make it to the stage and pull you up off the stage was pure luck, but itpleted the dance with a ssh of magic." te noted with a critical eye.


    "I missed you at that dance."


    "I''m so sorry Love." He turned back to her. "There was a re-up of fighting several hours before the Event. Leo and I were busy ying tag with a bunch of space hooligans who were hellbent on trying to disrupt the Avgo Event."


    She whistled. "Do you think they did that on purpose so our space warriors would be diverted away from Nymphalidae?"


    "So they could swoop in with a and catch Dante, Lucas, and the twins? It looks like that''s what happened."


    "Why was there no guards or warriors left to protect us down on Nymphalidae?" She shook her head in confusion.


    te''s eyes were grim. "When I left to clean out the skirmishes that were blossoming around Nymphalidae space, Dante said he had his people to cover the as well as the Avgo Event."


    "I don''t know what happened after that." He shook his head. "We''re going to have to ask Dante when we see him. I was too busy fighting both the birds and the space pirates, even as the Avgo Events were happening." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Nymphalidae is going to fall, isn''t it?" Candi sighed.

 Chapter 150 - The Next Erenveil Empress

    "What happened to Jenna and Valeria?" Candi asked, switching the subject. The war was depressing to think about.


    te shook his head with a grin. "I didn''t have time to watch them. Space Pirates were on my tail and shooting at me."


    "Do you have time to watch it with me now?" She asked.


    te smiled and leaned back against the pillows.


    "I always have time for you, and even if I don''t have time, I will make the time." He patted the spot next to him.


    "Come over here and watch it with me."


    Candi smiled and sidled up agains te, resting her head on his tree trunk arms as he started up the visuals again.


    The first visual that popped up was Valeria.


    Although Ana?se had shown up and taken her rightful spot, there was no way they could eliminate Valeria''s performance. Once Dante granted her permission, it was a done deal. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    After watching for a few minutes, Candace had to admit. Valeria was a very wooden performer.


    At her core, Valeria was a Princess. Her training was focused on the arts and how to be a gracious hostess at political parties. It was certainly not trying to entertain a crowd of trillions of people.


    This was a sad and unfortunate truth, because of all the Avgo Females, Valeria was the mostpetent at magic.


    The Magic and Illusions Event should have been the single event where she showcased her talents in the most stunning manner possible.


    Unfortunately, her delivery of the motions and the acts of magic themselves were so route and clinical, as amazing as the magic was, it felt forced and unnatural.


    Not only was something that was supposed to be magical feel ho-hum and s¨¦, Valeria herself exuded ho-hum and boring vibes.


    By the time she finished her routine, the audience gave a nice round of apuse but everyone knew this would be Valeria''s final appearance at the Avgo Events.


    And then Jenna appeared.


    In a sh of yellow, ck, and orange strobe lights, she popped out of nowhere onto the stage, blinding the crowd with her animal maism.


    The crowd hollered their wee.


    Janna roared back, her feline growl reverberating across the auditorium.


    She waved once to the audience and leaped into the air. As her bodyunched forward, she morphed into her cat body and ran across the stage.


    As she ran, she began creating trees and boulders out of thin air. With a single powerful leap, Jenna bounded onto a gnarled oak tree.


    From the top of the tree, she jumped down into magic water which sshed upward as if it was real.


    It was real!


    The first row of audience got soaked and the crowd went wild!!!


    Jenna had put so much detail into the magic she wrought that it was as if she had imported her entire jungle world onto that stage and shared a glimpse of what her home looked like.


    The jungle sounds of distant drums, the rustling of jungle leaves, even the scent of her world had been skillfully woven into the performance that the audience howled and cheered, begging for more.


    By the end of the performance, Jenna was given a well-deserved standing ovation. It was spectacr in showmanship. She was an amazingly talented magician and no one could ever doubt her abilities to be a magnificent Empress.


    The score shed over her head as she took her final bow, still in leopard form.


    ''DISQUALIFIED.''


    ''DISQUALIFIED.''


    ''DISQUALIFIED.''


    "What???" Candi jerked upright.


    te clicked his tongue.


    "Tch tch. She disqualified herself and got thrown out of the Avgo Events, that''s what happened."


    "How???" Candi turned her hazel eyes at him in confusion. It was a stunning performance that rivaled even her own dance routine.


    te rolled his blue eyes. "Do you remember what one of the rules of the Avgo Events is?"


    Candi started to shake her head but then she gasped and covered her mouth.


    "She had to stay in humanoid form!!!" Candi turned back to the visual.


    Jenna was still prowling around on the stage in her big cat body. "Oh my God. Shepletely transformed into a leopard and went through the entire performance in a cat body!"


    "That''s right. Jenna has been disqualified from the Avgo Events. That means it''s just you and Ana?se left."


    Candi shook her head. "I don''t understand something, te. Why do we have to remain in our humanoid form?"


    teughed. "Because, Love. We were all originally humans. All the various species spread out across the gxy are humanoid in form because a human was transformed by gics and magic."


    "I see. So humans are the standard?"


    "Yes. Although you humans are weaker and less capable than most other species out there, you have one thing that they do not. A pure lineage."


    "Pure¡ªpure lineage?"


    "Yes. You breed true. Well¡ª" he smiled. "You and us Bats. We breed true as well."


    "I see. So my children would be human if my husband is human, or bat if my husband is a bat, but if my husband was a bird or bug or reptile, my child wouldn''t be like him?"


    "There is a chance that they would be, but since birds and insectoids don''t breed true, the variation is veryrge. Many of their babies are stillborn and many others have such terrible deformities that they don''t survive past their first year."


    "But bats and humans have deformities too."


    "Yes, but not to the extent that the other species of humans have."


    "And Valeria? What was her score?"


    te shook his head. "She got no score. Although this is not an eliminationpetition, she had already been eliminated at the previous event. Dante allowing her to perform did not mean she was restored to the lineup."


    "Oh my." Candi shook her head. "Did she know that?"


    "I don''t know, but it was quite obvious. Her time slot to begin was even before the old goat Lorem Ipsum came on stage."


    te raised his eyebrows.


    "If Lorem doesn''t do the introductions, it was because she was no longer part of the Avgo Events."


    Candi sighed, shaking her head. She knew how nerve-wracking performing for the Avgo was.


    For Valeria to have done this much preparation only to have her performance merely considered as one of the many many opening acts before the actual Avgo performances was a huge p in the face.


    te rubbed her head. "Congrattions, Love."


    "Based upon the points alone, you have won the Events. The judges called the contest and ended the Avgopetition. Even if Ana?se manages to win first ce in the finalpetition, she would still be very far behind you."


    He turned his sparkling blue eyes at her.


    "You, my love, have clinched the spot to be the next Empress of Erenveil."

 Chapter 151 - Traitors In Their Midst

    Dante opened his eyes, feeling woozy and a bit dizzy.


    He was lying on a dirty mattress trying not to think about the fact that he had missed his woman''s biggest Avgo Event.


    The fact that they''d gotten ambushed in a ce where he had a supremely tight defense set up meant the security breech was far deeper within the organization than they were even aware of.


    He had been on his way out of Candi''s dressing room, heading towards the side kitchen area near the dressing rooms where he knew his brothers would have congregated.


    It was a meeting spot that the four men had previously agreed upon because it was a convenient area to store some of Candi''s preparations and costume change.


    Nobody should have known about that meeting spot, other than his security detail. There had to have been a double agent mixed within the twins'' group that had given them away.


    One moment, he was alone and the next moment, he was surrounded by masked space pirates.


    Three men immediately grabbed him from behind. All had weapons drawn at his head.


    They had pushed him into the side kitchen where he saw his two brothers also simrly subdued.


    To his right was Jason. His temple was bleeding slightly and he looked sluggish.


    To his left was Jared with a weapon shoved at the back of his head, his brown eyes terrified.


    Of Lucas, he saw no sign.


    "Call your dogs off. Now!" One of the men had called out through his mask. His voice had been magically modted so as to be unrecognizable.


    "My dogs?" Dante questioned, trying to engage them so he could at least negotiate something.


    One of the thugs shoved the weapon into Jared''s mouth.


    "One more question from you and he gets a hole blown through his head."


    "Okay. Okay." Dante held up a hand.


    These guys were hard core. There was no negotiation possible.


    "I need to ess a virtual monitor. I''m just going to do that right now."


    "Voice only. No visual." The thug warned.


    Dante nodded and set up the call as carefully as he could. He knew this type of assassin.


    Any stray signs of suspicion and the terrorists would shoot first and ask questionster.


    Once he got through to his men, he ced themand to back off from the target and stand by.


    The moment he did that, Dante felt the prick of a needle and the world went dark.


    When he came to, he was alone on the dirty mattress in some rank holding cell.


    His time piece showed eight hours had passed from the time he had left Candace. Her Avgo event had passed and he had failed her.


    For a moment, self-recrimination rose within him, causing him to roil with overwhelming sadness and anger.


    He shook to clear his head trying to clear the fog from his brains. He had to work past the emotions to try and figure out what had just gone down.


    As heid there on the mattress, Dante wracked his brains trying to figure out exactly what had urred and more importantly, how it could have possibly happened in such a tight security area.


    The two dozen personal security men he had deployed to surround them were all gone, most likely picked off, one at a time. All others within the vicinity had been called off by Dante himself.


    One thing he knew for sure. The twins had been betrayed by at least one of their own agents. The looks on their faces were clear. They headed the intelligence division and even they hadn''t seen thising.


    "Hey you!" A voice called out. It was a very familiar voice.


    Dante slowly looked up.


    "Mattheus Cordera." Dante drawled. "What brings you to this luxurious beautiful ce?"


    It had been awhile since he''d seen Mattheus, but the man hadn''t changed much.


    He had the same hawkish nose, the same piercing green eyes, and the samenky dark green hair that always looked like seaweed.


    "Haha, you''re so funny. I came to visit my cousins as soon as I heard they were here."


    "What have you done with Jason and Jared?"


    "Oh don''t worry. They are doing well. We may use them for nefarious reason, but we try not to hurt our own."


    Mattheus'' lips curled in a sneer.


    "Too bad you didn''t know that and pulled your security forces away from the Avgo Event."


    Dante narrowed his eyes. At the moment, his brothers were not his only concern.


    He had left Candace all alone in the dressing room. His only hope was that Lucas would have been able to reach her somehow.


    "The judges called the Avgo Events a few hours ago." Mattheusughed. "There''s a new winner and her name is Candace Farrah."


    Dante red at him without saying a word. So that meant she did manage to make it to the stage, even without him and the twins.


    "Hmm. You seempletely uninterested in the new Avgo winner. But you should be. She will be married to the new Crown Prince soon."


    Dante continued ring at Mattheus Cordera. Of course she was going to be married to the Crown Prince.


    The man looked as if he had no idea that he was looking at the Crown Prince.


    Mattheus held out his hand and melted the iron locks. With a quick sudden jerk, he pushed through.


    "Hmm. Right about now, we should have announcements about the Crown Prince. Let''s see what they say."


    Mattheus waved a finger into the air.


    Immediately, a voice began rattling nonstop about the beautiful and dazzling new Crown Prince, the illustrious famed star of the entertainment world, Prince Lucas!


    Before Dante''s horrified eyes, he saw his brother being paraded out like amb being taken to ughter.


    Closeups of Lucas'' face showed amber eyes that were dazed, as if he had no idea what had just happened. This was most definitely not Lucas'' doing.


    And then the announcer moved onto the next piece of breaking news which had to do with the Lucandace couple.


    Dante''s eyes saw red as images of Lucas and Candace, those wlessly merged photos from that asinine contest, rolling through in rapid session.


    They portraying a solid couple who were deeply in love and were simply waiting for the perfect time to announce their rtionship.


    Dante knew it was all fake, but the images of the two of them smiling at the cameras tore through his mind as rage bubbled up.


    The announcer made it seem as though they had nned it all along, not exposing their rtionship until Candace won the Avgo and became Prime Avgo Female.


    They had also made it seem as if Lucas would also announce his Crown Prince position at around the same time so that the two would be automatically married per the Avgo agreements and rules.


    Dante closed his eyes as he heard the announcer releasing the news that the wedding would take ce two weekster at the Royal Pce.


    With a wave of his hand, Lucas cleared the virtual monitor.


    "As you see, the woman that you have been dreaming of day and night is no longer avable. She''s getting married very soon."


    His eyes grew mncholic. "I must admit, at one point I was also enamored with her."


    "She is very enticing!" Mattheus licked his lips. "Such powerful limbs. Such graceful movements. Such luscious lips. Can you just imagine what a woman like that would feel like in your arms?"


    Dante lunged at Mattheus. Immediately, a sharp stabbing pain hit him in the sr plexus and he dropped to the ground.


    Mattheus had thrown a kick so fast, in Dante''s drugged drowsy state, he could not avoid quickly enough.


    The man was no joke. His fighting stance was on par with te, and te was no joke.


    As he crawled on the ground, gasping from the pain, Dante''s only satisfaction was in the fact that what Mattheus was imagining, Dante already knew.


    He knew intimately, the curve of her face, the strength of her limbs, and the softness of her lips.


    For Mattheus to be thinking about his wife in that same manner filled Dante with rage. He wanted to shut Mattheus'' mouth, but he was the one on the floor at this moment and he needed to conserve his strength while he recovered enough to figure out a way to escape.


    He took a deep breath and staggered to his feet. He had to find out exactly what Mattheus wanted from him and why the man was here.


    Mattheus Cordera stared at him with hard glittering green eyes, filled with the arrogance of a man who knew his own worth.


    "Let me cut to the chase here so we don''t waste each other''s time." He crossed his arms over his muscr chest.


    "I know she was supposed to be yours. I know you sacrificed a lot to win her hand. I know you were the Crown Prince of Erenveil for the better part of a week."


    He shook his head, his eyes never leaving Dante''s face.


    "For all this to slip from your hands must have been a terrible shock."


    Mattheus'' eyes softened. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Believe me. I do know how it feels. My kingdom was stolen from me as well."


    He leaned forward with a serious look on his face.


    "What if you could get it all back, Dante?"

 Chapter 152 - Dantes Move

    Dante gave him a ''Go to Hell'' look.


    Anything Mattheus proposed would not benefit anyone but the fish himself.


    Mattheusughed. "Don''t give me that look. Hear me out first."


    Dante looked away. He was a captive audience. What could he do other than listen? It wasn''t as if he could stick his fingers in his ears and go '' to drown out Mattheus'' voice.


    Mattheus rocked back on his heels and gave Dante a steady gaze.


    "You know that the Insectoids have TWICE as many warriors as the Avians." He held up two fingers. "In fact, only the bats have more military power than the insects do."


    "But why is it that the birds have always been able to bully and push the bugs around?" He tilted his head in question.


    He turned away and looked out the tiny window that had been barred from the outside.


    "How is it possible that the birds can go around and tell everyone they''re somehow more special than the bugs?"


    He turned back to Dante. "And what I don''t understand is why everyone believes that crap from their bung hole? Because they have feathers? Because they can fly?"


    Mattheus leaned towards Dante with a warning glint.


    "They are even starting to tell everyone that they''re better than mammals, specifically you bats, and that you have been holding onto the top spot of the gxy for just a little bit too long."


    "Now think about it. Why is that possible, and what are their objectives?"


    Dante said nothing.


    Mattheus wasn''t saying anything that was new or that he hadn''t already known. He had been fighting this prejudice all his life because his mother was an insectoid. The real question was what Mattheus wanted from him.


    "What are you trying to gain from all this?" Dante finally spat.


    In order to negotiate, he needed all the cards on the table.


    Mattheus pointed to Dante.


    "You are half insectoid, half bat. The birds are trashing both sides of your parentage. They also hired mercenaries to threaten your mother''s world and the Avgo Event."


    He narrowed his gaze. "You are supposed to be the Crown Prince, but it hadn''t even been a week, and you got reced yet again. Aren''t you just a little bit pissed?"


    "Whether I am or not, it''s really got nothing to do with you." Dante said with derision.


    "Ahhh, but maybe it does. I''m a mercenary. I work for hire. You could easily hire me and I can whack all those people upside the head for you. Reinstate you back on your golden throne."


    "And wait for them to pay you one penny more than I did, so you can turn back around and whack me upside the head? No thanks." Dante sniffed. "Even mercenaries have to have a little bit of honor."


    "There''s nothing wrong with my honor. If it makes you feel any better, I didn''t kidnap you. I actually paid a nice fat sum to take you off the hands of the Corsican Vampires who were paid by the birds to kidnap you."


    "I''m going to ask one more time." Dante growled deep within his throat. "What is it that you want?"


    Mattheus smiled. "I just want a bit of return on my investment."


    Dante gritted his teeth. "What''s your price?"


    "Slow your roll," he chuckled. "I haven''t finished the negotiations yet."


    "Hurry it up. I need to go poop." Dante said even though he didn''t feel like doing anything of the sort. If it would make this asinine fish get to the point, he wouldn''t mind throwing some shit at the man.


    Mattheus cracked a big smile.


    "The Insectoids have been waiting for a leader to take control and pull them out of their funk. They are looking at you to retake the throne and take charge of the Insectoids, but that means you have to fight on their side against the birds."


    "You want me to upset the bnce between the bugs, the bats, and the birds?"


    "The bnce has already shifted, man!" Mattheus ground out. "If you don''t do something now, the birds will take over and we''ll all be fucked."


    "I want you to take over and keep the gxy moving merrily along. I don''t want birds taking over!" Mattheus scowled.


    "And what do you get out of this?" Dante asked again.


    "In return for my help, I want you to depose the current king of Emporia." Mattheus narrowed his eyes with rage. "I want my throne back."


    Dante stared at Mattheus Cordera who had once been the sessor child king of the merfolk on Emporia, at least up until his Uncle Mortimer Cordera had sent hitmen after him and nearly killed him in the attempt.


    Mattheus had wandered the gxy after that assassination attempt, surviving as best he could among the thieves of the gxy. It was quite amazing that he was now a high-ranking member of one of thergest space pirates.


    Dante sighed. He didn''t me Mattheus for trying to regain his throne but there was one important bug in the soup.


    The king of Emporia, Mortimer Cordera, was Royal Consort Fatima''s oldest brother.


    And Royal Consort Fatima was the mermaid who gave birth to the Royal Twins, Jason and Jared.


    "Your Uncle is also Jason and Jared''s Uncle. I can''t do anything until I talk to Consort Mother Fatima and the twins." Dante said.


    Mattheus smiled.


    The fact that Dante was even starting the negotiations was a good sign that they would be able to work something out. Everyone knew Dante was as good as his word.


    Satisfied, Mattheus threw a small packet at Dante.


    "Here you go. Key codes to unlock the cells and to start up the transport pod. Take the one that''s marked with a big yellow happy face."


    Mattheus gave a big grin.


    "I painted it myself so you wouldn''t identally take one that wouldn''t make it more than half way across space before giving up the ghost and stranding you out there in the middle of nowhere."


    "Happy yellow face¡­" Dante muttered. What a clown.


    "Yep. The happy yellow face transport pod is juiced with enough power to take you back to Erenveil. It also identifies you as a friendly so while you are still in pirate space, the space pirates will leave you alone."


    He waved a hand.


    "Leave now. I''ll be in touchter toy out ns on how to get your Crown Prince throne back."


    He turned away and headed for the entrance.


    "Oh, one more thing." Mattheus inclined his head. "Jason and Jared are in the cell next to you. Please take them off my hands." Heughed. "I don''t need two more mouths to feed."


    Dante took hold of the packet that Mattheus had thrown him. With a grim set to his mouth, he opened it.


    Once he epted this offer from Mattheus, things were going to change drastically, and it looked like it would be a very bloody change. This was intergctic war they could no longer forestall.


    But at this moment, he had to get back to Erenveil with the twins. He could not remain here in god-knows where.


    As he pulled out the key cards, he made his way out of the wide open cell door. Mattheus had left it open for him.


    He needed to get to his brothers, but first, he needed to talk to his Baby. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''Candace.'' Dante called out in his mind.


    ''Dante???'' He heard her desperate voice and smiled gently as she began peppering him with questions.


    ''Dante where are you? Are you okay? I''ve been trying to contact you for hours and hours! What happened to you? Are you hurt???''


    ''I am unhurt. Listen carefully Love. I don''t have time to exin everything now but tell te to take you away from Erenveil. Go now!''


    ''Haaaahhh.'' Candace was gasping, as if she was crying.


    ''The royal maids have taken over my room. They are getting me dressed to attend a wedding with Lucas! I tried escaping but there are guards everywhere, and anyway, I don''t know how to drive a pod to escape!''


    ''Call te. Tell him I said he needs to take you and run away somewhere safe. DO NOT go through with that wedding, whatever you do.''


    ''Okay Dante.'' Candace sounded much calmer. ''Let me contact te.''


    ''Do it now.. We will talk again very soon My Love, when you are safely in space with te.''

 Chapter 153 - Escapade Across The Stars

    Candace shook with the emotional release of knowing that Dante was alive. It had been nerve-wracking for thest eight hours not being able to call to his mind.


    The handmaiden who was styling her hair with pearls and jewels noticed her trembling body but said nothing. It was most likely just pre-wedding nerves and jitters of a young bride.


    Who wouldn''t be nervous and excited and just a little bit scared to marry the most handsome man in the gxy?


    Prince Lucas was a dreamboat. He was every woman''s dream, almost a religion unto himself, leaving women sobbing on the ground at his feet.


    The Princess Candace Farrah was the luckiest woman alive at this moment!


    The handmaiden sighed and smiled. The couple looked so good together during all their secret rendezvous. All those photos of them together and looking so happy made her teary-eyed.


    She had always thought it was Prince te or maybe Prince Dante who had been the Princess'' choice, but the end result was breathtaking!


    As she was putting finishing touches in the Princess'' hair and makeup, she could see the Princess'' eyes focus on something with fierce intent.


    And then the Princess nodded.


    The handmaiden smiled. Princess Candace was steeling herself to be the bride of Crown Prince Lucas and not be too nervous in front of the crowd. She was talking herself up to take on the challenge.


    In reality, Candace was speaking to te within her mind.


    ''Dante said that?'' te was asking her.


    ''Yes. He wants you to take me and run from this ce to somewhere safe. He doesn''t want me to go through with that wedding.''


    For a moment, te was silent.


    ''Are you telling me you''re turning down the chance to marry a Crown Prince?'' He finally spoke again after what seemed like a long silence.


    ''Absolutely! I don''t care about the title. It had always been about the man and how I felt about him.''


    Candace sighed.


    ''Look, it''s not that I don''t like Lucas. He''s a very nice guy, but I barely even know him. I think I''ve only met him a handful of times. I really don''t want to marry him just because the Avgo winners have always married the Crown Prince.''


    ''You know me very well, Candace.'' te''s voice sounded distracted.


    ''Yes I do. Out of all the brothers, the only ones I know personally are you and Dante.''


    ''When you say ''personally'', do you mean physically?''


    ''Yes!''


    ''How many¡­men have you known personally?''


    ''Two. You were the first, ever.''


    There was a moment of silence. She waited with bated breath hoping she hadn''t shocked him too much with her statement.


    Just when she thought he had forgotten all about her, the door to her room burst open.


    It was te, dressed in his ck Prime Warrior outfit. His long raven ck hair was tied back in the customary neat bundle, his dazzling blue eyes zing with joy at seeing her face.


    ''Let''s go Love.'' He reached out his hand. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Candi gave a cry of relief and jumped up from the chair she was seated on, scattering the handmaid''s color palette of makeup.


    For the first time, te saw Candace in a pure white, off-the-shoulder brocade wedding dress. There was so much material in her skirt that it piled behind her in a cascade of opulent fabric.


    In her perfectly coiffed blonde hair was a tiara of white flowers and on her neck was the pink Avgo gemstone replica that Jason had created for her.


    His heart skipped a beat.


    He was stealing his brother''s bride on the day of her wedding and running away with her. He would need to go beg Lucas for forgiveness, but right now, her request trumped everything.


    ''You took so long I thought you forgot about me.''


    He took three strides and was by her side.


    ''Your dress is very beautiful, but it will not allow you to walk very fast. Hold onto me.'' He picked her up and carried her out of the room.


    Candace wrapped her arms around te''s neck, as she''d done so many times before.


    In his arms was safety. In his arms wasfort. In his arms was so much love. He carried her as if he cherished her.


    "Your Royal Highness!!!" The handmaidens squealed and chattered. "Are you here to escort the Princess Candace Farrah to the wedding?"


    "Yes. Close this door and do not let anyone in except for Princess Candace."


    "Yes, Your Highness." They bowed.


    ''That should stall for a bit of time.'' He touched her mind.


    ''I thought you''d forgotten about me.'' She whispered into his mind.


    ''What makes you think I could ever possibly forget about you?''


    Truth be told, he thought about her from the moment he woke up until the moment he slipped into a dreamless sleep. And even then, the few times he did dream, it was always about her.


    He walked past half a dozen guards who were snoozing on the ground.


    ''Oh my goodness! Why are there so many guards?''


    ''Father was afraid someone would try to harm you before the wedding. The Earth delegates are kicking up a stink right now, stating that Lucas has to marry Dahlia Halloway because you are simply Dahlia''s stand-in body-double.''


    He reached the main hallway with her and looked around. Several of the guards that had been wandering this hall had all been subdued by him and were sleeping on the ground.


    ''I hope you didn''t hurt them¡­''


    ''I just put them to sleep. I had to clear the way to get to you.''


    ''I''m so d you were able toe for me. I was worried that you might be too busy¡­''


    ''Sorry I took so long. As soon as you called, I spread my wings and flew straight here. And then I had to clear out some of the Royal Guards. They''re everywhere, thick as flies.''


    Not looking back, he ran for the nearest exit with her in his arms.


    As he burst out into the sunshine, te took a running leap into the air, his wings unfurling behind him.


    FWOOOMP!!!


    They began flying upward into the sky.


    te held her in a gentle but firm grip. He had learned to moderate his grip so he would not bruise her. His woman was so very fragile.


    Candi rested her head on his shoulder and tried not to look down. No matter how many times she traveled in this way, it always made her stomach feel a little queasy.


    ''Just rx in my arms. We''re almost at the pod.''


    ''I''m rxed. I know you won''t drop me.''


    teughed. ''I''m carrying precious cargo. I will never let you go.''


    He flew towards the pod that was hovering a short distance away.


    From the ground, there arose a shout as several men sprang into the air with unfurled wings and flew towards them in pursuit.


    ''Oh no! They''reing after us!'' She gasped. They were dressed in ck, with their bat wings outstretched.


    te againughed.


    He flew with her through the open hatch and gently ced her on the egg-shapedmand chair.


    "Come on in," he called out. "And close the door behind you."


    Candi raised herself up from the chair as her eyes widened in rm. te was letting those men into the pod???


    The men who had been in hot pursuit flew into the hatch. In quick order, the hatch closed, sealing shut behind them leaving no trace of a seam.


    With a few practiced taps onto the console by his armrest, te took the transport pod straight up into outer space.


    "Candace!" One of the men called out.


    Their wings retracted and their leather masks melted away to once again reveal their familiar handsome faces.

 Chapter 154 - Elopement

    "Lucas! Byron! Leo!" She gasped and jumped up off the seat.


    They all beamed bright smiles at her.


    "You make such a beautiful bride!" Lucasughed as he reached out for Candi''s hand and dropped a kiss on her forehead. Then he gently pushed her back onto the seat.


    "Stay in your seat, Sweetheart. We''re moving very quickly at this moment." He kneeled down in front of her and carefully strapped her in.


    "You are so beautiful, but this dress is so big, you barely fit into this seat." He grinned as he tucked the voluminous folds around her so the straps and harness would fit around her.


    He turned his bright amused amber eyes towards te.


    "Were you going to elope with my bride, te?"


    te grinned cheekily.


    "I have always been just the delivery service and personal bodyguard that everyone calls on to transport the Princess around. I feel so used and abused."


    The men roared withughter. Wasn''t it te who had insisted on personally doing those duties?


    An alert sounded, interrupting their lighthearted banter.


    te turned back to the screens in front of the chairs.


    "Uh oh. Looks like we gotpany." Leonardo chanted as a dozen pods rose up from the ground and came streaming at them.


    "Have a seat and brace yourselves. I''ll just chat with them for a bit." te waved a hand as three more chairs appeared from the floor.


    The Princes took their seats and harnessed themselves down.


    One more wave of te''s hand resulted in a virtual monitor that appeared.


    A winged trooper''s face came into focus.


    "Donovan. Stand down." te called out to the man.


    "Your Royal Highness. With all due respect, you must return the Princess Candace Farrah. The wedding is about to begin and everyone is waiting for her."


    "I said STAND DOWN!" te snarled.


    "Yes Sir." He nodded and gave a signal.


    Immediately, the battle pods fell back. They looped around and returned to the Royal Pce.


    "Does that mean you justmitted high treason, te?" Byron chuckled. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Against who? Father? Lucas?" te gave a wry smile. "I am the Prime Warrior. I act independently of Erenveil''s throne andwmaking body."


    That was true. Candace remembered him saying something about that to her in the past.


    Lucas grinned. "I hereby formally forgive you, Brother, for flying off with my almost-bride."


    "Don''t forget I''m flying off with you as well."


    "She''s the real treasure. I''m just the afterthought." Lucasughed.


    "So where are we heading off to, Brother?" Leonardo asked as he settled onto his seat.


    "When you told us toe with you, I wasn''t expecting a heist with such high value." He turned to Candi with tender aqua eyes.


    "I have to take her to a safe ce. The Earth delegates are in an uproar and they want to exchange her for the fake Avgo woman Dahlia."


    "Over my dead body." Lucas snarled. "That woman is so disgusting I would never allow her to touch me."


    Byronughed. "Did you do anything with her?"


    Lucas shot him a disgusted look.


    "No. I mostly acted as if I had some kind of sexual hangup about doing anything with her before marriage. That kept her off me for the most part."


    Leonardo and Byron roared withughter. Lucas had to be their least sexually hung up brother. He had more partners throughout his illustrious career than anyone they knew.


    As the brothers chattered back and forth, Candi sat back and watched the sky change quickly from blue to violet to ck.


    They had broken through into deep space.


    She was about to connect with Dante to let him know she was on her way out into deep space when the alert sounded, signaling them of an iing call.


    "It''s Father. Want to talk to him?" te asked as he nced at the monitor in front of him.


    "Sure." Lucas rose from his chair and stood next to te. "Put Dear Old Dad on so we can all see him and speak to him ourselves."


    te''s fingers flew across the panel and the Emperor''s face appeared onscreen, his violet eyes charged and stormy.


    "Hello Father," Lucas called out, his deep amber eyes crinkling with mischief.


    "You rascal," he frowned at te. "You''re one of the grooms men. Why are you running away from your duties?"


    He turned to Lucas with a dark scowl. "And you. Aren''t you supposed to be down here to attend your own wedding? Or did you just jilt your new bride?"


    te rolled his eyes and widened the screen so that Candace, Byron, and Leonardo were also included into the visual call.


    "We''re all here Father." Leonardo called out.


    The Emperor huffed and puffed as he stared at all their mischievous twinkling eyes.


    "I can''t believe you all ran away. What the hell am I going to do with all the wedding guests and wedding presents and wedding food???" He roared, his face turning beet red.


    Byron smiled. "Use it, Father. Marry the Empress Anastasia. She never got an Avgo wedding even though she won the Avgo. All she ever got from you was a legal document stating that she was a legal consort."


    The Emperor''s violet eyes lit up. This was a smashing idea!


    But first things first. He still had to pretend to reprimand them.


    Scowling with everything he could muster to appear angry and upset, the Emperor growled at his sons.


    "Do you know what the ramifications for disrupting an Avgo wedding will be? You will all go down in historic infamy! All Avgo events and weddings are documented very thoroughly as part of Erenveil history!"


    He paused and shook his head. "We are going to look like such chumps." He sobbed even as the brothers snickered amongst themselves.


    "If I hadn''t seen it with my own eyes, I honestly would have never believed it." The Emperor rubbed his eyes with amazement. "Are all you boys eloping with her at the same time???"


    Lucasughed. "Why, yes! That"s exactly what we are doing, Father."


    "I was merely jesting." The Emperor cleared his throat. "Whoever heard of one Prime Avgo Female with four Erenveil Princes?"


    "Ummm. I think you forgot a few more." Leonardo grinned.


    "That''s right." The Emperor pounded his hands together. "Have any of you heard from Dante and the twins?"


    te nodded. "I got word that he and the twins are heading this way. We''ll rendezvous with their pod within the next few hours."


    The Emperor nodded, relief shinning in his face.


    "Good. I''m relieved to hear that Dante and the twins are returning to us."


    "Yes Father. Poppy secured their release."


    "That girl¡­I have to make it up to her some day, when she is willing to talk to me again." The Emperor sighed.


    "Just so my mind will be at ease," The Emperor rubbed his nose. "Where are you kids headed?"


    "Nirovium." te responded without skipping a beat.


    The Emperor''s eyes widened with startlement.


    "That noxious out in the wilds? There''s hardly any civilization there. What will you do for supplies and entertainment?"


    Candiughed. The Emperor sounded as if he was talking about some cabin in the woods that was barely essible.


    "It''s not that far from the nearest portal hop, Father. We''re really only three hours away from you."


    "But still. All my kids have left me!" The Emperor pouted.


    "You still have Lyra, Ariana, Daisy, and Poppy."


    "Thank Heavens for little girls," the Emperor nodded.


    "I guess this means I can send the Earth delegates home, now that you kids have all eloped."


    He shrugged and scratched his forehead as if he was a helpless old man.


    "I have to admit, the Earth delegates have been such a pain in the royal ass. But they can''t insist that Dahlia woman marry someone who''s run away, and they can''t insist that Candace be returned when even I have no idea where you kids have run off to."


    All the menughed. The Emperor was more than capable of scorning delegates and sending them packing.


    "I''m curious though, Candace." The Emperor scratched his head. "I know you''re wearing a replica Avgo gemstone around your neck, but do you still have the real one, even though you''ve been named the winner?"


    Candi blinked. She honestly didn''t know the answer to that.


    "Avgo,e on out." She called.


    Instantly, the gem popped up, twirling and twinkling its pink radiance throughout the room.


    Everyone stared with mesmerized eyes. No matter how many times they had seen the gem, it always managed to take their breath away.


    "I thought that with the Avgo finished, the gemstone disappears." Candi murmured as she reached out to touch the Avgo sapphire. It nestled in her hands, warm and vibrant.


    "It leaves you when its job is done. That''s all I know." The Emperor shrugged.


    "So that means its job is not done yet." te mused.


    The Emperor shrugged. "I''m sure you kids can figure this Avgo gemstone out between yourselves, but more importantly, what are your near future ns?"


    "We have a war to fight, Father." te responded as if it was just another Tuesday chicken dinner.


    "As soon as Dante and the twins meet up with us, we will put into ce the next phase of our ns."

 Chapter 155 - 24 Hours

    As soon as the Emperor had signed off, Leonardo turned to te.


    "So, Great Fearless Leader, what pray tell, is the next phase of our ns?"


    te grinned. "I dunno. It just seemed a cool thing to say at the time."


    All the brothers groaned.


    They had been hoping that te would have some grand scheme. Instead, this was turning into a hair-brained joy ride into deep space with no end goal.


    As they chatted with each other about the various things that could be the ''next phase of their ns'', Candi was establishing a mental link with Dante.


    ''Are you there?''


    ''Baby! Did te take you off?'' Dante sounded concerned.


    ''Yes. I''m in his transport pod with Lucas, Leonardo, and Byron.''


    ''Hmmm.'' This threw Dante off-guard. ''So the guys all tagged along?''


    He mulled this over for a few seconds.


    ''Good. Good. Let me contact them.'' n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Instantly, an alert sounded of another iing call.


    "Hey, it''s Big Brother Dante!" te announced as he popped up the disy.


    Instantly, the virtual screen showed Dante sitting in a simrlyid out transport pod, alongside Jason and Jared.


    "Hey Bro. Good to see you''re in one piece." te nodded at Dante. "You twins are looking healthy too." He spared a nce at Jason and Jared.


    The twins looked a bit off, but they came alive once they saw their brothers and Candi.


    "Wow. You look beautiful Candace! But what kind of dress is that you''re wearing?" Jason stared at her outfit.


    "You should not be wearing anything but a dress from us!" Jared frowned.


    "Well at least she''s wearing the avgo sapphire I made for her." Jason smiled. "You are so beautiful, my Tiny Dancer."


    "Thank you both." She grinned. "Next time I need a wedding dress, I''ll be sure to let you both know."


    As she and the twins were bantering back and forth in a gentle teasing manner, Dante and Lucas were eyeing each other with wary eyes.


    "Dante," Lucas called out in a gentle voice. "I really had no idea what was going on. You know I would never take this Crown Prince position away from you. I don''t even know how to be one!"


    Byron looked at Lucas with sympathy. He knew how difficult the job was, and Lucas would be in for a tough time ahead.


    Dante stared at Lucas with grim determination.


    "And yet here we are. They kidnapped me and the twins, and stripped me of my title and my bride. How do you want me to react to all this?"


    Lucas looked down at his hands.


    "I got abducted too, and when they released me, I was sent back to Erenveil. Suddenly, they heaped all this onto my head even before I knew what was going on." he moved his hand in a confused manner.


    Dante sighed. He had seen the visuals of Lucas looking confused and unprepared for it all. He knew that Lucas spoke the truth.


    "Father has been ying a pacifist hand for far too long. How many more of us will get abducted for ransom while we sit around and do nothing?" Dante growled.


    "Father was trying to keep the gxy peaceful enough for all of us." Byron sighed.


    "Peace at all cost is no peace at all. It merely makes the aggressors more willing to push the war boundaries and see what they can get away with while we keep pushing the peace agenda."


    All the brothers looked at each other. Dante was right. He was hitting into the heart of the next phase of the ns.


    "Do you have a n of attack?" Leonardo asked Dante.


    "I do. Let''s talk about it over dinner shall we?" Dante gave Leonardo a grim smile.


    Dinner sounded like a good idea to all the men.


    "Brothers." te cleared his throat. "Where are you at, currently?"


    Dante nodded. "We''re about an hour away from the nearest space jump. Where are you heading?"


    te tapped a few things onto the console of his armrest.


    "I just sent you the coordinates. Be there in an hour and we''ll pick you up."


    "I got it." Dante began entering the coordinates into the pod.


    ''You''re so beautiful that when I look at you, I can barely breathe.''


    Candi blinked.


    That was undoubtedly Dante''s deep rumbly voice in her mind, but he was looking upied with something he was doing and wasn''t even looking at her.


    ''I''m so d you''re safe.''


    ''Hold onto good thoughts, My Love.''


    He turned his brilliant green eyes at her. ''We will meet again in an hour.''


    She smiled at his elegant regal face with that familiar blue hair that was now hanging past his shoulders.


    Dante turned back to his brothers.


    "I have to make another call to Father, so we''re going to disconnect now, but we''ll talk again in about an hour." Dante said.


    They all said their goodbyes and disconnected the call.


    As soon as they signed off, Dante began pacing the floor. Only one more hour to get to the jump and he would see his bride again.


    Except he was no longer Crown Prince for some idiotic reason, and this time, it would be much harder to try to wrestle the position back.


    It would be Lucas he would have to seize it from.


    Lucas was a legitimate son of the Emperor. He was also one of Dante''s sweetest brothers.


    The shy young boy with the pale blonde hair and warm amber eyes who once could barely say a word without turning red and hiding behind his mother was now an intergctic star.


    A very sweet and kind intergctic star.


    Dante heaved a heavy sigh and returned to his seat.


    Flicking his hands quickly, he made the call to the Emperor.


    He must have been doing something important because it took almost fifteen minutes for the Emperor to return his call.


    "Boys! You''re all looking well." The Emperor proimed, looking at all three of them in turn.


    "You''ve been busy." Dante responded in way of greeting.


    "I just got married!" The Emperor grinned.


    Dante rolled his eyes. "New bride?"


    The Emperor pursed his lips.


    "No. Same old bride. I just got married again to your mother!"


    "Why?" Dante raised an eyebrow. "Aren''t you two already married?"


    "Of course we are, but the idiot Lucas eloped with his bride Candace and left all these wedding arrangements and food and stuff. What could we do but call it my wedding?"


    "And they were okay with it?"


    The Emperor shrugged.


    "All the guests had arrived with all the gifts and such¡­I couldn''t send them away. Some of those gifts are quite nice!"


    Dante sighed. Four of his sons had just gotten kidnapped and he was focusing on how nice the gifts were.


    "Father. That Crown Prince position was always supposed to have been mine. Why has it been stripped from me yet again?"


    The Emperor heaved a sigh. All signs of his merriment dissipated.


    "I know that you are the rightful Crown Prince, Son, but your mother bargained it away to bring you back safely."


    He pursed his lips.


    "Being alive and the richest man in the gxy but NOT the Crown Prince is much better than being a dead Crown Prince."


    "But Candace is my wife." Dante snarled.


    "Listen to me Son. She is THE Primary Avgo Female. She must go to the Crown Prince."


    The Emperor looked away.


    "The documents have been drawn up.. Within 24 hours, she will automatically be his legal wife, per the Avgo contest rules."

 Chapter 156 - Take A Hundred Wives!

    "Father, she is my bride. I don''t care about the Crown Prince position, but I do care about her. If I have to fight to win her hand, I will throw everything I have into that fight."


    The Emperor sighed. He did not want to mention it, but the truth was that Dante was a top notch CEO. As far as making and growing wealth, he was the absolute best in the gxy.


    Unfortunately, that very same reason which made him such a good CEO also caused him to act like a dictator when he wielded the throne. He ran the empire like it was a business, and it just couldn''t be run in that manner for so many reasons.


    On the other hand, the son that Emperor Rex had thought would never be able to do much other than entertain people, his movie star son Lucas, had far more charisma than even Byron did.


    Lucas could sway people''s hearts and minds as easily as turning his beautiful face to the visual cameras and giving them that winsome smile of his.


    He was actually the perfect choice to be the future Emperor IF he could have the full support of all his brothers.


    "It will be a losing battle son. The entire gxy is cheering on for Lucas as the new Crown Prince. He''s a well-known star, someone they love and fully support."


    "If you try to reim the Crown Prince title, the entire gxy will think you''ve pulled something dirty and they will object."


    The Emperor sighed.


    "Think about all your sessful enterprises and business conglomerations. Your wealth is staggering. Don''t get dragged into something that will cause you to be an outcast and damage your business brands."


    "But she is my wife!"


    "You are the richest man alive. You can have any woman in the Gxy! Take another wife. In fact, take a hundred wives! With my blessing even!"


    "But I only love her, Father. Would you abandon my mother to take on a hundred other women?"


    The Emperor sighed and shook his head.


    Being Emperor meant he had to take on many political wives, but the woman who had taken his heart had always been the butterfly Anastasia. If he had the choice, he would be ecstatic with just the one woman who was Dante''s mother.


    "Understand, Son. You are not just a bat. You are also a butterfly. The Insectoids were rooting for you during the time you were Crown Prince, but the Avians began staging battles and takeovers across the Gxy."


    The Emperor rubbed his forehead as a pounding headache began to erupt. He needed toy it out straight for Dante.


    "They have this knee-jerk reaction against bugs of all sorts. To the birds, insects are the lowest of the lowest life forms and therefore are below their caste."


    The Emperor pointed at Dante.


    "To them, you are nothing more than a bug in a bat costume. To have a bug tantly take over as Emperor of the gxy is something so abhorrent to the Avians that they would rather destroy you by any means possible than to allow what should have been yours by rights of session to happen."


    He gave Dante a dour face.


    "With you as Crown Prince, there will be endless wars, not because of anything you did but because of who you are. You will never know a moment of peace. Do you want your wife and children to be living in a state of constant war?"


    Dante''s eyes grew fierce. "We can''t just let the Avians bully and push everyone around!"


    "And that is why I''ve been sending te out to quell all the fires that have been ring up here and there. But just because we have enough forces to maintain a semnce of peace doesn''t mean they aren''t going to keep trying to subjugate the bugs."


    The Emperor turned to the twins. "Jason. Jared. The Avians even convinced your mother''s people, the merfolk from Emporia, to join in with their schemes."


    Jason scowled. "We know. It was our aunt who betrayed us at the Avgo Event."


    The Emperor gasped. "Which of Mortimer Cordera''s wives dared to do that?"


    "Beatrice, Helene''s mother." Jared responded. "She insisted on meeting us that morning of the Avgo Event saying that it was life or death, so Jason and I agreed to see her."


    Jason shook his head.


    "She took a small entourage of troops with her, which was strange, but we didn''t say much. After all, she is our mother''s sister-inw."


    "And they ambushed you two?" The Emperor''s face began to darken.


    Jared nodded. "She wanted one of us to choose Helene Cordera as a bride, because she is one of the Avgo contestants, and she knew that none of our other brothers would choose Helene."


    "Hmmmph!!!" The Emperor harrumphed. "The nerve of that woman!"


    He held up a finger. "First of all, that girl is your first cousin. It would be considered incest by thews of Erenveil."


    He held up a second finger. "Secondly, I have already told you all not to choose the fish girl. You can marry any female or mermaid you wish, just not Helene."


    "Of course, we understood that, Father." Jared gritted his teeth. "We refused, and once we did, we were overwhelmed by her guards."


    The Emperor nodded. Perhaps it was time to clean house on Emporia.


    Dante leaned back against the seat. He had heard enough from all sides to know what had to be done.


    "I am not going to allow the Avians to bully us any longer. I will be putting into ce, the next phase of my ns."


    The Emperor sighed.


    That was exactly what te had said before he disconnected with his youngest son. Since his boys tended to coborate on most things, he could only assume that the ''next phase of their ns'' was one that they had worked on together.


    Now that is oldest son was saying the same thing, all he could do was sit back and cheer them on.


    ============= n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Within the hour, Dante had made the space hyper jump, taking them back into Erenveil space.


    The other Princes and Candace had boarded the Raptor 600 warship and was waiting for them near the portal. Once Dante''s transport pod arrived, the warship''s hatch opened up to receive them.


    "Wow. Your pod looks like it''s ready to be junked." te joked as he looked at the visual of the ancient craft with the happy yellow face painted on the side as it flew into the hangar.


    "I''m lucky I even got something to leave pirate space with." Dante responded with cheer. "Anything fancier would have been attacked and taken away with me and the twins still inside."


    "Wee back, Brothers." te said as he jumped off hismand chair and made his way to the hangar to greet them personally.


    Within minutes, Dante and the twins had joined the rest of the brothers and Candace up in themand deck.


    Dante strode through and went straight for Candace, picking her up from her seat and crushing her into his arms.


    ''Oh my sweet Darling. I''ve missed you so much.'' He spoke into her mind.


    It had only been a little over twelve hours since they''d been apart, but it seemed like forever. And now that she would be someone else''s bride, at least on paper, it seemed that he would lose her forever.


    His heart ached so much. That old familiar rage was back full st. He could feel his fangs begin itching to grow again


    The unfairness and injustice of not being allowed to be the Crown Prince because he was part insectoid, the utter humiliation of fighting for and attaining the Crown Prince title only to have it revoked within a week''s time.


    It was almost more than he could bear.


    But Candace was there, rubbing his back with her strong thin arms, making soft cooing sounds inside his mind.


    ''Sweetheart, you''re doing an amazing job and I am very proud to be with you.'' She continued to soothe his ragged weary heart.


    ''Everything is going to be alright. I am right here and not going anywhere. You have to trust that everything is going to work out, Dante, and that you''re not alone. Just trust in me and your brothers. We won''t let you down."


    She was driving away his fears and rage, one demon at a time.


    As Dante allowed her voice to sink into his soul, he began to let go of his anger and shame.


    She didn''t think he was less of a man even though everyone else in the gxy thought he wasn''t good enough to be Crown Prince. In her eyes, he was worthy enough to be with her.


    That was all that mattered to Dante.

 Chapter 157 - The Amazing Seven Princes Of Erenveil

    Once Dante was in full control of himself, Candace reached out and gave the twins hugs as well. For some reason, they looked even worse than Dante did.


    In their eyes were recriminations, not at anyone but at themselves.


    "We failed you, Tiny Dancer." They apologized profusely. "We all failed to show up to support you through an important Avgo event. That''s¡ªunforgivable."


    She shook her head. "None of this is your fault. The fault lies with those who are responsible for the kidnapping of four Princes of Erenveil.


    "They must be made to pay." Her normal warm hazel eyes grew hard and cold.


    The brothers all looked at each other. She was their inspiration.


    If they''d had any doubts about what needed to be done, she had just blown away all their doubts.


    If Candace said the attackers must be made to pay, they would ensure that she would be gifted with substantial repayment, be it in the form of wealth or blood.


    Or both.


    Since everyone looked exhausted, te found quarters for each of his brothers, sending them off to rest until dinner time. They had all been through the wringer within thest 24 hours and needed rest.


    Candace was taken to te''s more luxurious personal quarters where a female attendant had been assigned to help her to undress and changed into morefortable clothing. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    She was lying on the bed resting when te returned, an hourter.


    He fell onto the bed next to Candace in an exhausted slump, exhaling with relief as his body sank onto the softness of the bed. It had been over 48 hours that he''d had a chance to lie down and close his eyes.


    Beside him, the little female that weighed next to nothing, was squirming under his arm that had inadvertently been thrown across her body.


    "Ughh. te. Why you so heavy!" Candace was struggling to move out from under his right arm.


    te''s body shook with mirth. He removed his offending arm and turned his body towards her.


    "Will you sleep with me?"


    "S¡ªsleep?" Candi''s eyes widened.


    "Yes." He closed his eyes. "I''m exhausted. I just want to lie here with you for a bit and just sleep."


    Candi was going to respond when she realized that he was already lightly snoring.


    His right arm was under him but his left arm was now thrown over her. To make matters worse, he had also thrown his leg over her body, effectively trapping her into his chest.


    With nowhere to go, Candi reached around his waist and cradled him in her arms. She closed her eyes and tried to take a nap but the harder she tried, the more awake she became.


    The nearness of te was disturbing. The memories of all they had shared came flooding back into her mind, making her sad that there was no future for them.


    He had been her constant ind of stability, her rock that she clung to when things went south. The fact that he continued to be her strength even when it was obvious that she and Dante were a couple meant that he cared for her unconditionally.


    He gave her freely and without any strings attached, anything and everything she needed.


    If all he was asking for was to lie there and sleep with her in his arms, she was more than happy to be his dakimakura, hisfort pillow.


    Within his safe warm embrace, Candi drifted off to sleep soon thereafter.


    By dinner time, a small chime sounded, alerting everyone that it was time to eat.


    Within fifteen minutes, everyone had trooped into the dining area where the attendants were serving military-style meals.


    "Everyone seems to be looking much less ragged." Leonardo smiled. "I was starting to get worried about you men, falling to the ground in exhaustion."


    "Please." te scoffed. "It would take more than two daysck of sleep to take me down that hard."


    "I can''t im that," Lucas gave a shy grin. "I got drugged and knocked out for hours, so I guess I got my allotted sleep time."


    Leonardo shook his head. "No brother. Being knocked out does not equate to sleeping and resting."


    "You and the others," he looked at Dante and the twins, "need just as much if not more sleep than everyone else just to recover from all the drugs that were pumped into you."


    "We don''t have time to sleep. We have a fish world to reim." Danteunched into the crux of the situation, even as attendants began serving the first course, a light hors d''oeuvre of smoked salmon on brie crackers.


    "And why is that the first item on our list?" Byron asked as he chewed on the crackers.


    "Wouldn''t mming the five bird worlds surrounding Nymphalidae and saving Empress Anastasia''s home world from being overtaken be the first reasonable action?"


    Dante smiled. "Because if we reim Emporia and return it to its rightful ruler, we suddenly gain an entire armada of warriors to help us in the fight with the birds."


    te stared at Dante. "You''re talking about the space pirates?"


    Dante nodded. "I have an ''understanding'' with the previous king of Emporia."


    "You know Mattheus Cordera?" Jason''s eyes widened.


    Dante nodded. "I''m sorry Jason. I can no longer allow your uncle to remain in power over Emporia."


    Jared''s left cheek twitched. "Mattheus is my cousin. His father was our uncle and the previous king of Emporia. If there is anything we can do to help you take Mortimer down, just let us know."


    Dante nodded. "There is. I''ll let you know when and what is needed."


    "I also have quite a bit of pull with the insectoid worlds since I am, myself, half insectoid." Dante continued. "Under mymand will be the insects and at least one group of space pirates."


    "And of course, I still havemand of all the Erenveil space force, as well as your entire fleet of guard ships." te reminded Dante.


    "And my hospital ships are still warships." Leonardo chimed in.


    Dante shook his head. "If I can get the extra forces from the space pirates and the insectoid worlds, you can revert your warships back to hospitals to receive the wounded from the war."


    Leonardo nodded. That had always been the option. His crews had always been able to do both duties. They were essentially warriors with medical knowledge.


    "Militarily, we have the necessary forces to deal with whatever the birds can throw at us. We need a negotiator though." te turned to Byron. "You being a bird makes you the perfect negotiator."


    Byron nodded. "Being a negotiator is what I was trained my whole life to do."


    "You won''t be alone. Poppy is also at the front lines, doing much of the moving and shaking of the chess board herself."


    "She is such an amazing woman." Byron breathed with admiration.


    "What do you guys want me to do?" Lucas looked up with hesitant eyes.


    "Be our front man. Make us look like handsome devils who can do no wrong." Jared smiled. "And this time, none of you men are allowed to hide your faces."


    Jason nodded grinning. "We have toe out of hiding and be the Amazing Seven Princes of Erenveil! Jared and I will create the visual costumes for all of us."


    "That''s right. We must be the superheroes that the gxy needs." Jared''s eyes began to sparkle with that creative shine. "We will make the gxy swoon with love for us so that when war happens, they will be sympathetic to our cause."


    Candi beamed a bright smile at them.


    "That sounds like an awesome idea! The Amazing Seven Princes! Wow!!!" Her hazel eyes sparkled. "Is there anything I can do to help in the war effort?"


    te turned to her with loving eyes.


    "You are our source of strength. We need you somewhere safe and healthy so we can do our jobs without having to worry about you."


    "YES!" All the men agreed with one voice.

 Chapter 158 - The Avgo Is Gone!!!

    Somewhere safe and healthy. Why did that sound like the most boring job ever?


    Candi grimaced. They were going to go do their thing and leave her behind to miss all the fun???


    "Were you guys going to just leave me to rot on some boring world while you go about the gxy, doing your fun things?" She frowned.


    This waspletely unfair!


    "No no, Darling. Don''t think about it like that." Byron soothed. "You will just be waited on, hand and foot, while you eat beautiful sweets and drink colorful juices on some tropical paradise."


    "Yes, and when we are done with our work, we wille home to you." Leonardo gushed.


    "But I want to be where the action and the fun is!" She insisted.


    "War is not fun, woman." te gave her a firm stare. "People get hurt. People die."


    His eyes softened.


    "Even though you are capable of defending yourself against attackers, you are not able to do anything against an armada of warships. You are not a warrior and have not been trained how to deal with modern warfare."


    Candi sighed. If te the Prime Warrior put down his foot, there was no changing it. She resigned herself to figuring out a different way to be of use to the war effort.


    The attendants were starting to bring out the main courses. Some of the men ordered beef and some ordered chicken.


    Candi had ordered the braised cod, thinking it would be a nice light meal, but when it came out, the size of the fish cut wasrger than her arm!


    Seeing Candi''s horrified expression, Danteughed and reached over.


    "I''ll help myself to a portion of your fish, if you don''t mind. I''m feeling a bit hungrier than usual."


    On her other side, teughed and took another portion from her.


    "I''ll take this section here as well."


    Opposite from her, Byron was reaching over to pour some white wine into her ss.


    "Have some of this. It''s delicious with that fish." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "No. She is not allowed wine." Dante narrowed his eyes.


    "Why not?" Byron looked up, his eyes questioning.


    "Because she may be with child."


    "That''s impossible, unless you''ve done something to her." Byron muttered, staring at Dante.


    Leonardo immediately got up and reached Candi''s side.


    "Please give me your hand."


    Candi blinked with confusion. Was there something terribly wrong?


    She reached out her hand and Leonardo grasped it with both his hands, one palm touching each side of her hand.


    For a moment, his hands glowed as he did a preliminary scan of her physiology.


    He slowly shook his head.


    "She''s not pregnant."


    "But I felt an egg. It was alive." Dante furrowed his brows. He couldn''t have misread bio signals that badly, could he?


    "She''s not even ovting at this moment." Leonardo frowned "I do however feel the presence of a living egg." He looked up at Dante. "But it''s not what you think."


    "The Avgo!" te pounded the table, clinking the silverware on the ceramic dishes.


    Leonardo nodded. "The Avgo is just an ancient word for ''egg''. What Dante felt was the Avgo egg that resides within Candace."


    He turned to Candi. "Can you call the Avgo out of your body?"


    Candi nodded. "Come on out Avgo."


    Instantly, the Avgo appeared before her, scattering its brilliant pink light around the room.


    "There you go." Leonard nodded. "Touch her other hand, Dante. What do you feel?"


    Dante reached out for her hand, enfolding it within hisrge hands. His eyes veiled.


    "I feel her life source alone."


    His face did not show his heartbreak, but it was readily apparent in his voice.


    The other Princes looked anywhere but at Dante. Even the loss of the possibility of a child was still a tremendous loss if there had been enormous emotional investment.


    Candace sighed.


    "I have no idea why, even after the Avgo Events has finished, I''m still holding onto this Avgo egg."


    te shrugged. "All we know is that it hasn''t finished what it needs to do yet."


    "But I''ve won. Isn''t it supposed to disappear, toe back into existence decades or centuriester when it needs to show itself again?"


    Her eyes narrowed with thought.


    "I wish I could ask it what to do." She muttered to herself.


    Wait a moment!


    Candi''s eyes lit up. What was she thinking?


    She could!


    The Avgo actually understood hermands! It had done everything she asked it to do, including halting Lorem Ipsum''s cyclone in a ss tube!


    It always came when she called it out, and every time she was in danger, it exuded its power to save her. This Avgo stone was rational and intelligent!


    Why was she treating it as if it was an inanimate object without any sense of self-awareness?


    Rising up from her chair, she stared at the Avgo sapphire as it slowly rotated in front of her.


    "Avgo. What is the next step? Show me your purpose!"


    As if it had received some highmand, the Avgo suddenly stopped rotating. Slowly, it began to pulse, like a heart.


    The Princes all held their collective breaths. Something tremendous was about to happen to the Avgo.


    The pulses began to speed up, even as the Avgo grewrger.


    Hovering over the dinner table, it grew to the size of a grapefruit and then stabilized.


    And then, in one final pulse, it fractured into pieces!!!


    CRAAACK!!!


    The men all gasped with surprise.


    Candi''s heart nearly exploded as she choked back a sob.


    She had damaged the Avgo by asking it a question it could not answer!


    Before her eyes, the shards spun in midair until they changed into a multitude of new pink Avgo stones, pulsing and radiating with a multitude of dazzling new light.


    The Avgo had divided itself into seven new Avgo gemstones!


    It began dancing in front of her, parading itself for her to see. Each detail was perfect. Each radiated its own life force, which she now understood to be sentient and supremely divine.


    With unerring uracy, the new Avgo stones paused their movement for one second.


    They all stopped breathing, sensing that something momentous was about to happen.


    In a sudden sh of pink light, each Avgo stone shot directly into each Prince sitting around the table hitting each man squarely in the heart.


    "Argh!" They all grunted in pain as they felt the impact of the Avgo stone. It had moved so quickly, like glowing pink bullets, that the men did not even have time to react!


    Candi gasped.


    As the men rubbed their chests in stunned surprise, Candi held her head with both hands trying to make sense of what had just happened.


    She had asked it a simple question and it had responded. And in the blink of an eye, the Avgo was gone!


    "Haaaaaahhh," she panted. "What just happened?"


    She reached out into the space that the Avgo once hovered.


    "Avgo,e on out." She called with a wavering voice, hoping it was still there.


    Nothing.


    "Avgo?"


    Nothing.


    It was truly gone!


    "I¡ªI lost my Avgo." Candi swallowed a huge lump in her throat.


    She looked at all the men, her eyes wide with rm.


    "I''m not an Avgo Female any more."


    The men all looked at each other.


    Sudden understanding bloomed on their faces.


    They turned again to look at her stricken eyes.


    As a tear rolled down her face, they all began to hoot withughter.

 Chapter 160 - [Bonus ] The Princes Strike Back

    [BOOK TWO: THE PRINCES STRIKE BACK]


    Early the next morning, Dante received a brief but detailed message from Mattheus Cordera.


    Without waking anyone up, he threw on his warrior gear, left his sleeping quarters, and grabbed a transport pod from the hangar.


    This one thankfully, DID NOT have a yellow smiley face painted on its side. It was one of the sleek ultra-modern ones that te kept on his Mother Ship, the Raptor 600 for his personal use.


    With him came one-hundred of his own guard ships that had turned into full-fledge warships. They had been on full alert stand-by the night before, ready to take off at a moment''s notice.


    He flew to his own Mother Ship, the Chiroptera 450, and took immediatemand of the squadron.


    Their first stop was the single moon above the beautiful ocean world of Emporia.


    His hundred warships, along with two hundred of Mattheus'' pirate ships, were cloaked and huddled on the dark side of the moon in fight formation.


    It was all touch and go at this moment.


    Dante stood at themand deck with a hot cup of coffee in his hand to warm his insides. The view from therge ship window was breathtaking.


    Even hidden behind Emporia''s moon, he could see therge crystal blue world peeking from the moon''s horizon.


    Emporia truly was an amazing and beautiful world. Once this war was over, he could turn establish a few of his resorts here and turn a tidy profit from tourism.


    For now, it was going to get worse before it got better.


    He sighed.


    Sometimes, an establishment needed to be gutted in order for a new and better establishment to be built. This was one of those times.


    Although they had left before sunrise, Standard Gctic Time, they were waiting for the perfect strike zone which would happen within the hour of nightfall on the capital city of Emporia.


    As the capital city slowly slipped into darkness, all its city lights began winking into life.


    An alert sounded.


    Dante waved a finger and the virtual monitored popped open, showing theely face of Mattheus Cordera.


    His eyes were dark as if he hadn''t slept in awhile, and his chin was unshaven and coarse with an entire day''s worth of stubble.


    "Looks like you didn''t get any sleep."


    Mattheus narrowed his eyes.


    "Sleep is a luxury I don''t have right now."


    "It''s your show, man. I''m just here to back you up." Dante took thest swallow of his coffee and put the mug down.


    "Understand, Dante, that this show of military force is mostly just that." Mattheus stressed.


    "All you have to do is fly your Erenveil warships around and make it look as if your entire fleet is going toe down on their heads if they don''tply."


    "Matt. I''m telling you right now, it''s not just for show. Those people kidnapped me and my brothers. I lost my Crown Prince title because of that."


    His green eyes were bloody red.


    "It only takes one word from me and the entire Erenveil armada is going to encircle this world and turn it as holey as Swiss cheese."


    Mattheus shook his head.


    "Hold your gunfire, Dante. We can''t just fly into Emporia with weapons zing! Most of the merfolk are innocent of any crimes at all. There has to be an intact world for me to rule over after overthrowing my uncle."


    "As long as you hand over the king and his wife Beatrice to me, I will agree to not use any force unless you ask for backup."


    Mattheus shook his head again.


    "Sorry man. That''s not part of the bargain. You can have his olddy, but that man''s ass is mine. He tried to kill me when I was barely ten years old. I''m not handing him over to you."


    "Fine. It was Beatrice who arranged for the kidnapping of my brothers and myself, so I''ll take her."


    "And her daughter?"


    "Who?"


    "Helene Cordera."


    Dante shook his head. "Never heard of her."


    Mattheus burst outughing. It was just as well.


    It was better that Helene sank into obscurity than to be remembered as the woman who tried to kill the Primary Avgo Female Candace Farrah.


    He didn''t know a whole lot about the First Prince, but he knew one thing.


    Prince Dante was head over heels in love with the Prime Avgo Female, Candace Farrah. Any threat to this woman was a death sentence to whoever was foolhardy enough to attempt that threat.


    "Oh wait a minute. Isn''t she the one who tried to hurt my woman and got her back broken as a result?"


    "That would be her." There went her chance to go under Dante''s radar.


    "I''ll take her too."


    Mattheus nodded. "Stand by, Prince Dante."


    ========


    Under the stealth of darkness, the masked warriors infiltrated Emporia''s Royal Pce.


    First to die were the gate guards. Soon thereafter, the remaining royal guards were taken out, one silent man at a time.


    It wasn''t that the Emporian Royal Guards were not good at their job. It was because they had suddenly been inundated with thousands of masked men armed to the teeth and highly skilled in the art of killing without making a sound.


    The masked intruders were so stealthy, they had inadvertently caught the King of Emporia with his willy hanging out as he pumped himself into one of his newest concubines.


    "Aaaaaaahhh!!!" The concubine shrieked as she tried to hide behind the king. Unfortunately, he was one step ahead of her.


    With a swift boot to her shapely buttocks, he kicked her at the assassins who had flooded into his bedroom to gain a few precious seconds of time.


    Without looking back to see what would happen to her, he hightailed it to his secret trap door.


    It had been prepared twenty years ago, when he took over the Royal Pce in anticipation of this event. He had known that this day wasing ever since he''d bombed that facility with the young king and his mother still trapped inside.


    King Mortimer didn''t think they survived it because they had been part of the huge number of people who had turned up unounted for.


    It was to have been their fate to be unidentifiable bone fragments, and yet, two decadester, karma finally swung back around and was now after his blood.


    As the trap door swung open, the king ran into the dark corridor. The door sprang shut behind him with a BANG!!! locking out the assassins who were in his bed chamber.


    There was very little light in this darkened area because it had never been used, but King Mortimer knew that this passage continued straight for awhile before it opened up onto Plumeria Beach.


    All he had to do was run his hand along the wall and keep running!


    King Mortimer felt to his right until his palm hit the smooth stone wall of the tunnel. Even without light, he could follow the length of the wall until he reached the end of the tunnel.


    He would escape this Royal Pce without even a stitch of clothing, but at least he would still have his life.


    Perhaps he could find his way to Erenveil and throw himself upon the mercy of his youngest sister, the Royal Consort Fatima.


    King Mortimer had been running for a few minutes, full steam ahead. His body was starting to feel the exertion and he was starting tog. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Panting with effort, he began to slow his roll. Although his legs were weak and his lungs were burning, he could not afford to stay in this pce any longer.


    He had to make it out to the beach and go underwater where he could transform back into a merman and escape into the depths.


    BAAAAAMMM!!!


    "Aaaargghhhh!!!" He grunted as he mmed his face into something huge and solid in front of him.


    There should be nothing and no one in this tunnel!


    Reaching out blindly, King Mortimer encountered something massively solid.


    It was a male chest!


    SNAP!!!


    There was the sound of fingers snapping as a bright light beamed directly into King Mortimer''s face.


    For a moment, he was blinded.


    He winced, looking away from the bright flood of light.


    "So¡­we finally meet again. Uncle.." A deep voice rumbled out from the solid male chest that was standing before him.

 Chapter 164 - Look Babe, No Hands!

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    For a moment, te''s body felt so weak he could barely stand. His woman was such a tiny thing, but all it took for his strong body toe crashing down was her tiny little pink tongue, licking the tip of his manhood.


    He exhaled with force and reached out for her head. Gathering her long blonde hair in both hands, he urged her head forward. His body had been aching for so very long, he could not stand too much of the light teasing touches.


    Candace reached out to grab the base of his erect member and gently pulled back his skin. Slowly, she moved her head until she had taken half his shaft into her mouth.


    And then she began sucking in earnest.


    His stomach quivered with joy as he gritted his teeth and endured the delicious feeling of her tongue, swirling around the base of his shaft as her mouth epassed the head of his shaft.


    Barely able to breathe, he rubbed her head,bing his fingers through the silky strands of her blonde hair. It felt like heavenly silk in his hands.


    Then, when he thought his pleasure could not rise any higher, his desire shot up a notch as she moved her head forward and swallowed him deep into her throat.


    "Haaaaaaahhh!!!" He panted.


    Unable to hold back, his body began to buck on their own ord.


    Holding her head in ce, he began moving his body, thrusting his swollen manhood deep into her throat. With each thrust, te could feel his control slipping away.


    Not good.


    te had to stop for a moment to retract his ws as they began to sheath. Even his fangs were starting to lengthen as his thirst for her blood began to rise.


    He pulled himself out of her mouth and moved both of them onto the bed with her on top of him. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    In this position, she could at least have a bit more control which would allow him to rest on the bed so he could maintain control on his body''s natural reaction. He did not want to inadvertently cut her with his sharp fangs or ws.


    te could not bear to hurt Candace. He would rather chop his wings brutally off his body and be maimed forever than to cause any harm to her.


    This realization hit him so hard that for a few seconds, he was barely aware that she had split her legs and straddled his waist.


    Reaching down for his shaft, she began positioning the head of his member in between her wet petals.


    With a single bounce, her body had swallowed him to the hilt.


    "Aaaaaarghhh!!!"


    They both gasped together. The head of his shaft had hit her cervix with that once bounce. The feel was so intense, te almost came.


    "Hold on Love. Don''t move." te panted. "Ease up. You''re gripping me too tight darling. Ease up."


    The walls of her muscles began to rx around his shaft and te took a deep breath. They had barely just started but he''d been starved for so long, he could barely hold onto his need to release.


    te closed his eyes and thought about the war that wasing.


    His manhood throbbed.


    He focused on the war meeting that was going to happen in thirty minutes.


    His manhood throbbed.


    He began reciting ''The Art of War''.*


    His manhood throbbed.


    Forget it. He could not hold back. He only had thirty minutes left anyway.


    He opened his eyes as he felt Candace pull him out of her body.


    Rising up above him, she lifted herselfpletely off his body and leaned forward until all he could see of her were her tworge breasts, hanging mere inches from his face.


    It was only then that he realized the position she was in.


    His little minx was crouched on her strong dancer''s haunches with her legs bent under her. As she bnced on her feet, her arms were reaching past his head, hands pulling against the headboard to keep herself upright.


    She moved her body until she could feel his manhood on her petals and with a swing of her hips, she had captured him inside of her.


    "Look Babe. No hands!" She giggled.


    te couldn''t evenugh.


    The feels came back so strongly, he clutched at the sheets, desperately trying to keep his ws from protracting.


    Fully aware of his struggles, Candace began bouncing on his shaft.


    At this angle, he could see herrge breasts jouncing up and down with the rhythm of her movement. The sweat-drenched taut muscles of her stomach, worked the motions along with the strength of her slim thighs.


    He wanted to touch her but he was afraid his ws would hurt her, so he continued to grip the sheets, letting her do whatever wanton thing she wanted to do to him.


    Since her body waspletely lifted off him, all of a sudden, te''s entire focus shifted on the only thing left he could feel of her.


    Everything concentrated solely on the slick muscles sloshing and rubbing together between their legs. Nothing else existed but that one connection they had together.


    The thick length of his hot slick member was sliding in and out of her body, and it was all controlled and orchestrated by his tiny little woman.


    Candace was starting to reach the crest and she started wailing, her shrieks reverberating around the room.


    She began panting and moaning. Sweat rolled off her face and in between her breasts, dripping down to the t nes of his chest.


    The smell of her excitement was making him growl like a hungry wolf, picking up the sweet heady scent of his mate. His fangs began to grow, and he could feel his wings began sprouting from under his body.


    Unable to hold back any longer, te rose up and pierced her left chest, bitting down with his sharp fangs. As he injected her with his serum, his mouth sucked her blood into his body.


    "Aaaaahhhhh!!!"


    She gave ast desperate cry as she reached climax. The pleasure and pain mixed in together until she could no longer tell what was pleasure and what was pain.


    As the rolling waves of pleasure rolled through her body, Candace could feel the warmth of his liquid serum flowing through her bloodstream and racing throughout her entire being. Her body warmed and she quivered with ecstasy.


    Her climax pushed te over the edge as the intense feeling of all the nerve endings on the head of his shaft overwhelmed him.


    He thrust his hips twice more, rubbing himself into that hot wetness that was her love canal. At the moment that he let loose, the shard that was the Avgo embedded within his heart released itself.


    "Aaaaaaargghhhh!!!" He cried with the pain of release as his heart muscles felt as if they were nearly torn apart.


    The sheer electrical discharge ran through his body and continued coursing through his shaft, through that one single point of connection he had with his woman.


    With ast agonizing burst of pleasure, te spent himself within her body, gifting her back in return, the Avgo shard that she had given him.


    =============


    ''The Art of War''. Sun Tzu

 Chapter 165 - Triumvirate Crown

    Lucas was sweating bullets sitting at the Legitive table with Byron across from him and the Emperor at the head of the table to his right.


    To his left was the length of the table holding twelve men of varying degrees of brevity and pomposity.


    These men could kill a fly just by looking at it with an evil eye. And those evil eyes at the moment was staring directly at him.


    They didn''t have to say anything. Their mannerisms shouted loudly theirck of enthusiasm.


    One portly Legitor stood up. He stroke his long grey beard with a fussy hand.


    "Your Majesty. We can''t keep doing this. You need to pick a son and stick with him."


    "In the space of seven days, three separate Crown Princes had sat at this very same table, being briefed the exact same thing. Are you going to bring Prince Leonardo in next week and make him Crown Prince?"


    The Emperor harrumphed.


    "Who the Crown Prince is doesn''t make a whit of difference." He eyed Grey Beard.


    "What makes a difference is you continue to do what needs to be done to keep the Empire from careening into the ditch!"


    He sniffed and looked away, towards the bright stained ss window depicting lovers by a rose bush. Why in hell was lovers smooching by a rose bush considered a good piece of stained ss art inside a dull and boring Legitive Hall?


    There was more droning of dull protestsing from the twelve stuff shirts.


    "The new Crown Prince will take at least a couple of years to learn all the necessary things that he will need to be able to handle daily court duties and to head the legitive sessions."


    Another Legitor stood up. He was a mousy sort with watery blue eyes and a thin hooked nose.


    "I have to agree. I find Prince Byron to be the most qualified to continue the job. He''s been groomed all his life to do this."


    "Prince Dante, although very knowledgeable about our day-to-day affairs, tend to be on the¡­abrupt and caustic side."


    "Oh he''s a hot-headed dictator is what he is." A red-faced burly fellow thew out. "But I like Prince Dante. You knew exactly where he stood on things. His words are hard to hear, but he''s not wishy-washy. He delivers."


    "I certainly do!" A voice called out from the doorway.


    Everyone turned towards the suddenmotion at the entrance.


    The tall figure of the First Prince Dante moved with long-legged strides into the Legition Hall.


    "Dante!" The Emperor smiled and rose up. "What brings you to this¡ª" he looked around at the legitors, "boring ce?"


    Dante snarled. "The Avians have acquiesced to pulling out of Mother''s world, Nymphalidae. They have also epted the Once and Present King of Emporia, Mattheus Cordera as legitimate ruler."


    Gasps rang out across the Legitor Hall.


    "Harrumph." Grey Beard cleared his throat. "How did you manage that?"


    Dante rolled back on his heels. His head was thrown back as he looked down his regal nose at Grey Beard.


    "The old bird Pimpernickel thought I was still the Crown Prince, so whatever I said, he acquiesced to. He also told me that the Avians had made a cash purchase for the entire world of Emporia."


    Dante narrowed his gaze. "He just sent me a message a few minutes ago in regards to the purchase details."


    "What???"


    "How???"


    "Has he gone senile?"


    "What absurdities!"


    The General Assembly of Legitors were muttering to themselves and making a rowdy noise.


    "Ahem." The Emperor cleared his throat.


    Nobody heard him. They were too busy discussing the three thunderbolt news items that the First Prince had just brought to the Legition Hall.


    Dante snarled under his breath and shot a bolt of energy into the ceiling.


    ZAPPP!!!


    A chunk of drywall fell to the floor.


    BAAAM!!!


    Mousy Blue Eyes screamed like a little girl. Everyone else jumped in startlement and turned back to stare at Dante.


    He raised his hand and made a quick imperial gesture, popping open a gigantic virtual monitor hovering over the Legitor Hall.


    Instantly, the paunchy jowled mug of the balding Grand Duke Howell Pimpernickel popped up on-screen. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "This is a message for First Prince Dante, Crown Prince of Erenveil. I have found the information you requested in regards to the details of the purchase of Emporia."


    The Grand Duke Pimpernickel paused and pressed his thin lips together in obvious displeasure.


    "I will be traveling to Erenveil on unrted business tonight. Let us meet and I will give you the information in person at that time."


    The Grand Duke was about to sign off when he turned back.


    "Oh, onest thing. Please tell your brother Prince Byron, to report to Coraline for his newly appointed duties. We will be expecting him to join his mother and aunt in the very near future."


    Byron''s face darkened as the Grand Duke signed off the visual message.


    "I''m not going anywhere." He growled with finality.


    All around him, the men were in an uproar.


    The Emperor pursed his lips.


    He had three separate but equal problems on his hand.


    There was his eldest son who should have been Crown Prince from the start and was currently still viewed by everyone as the legitimate Crown Prince although he was no longer one.


    Then there was the ''on-paper'' Crown Prince who few people actually knew was the new Crown Prince. The poor boy looked like amb led to ughter because he had no clue how to even be a Crown Prince.


    And finally there was the Prince who used to be a Crown Prince, who was now at loose ends and was in danger of being used in this war against his own family.


    Of course, what made all this so twisted was that Dante was the one out there in the gxy doing the serious and legitimate Crown Prince work.


    Meanwhile, Byron and Lucas were sitting inside this boring Legitive Hall doing nothing but wasting time with all these pompous turkeys.


    He wished¡­he wished these three boys of his were one person. Each of them possessed a shining quality that would have made this position absolutely positively sing!


    Byron had the depth and breadth of day-to-day knowledge aboutw and order. Dante had the power of execution and the necessary strength to carry out the military duties. And Lucas had the charisma and charm to engage in civic duties.


    He sighed. He wished the Emperor position was a triumvirate. A three-pronged structure that allowed for separate but equal ruling to take ce.


    As the Emperor sat there thinking about his three-pronged structure, the noise within the Legitive Hall escted.


    "¡­no I am not suggesting that Prince Dante be returned to his rightful position, I am merely¡ª"


    "¡­but that is exactly what you are saying, and I for one am in full agreement!"


    "¡­we can''t just bing-bong and yo-yo back and forth like this, it''s just not dignified¡ª"


    "¡­but that old bastard is treating the First Prince as if he is Crown Prince. If we say anything to the contrary¡ª"


    "¡­every negotiation position falls apart because Prince Dante is not the driving force behind it¡ª"


    "¡­we can''t just endorse Dante as the Crown Prince and thenter on say, oops, we lied¡ª"


    "¡­that''s right, because then we look like chumps!"


    Dante stood back on his heels and watched as the General Assembly of the Legitive Hall chattered back and forth, running through all the possibilities.


    The Emperor harrumphed one more time.


    "Ahem."


    The turkeys continued their gobbledygook of chatter.


    Emperor Rex stood up and banged his gold scepter on the table.


    BAAAAMMM!!!


    Everyone jumped and looked at the Emperor, who had risen from his seat.


    "Hmmm." He looked at the scepter, which was once a nice shiny round gold ball on a stick but was now a nicely dented gold ball on a stick.


    "They don''t make these like they used to."


    He raised his eyes and stared into the group of turkeys.


    "Carry out my newest decree. All three of my boys will share the responsibility of the Emperor position as of this moment. They will be Co-Crown Princes of Erenveil."


    BAAAAMMM!!!


    The Emperor banged the mangled gold scepter on the table one more time.


    He looked at the warped scepter and handed it over to Dante.


    Then he walked out, leaving the Legitive turkeys with their mouths hanging wide open and the brothers staring at each other with astonished faces.

 Chapter 170 - 5 Billion Jemals

    By the time Dante, Byron, and Lucas returned to the Raptor 600, Candace had gone to bed.


    The rest of the brothers were still up and waiting for them in the star viewing lounge.


    They were sipping on cocktails andzing around on the C shaped sofa when the three brothers strode in.


    "That was a long andvish dinner you had with the Grand Duke," Leonardo raised an eyebrow.


    Dante pulled out the round chip and held it up between two fingers. He looked over at te expectantly and flicked it over to him.


    te raised up his hand and caught it cleanly as it sailed through the air. He moved over to the console and pushed the chip into a slot.


    Immediately, a visual monitor popped up and suddenly, moaning and sighing sounds of the sexual nature filled the entire star viewing lounge. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The visual started off with a BANG!!! right into the scene of a man and a woman getting it on. As the princes stared in fascinated horror, their jaws dropped.


    "Holy crap!" Jared gasped. "That''s the King of Coraline!"


    Byron felt nauseous as he looked upon his uncle doing the dirty deed with some woman he didn''t recognize.


    "Dante, why did the Grand Duke give us a video of my uncle Dilbert having sex? Do I care who he sleeps with?"


    Jasonughed. "You would if you knew who your uncle was banging. That is the Grand Duchess of Emporia, The Lady Barbara."


    Jared covered his eyes with his hands. "Oh my Lord. I cannot unsee this. Aunt Barbara with the King of Coraline."


    Byron grimaced. "Wait. Isn''t she married to¡­"


    "Yes. She is married to the Grand Duke of Emporia, Landry Cordera."


    "Isn''t he Mortimer Cordera''s youngest brother?" Lucas asked.


    te rubbed his assaulted eyes. "So Byron''s uncle is diving his dick into the twins'' aunt. What does this have to do with anything?"


    But even as he asked, the onscreen couple orgasmed in front of their eyes, howling and screaming with pleasure. And then, quite clearly, King rumbled into his mate''s ear.


    "And with that, we''ve sealed the deal. I''ve transferred the funds into your husband''s ount. The only thing left to do is to hand me the keys to your kingdom."


    The Grand Duchess gave a light lowugh as she extricated herself from King Dilbert''s amorous grasp. Reaching to the side table, she grabbed her purse and handed it to him.


    "Darling, the keys to the kingdom is right here in my handbag. I''ll identally leave my purse here so I cane backter and retrieve it."


    King Dilbert of Coraline chuckled as he took the bag with one hand and pinched her nipple with the other.


    "I will make sure to be here so I can personally deliver it into your loving arms."


    The video ended at that point, leaving the brothers silently looking at each other.


    It wasn''t just a tryst. It was nned and executed with approval by all parties involved.


    "I feel so sick." Byron gasped.


    "You and me both." Jason gagged, putting down his martini.


    Dante''s eyes narrowed. "I need to get in touch with Mattheus and let him know that Emporia has been sold to the Avian King. He''s not going to be happy that the kingdom he fought so hard to retake has been sold away."


    Byron shook his head. "My uncle paid a hefty sum for that world. He''s not going to let it go that easily."


    "Do we know how much?" Dante asked.


    te tapped on themand console.


    "It looks like King Dilbert transferred 5 billion jemals into the Grand Duke''s ount very recently."


    Dante sneered. "I just paid King Palmer 7 billion jemals for that dust ball world he calls a resort. Your uncle got Emporia for a steal."


    "That''s because he bought it on the ck market from a person who doesn''t exactly even have the rights to sell it because it''s not really his to sell!!!" Byron snarled.


    teughed. "Well, it looks like King Dilbert is about to lose 5 billion jemals, and Duke Landry is about to get nailed for fraud and theft of a world."


    "You know King Dilbert is not going to let go of Emporia now that he''s paid a fortune for it."


    "He can w it back from the Grand Duke."


    "Not if Mattheus gets to him first. Once the money falls into Mattheus'' hands, King Dilbert isn''t going to get a dime back."


    Dante waved a hand. "Well. It''s been fun chatting with you but I have a fish to go fry."


    Jason and Jared stood up. "You''re going after Uncle Landry and Aunt Barbara?"


    Dante red at the twins. "Sorry Brothers. It''s personal this time."


    "Oh no. We''reing with you. We got kidnapped too, remember? He''s going to get some of that payback from us as well." Jason grinned and flexed his arms.


    "I''ll go take care of Uncle Dilbert." Byron sigh. "Want toe along, te?"


    te ced his half-finished whiskey sour on the table and rose from his seat with some reluctance.


    "Let''s get this over with."


    As the five men left the room, Lucas and Leonardo looked at each other.


    "So you''re finally married." Leonardo gave a sad smile. "Congrattions, Brother."


    "I know you wanted to marry her, Leo." Lucas sighed.


    Leonardo pressed an Old Fashioned into Lucas'' hand.


    "What''s most important is that we each received a fragment of her Avgo. That is marriage of the spiritual sort that transcends the legal paper."


    Lucas nodded and took a sip of his drink.


    "Leo. You gave her a check-up. Is she doing okay?"


    "Yes." Leonardo nodded. "And no."


    Lucas'' eyes widened.


    "What''s wrong with her?"


    "It''s hard to exin. I honestly can''t tell you exactly what''s wrong because this is beyond my experience."


    "You''ve cared for pregnant women and delivered babies before, Leo."


    "Of course. I''m not a paper-pusher doctor. I actually do surgeries and care for my patients." Leonardo waved a hand in protest.


    "I''m just saying I''ve never seen an Avgo fragment stuck inside a woman''s womb before."


    "Stuck?" Lucas rubbed his forehead. "What do you mean? Like she''s been impaled or something?"


    "No, no. I mean it''s just a tiny little crystal that we wouldn''t even be able to see with our naked eyes, but it''s floating around inside her womb and it''s causing her some difort."


    "How¡ªhow do you know she''s in difort? Did she say she was in pain?"


    Leonardo shook his head.


    "She didn''t have to say anything. We all had dinner together and I noticed she didn''t eat much. And then immediately after dinner, she begged off and went to her room."


    "Was she looking sick?"


    Leonardo shook his head. "No, but it was a strange behavior that I hadn''t seen before. I went to check on her thirty minutes ago and she was sound asleep."


    Lucas sighed. "You''re right. It''s barely ten at night. She wouldn''t be sleeping this early unless she wasn''t feeling well."


    "Are you going to alert our other Brothers?"


    "I''m going to keep an eye on her for another 24 hours. If she still shows signs of being unwell, I''ll call a meeting with all the Brothers, to talk about our wife."

 Chapter 171 - War Reparations

    The King of the Avians, Dilbert Dresden, was a tall gaunt red haired man of indeterminate age. He would have been considered rather good-looking if it wasn''t for his permanent petnt furrowed brows and the constant frown on his dour face.


    He had those tell-tale reddish-brown eyes and prominent hook nose, along with the thin almost lipless mouth that most purebred Avians had.


    King Dilbert had awoken this morning to some very bad news.


    Word had arrived that the Sixth Prince of Erenveil, the Prime Warrior te, had just arrived with an armada of several hundred warships.


    He had immediately dispatched the twenty or so warships that were patrolling the nearby area to protect the Coraline Moons.


    They were no match for the Prime Warrior''s armada, of course, but at least they could find out exactly what he wanted.


    For the umpteenth time, he mentally kicked himself for having dispatched all his warships to far-flung areas of the gxy to deal with the bugs that were starting to crowd into their very living space.


    There had been peace for so long between the birds and the mammalian bats that he never needed to keep much in the way of warships hanging about his deep space regions.


    Emperor Rex was a pacifist who did not like to start wars and always tried to keep a peaceful front. This had allowed King Dilbert to keep pushing the envelope on the things he wanted to do, knowing there would be only token pushbacks from the Emperor.


    The Prime Warrior''s arrival most likely had to do with the Avgo Event''s kidnapping, which King Dilbert could handle quite easily. He had a few tricks up his sleeve, and there was no way that the youngest son of the Emperor could do anything to him.


    After breakfast, which consisted of seed cakes and jam, he had retired to his viewing tower high above the pce to keep a watch on the city below. The firece had been lit by his servants and it was crackling merrily tobat the chill of the winter storm that had just hit.


    He had just about worn a groove on the rug in front of the fire when a chime sounded, alerting him of an iing visual call.


    "King Dilbert." A curt hard voice cut in through his reveries. "Call all your warships back or they will be destroyed."


    King Dilbert turned to look at the steely face of Prince te. His razor sharp blue eyes andely face stared out at him from the virtual monitor.


    This boy was quite handsome! Perhaps Prince te would take a second look at his daughter, Bethany Dresden. She had healed up quite nicely and was now almost back to her normal beautiful self again.


    Even if te was not and never could be a Crown Prince, one more bird embedded within the royal monarchy was one more strong tie to the Emperor.


    "Are you hearing me, King Dilbert?"


    "Yes, yes. Why don''t youe down to the pce and have some tea with me, and let''s talk about this."


    "I don''t have time to talk. Pull your people off Nymphalidae or I will im all four avian worlds surrounding the butterfly world for myself."


    "You don''t dare!"


    "Don''t tell me what I dare and don''t dare. Those four worlds were once butterfly worlds which you had sacked and taken over. They should rightfully be reinstated to their former people."


    And this was the reason why Nymphalidae was constantly threatened. They were thest of the butterfly worlds¡ªthe only one the King had not been able to touch because of the Empress Anastasia.


    "te. Let''s be reasonable about this." King Dilbert was saying when te raised a hand and gave amand.


    Instantly an alert sounded as another virtual window popped open. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Your Majesty! Falcon 7 has been hit! I repeat. Falcon 7 has been hit. It is gone!"


    King Dilbert raised uprehending eyes at the Sixth Prince of Erenveil.


    "You must be joking with me, son."


    "I am not your son. Pull your people from Nymphalidae. NOW!!!"


    "Hold on just a moment! Let''s talk this through. I''m sure we coulde to some gentlemen''s agreement."


    te narrowed his eyes as he gave another signal.


    "Wait!" King Dilbert called out.


    Another alert sounded as a second virtual window popped open.


    "Your Majesty! Falcon 46 has fallen. I repeat. Falcon 46 has been destroyed!"


    "Okay okay. Hold your horses! I will call for the forces to be removed from Nymphalidae."


    "Do it now."


    King Dilbert nodded. This boy was no joke.


    He waved a hand and a virtual window popped open.


    "Stanley. Start procedures for evacuating Nymphalidae. Pull the troops back."


    "Your Majesty??? Aren''t we supposed to¡ª"


    "Do it!!!" King Dilbert shouted.


    te threw his head back and stared at the king with a haughty expression.


    "You have 24 hours to remove yourselves from Nymphalidae. Any bird caught within butterfly territory or space will be apprehended and deported back to the nearest bird territory."


    "Twenty-four hours??? That''s impossible!"


    te gave another signal.


    A third rm popped a window.


    "Your Majesty! Falcon 58 has been hit! Falcon 58 is destroyed."


    The king was sweating bullets by now. Three of his huge warships had just been summarily blown into smithereens by this young Prince who barely looked to be of legal age.


    He was a fierce one, that te. King Dilbert could not help but be impressed with the Sixth Prince''s war prowess.


    "I will send the word for my people to evacuate immediately. Stop destroying my warships!"


    Prince te narrowed his gaze as he watched the King issue variousmands to his people to begin evacuation processes.


    There were thousands and thousands of avians who had been sent to Nymphalidae to begin the process of turning them into a vassal world of the birds.


    King Dilbert knew it would take far longer than 24 hours to get everyone off, but at this moment, epting that hard deadline was better than having another warship filled with his troops be another target practice for te''s weapons.


    "I''ve done as you asked." King Dilbert said through gritted teeth. "But understand that what you did today constitutes a deration of war between your people and mine."


    "Oh?" te raised an eyebrow. "So blowing up three of your warships is considered dering war, but your violent act of kidnapping five Erenveilian Princes is not?"


    King Dilbert paled.


    The kidnapping of the Princes was something that he had agreed to do in the heat of a passionate moment with the Grand Duchess of Emporia. How could Prince te know about something like that???


    te held up two fingers and gave another gesture.


    Almost immediately, two screens popped up on King Dilbert''s side, alerting him that two more warships had suffered the same fiery fate as the others.


    His face crumpled. For the first time since he had taken on the crown, he realized just how powerful the bats were.


    They had merely tolerated his small forays into the insect world because they wanted to maintain a benevolent look and feel to the velvet-gloved iron hand they used to wield power.


    But the Prime Warrior had proven to him in no uncertain terms just how powerful Erenveil forces were.


    "Onest thing, Uncle." Another face popped up onscreen.


    "Byron!" King Dilbert gasped. This one was supposed to have returned to the pce to begin his training. Why was he not on this side of the birds, fighting for bird domination?


    Byron would make the perfect peace ambassador, to keep things happy between the Avian empire and Erenveil.


    "You know that five billion jemals that you paid for Emporia?"


    King Dilbert''s face nched. No one was supposed to have known about that.


    "We''re going to take that as reparations for damages."


    The King sputtered with rage. "What damages!!!"


    "You drugged and jailed five Princes of Erenveil. That''s actually enough to get your head handed back to you on a silver tter. However, five billion jemals seem adequate rpense¡­for now."


    te narrowed his eyes. "There is still the matter of the multiple attempts to take the Prime Avgo Female''s life."


    Byron nodded. "For the crime of attacking our wife and scaring her near to death, we''re going to take one of your moons as payment."


    "WHAT???" The King roared.


    "Hmmmm. Let''s see, which one do you think, te?" Byron tapped a finger to his nose.


    "I like Peoria myself." te grinned. "Peoria has a gorgeous atmosphere and lots of gems and metal riches within its crust."


    "Peoria it is." Byron gave a nod to one of his people.


    "No! Wait! There are avians living on Peoria!" The King waved his hand in protest.


    "No worries. We will give them the option of remaining on Peoria and be our subjects, or we can deport them back to you." te grinned.


    "As for the visuals of you and the Grand Duchess, humping like wild animals, I think it would make a great new porn video, don''t you, Byron?" Heughed.


    Byron nodded.. "Indeed."

 Chapter 172 - All The Princess Men

    While the five brothers were out taking care of various details regarding Emporia and the illegal sale of that world, Leonardo had moved his working office from his warship, into te''s ship to keep an eye on Candace.


    At first, she seemed normal. She did her morning exercise routine at her usual time and had breakfast with them, but then after breakfast, Candace took a nap that dragged on past lunch time.


    Leonardo had expected Candace to take a short nap, but she had slept until dinner time.


    As she slept, Leonardo had gone to check up on her several times, only to find her sleeping normally.


    Thankfully, Candace came out of hibernation and had a small dinner with Leonardo and Lucas. She hung out with them for about half and hour, but during that time, Leonardo noticed she yawned a lot and her eyes looked a bit ssy.


    He had asked her if she was okay, noting her tired eyes and droopy expression. Although Candace had nodded with a smile, she begged off and went back to her room.


    By the time Leonardo went to her quarters to check on her, Candace was again asleep. It was barely 8 pm.


    That was thest straw.


    Leonardo had promptly called an emergency meeting with his brothers to talk about Candace. Without a word, they had all sped back to te''s Falcon 600, Candace''s temporary home.


    At the appointed hour for the meet up, Leonardo made his way to the star viewing lounge. A quick nce confirmed that he was the first one there.


    Leonardo grabbed a quick soda from the machine and sat down to wait for his brothers.


    Within minutes, the twins and Dante had arrived, with Lucas immediately following behind them.


    "Hey Leo. Sorry we''rete. We got here as soon as we could." Jared said by way of greeting.


    "No one is here yet, so you''re not exactlyte. How are your Aunt and Uncle?" Leo grinned.


    "Oh you mean the ones who sold us out?" Jason stuck out his tongue.


    "Yeah, that set of aunt and uncle."


    "They are not doing well." Jaredughed. "We showed a tiny clip of her and King Dilbert banging each other and at first, she denied that it was her, saying someone else was impersonating her."


    "That could be true."


    "We told her we had confronted the King of Coraline and he confirmed that the visual was real."


    Jason grinned. "Once she couldn''t back out of that damning visual, she cried and begged us not to expose her."


    "And what was your response?"


    Jaredughed. "We told her that not only will all of Emporia see it, the entire gxy is going to be in on the fun as well. That was when she really lost it."


    He pped his hands with mirth.


    "What was even more hrious was that the deal was purely a mary one, but because King Dilbert was hemming and hawing, she sweetened the deal by throwing in a free fuck."


    Jason guffawed. "Uncle Landry didn''t even know that she''d had sex with King Dilbert, so now it looks like they will be permanently unhitched."


    Leonardoughed. "She''s screwed all around."


    "Yes. So now she and Uncle Landry are both sitting in separate cells of the brig awaiting their trial date. Meanwhile, Dante''s taken the money back from Uncle Landry''s ount."


    Dante stood back with his arms folded across his chest. He wasn''t saying much. The twins were doing a great job telling everyone what had just urred.


    Leonardo''s eyes crinkled. "Are you going to transfer it back to King Dilbert?" He asked as if he didn''t know.


    The twins guffawed. "Hell no! Dante said that was partial payment for kidnapping five Princes of Erenveil and for scaring their wife near to death at her Avgo Event."


    Leonardoughed. "I wonder what happened with te and Byron and what they''ve managed to do with the King of the Avians."


    "Ask us yourself." Byron chuckled. He and te walked into the star gazing room.


    Leonardo turned to them.


    "Did you get a chance to talk with the King of the Avians?"


    "Not only did we talk to him, we actually made him cry." te bumped fists with Byron.


    Lucas'' eyes popped. "What did you do?" n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "te destroyed some of his warships, and I hauled off one of Coraline''s moons, so now Erenveil has four moons instead of three, and Coraline has eight moons instead of nine." Byronughed.


    "Wow!" Jason''s mouth was O shaped. "How in the world did you take an entire moon?"


    Byron shrugged. "Same way Dante took his moon. I tractor beamed it away."


    "I also told him to back off Nymphalidae, or I would send my warships in and raze his other bird world to the ground." te''s eyes were rage-filled.


    Byron''s eyes burned. "That wasn''t all. For kidnapping me and making mete to my wife''s Avgo Event, I told him I was confiscating the five billion jemals he illegally paid to the Grand Duke of Emporia."


    "Booya!" Jaredughed.


    "So what are you men nning to do with that money?" Lucas asked.


    te grinned. "It''s part of our wife''s dowry, right men?"


    "What?" Lucas gasped.


    "Yep!" Danteughed. "We''re going to turn that confiscated Coraline moon into a beautiful home for Candace, along with the five billion jemals as part of her dowry, from all of us."


    All the menughed. It was a unanimous agreement.


    Leonardo raised a hand to get the brothers'' attention.


    "I''m d the situation with Emporia has been resolved, but I actually called this meeting because of Candace."


    All the brothers paused. This was Leo the doctor talking.


    "What''s going on with Candace?" te asked. He didn''t feel happy being away from Candace overnight, but he was d Leonardo and Lucas had been able to remain with her.


    "She''s not unhealthy, but¡­"


    "Spit it out, man!" Dante snarled. "What''s going on with my wife?"


    "She''s very lethargic. She has been sleeping a lot within thest two days."


    "Is she pregnant?" te asked, his eyes intense. If Leonardo confirmed, it would be his baby.


    Leonardo shook his head. "She''s not. I''ve been keeping a very close eye on her, but other than the tiny shard of Avgo that is floating around in her womb, there isn''t anything else that could be causing her difort."


    "Tiny? It was huge!" Byron made a hand gesture that looked as if he was holding an object the size of a golf ball. It was what had hit him in the chest.


    "What is within Candace is too small for us to even see without equipment."


    te frowned. He had remembered the Avgo being ratherrge as well. How was it possible that what left him and entered her be so tiny?


    Leonardo turned to te. "Your Avgo is gone, right?"


    Without waiting, Leonardo reached out and ced a hand over te''s chest where the Avgo had entered.


    "It''s gone." Leonardo confirmed. "He''s returned it to Candace."


    "Perhaps that shard requires all its pieces back for her to return to normal." Lucas murmured.


    All the men looked at him with varying degrees of disbelief.


    "I''m just guessing," he waved a confused hand. "I''m not saying that''s what''s needed. I just figured it made sense for the Avgo to need all its pieces back."


    "For what?" Byron asked.


    "For¡­" Lucas shrugged and threw a helpless look at Leonardo. "I don''t know. For Candace to get pregnant?"


    "That''s a very real possibility." Leonardo rubbed his jaw.


    "It would be a strange pregnancy, where it requires the gic material of seven males to fertilize a single egg, but I would be lying if I said we knew everything there is to know about the Avgo."


    "Maybe she''s just exhausted from the Avgo Events and is just trying to recover her energy." Byron suggested.


    "It''s a possibility." Leonardo nodded. "Perhaps I could monitor her for a few more days. If she does not improve, we may have to go to our next n."


    "Which is?" Dante asked.


    "We have to each return the Avgo to her."


    Jason scratched his head. "But that would mean¡­"


    "That''s right." Leonardo nodded.. "We would each have to make love to her."

 Chapter 173 - Seven Days A Week

    Lucas scratched his blond head with both hands in frustration.


    "I don''t get how we''re going to do that. How in the world are we each going to make¡ªmake love to Candace."


    Jared red at him. "What don''t you get?"


    Lucas squeezed the space between his eyes.


    "What I mean is¡ªdo we all just pile on the bed with her at the same time and try to, you know¡­"


    "No!" Leonardo groaned as the other menughed.


    "Aside from the fact that I don''t think Candace can handle all of us at once, no offense, but I''m not really wanting to see all you hairy guys unclothed at the same time." te chuckled.


    "I agree with that." Byron shook his head. "I''m not into seeing all my brothers taking a turn with my wife in front of my face."


    "So how do we do this so that we are all¡ªyou know, in full understanding of what''s going on?" Lucas asked.


    Jason rubbed his chin. "We could just take turns on different days so we don''t, like, identally walk in on someone being with Candace."


    "But she''s technically only married to three of us." Byron pointed out.


    "That doesn''t mean anything when we all have an Avgo shard within us." Jared reminded him.


    "That''s true. Avgo chose all of us to be her husband. We need to respect that. And besides, I don''t want to be without her." Leonardo responded as the others nodded.


    The thought of sharing a single wife was so strange to all of them that they sat there, around the C shaped sofa and drank their cocktails in silence for a few minutes trying to absorb what it would mean to each of them.


    The biggest worry on each man''s mind was not whether he would feel strange taking turns being with her. Their biggest fear at this moment was that she would reject them all.


    "What about tonight?" Byron asked.


    "She''s not feeling well tonight," Leonardo sighed. "Anything we do needs to be talked over with her anyway. If she says ''no'', it''s aplete nonstarter."


    He stared at his martini and poked at the olive with his straw.


    "Still, we do need to start thinking of how to go about this in the least disruptive way, if only for her health benefits. First things first."


    He stood up and turned to all the brothers.


    "Delivering the Avgo shard is the number one priority. She is obviously not feeling well with only the one shard inside of her." He turned to look at Dante.


    "Even if you don''t want her as your wife any more Dante, you must deliver the Avgo into her body before you release your im on her. It''s the only way she will be able to recover from whatever this mise is."


    "Who said I didn''t want her as my wife any more?" Dante scowled.


    "You did!" They all came back at him.


    "Well I lied, okay." Dante said with a scowl. "I''m not a one-time Avgo delivery service."


    The brothers looked at each other with barely concealed mirth. The Dante whose word never wavered had wavered so much because of Candace, it was unreal.


    "Regardless of what happens, after the Avgo has been delivered to her, it would be up to her who she wants to be with." te spoke up. "We have to respect her decision."


    The men nodded. Although they all loved her, none of them wanted to force themselves on her. It would be her choicepletely.


    Having said that, they each wanted to be a real husband to her, which meant they were going to have to figure out a schedule which would fit in with everyone''s lifestyle.


    "Let''s just clear all this up between ourselves before we approach her with it so we don''t confuse her or make things even more unsettling for her," te continued.


    "I do think it''s a good idea to separate out the days so that we can each approach her on our day and offer ourselves to her. If she wants us on that day, she can have us." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "And if she doesn''t want us?" Jason wanted to know.


    "Then we leave her to herself and we don''t bother her. We cannot force ourselves on her if she doesn''t want us."


    The men all sank back into their own thoughts. They had no idea how something like this could have happened to them.


    The idea of sharing a wife with their brothers would have been something each of them would have never agreed to in any sane world. And yet, here they were, thinking of the least disruptive way that they could be with their wife.


    Leonardo narrowed his eyes.


    "Let''s pull lots and get a number assigned to each of us."


    Dante grimaced and threw up into the air, seven small white data chips. It looked as if he hade prepared for this eventuality.


    "Wow. You came prepared!" Jaredughed.


    Dante sniffed. "I had this pre-made because I knew we were going to go down this road."


    "They''re numbered?"


    Dante nodded.


    He drained his rocks ss and threw the chips into it. Then he set it down on the low table in front of the sofa.


    "Youngest goes first." Dante indicated at te.


    He had resigned himself to whatever fate allowed him to have and was going to let fate gift him whatever it wanted because it seemed that everything he tried to do always seemed to backfire on him.


    te sighed and reached out for his chip. Every time something major happened, they always sent him in to take care of it first.


    He didn''t me them, of course. Not only was he the youngest, he was also the strongest and most physically capable of doing the manual work.


    There were huge pay-offs sometimes, like when he had to transport the Earth Avgo Female. He''d been the first to be intimate with her. That, te knew without a shadow of doubt.


    Jared''s turn was next, and then Jason, who was older by mere minutes.


    Then it was Leonardo, and then Lucas. They hefted the chip in their hand, hoping against hope it would be a good number, whatever the good number turned out to be.


    Byron looked at the two remaining chips and heaved a sigh. He reached out for the one to the right, which left a single data chip in the rocks ss.


    Dante did not reach for it. That littlest baby was his, no matter who got what.


    He waved a hand and the corresponding number glowed on the surface of each disc.


    Byron got the number 1 chip, which meant Monday was his. Leonardo got number 2 Tuesday, and Jared got number 3 Wednesday.


    Number 4 Thursday went to Lucas, and number 5 Friday went to Jason. te got number 6 Saturday, which meant Dante got thest unimed one, number 7 Sunday.


    Seven Princes for seven days of the week.


    That was the agreed-upon n¡­except for one big huge hole.


    Candace had yet to be told of their ns.


    "We need to talk to her." Byron sighed


    "It''s going to have to wait until tomorrow morning, when she awakens." Jared responded.


    "I agree. She''s sleeping right now." Jason said.


    "Hi guys! What''s up?"


    Candace walked breezily in,pletely unaware of what had just urred within the all-male, testosterone-filled, chip-drawing fest.

 Chapter 174 - Richest Woman In The Galaxy

    All the men looked at her with varying degrees of surprise and not a small bit of apprehension.


    They couldn''t very well tell her that they had just drawn lots and picked days to sleep with her. That just sounded so sordid and strange.


    But then again, they couldn''t NOT tell her.


    Lucas began stammering, his face red as a strawberry in June.


    "Well¡ªummm. We¡ªah. Hehe." Heughed.


    "We were just wondering how you are doing?" Leonardo responded gently. "You''ve been sleeping a lot thesest two days."


    "Not that you couldn''t sleep if you wanted to!" Jared injected.


    "Absolutely, this is your home. You can sleep as much as you wish!" Jason grinned.


    "My¡ªmy home?" Candace looked around at the men. What in the world were they thinking and what were they up to?


    "Are you men trying to say that this ship will be my new home in the future?" Sheughed. "Or are you politely telling me that I''m homeless?"


    "That''s not what he meant, Love." te waved a hand. "This is just the warship I live on when we''re having a bit of conflict in the gxy. It''s not really our home, but of course, you can stay here as much as you wish."


    "Ugh, you guys are killing me." Byron stood up and reached out to gather her into his loving arms.


    "Listen Darling. Not only are you NOT homeless, you have so many homes to choose from that you would need attendants to help you travel from one home to another throughout the gxy."


    The menughed and nodded. This was true.


    What Crown Princess did not travel with an entourage of attendants to take care of her every need?


    Leonardo nodded. "You have seven men who love you dearly. I can guarantee that you can have the pick of any home you wish that we own, and if your little heart is set on living in any world that we didn''t already own a home at, we would make sure there was a beautiful home for you to im there."


    They all nodded again.


    "But here''s the best news. You don''t have to pick any of ours, even though they are yours for the taking, because¡ªTa Da!" Byron waved a hand.


    Appearing in front of her eyes was a roundish, bumpy, lumpy clod of brown dirt.


    Candace blinked.


    "What''s this?"


    Byron smiled. "This, My Love, WAS Peoria, one of the moons of Coraline. We have tractored it back to Erenveil and it''s now your very own moon. You can name it whatever you wish."


    "My¡ªmy moon?" Candace rubbed the back of her neck. Were they politely trying to get rid of her?


    "What am I supposed to do with it?"


    The menughed.


    "You decorate it however you wish, and then you can live on it." te proffered.


    She frowned. This didn''t sound quite right.


    "Does, umm. Does the King of Coraline know you took his moon?"


    "Oh yeah." te grinned. "His only request was that we treat his people well."


    "There are people living there?"


    "Of course." Dante crossed his arms across his chest. "You saw how many people it took to keep my moon running at peak efficiency."


    Candace rubbed her eyes with tired hands. She didn''t want to live all by herself on a moon out in the middle of deep space, where she knew nobody.


    "Couldn''t I just stay with one of you men? I don''t take up much room and I won''t make any demands." She murmured.


    They blinked with surprise at her words. She sounded less-than-thrilled to be getting her very own home world.


    "Besides, it all sounds so costly." She looked at all the men. "And I hate to say this but I''m super poor."


    "What are you talking about, Sweetheart?" Lucas turned to her with huge amber eyes.


    "I mean¡ªI don''t have any money." She muttered, blushing.


    It was true.


    From the moment she had arrived on Erenveil, the men had taken cared of every need.


    Candace had never thought of the fact that she ate three meals a day and had clothes to wear, but did not have to buy any of that.


    For a moment, the men were silent. Candace looked up to see that it wasn''t because they didn''t have anything to say.


    It was because they were trying so hard not tough out loud.


    "Little Tiny Dancer." Jared reached out and held her hand. "Why are you even thinking about how poor you are? Haven''t we dressed you well enough Darling?"


    "What?" She blinked. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Each outfit you own is worth a lot of money. All the pearls and gems that are embedded into the rare and costly fabrics¡­you have been wearing a fortune on you, every single day." Jared smiled.


    "I¡ªI didn''t know." She mumbled, scratching her head.


    "Sweetheart," Jason wiped a tear of mirth from his eyes. "You have so many pieces of gold jewelry that I hand-made for you myself. Do you know how much each piece costs?"


    She shook her head.


    Jasonughed. "You have a huge trunk full of tiaras, hair clips, nes, earrings, bracelets, rings. You even have anklets and toe rings. Each of those pieces are embedded with huge rare gemstones that are worth a fortune each."


    All the men looked at her with adoring mirthful eyes.


    It had never urred to them that she thought she was poor. Had there ever been anything she wanted or needed that they had not provided for her?


    "I know you all take really good care of me. I do know that, and I thank you." She blushed. "In fact, I honestly wouldn''t know what to do with¡ªwith Erenveil money even if I had some."


    Byron nodded. "Your level of wealth is beyond the need for piddly money, do you understand that, Darling? You own entire worlds."


    "I do?"


    "Well, at the moment, you own several moons." Byron ticked off on his fingertips.


    "I do?"


    "Yes Darling. There''s te''s moon. That''s yours." Byron nced at te for confirmation.


    te nodded. "Absolutely. It''s even been named after you. Candace''s Moon."


    "And you also own Dante''s Moon, although it''s still named ''Dante''s Moon''." Byron held out a second finger.


    "I will rename it Candace''s Moon as well, since it is where all her things and her library/museum and her dance hall resides." Dante asserted firmly.


    "And you have this third moon that we took from Coraline. This one is also going to be called Candace''s Moon."


    Leonardo grimaced for a moment.


    "Hmmm, it''s going to get confusing if we don''t differentiate it. We might have to do a Candace''s Moon A, B, and C."


    "Or 1, 2, and 3." Jasonughed.


    Byron shrugged. "It truly doesn''t matter where you live Love, because at the end of the day, you will see all of use back to you wherever you are, because as I said to you earlier."


    His eyes grew serious. "Where you are is home."


    They all nodded.


    "I''m¡ª" Candace shook her head. "I''m just a little overwhelmed, and frankly, I''m also a little confused."


    She frowned. "Who am I supposed to be married to?"


    The men roared withughter. They couldn''t me her for being confused. It was all VERY confusing, even for them.


    "Well, I have some good news." Byron smiled. "I have a document that shows you''re married to me."


    "And me!" Lucas chirped.


    "And me." Dante added with his deep gravely voice.


    "What?"


    "Yes Darling." Byronughed. "Father added all three of us onto your marriage certificate because we have, all of a sudden been ced into a triad Crown Prince situation."


    Candace squinted. "Is that even legal? A woman being married to three men at the same time?"


    All the menughed.


    "Who do you think makes the rules? If the Emperor says it''s legal, who''s going to argue with him?"

 Chapter 179 - The Marriage Proposal

    Back at Dante''s Moon, aka Candace''s First Moon, the newlyweds were huddled together inside his office which he had fitted with a new bed so Candace could be with him when he worked.


    They had shared their first dinner in bed because they''d never left the bed. Since she didn''t really leave her bed, neither did Dante.


    Having left the Moon for so long, he had several stacks of documents waiting for him when he returned.


    None of them could be postponed, but he didn''t want to leave her side so he did what any man would have done under the circumstance.


    He moved the office desk towards the bed.


    While Candace hung out on the bed, he sat on the bed next to her, with the work desk pushed up next to him. As he sat there working, Candace curled her body around him for warmth and slept without a care in the world.


    He reached out his hand and absently fondled her hair as he continued reading through the documents that needed his decisions and his attention.


    As expected, Candace was tired.


    The once bubbly, active, dancer cat burr was now sleeping arge chunk of the day, only waking up to bathe and eat.


    And tryst with him. Of course.


    Dante took her every chance he got as soon as the urge hit him. He only had seven days, and already it was three days in.


    He was already starting to feel deprived of her love and time, and he hadn''t even reached the halfway point of the time that he was allowed with her.


    It made him feel extremely selfish, especially since he knew that most of his brothers hadn''t even had a chance to kiss her, let alone do anything further.


    But he couldn''t help it.


    His possessiveness grew exponentially every time he emptied his love and longing and yearning into her body, and it was all he could do just to hold onto the understanding that she was his wife and the child that would be growing inside of her would also be his.


    Thankfully, the initial pain of the Avgo exploding from his heart was only felt the first time. He had felt like some damned virgin who''d just had his cherry popped.


    Luckily, once he had delivered his Avgo shard, it was only intense pleasure thereafter, and Candace was always willing to let him have his ways with her.


    She was no less hungry than he was when it came to the ways of a man and a woman.


    But at the moment, she was sleeping and he could not awaken her just to have another love session with her. And besides, Leonardo kept checking in with him about her health.


    Yes, everything seemed normal. No, she was not having any issues other than her lethargy. Yes. The Avgo has been delivered. No, she wasn''t more tired than before.


    Partway through their conversation, te popped into the meeting.


    "Do you guys know anything about Lkhagvas¨¹ren, the Crown Prince of Avalia?" te asked without preamble.


    Leonardo shook his head. He''d never even heard of the guy.


    "He''s the firstborn son of King Batsaikhan. Quite an interesting fellow." Dante threw in.


    "Well, that ''interesting fellow'' just contacted Father and asked for Lyra''s hand in marriage when shees of age." te scrunched up his face like a prune.


    Leonardo and Dante whistled. Lyra was no less their sister even though they had different mothers.


    "Wait, how old is he?" Leonardo asked.


    "He''s twenty-five."


    "Holy shit. He''s my age!" Leonardo gasped. "Shouldn''t she be dating seventeen-year-old guys?"


    "Yeah well, he''s not interested in dating her. He wants to marry her as soon as she''s of legal age." te frowned.


    Dante scratched his brow. "He''s the Crown Prince of Avalia, right? Let me talk to King Batsaikhan. I have a resort that''s being built within his jurisdiction so I''ve had some dealings with him."


    "You have a resort in Avalia?"


    Dante grinned. "It''s mytest greatest thing. It''s called CandyLand, and one of the first ones being built is in Avalia."


    "We haven''t had much dealings with them, and suddenly, you''re building a resort and amusement park with our wife''s name on it?" te''s eyes popped with surprise.


    "Haha," Dante chuckled softly so as to not awaken Candace sleeping next to him.


    "Why not? The first CandyLand was very well-received. The Marsupials loved it."


    Dante signed off with them, promising to get back to them with whatever he could wrestle from the Avalian King and took a deep breath.


    Thest time he talked to King Batsaikhan, it was in the vein of a business man sweet-talking a monarch to allow for his resort to be built. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Now, he was talking as a VERY concerned eldest brother of a Princess who was being pursued by the King''s Crown Prince.


    Technically, it would have been a good marriage arrangement. She would be going to a future King of a wide swath of gctic space and not just a second or third wife of a small monarchy.


    But that wide swath of gctic space was at least three days of traveling away. In between them was a no-man''snd that was sometimes dotted with space pirates.


    To get there safely required traveling with a small armada of at least half a dozen warships.


    Dante took a sip of his sangria and leaned over to kiss Candace''s angelic sleeping face before turning back to his mountain of work and the marriage proposal that was on the desk in front of him.


    Reluctantly, Dante ced a call out to the King of Avalia, Batsaikhan.


    "Prince Dante, we meet again." The strong angled nes of King Batsaikhan appeared before Dante. "The ns for your CandyLand is moving along very well. We can begin to give you the visuals of its progress within the week."


    Dante nodded. "I appreciate that, King Batsaikhan, but this call is not about that."


    King Batsaikhan''s eyebrows shot up.


    "Pray tell, is there a problem with our deal?"


    "No. I''m quite happy with it. I''m calling you about your son."


    "My son? Which of my two-dozen sons are you referring to?"


    "The Crown Prince, Lkhagvas¨¹ren."


    King Batsaikhan''s brows furrowed.


    "I''m listening."


    "He has asked for my sister''s hand in marriage."


    For a moment, the king''s face was a nk. It was obviously quite far from what he was expecting to hear from Dante.


    "But¡ªbut¡ª" King Batsaikhan sputtered. "He''s already engaged to be married to Lady Sharina. He can''t just¡­but how could he have known that you have a sister?"


    Dante sat back with a sigh.


    This was obviously not a deep plot hatched up by the kingdom of Avalia to develop political connections. This was a one-off situation that was solely ced at the foot of the Crown Prince himself.


    He pulled the marriage proposal up so the King could see it on visual.


    "Pray tell. What should we do with this marriage proposal from the Crown Prince of Avalia to my sister, the Princess Lyra?"


    King Batsaikhan snapped his jaw shut.


    To refute the proposal that had been extended by his son to the Emperor of Erenveil was to p in the face of the Emperor who ruled over the entire gxy, including his ratherrge section of it.


    But to ratify it would mean he would cause much internal strife with the royal family that had already betrothed their daughter to his son.


    After a few minutes of hemming and hawing, the King finally asked the question that was of utmost importance.


    "May I ask how old your sister is?"


    "She just turned fifteen." Dante said drily.


    The King sighed.


    "That''s a bit on the young side for my son. As you probably know, he is already twenty-five. He needs to get married soon and produce a few heirs within the next few years."


    "That is your kingdom''s issue and hardly my concern. I have here the proposal that has been sent to my father. What would you have us do with it?"


    King Batsaikhan nched. He had no words that he could say.


    "But¡­they''ve never even met¡ª"


    "King Batsaikhan. Do you know where your children are?"


    "What?"


    "I''m trying to tell you that they''ve already met."

 Chapter 185 - The Shit Umbrella

    It was daybreak on Erenveil, 5 AM Gctic Standard Time, when te got the word that his mother wanted to speak with him in person.


    He took off in his transport pod, straight for Erenveil but didn''t get there until noon.


    He called her the moment he touched down.


    "I''m here Mother. I just arrived." He took the steps two at a time, down to the ground from his hovering craft. "Give me a few more minutes and I''ll fly to you."


    He flexed his pecs and his wings unfurled behind him.


    FWOOOOMPH!!!


    te took off at a run, pping his wings for lift. Within seconds, he was airborne. Mother sounded distressed. He hoped nothing terrible had happened.


    Ten minutester, te hadnded inside his mother''s courtyard. He retracted his wings as he traipsed with long strides to his mother''s bed chambers.


    "Son." te heard his mother calling out to him.


    "Mother." He turned to see Gwendolyn''s stricken face and his heart pounded in fear.


    His mother''s normally lustrous long ck hair was matted and dirty with vomit that smelled like alcohol. Her usual brilliant blue eyes were bloodshot and sunken into deep dark pools of misery.


    He ran to her and picked her up into his arms.


    "Mother." He took her into the bathroom and gently ced her into the tub. An attendant followed him in.


    "I will take care of her, Your Royal Highness. Please wait out in the sitting area." She pushed him out of the bathroom and closed the door.


    te sighed and turned towards the sofa, feeling anger and hurt, wrapped within a huge nket of resignation.


    This was not the first time Mother had called on him for help.


    He remembered growing up seeing her broken and grief stricken over his father''s rather callous treatment of her. As a man, he understood the situation in a rational manner.


    The Emperor had five current wives after all, and Mother had always had a hard time sharing her husband with them all.


    It should have been a time-share, where each woman got a fair amount of days with the Emperor. If Mother had her allotted days, she would have been absolutely fine with it, but it never really worked out like that.


    Life happened, and sometimes, the Emperor could not fulfill his scheduled husbandly duty days because he was with one of his other wives.


    As a son, he had grown up seeing her filled with grief and rage at what she felt were his slights. He had vowed to himself that he would never treat his woman like that, and what had he gotten himself into?


    He''d be just like his mother, having to share a single lover with six other men.


    te was still sitting there on the sofa, sipping on a soda water when Mother came out of her bath.


    She was once again, regally dressed. Her long ck hair fell in a thick lush waterfall down her back. Her blue eyes sparkling once again, like a summer day.


    "Son." She smiled. "Thank you foring to my rescue."


    "Mother. What happened?" te stood up and came to her side and led her to the seat by the window.


    "Your father abandoned mest night after he promised to have dinner with me. I waited for him until midnight."


    "And drank all that wine by yourself." te raised an eyebrow.


    "Why not? It was there and avable tofort me."


    "Mother. It''s not good for you to imbibe that much."


    "It''s also not good for me to hang onto this wretched hope and dream that one day I will be loved by my husband."


    te narrowed his eyes. What was she saying?


    "I''m throwing in the towel, te. I give up. I can''t do this any more."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''m leaving him, te." Mother stood up and stared out into the royal courtyard filled with oleander and roses. "I''m calling you to let you know that I''ve made up my mind to move forward and separate myself from the Emperor."


    "Mother." te swallowed. "This is your decision. You must do what you feel is best for yourself. All I can do is support whatever you decide."


    "Thank you, Son." Gwendolyn smiled bravely. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if she was hugging andforting herself.


    te stood up and folded his mother''s thin body into his arms. He loved this woman so very much. She had been a stalwart force in his life growing up.


    She was the one who taught him how to give without reservation, without demands, without strings, all his love to the woman who held his heart.


    "What can I do to help you? Do you need help to pack and move your things?" He asked.


    "I don''t need your help to move away from here. I will not take anything of his. I will leave with what I came with."


    "Mother, after twenty-five years, you deserve to take everything with you and much much more." te snarled.


    "Son. Our family is hardly poor. In fact, I am the wealthiest Royal Consort and I am still a Princess of the wolven world Kratoria."


    "That''s not the point. He owes you at least that much."


    "If I take all the things that he''s given me all these years, then he gets thefort of knowing I''ve been paid off for twenty-five years of giving him love." Her eyes hardened.


    "I refuse to give him that peace of mind. He can keep it all, with my grace."


    te sighed. He understood her thought process but he could not help feeling sorry for his mother. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "What can I do at this time? Do you need help with transport? Finding a new ce to stay? I will do anything you ask."


    "Son." She turned back to face him. "I want you to talk to your father. Exin to him, man-to-man, why I am leaving. If I talk to him, he will simply think it''s just jealous rage. If ites from you, perhaps he will understand better."


    "Where will you be going to?" te asked. She was a full-grown woman but he was still very worried about her.


    "For now, I will travel throughout the gxy, explore ces I''ve never seen, and truly live for myself." She turned to him with a smile.


    "Then you will need one of my warships. We will turn it into a beautiful luxurious touring ship filled with everything you need, and staffed with all the people who will take care of you so you can live on it indefinitely."


    She nodded gratefully. That was an enormous gift her son had just given her. She knew how much those warships meant to her son.


    "And what of Lyra?" He asked.


    "She doesn''t know yet. She''s still so young, she needs to be here where everything is stable for her."


    "She needs her mother." te insisted. "If you leave, you must take Lyra with you. What do you think will happen to her if she remains here?"


    "Her schooling¡­"


    "Bring the teachers along."


    "Her friends¡­"


    "She will make new friends. If you give her the choice between her mother and her friends, she will absolutely choose you."


    "Her father¡­"


    "Will always be her father. She will simply be living in a different ce than her father, just as all of us children will. Once we grow up, we leave the nest and find our own way in the world. That''s just how it is."


    Gwendolyn''s eyes grew cloudy with worry. Finally, she nodded.


    "I will go talk to Lyra about my decision, and I will give her the choice to remain here with her father or to leave with me."


    She turned back to te with unwavering eyes.


    "Please go to your father and tell him of my decision. Be my strength and my determination."


    Her eyes teared.


    "I know that if I talk to him myself, I will fold before his male strength and then I will hate myself for not following through with what I need to do for myself."


    te nodded and pulled his mother back into his arms.


    This was going to be one of the most difficult conversations he would have to make with his father, but it was one that he was more than willing to make.


    He was more than capable of being his mother''s shit umbre.

 Chapter 190 - Buttons

    Lucas bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead followed by a trail of kisses on her cheeks all the way down to her warm neck, concentrating his exploration on the hollow between her neck.


    The natural scent of her skin was like warm vani and he could not get enough of the feel of her soft skin. His hands roamed along her back and her shoulders, touching and feeling, caressing and holding.


    He was still standing at least, and as long as he avoided her lips, he would not sumb to the intense feels and devolve into a pool of jello at her feet.


    Candace was gripping his long blond hair, breathing with shallow uneven breaths. Her excitement was propelling him to new heights.


    He began seeking out the pulse points, picking up on the strong scent of¡­


    Blood.


    Lucas exhaled a ragged breath.


    He had avoided her lips only to encounter the warm living blood running through her body.


    He could smell the blood running through her arteries and his blood began to boil. He was a lion, but he was also a blood bat, and right now that blood bat side of him was craving her warm blood.


    Lucas licked at the creamy warm expanse of her neck as if he was priming it for the ultimate soul kiss.


    His fangs began lengthening, even as he fought down the sudden primal urge to pierce her with his sharp teeth.


    He could hear the pounding of his own blood, running through his head. His mouth opened and he hissed with anticipation.


    At thest moment, Lucas pulled back.


    What was he, stupid?


    She had barely arrived and he was already getting ready to bite her. He needed to control himself or she would hate him for always.


    With nowhere else to hide, he rested his head on her shoulder and admitted defeat. He needed her so badly for everything. Emotionally, physically, mentally, bloodily.


    He groaned. Was bloodily even a real word...


    Candace smiled, unaware of the internal struggle that was raging inside Lucas.


    "Thank you for the wee kiss. I should have known."


    "You should have known what?" He asked with a ragged breath. That he was a noobie? A terrible kisser?


    Lucas hugged her body close to his and looked away, trying to hide his fangs.


    Sheughed. "I''ve seen you kiss so many women in your movies that I should have known you''d bepletely professional at it."


    "What?" He could barelyprehend what she was saying. It wasing from so far out of left field he could barelyprehend.


    Suddenly he was embarrassed that she had seen him kissing all those women, even though they were all just acting out scripts in a show.


    He was about to exin to her that none of that was real, and that he was just doing his job, but Candace had already jumped onto that train of thought and it had taken off from the station.


    "I don''t think I ever told you this, Lucas, but I was always a fan of yours." Candace pulled back from his embrace, her eyes bright with excitement.


    "Your romantic scenes in your movies, especially your kisses are amazing! They always had the power to melt my insides because your kisses are always tender and so full of emotion."


    For a moment, Lucas didn''t know what to think.


    She thought¡ªshe thought his movie kisses were tender and full of emotion? She thought he was a practiced kisser???


    He couldn''t believe she was standing there telling him that her insides melted when he kissed other women. That just sounded so strange to him.


    And here he was, not just melting from her kiss, but actually exploding into a million tiny shards of pleasure.


    Lucas looked at the waves crashing onto shore to hide the confusion in his eyes.


    What did he know. This was the first real kiss he''d ever experienced.


    She reached for his hands and pulled him towards the bed.


    "Come. Let''s just hang out here and watch the surf."


    He followed her to the bed and sat down next to her, not sure what to do next because she still had a hold of his hands.


    Well, at least hanging out and watching the surf was easy and not so soul-shattering.


    "I can''t believe we have such an amazing view." Candace was murmuring into his ears again. "It''s just¡­"


    She looked at the sliding ss doors with a troubled look.


    "What?" Lucas turned towards the ss panels. Didn''t she just say she liked it?


    "It''s wide open like this. Anybody could just walk by and see us in bed¡­"


    Lucas shook his head andughed. "This is our private beach. Nobody is allowed on this beach. They have other beaches to enjoy, just not this one."


    "I see." She smiled. "So I could just bepletely naked and walking around in his room and no one would be able to see?"


    Lucas blushed and looked away. "No one but me."


    Candace smiled. "Would it bother you very much if you saw me naked?"


    He took a deep breath. Yes, of course it would bother him very much, but he couldn''t say that to her.


    "No." He lied, but he never got to say much more as Candace reached for his shoulders and pressed him down against the bed.


    "Good answer." She smiled. Her fingers began touching the neckline of his button-down white shirt.


    Lucas'' breath got caught in his throat again as Candace slowly began unbuttoning the topmost button.


    What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to unbutton her shirt too? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    But her shirt didn''t have a¡ªany buttons.


    It was a pull-over which meant that as soon as he pulled it over her head, she would bepletely exposed and he would be able to¡­


    He took a deep breath.


    She was already down to his fourth button. Two more and his shirt would bepletely unbuttoned.


    Oh Lord. Only two more buttons and she would be able to¡­to do what?


    He froze as she finished unbuttoning his shirt.


    "Hmm. You''re blond but your skin is much darker than your brothers." She reached out and touched his abs.


    He gave a swift intake. Her hands were running up and down the muscles of his abdomen as if she was memorizing every detail.


    And then her hands moved higher and Lucas stopped breathing.


    Her fingertips began drawing circles around the areoles of his nipples, and then she began rubbing the tips of her fingers onto his nipples causing his body to jerk and tremble.


    Oh God, what the hell was wrong with him???


    He was a man, for crying out loud. How was it possible for his nipples to feel all these sensations?


    A groan broke free from his throat as his lids lowered with passion.


    "Hmmm. I want a taste," she murmured and lowered her head onto his chest.


    Lucas shut his eyes as her lips touched his male breast, grazing it slightly as she slowly took his entire nipple into her mouth.


    "Haaaaahhh¡­" he breathed gently feeling her tongue and lips suckling him gently.


    He reached out andbed his fingers through her long honey blonde hair as she continued to suckle his nipple with her mouth and fondle the other nipple with her finger.


    Just when he thought he couldn''t contain all the feelings inside of him, Candace''s hands wandered lower and began unfastening the top button of his pants.

 Chapter 195 - An Unlikely Alliance

    The Emperor looked worried as he faced his oldest son over visuals.


    "How could we not get intel that this was brewing?" He barked out.


    Dante narrowed his eyes. "The attacks on the Royal Pce were carried out by visuals gathering pods, remotely manned. I have my men chasing down leads at the moment."


    "And what of the warships converging into Erenveil space?" The Emperor snarled.


    "They were in their own space, doing routine practice drills. They''ve been doing practice drills for a decade now. This is the first time they''ve actually done anything hostile."


    "And where were you and te when all this wasing down?"


    Dante''s eyes red. "We were trying to take care of your messy situation with Mother Gwen."


    "I don''t need you to do anything with Gwendolyn. Just take care of these birds!"


    Dante gritted his teeth. "Don''t worry, we will. Meanwhile, you need to take care of ALL your Consorts, Father, before you lose any more."


    "What do you mean ''lose any more''?" The Emperor scowled.


    "Mother Gwen and Lyra are in a safe location. Don''t go looking for them. They will not return to you."


    "WHAT???" The Emperor''s face twisted into an angry knot.


    Dante muttered a deep dark curse and waved a hand, cutting off themunication. He didn''t have time to deal with his father''s tantrums.


    There were more reports of casualties and destroyed warshipsing through, as well as updated 3D renderings of warships and their cements throughout space.


    He gritted his teeth as his visually rendered 3D ships were being surrounded and destroyed in midair before him.


    Although his guard ships were the best that money could buy, there was no denying that he was outgunned, two to one.


    He nced at the time clock.


    It would be another two hours before the first of te''s warships would reach the hot zones. All he could do was continue to monitor his people and hope they can do evasive-and-attack maneuverings until backup arrived.


    "Sir. King Mattheus Cordera calling." Themunications officer called out.


    "Put him on."


    Instantly, Mattheus'' ruggedly handsome face appeared onscreen..


    "Looks like you need assistance, Crown Prince."


    "Your world is tiny, Mer-King. What can you do?" Dante stared at him cooly.


    "Dante, Dante, Dante." Mattheus'' chanted, grinning at him affably. "Have you forgotten who I am? I still control a vast section of the space pirates. For a price, I can have my mercenary troops aid you cause."


    "Stay out of our business. I don''t hire mercenaries."


    Mattheus'' eyes grew serious. "I don''t offer this lightly. My men''s lives are just as precious to me as your men''s lives are to you."


    "I would prefer to stay out of your political games and tussles and let you all destroy yourselves. Unfortunately, Poppy just called and asked me to help you and I have never been able to say no to that woman."


    "Poppy contacted you?" Dante red at Mattheus. This was a different scenario if that was the case.


    "Yes. She is two hours away from the skirmish line and she is afraid that you will be decimated by the time she could get to you."


    Dante waved another hand, hailing Poppy. Within minutes, her face appeared on visuals alongside Mattheus.


    "Brother. You don''t have time to wait for te to arrive. You need to clear the Avians out quickly, before your forces be too depleted." Sheunched into the conversation without waiting for Dante to greet her.


    "He runs mercenary space pirate ships. If we utilize the mercenary warships, it will look as if I am sanctioning and endorsing pirates."


    "If you don''t use the mercenary ships, you may not have much to sanction or endorse. Once your forces dwindle down too far, the Avians will take over the capital world Erenveil, and Father will be overthrown." n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Mattheus raised a hand. "Can I say something?"


    "Speak." Dante shot a look at him.


    "I can outfit the ships I send you with the colors and insignias of Emporia. That way you can get the benefits of my ships without the stigma."


    Dante didn''t even hesitate.


    "Discuss the terms of costs with Poppy and send to me two-hundred warships, if you can get it quickly enough."


    Mattheus smiled. "Consider it done."


    Dante heaved a sigh and signed off with both Poppy and Mattheus.


    "te. How much farther are you?" He called out to the still-dark screen that he had just pulled into view.


    te''s worried blue eyes popped online.


    "The first of my closest warships should joined the fringes and be able to attack the Avian warships from the far side within the hour."


    "You can slow it down a bit. Mattheus is going to send two-hundred ships to me from Emporia immediately. They should be here very soon."


    te bared his fangs. He was still keeping score with Mattheus for having kidnapped him and put Candace in danger.


    "Keep your daggers hidden, Brother. He may not be the perfect ally, but we have to keep our friends close, and our enemies closer. Besides, Poppy arranged this, and I trust our sister." **


    At the sound of Poppy''s name, te visibly rxed. If there was anyone he trusted, it was Poppy and the rest of his brothers.


    They were still going over war details when Leonardo popped into view.


    "I have reached the Moons of Coraline. On your signal, I will converge and root out King Dilbert and put an end to his Avian reign."


    "Hold the line." Dante said. "By the time te arrives, his troops can converge and hem the Avian warships into a pocket, with my forces on one side and Mattheus'' forces on the other."


    Leonardo nodded. "At that time, I will take over the capital world of the Avians and defeating them would only be a matter of time."


    Dante shook his head. "Unfortunately, it cannot be seen as an Avian defeat."


    Leo frowned. "If we take out King Dilbert, that''s a definite loss for the Avian humanoid race. They may not be able to recover from this."


    "Which is why we can''t do that." Dante reiterated.


    te nodded. "I have to agree with Brother Dante. If wepletely wipe out the reigning monarch of the Avians, that would cause the Insectoids to gain a huge advantage and suddenly, Erenveil would be looking at a war with the insects for dominance."


    "Might I remind you that I am half-insectoid." Dante sniffed. "But I do understand what you are saying. In this case, we can only do one thing."


    He looked at te and Leonardo in turn. With a wave of his hand, Dante called forth another visual monitor.


    "Yes?" Byron''s red-brown eyes and dark red hair popped onscreen.


    "Byron." Dante called out. "Get ready. We''re initiating n B."


    Byron nodded. He''d been ready for ages and was merely waiting for the right moment.


    "I am on standby and waiting for the word."


    Dante pursed his lips. "You need to be around the Moons of Coraline within the hour."


    "Toote." Byron smacked his lips. "I''m already here."


    "Where, exactly?" Leonardo asked. "I don''t want to identally hit you when we pull in."


    "Don''t worry. I''m not on the surface of any moon. I''m currently on one of the cruise lines floating between the moons."


    He lifted a champagne flute and took a sip. "I''m here with the Avian Ambassador."


    He panned out the view of his visuals and the pert and pretty face of Valeria Marakesh showed up.


    Danteughed. It was the ck raven Avgo Female with the purple amethyst stone.


    ============


    ** Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.. The Art of War. Sun Tzu

 Chapter 201 - The Dragon Opal

    Dinner was a quiet affair.


    The fire was cheerfully crackling in the firece, warming up the formal dining room nicely. The candles had been lit on the dining table, bringing ambiance to the dimmed lighting.


    Gentle music was also ying in the background to apany the sounds of the snowstorm that was starting to hit them in earnest. From the sound and feel of the storm, they could be snowed in for days.


    S¨¹ren nced out the window without a care in the world. The most important person to him was already safe and warm inside his little world. Anything external would just have to wait until things thawed out a bit.


    By then, he would deal with what was toe.


    The attendants were starting to bring in the meal on rolling trolleys. Each covered dish emanated wonderful delicious aromas and he could see Lyra''s eyes light up as they were ced in front of the three of them.


    After the attendants had served the meal, S¨¹ren dispatched them all so he could have some privacy with Lyra and her mother. There were things that needed to be said, and it needed to be done without the servants around.


    Roast goose, sweet peas, whipped potatoes, and onion soup; they were all his favorites. Unfortunately, S¨¹ren could barely taste any of it because he needed to figure out a way to disclose what needed to be disclosed to Lyra and her mother.


    "Ermmm. Ahem." He cleared his throat and picked up his flute of champagne.


    "To the most beautiful woman in the gxy, and to the beautiful woman who gave birth to the most beautiful woman in the gxy." He lifted his ss into the air.


    Lyra giggled and lifted her lemonade-filled ss. Gwendolynughed as she picked up her champagne and drank to the toast.


    Of course her daughter was the most beautiful woman in the gxy, and she deserved the best of the gxy. This man was going to have to prove to her that he was the best that the gxy had to offer for her daughter.


    "So. Prince S¨¹ren. Who exactly was that girl at the space port?"


    Lyra''s face lost all signs of mirth. This was the number one question on her mind the entire afternoon they had spent in S¨¹ren''s library, waiting for him to handle the emergencies that were on his desk.


    "I was hoping to be able to exin my situation here in Avalia, but things escted upon ournding that was beyond my control."


    "You have time now." Gwendolyn took another sip of her champagne.


    S¨¹ren nodded. "The woman who came to greet me is my fianc¨¦e."


    Lyra''s eyes suddenly lost her sparkle. That single loss hit S¨¹ren in the guts and almost made him cry.


    "Your fianc¨¦e seems to be very attached to you." Gwendolyn raised an eyebrow. This would be a tricky situation to navigate.


    S¨¹ren nodded. "At first, it was just a simple engagement deration and neither of us were very interested in the other, but then as time went on, Sharina became more and more interested in me and began to treat me differently."


    "It looks as if she''spletely fallen for you." Gwendolyn''s eyes narrowed.


    It was the same old story.


    When she first met Rex, she did not feel anything for him either, but at the urging of her father, she had agreed to be Rex''s consort.


    Once she married him, feelings began to grow, and they never stopped growing, even after two children and all that time of emotional abandonment.


    She understood this girl Sharina more than anyone could.


    "She''s just a childhood friend." S¨¹ren shook his head. "I don''t have any feelings for her. This engagement was an arrangement that our parents came up with on their own, without any input from either of us."


    "So what are you going to do?" Lyra asked.


    S¨¹ren stared at the pale liquid in his champagne flute.


    "I need to figure out a way to break the engagement off without starting an internal civil war."


    "Civil war? Is it that serious?"


    S¨¹ren nodded. "Her father is the Grand Duke Julian Abberbie. He holds almost half the military power of the reptilians."


    He threw back his head and tossed the remaining liquid down his throat, wishing it was a bit stronger than this little bit of bubbly froth.


    "If I do something that seems as if I am slighting his daughter, which he takes as a p in his face, he could start a war that would decimate much of the dragon worlds."


    "Well that''s not good." Lyra grimaced. "So she''s basically a political bargaining chip."


    S¨¹ren nodded again.


    "You know," Lyra gave him a knowing look. "My brother is the Prime Warrior of Erenveil. Maybe we can ask him to¡­keep me ''safe''."


    "That''s¡ª" S¨¹ren shook his head. "That''s not something I can ask the Prime Warrior to do. If I hold more than half the military power of the dragon kind and I cannot even protect my own bride, I am not fit to be a husband."


    Lyra grimaced and stood up with her arms akimbo.


    "But I am not just a decorative trophy, nor am I a political bargaining chip." Her dazzling blue eyes were now sparkling, but with anger.


    "Sharina has a father who is willing to back her up. I also have a father AND a brother who will back me up!"


    Gwendolyn bit her tongue and tried not tough. The girl truly knew her worth. Rex and te would definitely back her up, even if it was military strength that she needed.


    S¨¹ren shook his head. "I will figure this out in my own way. I have already sent a proposal to your father for your hand in marriage. I do not want to have to ask your father for help to secure it."


    His face grew red with embarrassment.


    "It would look as if I was going after you for political gain, and that is not true at all."


    Gwendolyn nodded. S¨¹ren had a point. If he could not convince Rex that he was not after Lyra for purely political and military power, there was no way that Rex would allow Lyra to marry him.


    S¨¹ren turned to Lyra with pleading eyes.


    "Lyra. I honestly did not even know who you were when I first met you. I just went with my heart." He sighed.


    "When I found out you were an Imperial Princess of Erenveil, I felt so hopeless. You were so far out of my reach but I still had to try to reach you because I knew I couldn''t live without you."


    Lyra''s eyes grewrge. Her hand automatically reached up for therge dragon opal around her neck.


    "She doesn''t have a dragon opal." Lyra murmured, barely audible.


    "What?" Gwendolyn asked, unsure of what Lyra meant. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I remember the moment I faced off with that brown hair girl. She didn''t have a dragon opal on her." Lyra''s eyes narrowed in thought.


    "No. She does not." S¨¹ren acknowledged.


    "Doesn''t the dragon opal have some significance in your world?" Lyra turned her brilliant blue eyes at him.


    "Yes. It is a gift that a male dragon gives to his bride on their wedding night."


    "We aren''t even engaged." Lyra fingered her stone. "How is it that I have this?"


    S¨¹ren leaned forward and gave her a serious, earnest look.


    "I gave it to you for safekeeping until I could present it formally upon our engagement." His eyes softened.


    "At the time I handed it to you, I knew I had to immediately return to Avalia, but I needed for you to understand my intentions and I needed for you to be assured of my return."


    He dropped his gaze to the dragon opal around her neck.


    "That opal is not something I would give lightly away. It belongs to one of my ancestral grandmothers, over a thousand years ago. And now it is yours forever."


    Lyra smiled.


    "I formally ept."

 Chapter 206 - Two-Stroke Engine

    n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    Lucas sighed. "You''re trying to distract me, but it''s not going to work this time."


    "Why? Is your hard-on too sad to feel anything?" Candace asked with a cheeky grin as she hovered over him and began raining butterfly kisses onto his jawline and his neck. "Do kisses not work any more?"


    Of course they worked, Lucas crossly thought. They worked far too well since she knew exactly where to kiss to turn his insides to soft melted butter.


    She knew he loved having his jawline kissed and she knew he loved having his neck licked.


    Lucas shut his eyes to keep the brilliance of her smile from distracting his very real, very sad thoughts about losing her for six weeks to his brothers.


    Unfortunately, he could do little about the sensations she was building up in him with her nuzzling lips and little pink tongue, licking his skin.


    "I''m not going to be able to see you for six weeks." He mumbled with a pout. "That''s like forever. You''re such a huge part of my life now that I won''t know what to do with myself."


    Candace moved back up and covered her mouth with his own, effectively silencing his grumblings. She began sucking gently on his juicy lower lip until he quivered with erotic sensations.


    "Hmmmmm." His throat gave an involuntary groan. She was barely just starting to kiss him and already, his body had started to react in a big way.


    His tongue came out, wanting the same treatment so Candacetched onto it and gently sucked that too.


    "Nnngggggghhh." He heard himself sob with delight as she continued invading deep into his mouth with her delicious tongue, causing all sorts of feels to swirl around his body.


    He reached for her head, running his fingers through her long silky blonde hair. With both hands, he gathered up her long tresses into a tidy bundle and held it back to make it easier for her to kiss him


    Its silken length was a darker color than his own long ash blond hair, the color richer and more intense. He loved her hair so much.


    Heaving a great sigh, Lucas tried to refocus on his tragic circumstances, but it was already toote.


    Her soft pink lips were already starting to roam downwards tickling at his male nipples. Unfortunately for Lucas, he had been born with male-looking nipples that had more nerve endings than most women had.


    He took a deep breath and held it in, trying hard not to shiver with delight. What would Candace think if she knew that he loved getting his nipples fondled and suckled? That would be too embarrassing.


    "Lucas," Candace was mumbling around his nipple. "Love, I have an idea."


    "Hmmmmm?" He responded, not daring to open his mouth for fear he would moan with ecstasy as her mouth continued to torment one of his nipples while her hand rolled and pinched his other nipple.


    "We have the rest of today to do anything we want. Why don''t we try making love as long as possible?"


    "Hmmmm?" He asked again.


    Being new to all of this lovemaking, Lucas could neverst very long. It just felt too good for his body to handle. He made up for it with his hands and lips, and repeated short bursts of coupling, but to go the distance, he hadn''t quite mastered that yet.


    Of course, he couldn''t tell her that. Too embarrassing.


    Candace plopped her body back down onto therge towel and pped her chest.


    "Come up on top of me." She invited.


    Lucas rolled onto his forearms and gazed down at her. She was a tiny woman and he was tall and big. Was she asking him to crush her?


    He climbed onto her body, his hands outstretched to keep most of his weight off her.


    "Lookie there," she pointed to his male member that had grown stiff and hard from her licking and sucking his nipples.


    He looked down, feeling a tiny bit of shyness creeping back up again. He fought it down hard. She was his legal wife and they were having normal intimate loving rtions.


    "I''m not going to touch you there because that''s too much stimtion." She was murmuring into his hear. "You''re going to try and enter me without using your hands."


    Lucas nodded. He could do that.


    "Now, once you are in, stroke inside me until you feel as if you are ready to climax. As soon as you feel the urge starting to rise, pull it out and rest it on top of me."


    Lucas nodded again. He could do that¡­he hoped.


    Her hands reached up and cupped his face.


    "Remember. No hands." She smiled encouragingly.


    He nodded. This he could do. He was still resting the bulk of his torso on his forearms and holding his weight off her body so his hands were not quite free to do much anyway.


    Lucas slipped a knee between her legs and separated her thighs. Then he began moving his hips to align the head of his shaft in between the lips of her soft warm peach.


    She was already so wet he didn''t need to do anything.


    Following his natural instincts plus the experience he''d gained this entire week, Lucas rooted around until he found entry. With a barely suppressed moan, he slipped his body into hers.


    As her softness surrounded him, Lucas began to lose his sense of reality. Everything was a pinkish purple haze of ecstasy.


    What was it she told him to do? Oh yes. Pull out if he felt the urgeing on too strong.


    But what if it had already started off too strong? Should he just pull out right away?


    No. He needed to soldier on as much as possible.


    He stroke a couple of times inside of her, feeling his need rising. It was rising too fast.


    Panting, Lucas scrunched up his face and bore the brunt of staving off the rising tides of his desire. The feeling was so good, he did not want to pull out.


    But she was his goddess. If she said he had to pull out right before he ejacted, then he would do everything he could to follow her directions.


    Gritting his teeth, he pulled out of her body.


    Who was he kidding? He was just a two-stroke engine that couldn''t do much more than stroke twice before he sputtered and spewed his load.


    "There you go. Good job."


    Lucas blinked with astonishment. Candace was actually praising him for his two strokes!


    Emboldened by her praise, he began running through his head, thetest script that he had memorized right before Byron killed his movie deal.


    It was a boring dialogue having to do with criminal justice or some other dull thing that needed his looks and fame to lift it out of the doldrums.


    The script helped cool down his ardor for a bit and within minutes, he was ready to try again.


    He took a deep breath and repositioned himself.


    Slowly, he began entering her. Slowly and gently so he would not trip thetch too quickly, he pushed himself all the way up to the hilt.


    Candace took a swift intake of breath and shuddered. He had hit her O spot with that gentle thrust. She tried not to spasm around him, knowing that her strong vaginal muscles could provide too much stimtion for his shaft.


    They looked at each other with impish grins and Lucas nearlyughed out loud.


    He wasn''t the only one who was trying hard not toe. She was also nearly there and probably chanting boring prayers inside her head to keep her pretty pink pussy from biting down on his shaft.


    Lucas breathed.


    Here we go again.

 Chapter 211 - [Bonus ] The Sweetest Of Debts

    "I¡ªI didn''t know his name." Gwendolyn blinked in confusion.


    "You never asked him?"


    Gwendolyn shook her head.


    "Every time I met him, it was always a great panic flight away from somewhere dangerous. I never got a chance to say anything to him."


    "Well, his name is Erden. Maybe you can talk to him a bit the next time you meet him."


    Gwendolyn nodded. "I will. I need to thank him for all three times that he''s rescued me."


    "Three times?"


    "Yes. Once at our pce. Once after wended on Avalia, right after you and S¨¹ren''s fianc¨¦e fought, and of course, thisst time when I was imprisoned in our bed chambers."


    Lyra gave her mother a meaningful look.


    "Don''t treat him like a servant or a bodyguard, Mother. He is neither of those."


    Gwendolyn gave Lyra a sharp look. What was this girl telling her?


    "I will treat him with utmost respect. Do not worry."


    Lyra nodded.


    ==============


    By dinnertime, S¨¹ren had recovered enough to join them in their private quarters.


    Although the meal and table setting was basic without all the usual floral and music apaniment, to Lyra, this was so exciting she could barely contain herself.


    Having grown up in thep of luxury, for Lyra, the best of the best was banal and boring.


    This¡­this was edgy and exciting! She was flying out in the middle of a far-flung deep space and she was doing things which were so much more fun than dressing up as a princess and preening at the world every day of her life.


    For the first time, Lyra truly felt alive!


    S¨¹ren, on the other hand, was barely able to contain his anger and embarrassment at what had happened to his precious girl and her mother.


    He was sitting at the bare metal dinning table next to his great uncle Erden, with Lyra and her mother across from them, trying to calm the queasiness that was churning in his stomach.


    The nausea had nothing to do with the military rations that they were being served, although the hot dogs and beans looked so unappetizing that he was ashamed to offer them to Lyra and Lady Gwendolyn.


    He was feeling sick to his stomach as a residual after-effect of all the drugs that had been used to subdue him.


    S¨¹ren was a massive dragon with legendary stamina and endurance. It would take arge amount of drugs to affect him to the point where he passed out and could barely move.


    S¨¹ren sighed and tried to eat a bite of the hot dogs and beans. He was host and if he didn''t eat at least a little, his guests would not feelfortable.


    The nausea hit him right in the sr plexus and he had to put down his fork as he fought the urge to gag. He had to maintain his stoic face so he wouldn''t cause his Lyra to be worried. Lord knows she had been frightened enoughtely.


    S¨¹ren had known that his father was despotic and dictatorial, but to go to the extent of drugging and tying S¨¹ren up and imprisoning royal members of the Erenveil kingdom, that went beyond tolerable.


    It waspletely uneptable.


    Things were definitely going to change from this point out. He had to rise to power and take over before his father caused an intergctic war between the Reptilians and the rest of the gxy.


    S¨¹ren was so busy trying to look as if he was not sick that he did not realize Lyra had taken his food away. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You''re barely well enough to sit here with us. This is not the kind of food you should be eating."


    She waved a hand to the attendant who was standing behind her.


    "Do you have any tea?"


    "Yes, Mdy."


    "Bring me a pot. Make it weak but warm."


    S¨¹ren gave her a grateful look and heaved a sigh of contentment. She was already acting like his wife by simply paying attention and quickly taking care of his needs with minimal fuss.


    The simple act of removing the offending te of food actually made him feel much better because it was not right under his nose and he didn''t have to smell it. Nor did he have to stress about needing to eat any of it.


    S¨¹ren made a note to surround her with the best of everything as soon as he could get to one of his own high-end warships.


    "S¨¹ren, is it possible for me to contact my son to let him know we are well?" Lady Gwendolyn asked.


    S¨¹ren nodded. He gave a gesture and one of his attendants ced a visuals call to the Prime Warrior of Erenveil.


    It took a few minutes to locate te, but eventually, his warm familiar face appeared on therge virtual monitor in front of them.


    "Mother! Lyra!" He smiled with joy at seeing them. Then he turned to S¨¹ren.


    "It is good to meet you, Crown Prince Lkhagvas¨¹ren."


    S¨¹ren nodded. "Please call me S¨¹ren."


    te smiled. "S¨¹ren it is. Thank you for taking care of my mother and sister for the past few days."


    "It is my pleasure, Prime Warrior." S¨¹ren smiled.


    With the pleasantries out of the way, te turned back to his mother.


    "Dante told me the two of you have gone away on an extended vacation. I knew you were going to leave the Royal Pce. I didn''t think you would go all the way to Avalia!"


    "We didn''t have much choice." Gwendolyn retorted. "Prince S¨¹ren was called back by his father and we took off with him when the explosions hit."


    "You should have reached Avalia by now. Why are you still onboard a warship?" te looked at the bare metal walls behind them.


    Gwendolyn looked at S¨¹ren, inviting him to speak up at this point.


    S¨¹ren leveled an even gaze at te.


    "There has been a situation that developed suddenly within the dragon kingdom."


    He paused to take a sip of the warm tea that Lyra had ced in front of him.


    "It is no longer safe for me or Lyra and your mother to remain there."


    "Oh? Do you need support? Where are you heading now?"


    "Thank you, but at the moment, we are able to defend ourselves. My ships will be rendezvousing soon with the pirate ships that apanied us through deep space wilds."


    "And afterwards?"


    S¨¹ren sighed. "For the moment, it is safest to assume a low profile among them until I can figure out the best way to deal with my father."


    "What''s going on with King Batsaikhan?" te''s eyes narrowed.


    S¨¹ren stared straight at him, unflinching.


    "My father made ns with the Grand Duke Julian Abberbie tobine their forces and strike at Erenveil''s forces while the iron is hot."


    "Are they aiding and abetting the Avian forces?"


    S¨¹ren shook his head. "No. They don''t care what happens to the birds. They are simply striking at your forces while you are otherwise engaged elsewhere in an attempt to overrun the Empire."


    te barred his fangs.


    "So your father thinks he now has an overwhelming dragon military ready to challenge the Imperial forces while we are busy trying to maintain and stabilize the gxy." te concluded.


    "Yes." S¨¹ren admitted baldly. "The ns included a marriage between me and the Grand Duke''s daughter to permanently merge the east and west areas of dragon space. That would have merged the military forces as well as meld all the fractured rtionships."


    He turned to Lyra with tender loving eyes. "Lyra saved me.. I owe her the rest of my life in lieu of payment."

 Chapter 213 - Musical Lyra

    As expected, S¨¹ren''s warships began appearing within the quadrant of space that was on the border between Reptilian space and the wilds of pirate space.


    As they arrived, they uncloaked and began winking into existence, one after the other until the deep space all around them was covered with the lights of hundreds of full-sized warships, converging from all directions.


    The Crown Prince of Avalia transferred his bride and Lady Gwendolyn to his mothership, the Wyvern Fae, and began working directly with the Emporian ships that had somehow arrived very quickly.


    Their rooms were luxurious amodations, fit for queens and princesses to live on. It was a far cry from the sparse sleeping quarters onboard Erden''s Draken w.


    S¨¹ren was so busy that he skipped dinner with Lyra and her mother that evening as well as breakfast the next morning.


    By lunch time, Lyra was so bored that she began roaming the ship, looking for interesting things to do.


    The Wyvern Fae was a warship so there wasn''t a lot of entertainment avable, but there was a library¡ªof sorts.


    The first time Lyra stepped into the ce, she thought she had stumbled upon an antiques shop.


    The room looked as if someone had taken everything, from carpets to wood trims to furniture from some ce out of time and space, and magically inserted it into an ultra-modern warship.


    Since S¨¹ren had given her the permission to go anywhere on the ship except for the Command Deck, she clenched her fists with excitement and ran in.


    Her eyes took in everything, looking at all the book spines and touching all the sculptures and ancient stuffed furniture.


    Everything was pristine. There was not a spec of dust on any of the books and things that looked ancient but had been lovingly cared for. They were all curated and ced with loving care on shelves that ran along the walls, from floor to ceiling.


    There were also many priceless objects of art that took up space at the center of the carpeted room. She only recognized one or two pieces but that was enough to know the value of the rest of the collection.


    What all these expensive art pieces were doing on the Crown Prince''s warship was highly spective.


    To her intense delight, tucked away in one corner was a collection of very old musical equipment from various regions around the gxy.


    Unfortunately, there wasn''t a mandolin that she could pick up and y immediately, but fortunately, there were other string instruments which she could pick up and learn fairly quickly.


    In the far corner, where she had to dodge a half-dozen other instruments to get to, was arge antique pedal harp. Lyra''s eyes widened and she carefully made her way to it.


    Her hands touched it with care, noting that it was actually pristine without a speck of dust. Whoever had been taking care of this had kept the harp in good ying shape.


    Lyra knew how to y modern harps because her mother was a great harp yer.


    This was a much older version of the one she could y, but with a bit of fiddling and exploring, Lyra found she could merge her knowledge of modern harp ying to amodate this more ancient, clunkier version.


    Within a matter of thirty minutes, Lyra''s ying improved drastically once she figured out the peculiarities of this harp, and then for the next two hours, she was lost to the world and in her own musical zone.


    Far from the antiques library, S¨¹ren watched his bride as she ran around the music and art library he had insisted on installing within what was once the lounge area for the troops.


    S¨¹ren had a big grin on his face. He knew she would love them.


    He had seen her reaction to all the old musical equipment that was on disy at the Grand Recital the first day he had met her. It was the cutest thing he had ever seen.


    She had run around with her bright blue eyes,rge as saucers, staring at everything and reading all the small blurbs about each instrument.


    Since the musical instruments were valuable artifacts on disy at the Grand Recital, she was not allowed to touch any of them¡ªand he could tell that his Lyra wanted to reach out and feel them so badly.


    It was at that moment that S¨¹ren decided he was going to find antique instruments for her to touch to her heart''s desires.


    The only way to do that was to simply take them from wherever they were located and ce them into a small collection for her to y with.


    His men had their marching orders. He didn''t care where they got them from. They were given less than a week to get the instruments, by hook, by crook, or simply by purchasing them, and then cing them within the musical library that had been reassembled from its original location.


    Although there was no way in such a short amount of time, that S¨¹ren could get the instruments that she knew how to y, he could at least get her a taste of what draken musical instruments looked and sounded like.


    He''d had his men lift items from all the most famous museums on Avalia, along with furniture and decorations to lend an immersive ambiance to the ce.


    It didn''t take long for Lyra to find the stash of instruments he had ced in a corner for her to touch.


    And touched them she did.


    She went from one instrument to another, plucking and strumming and blowing on them. She banged the steel drums and droned on the didgeridoo, tooted on the pipes and plunked on the keys. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    None of the sounds she made were anything that could be considered musical. She was just making random discordant sounds for the fun of making sounds.


    But then she found her way to the back of the stash and found therge harp that one of his men had found.


    S¨¹ren watched with delight as she began touching it with wondrous fingers, getting a feel for the instrument.


    Within minutes, she was already fine-tuning it and getting used to the various peculiarities of the harp.


    And then suddenly, a delicate melodic sound began to float through the air.


    Suddenly, everyone within the Command Deck paused what they were doing and began listening.


    Most of his warriors had never heard of a harp let alone hearing one being yed by a musician at the caliber of Lyra.


    S¨¹ren turned up the volume and filled the Command Deck with the music that she was creating from the ancient harp that was supposed to have been a museum piece that Lyra would have never been able to touch.


    An hour into the ying, Lyra began to sing along to the song she was ying.


    Her voice was soft¡ªuntil it wasn''t. It was low¡ªand then it hit whisper register high. It was expressive and raw, elegant and sweet. It was Lyra at her most expressive.


    She sang and yed the harp without holding back, gifting everything to the music that was in her to give.


    It was all S¨¹ren could do just to hold his chest and try to keep from melting onto the floor.

 Chapter 214 - Flickering Flame

    The Grand Duke Erden was in the middle of working with several dozen of his men up in the Command Deck when he got an iing call from S¨¹ren.


    His grand nephew didn''t call often unless it was something important, so Duke Erden did not hesitate to pause for a break. It was way past lunch time anyway.


    They had all been pushing past the limits to incorporate the Emporian ships into their formations to utilize the extra fire power. It was touch and go ever since they had gotten reinforcement.


    It would not be long before the dragons made their moves. He and S¨¹ren would have to stop them in their tracks before they went too far into Erenveil space.


    If they were lucky, the bulk of the fighting would be within the wilds of pirate space so that there would be less people affected.


    Duke Erden left the Command Deck and moved into an adjourning room to take his lunch.


    "I''m here S¨¹ren. Sorry for the dy."


    S¨¹ren''s face showed up on the visuals, his dark brown eyes cheerful.


    "If you''re as busy as I am, then I know you''re also trying to win that one-legged ass-kicking contest."


    Duke Erdenughed. That sounded about right.


    "Are you just now having lunch?" S¨¹ren nced at the cold ham and cheese sandwich his great uncle was eating. It was two hours past lunch time.


    "No choice. I had reports to run through and squadrons to ce and give marching orders to." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Likewise, but partway through, my bride walked in with a tter filled with hot foods and wouldn''t leave until I ate with her."


    Duke Erden''s eyebrows lifted.


    "Wasn''t the Command Deck off limits to her?"


    "Uncle." S¨¹ren grimaced. "Does Lyra look like someone who will take a ''No'' without howling in protest?"


    Duke Erdenughed. "So she brow-beat you into having lunch on time."


    S¨¹ren nodded. "It didn''t affect my work though because everyone else got to eat lunch, and now they''re back at work again. Breaks to eat are very important, Uncle. You don''t want to get stomach ulcers from skipping meals."


    Duke Erden nodded. "Is this call from you just to remind me to eat?"


    S¨¹ren shook his head. "I''m sending over to you a team of designers."


    "For what?" Duke Erden frowned.


    "Uncle, your ship is one of the newest ships that just came out of production but it looks as if it never went through thest stage where it turns into a beautifully designed interster ship."


    "I had them skip that part because it would have taken another six months and I needed a ship right away."


    "Then retrofit it."


    "I don''t have time."


    "You have to make time."


    Duke Erden paused. S¨¹ren was trying to tell him something.


    "Speak clearly, S¨¹ren."


    "The Lady Gwendolyn¡ª"


    "Is there something wrong? Is she not well?"


    "No, no. I''m trying to tell you that she could use yourpany, Uncle."


    Duke Erden sighed. "You know she is one of the Emperor''s wives."


    "She left him."


    Duke Erden shook his head. S¨¹ren was thinking too simplistically.


    "You want a real war between the dragons and the bats, that''s how you do it. Abduct and hold hostage the wife of the Emperor of Erenveil."


    "It was not an abduction and we are not holding her hostage. We rescued them from Avian attacks, and Lady Gwendolyn does not want to return to her husband."


    "Her life must not be as rosy as what we would imagine the wife of an Emperor would have." Duke Erden shook his head, troubled.


    "But that is not our business. We are trying to keep your father from attacking Erenveil. We can''t be trying to fight off the emperor''s forces as he tries to rescue his wife."


    "That''s not going to happen Uncle. The Crown Prince Dante asked me to take Lady Gwendolyn away from Erenveil."


    "But he''s not the Prime Warrior who holds the space force."


    "Prince te is the Prime Warrior. He is Lady Gwendolyn''s son. He is sending reinforcements so we can keep his sister and his mother safe."


    Duke Erden took a gulp of water from his stein.


    "What does all this have to do with me?"


    "I''ve seen the way you look at Lady Gwendolyn when you think no one is watching." S¨¹ren smiled.


    Duke Erden looked away. He had been very careful not to show anything. It was forbidden, what he tried not to think and feel.


    "She is a very beautiful woman, but there can be nothing between us. She is still a married woman."


    "Is that your only concern?"


    "It is the only concern that matters." Duke Erden turned back to S¨¹ren, his steely grey eyes full of conviction.


    "Her husband is the Emperor of Erenveil. She is not someone a person like me can ever reach."


    "Someone like you?" S¨¹ren shook his head. "You are Grand Duke of the dragon world Avalia."


    "And she is married to the Emperor."


    S¨¹ren shook his head. When his uncle got into this mindset, there was nothing he could say that would change his mind. It would have to be something or someone far more powerful than himself.


    "At least don''t reject the design team I just sent over to you. They won''t get in your way, and you don''t need to change the entire ship."


    "You just need to readjust some of the living sections so that when Lady Gwendolyn and Lyrae to stay with you, they will have afortable ce."


    Duke Erdin waved a careless hand.


    "Do whatever you need to do. I have to get back to work."


    As Duke Erden returned to the Command Deck to resume his work of directing and positioning his warships, S¨¹ren''s words continued to roll around in his brains.


    Duke Erden was an entrenched bachelor. His life was filled with keeping peace between all the various Reptilian races.


    There had never been time for a wife. His life was rough and raw and filled with danger. What woman would throw away a stable peaceful nest and wander the universe with him?


    What he did was very simr to the Prime Warrior of Erenveil. The only difference was, he didn''t have to deal with the entire gxy. He only had to keep the peace between all the reptiles.


    The Prime Warrior.


    Prince te''s face appeared in his mind''s eye. The young man was doing a good job as Prime Warrior. He had a good head on his shoulders.


    Duke Erden could not help butpare and contrast the differences between te and Lady Gwendolyn. They were really quite simr in many aspects, perhaps even more so than Lady Gwendolyn and her daughter.


    Of course, Princess Lyra was still rather young and perhaps would grow into the more mature, more calm and stable person that Lady Gwendolyn had matured to be.


    As the day wore on, he kept thinking about Lady Gwendolyn''s situation and how strange it was that she had never asked to connect to her husband even once.


    The first person she asked to contact was her son te. Thereafter, it was Prince Dante who called to speak to her. Both men knew where she and Princess Lyra were located and neither had insisted that she reach out to contact the Emperor.


    Was it possible that what S¨¹ren said was true? That she did leave the Emperor?


    For the first time, a tiny glimmer of hope began to rise inside Duke Erden''s heart. It was such a tiny flickering me of hope that it could be gutted by any cold wind of fate.


    But suddenly, his heart felt warm for the very first time.

 Chapter 215 - The Design Team

    The transfer to Duke Erden''s ship was uneventful.


    Although Gwendolyn felt a bit uneasy leaving Lyra behind, she was having so much fun ying with all the musical instruments that S¨¹ren had gathered for her that Gwendolyn didn''t have the heart to pull her away from it all.


    It was a simple request by the Grand Duke, to help him with decorating the bare-bones Draken w, Gwendolyn could not refuse.


    The man had risked his life to save her several times already. This would be a good way for her to repay her debt to him.


    As shended inside his hangar, the doors closed and the air stabilized. Gwendolyn stepped from a nice and warm atmosphere into the frigid cold darkness of the hangar.


    It was arge chamber filled with rows and rows of pods in varying shapes and sizes. Most of them looked to be in good working condition but a few looked wrecked or in parts and pieces.


    She looked around, made a few mental notes and continued moving forward with her design team of ten men and women.


    As she walked through the hangar, Gwendolyn found it a bit strange to be unapanied by any of the Duke''s people.


    As a Princess in her father''s kingdom, and thenter as Royal Consort of the Erenveil Empire, she had lived her life having people apany her everywhere she went. Thisck of a ''meet-and-greet'' ambassador of some type was odd, but strangely liberating.


    Once they were inside the main areas of the ship, her people spread out and began their work in earnest, onlying to her for questions in regards to her choice of fabrics, colors, trims, and sizes.


    The ship wasrge. She and the team spent all day and they were barely done with one section and she had still not seen hide nor hair of Erden.


    By dinner time, Gwendolyn decided to go look for the Grand Duke Erden. At the very least, she should have dinner with him before returning to the Wyvern Fae.


    Although the warship was massive, the one thing that was true about dragon architecture. It was very consistent.


    Theyout of the Draken w was exactly the same as the Wyvern Fae, down to the cement of seams and joints. It would have been so easy to get lost in such a huge structure, but Gwendolyn had be familiar with S¨¹ren''s ship during the few days she had spent there, and this ship was no different.


    It didn''t take her long to find her way to the Command Deck, only to find a couple of dragon guards standing at stiff attention.


    She was about to go up to them and ask for entry when a group of dragons moved towards the Command Deck and made their way towards the entrance of the Command Deck.


    Gwendolyn quickly fell in line behind them and walked in without a by-your-leave.


    The Command Deck was much like any other Command Deck that she had ever been on.


    Gwendolyn''sck of knowledge about the various things that were shing on the visuals monitors did not preclude her from grasping the highly secretive nature of the contents.


    For a moment, she contemted on turning back around and making a quick retreat, but it was already toote. The Grand Duke had caught sight of her, standing inside his Command Deck. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    For a moment, his eyes glittered with fury. How in hell did she manage to walk into the Command Deck without anyone even realizing she was not part of the group?


    He stood up and strode across the deck over to the elegant and silent form of the woman who had managed to slide into his Comand Deck with ease, his brows furrowed.


    "Lady Gwendolyn." He gave a curt bow.


    "Grand Duke Erdin." She replied with a nod.


    "I''m sorry. Command Deck is off-limits to civilians and non-officers." Erden asked as he gathered her by the shoulders and walked with her out the entry doors.


    "How did you get past my security?" He turned to the two men who were still standing there at rapt attention.


    Neither dared look at him.


    "I simply walked in unapanied." Gwendolyn responded.


    "And they allowed you entry?" The Duke raised an eyebrow of incredulity.


    "I didn''t ask their permission. I just walked in, along with a group that were also walking in."


    For a moment, Erden saw red. It looked like he was going to have to retrain every single warrior within his organization about security protocols.


    He turned back to Gwendolyn, his eyes softening. It wasn''t her fault. She was simply doing whatever it was that Gwendolyn did.


    Whether that went against regtions or not, that was of no concern to her.


    "Well now that you''ve gotten my attention, what can I do for you, Lady Gwendolyn?"


    Gwendolyn smiled and tried not to show her frustration.


    "I have been here all day working. I figured you could join me for dinner."


    Erden reached out for her hand.


    "I did not realize you were part of the design team that arrived earlier today or I would have sent a group to wee you."


    He led her to the elevator and took her to the Main Deck.


    "To make up for my poor hospitality, please join me for a simple dinner at this time."


    Gwendolyn nodded. "It would be my pleasure."


    She expected him to take her to the main cafeteria where the troops normally took their meals, but the Grand Duke bypassed all that and led her into his private dining room.


    The barely used room looked cold and uninviting, with little in the way of creatureforts.


    Along one wall was the huge ss windows overlooking the deep darkness beyond. On the floor was a dark brown area carpet that did its best to cover some of the bare metal floor surface.


    It did have a nice long metal table surrounded by a dozen metal chairs, but that was the only furniture that the private dining room offered.


    Erden pulled out a chair for her and she sat, feeling the coldness of the metal leeching the warmth of her buttocks and legs away.


    These chairs needed some serious cushions or covers, Gwendolyn mused to herself. It would be a cold dinner indeed if one''s body was cold while trying to eat a warm meal.


    As the staff brought in cemats and dinnerware, Erden concentrated his thoughts on the breathtaking woman seated before him.


    Although he hadn''t known that she had arrived with the design crew, once she began walking around his ship, he had known and followed along, wherever she went, throughout the ship.


    He didn''t want to tell her that he had been watching her lithe form wandering around his ship like a bewitching fairy, touching everything with her fairy dust.


    He did not want her to feel creeped out, but this ship, as well as the Wyvern Fae, was a warship and this was wartime. Shipboard monitors were crucial and integral to the safety of the crew.


    Everyone who stepped foot onto a warship knew that there were cameras everywhere, capturing visuals of everything that happened onboard in the event of enemy infiltration.


    "So, how is the work going, Lady Gwendolyn?" He tried to make small conversation.


    "Please call me Gwen." Her eyes danced. "It''s a big ship and we''ve only covered a small section. It will take a few days to gather all the information we need to get started."


    Erden nodded, feeling his heart getting pounded to a pulp by her brilliant blue eyes. "Will you being back after today?"


    "Of course. There is a lot of work to do, and I have to be here to make sure things go as smoothly as possible."


    He nodded again. It would be an interesting few days while she was here.


    He didn''t know how much work he would be able to get done, since he hadn''t been able to concentrate much on what he needed to do.


    Erden found himselfpletely taken in by her beauty. He had pretended not to care, acting as if he was doing a tremendous amount of work.


    Meanwhile he had been unable to keep his mental focus on what he needed to do. His eyes kept following Gwendolyn around as she walked from area to area, directing andmanding the team of designers.


    With her wandering around his ship, he was a hopeless quivering mess!

 Chapter 217 - Singing Telegram

    The day that the message came to the Emperor of Erenveil about Royal Consort Gwendolyn''s impending marriage to the Grand Duke of Avalia, he was out in the rose garden having a light lunch with the Empress Anastasia.


    She was ying a mandolin and singing a song for him as they sat out in the bright sunshine enjoying thest warm days of autumn.


    No doubt about it, Anastasia was a decent yer and singer, but she was no Gwendolyn.


    Gwen was a gifted muse, able to y a dozen instruments at the maestro level. Her singing voice was so amazing, it always stopped everyone in their tracks.


    But it didn''t matter.


    The Emperor turned back to the Empress with adoring eyes. This was his Anastasia.


    She didn''t need to do anything and he would still think she was the most amazing woman in the gxy. He was ecstatic just sitting here in the crystal sunshine, listening to the love of his life, singing him a song and ying on the mandolin.


    He gazed at the deep blue of her hair, the bright green of her eyes, and his heart pounded so hard he could see stars.


    No matter how many times he made love to her, he could never get enough of her sensual body and the way she quivered every time he pleasured her.


    She smiled and plucked thest strains of the song. Emperor Rex pped with joy.


    "That was beautiful! You are beautiful!"


    He was about to continue gushing his delight when a tap on his shoulder interrupted his joy.


    "Your Majesty." The Emperor''s attendant cleared his throat. "You have an iing message from the Grand Duke of Avalia."


    Emperor Rex furrowed his brows. The Grand Duke of Avalia? He tried to remember if he had ever met the fellow but nothing wasing into mind.


    "What does he want?"


    The attendant presented the Emperor with amunications disc.


    "y it."


    "Your Majesty. Perhaps you should listen to this one in private."


    "Nonsense. There''s no one here who is notpletely trustworthy. y it."


    "Yes, Your Majesty."


    He waved a hand and the dull droning voice of theputer began reading the written documentation.


    "¡­this is to inform you that I, The Grand Duke Erden of Mistvale from Avalia, am now engaged to be married to the Lady Gwendolyn of Erenveil."


    "What???" Emperor Rex snarled, his eyes bulging. Beside him, Anastasia''s eyes were in shock.


    The voice continued droning on without pause.


    "Our wedding willmence within one week and she will be a permanent resident of Avalia soon thereafter. Details will follow immediately after the wedding has taken ce¡­"


    Emperor Rex stood up, shaking with anger.


    "Who the hell is this Grand Duke Erden???"


    "Your Majesty, he is King Batsaikhan''s uncle."


    "Uncle? If he''s that old, why would Gwen even want to have anything to do with him?" The Emperor scowled.


    "Sir. He is actually a few years younger than you."


    The attendant waved a finger and a visuals image of the Grand Duke Erden appeared in the space between them.


    Emperor Rex stared at the rugged handsome face of Duke Erden and something inside him churned with jealousy and animosity. How dare Gwen leave him for a younger more handsome guy!


    "Find out where she is and drag her back!"


    "Your Majesty¡ª"


    "And while you''re at it, call my son te. I need to talk to him. NOW!!!"


    ==========


    te was in the middle of a war room discussion on the Raptor 600 with Dante and Leonardo on 3D calls when the Emperor''s iing call shed up into his field of vision.


    "Father is iing. Do you men want to talk to him?"


    "Why not." Dante sounded bored. He was ying with something to his right side and didn''t look all that engaged.


    Leonardo shrugged. They needed a break from all the war chatter anyway.


    What was supposed to have been a quick all-out strike to subdue the Avians had turned into a much longer war than they had wanted.


    There was support for the Avians from the various human species that did not want insectoids to be the reigning group.


    They were very much against Dante holding even one-third of the Crown Prince position, even though the other two Crown Princes were half Ibis and half Lion.


    Within minutes, the flustered red face of their Dear Old Dad popped up on visuals, his violet eyes stormy and his long ck hair wild and gnarled. It looked like he had been tearing out his hair in frustration.


    "te! What in the world has gotten into your mother???" He grounded out.


    "Didn''t we already have this conversation?" te threw back at his father.


    "No! I just got this!!!" He waved a frustrated hand and the message from the Grand Duke began reying.


    "¡­this is to inform you that I, The Grand Duke Erden of Mistvale from Avalia, am now engaged to be married to the Lady Gwendolyn of Erenveil¡­"


    Dante chuckled. As the voice droned on, the chuckle turned into a guffaw. Leonardo and te joined in until they were all gasping and out of breath.


    "Aaaahh! It sounds to me, Father, as if your ex-wife has found a new love interest!" Dante''s sparkling green eyes that looked so much like his beloved woman were dancing in delight.


    "I hope we are invited to the wedding." Leonardo grinned.


    Emperor Rex mmed his hands onto the desk.


    BAAM!!!


    "I can''t believe you boys are not enraged by this!"


    "Why?" te reasoned. "You said so yourself. You have too many wives to adequately take care of. If another man is able and willing to take care of her, you should let her go and be happy that she''s happy."


    "She never said anything to me. She just left!"


    "Father." te shook his head. "She tried to tell you, but you never showed up on the night she wanted to talk to you."


    "She could have waited! One more day wouldn''t have hurt." The Emperor scowled. "Instead, she just went off without giving me a chance to say anything to her."


    "And what, pray tell, were you going to say to Mother Gwen?" Leonardo spoke up.


    He was not blind to the way his own mother and Mother Gwen were treated by his father either.


    "I would have given her the chance to air grievances and we could have worked on whatever it was she needed."


    "She needed your love, Father." te sighed.


    "She has my love!" The Emperor insisted. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "The kind of love you have for my mother is not what she wants, not what she needs." te shook his head.


    He knew exactly what Mother needed. It was the same kind of love that he and Candace shared, a romantic soul bond that made his world sparkle with vibrance every time he was with her.


    "I love each of my wives, all in different ways. They are all different individuals."


    "The way that you love her is not what she wants. Just ept that and let her go." Dante spoke up.


    "No matter what, I still want to speak to her!" The Emperor fumed.


    te nced at Dante and Leonardo. Father''s request was not unreasonable.


    "I''ll see what I can do to give you and Mother a chance to talk it out."


    The Emperor nodded and left the call.


    The three Princes sat there and stared at each other for a few minutes.


    Leonardo sighed. "Do you really think it''s a good idea for Mother Gwen to talk with Dear Old Dad?"


    te shook his head. "If it wasn''t for the fact that I have spoken with the Grand Duke on several asions, I would have thought that perhaps they were just faking this engagement so Mother could have a clean break with Father."


    He turned to Dante. "The Grand Duke is not someone who would fake something like this. He''s like you, Dante. A straight-shooter."


    Dante roughed up his blue hair. It had gotten rather long due to his wife''s penchant for long hair.


    "I''ve also spoken with the Grand Duke. He is actually very stable and steady, a very strong man. I say we have the Duke speak with Father first so Mother Gwen has someone solid backing her up."


    Leonardo nodded. "Sounds like a good n.. Let''s go with it."

 Chapter 222 - Boy Toy

    Jason narrowed his eyes in disbelief.


    Since when did all thise about? He had always been regarded as just one-half of a twin Prince.


    Half the people he met couldn''t even tell the difference between him and Jared. The other half didn''t care who was who as long as he and Jared delivered to them the clothes and jewels they ordered.


    He had only extended his offer of help to Ana?se because she looked so sad and pathetic. What in the world did it have to do with her being his bride?


    Couldn''t he just do something nice for someone without getting misunderstood that he was going after them? n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Jason pursed his lips. This marriage proposal was aplete non-starter.


    He was a married man, for crying out loud!


    Jason was about to turn her down t when Candace jumped off Jared''s arms and faced Ana?se, her eyes zing with anger.


    "Never EVER mistake kindness for infatuation. Prince Jason is not avable, and furthermore, he is not interested in you."


    "Candace," Ana?se''s eyes softened. "I know you and I have not had much interaction, but I''d like to get to know you better. We will be sisters-inw in the future and I''d like for us to be friends."


    Candace shook her head. "There is absolutely no way we can be sisters. I don''t have a brother you can marry."


    "No, I meant you will be married to Jared and I will be married to Jason." Ana?se reasoned with a tolerant tone of voice. "We will be sisters to twin brothers. We should try to get along."


    Jason opened his mouth, about to retort to Ana?se''s insistence of their impending marriage.


    Again, Candace held up a hand holding him back. This was her cat fight. He didn''t need to involve himself.


    She had to be very clear with Ana?se about the situation between her and the seven brothers.


    "Again, Ana?se." She waggled a finger at the tall ss girl. "That''s not going to happen."


    "Candace. You can''t be jealous of everyone who approaches your man''s twin brother. Jared loves you and he has your love. Jason deserves love too."


    Ana?se gave Candace a look as if to imply that Candace was unreasonable and making things up just to throw a tantrum.


    Furthermore, her gentle conciliatory tone made Candace look as if she was an unreasonable, jealous, selfish woman who could not let go of her husband''s brother.


    Candace gritted her teeth. She ced both hands on her hips and looked up at the tall ss woman with steely hazel eyes.


    "Ana?se. I''m only going to tell you this once, so pay close attention."


    "Prince Jason is NOT interested in you because he already loves someone else. Furthermore, he is NOT avable to you because he is already married. Have I made myself clear?"


    Ana?se sighed and pursed her lips. She had tried her best to cate a very unreasonable person and was starting to lose her patience with such a stubborn immature girl.


    "Who, Candace? Who is his lover and who is he married to?"


    Candace opened her mouth, but Ana?se never gave her a chance to respond.


    "Look," Ana?se reasoned with her. "He''s an Imperial Prince of Erenveil. If he was married, the entire gxy would already know."


    Ana?se raised a hand, as if to prove a point. "Howe I''ve never heard of any wedding? Howe I never even heard that he''s engaged to any woman? The answer is simple. There''s nothing to hear. He''s still single!"


    "No, He''s/I''m not!" Both Jason and Candace spoke up at the same time.


    "What?" Ana?se''s eyes bulged from her sockets.


    "You heard me." Jason reached for Candace and pulled her into his chest. He cradled her head within the crook of his arm, his hand over her face. It was his turn to shield his woman.


    "This is my wife you''ve been degrading and disparaging. Either you apologize to her sincerely or I take back my offer to help you heal and I charge you full price for that Avgo gemstone."


    In the moment of Ana?se''s shocked silence, Jason continued his rebuke.


    "The fact that we haven''t thrown a huge wedding to celebrate our union yet doesn''t mean it''s not real. It just means there''s a war going on at the moment and it''s not a great time to be throwing huge gs."


    "What are you talking about?" Ana?se choked out in a shocked voice.


    "She''s married to the Crown Prince, while at the same time cheating on him with your twin brother." Ana?se scowled. "Are you wanting to be this slut''s next boy toy?"


    Jason''s face contorted in anger. Reaching out with forceful fingers, he yanked the Avgo gemstone pendant from her neck, breaking the gold chain.


    "O!!!" She screamed, reaching out to rub her neck where the chain had broken.


    "You do not deserve this. I''m taking it back." He shoved the gemstone into his pocket. "As for my offer to help you heal your shattered body, I am retracting that too."


    "What???" Ana?se gasped.


    "You heard me. You are not worthy of my help or my creative talents."


    "She''s already married and going around, cheating on her husband with your brother!" Ana?se pointed at Candace. "Why are you still hanging onto her? Let her go! I can help you move on from this heartbreak!"


    "I think we''re done here." Jason quipped. "Guards. Escort her off this ship."


    "Yes, Your Royal Highness."


    "What??? How dare you! Do you know who I am? Do you know what my father can do to you?"


    Jason narrowed his eyes. "I don''t care who you are or what your father can do to me. I never want to see you again."


    She sputtered and struggled as the guards came and took her away.


    "Wow." Jared whistled as he watched Ana?se being led away. "That was abrupt and decisive."


    Jason snarled, showing his lengthening bat fangs.


    "She seemed nice and gentle when I first met her, but she really showed her true stripes when she began interacting with my woman."


    Jared shook his head. "I couldn''t believe the things that wereing out of her mouth. She really thought Candace was a two-timing cheater."


    Candace freed herself from Jason''s protective stance and turned to Jared.


    "People are not going to understand the situation. They will see me with all seven of you and wonder why I''m acting this way."


    "We don''t give a shit.'' Jared tilted his head in devil-may-care attitude. "You''re our wife and that''s just how it is."


    "But the world''s reaction will be very much the same as Ana?se''s." Candace reasoned. "We will be facing this sort of prejudice from many sources for a long time toe."


    "Whatever happens, we will face all of it together." Jason insisted firmly.


    Jared nodded. "I''m fully expecting we''re going to be called all sorts of names and derided for our unique family situation with you."


    "Yes. Didn''t you hear? That woman called me a boy toy."


    The twins looked at each other. For a moment, their eyes locked, and then suddenly, they roared withughter.


    "Haaaaahhhh!" Jared shook with mirth.. "You''re going to be stuck with that new name, Jay. I''m forever going call you Boy Toy!"

 Chapter 227 - [Bonus ] Tag Team

    Candace was in the room doing exercise squats when a series of cascading knocks came through the door.


    "Come in. Door''s not locked." She called out.


    The door slowly opened. A head full of longish dark green hair poked into the room with a pair of soft warm brown eyes peeking out at her.


    "Am I interrupting anything?" A soft voice called out. "Can Ie in?"


    "Hi Jason!" She gave a bright grin and waved him in. "Come in. I was just doing some squats. I didn''t get a chance to do any exercises this morning because today was husband-switch day."


    "Hus¡ªhusband switch day?" Jason''s lips twitched as he slowly made his way towards her.


    Candace grimaced. "Maybe I shouldn''t say it that way. I just didn''t know what to call it, you know. The day when I switch from one husband to another."


    Jason shook his head. "No, no. That''s fine. You can call it whatever you wish. I just¡ª"


    "Yes?" She pushed herself off the floor and stood up, staring at him expectantly.


    "Candace, you¡ªI mean¡ªwe¡­uhmm."


    She strode towards him and reached out to sp his hands.


    "I''m your wife. You can tell me anything."


    Jason nced towards the door.


    Candace saw his nce and looked in the direction his eyes were darting at.


    "What''s out there?" She moved towards the door and yanked it open.


    A surprised Jared who''d had his ear stered to the door''s surface nearly fell into the room.


    "Or rather, I should say WHO is out there." Candace rolled her eyes and closed the door. "As if I couldn''t guess."


    The twins stood there, not saying anything. Their normal clownish demeanors were strangely missing.


    Candace gave them suspicious looks. Something was a bit off. They weren''t normally this¡­docile.


    "So now that you''re both here, please have a seat." She indicated therge white leather sofa arrangement by the floor-to-ceiling double ss windows that looked out onto a field of stars in deep space.


    On the dark oval coffee table in front of the sofa was a dainty white lily-shaped tea pot with matching cups on small green lily pads. Beside the tea pot was a small bowl filled with pale pink flowers.


    It was most definitely a room designed for a High Princess.


    Jason and Jared looked at each other and shrugged. They trooped over and sat down, feeling like bulls in a china shop.


    "I just got a hot tea service delivered by the bots that roam the hallways. I hope you like lotus green tea."


    She kneeled down onto the soft thick white flokati rug that covered the floor between the sofa and the coffee table and began pouring hot tea for each of them.


    As she passed the tea cups on their saucers to the twins, they looked at each other nervously and took a sip.


    "So. Have the two of youe here to convince me to take both of you in?"


    They shot each other furtive nces and nodded.


    "At the same time?"


    They nodded again.


    Candace picked up the lily cup and took a sip of the hot tea. For awhile, she continued to sit there on the thick rug, not saying anything, just thinking.


    Finally, she put the cup down.


    "I think we can work something out."


    The twins'' eyes brightened.


    "However!" She held up a finger. "You''re going to have to work with me and ept a few conditions."


    "What would you like for us to do?" Jason put his cup down. Just to get this far was a big win.


    "I heard te saying that it will take three days to get to Avalia from here."


    The twins nodded. They had heard the same thing.


    She tapped her lips in thought. "If we go as previously nned, it would not be fair to Jason since after three days onboard this ship, we would arrive within dragon space and I would have to meet up with Mother Gwen and Lyra.


    "It could easily be another three to four days of contact with them before I can turn my attention back on Jason, at which point it would most likely be the next husband-switch day."


    Jason nodded miserably. "I understand. Things happen sometimes, and it''s not within our control."


    Candace smiled. "Of course, I would make it up to you as soon as I could."


    Jason nodded somberly as he stared into his hands.


    "Or the two of you could agree to share days."


    Jason and Jared held absolutely still. What did she mean by that?


    "Hmmm. Let me break down the days." She poured another round of hot tea for everyone.


    "There are fourteen days in two weeks. Let''s say all three of us spend three days on the ship together. That takes us down to eleven total days."


    Jared looked at Jason.


    Candace pursed her lips. "If we''re lucky, I can wrap up everything with Mother Gwen and Lyra within three days. That will take us down to eight days."


    Jason looked at Jared.


    She scratched her head. "But as you know, things rarely ever work out as we n and hope, so let''s throw in another two days to solve Mother Gwen''s issues."


    Jared nodded at Jason.


    She counted on her fingers. "That takes us down to six day. We then have to take the final three days through pirate space to get back home."


    Jason nodded at Jared.


    "Which brings us down to three final days within the week that belongs to Jared." She held up three remaining fingers. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Jared''s eyes darted back and forth between Candace and her three fingers.


    "If my calctions are correct, I will only be able to spend nine days total with the two of you. Six of those days will be on the ship, with the remaining three days back on Erenveil.


    She bit her lip and looked at the twins.


    "I''m sorry Gentlemen. It looks like I''m going to have to ask the two of you to share those nine days between the two of you."


    Jason coughed. "How¡ªhow do you want us to share it?"


    Candace sighed. "It doesn''t have to be all thatplicated. We could just all hang out together, the three of us. Of course, I know you two were hoping for individual time with me, and I''m sure we could amodate that¡ª"


    "No, no." Jared shook his hand at Candace in protest. "Hanging out together sounds good. Not a problem with me."


    "Me neither!" Jason grinned. "We know this is a business trip you have to take, and we''re not going to cause any problems. Me and Jared here will just follow you around and be your¡ª"


    "Be my husbands." Candace smiled.


    "Yes." Jared agreed happily.. "We will be your husbands."

 Chapter 228 - [Bonus ] Shower Time

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    She stood up.


    "I''ve been doing squats and jumps all afternoon. I need to take a shower or you men will think I''m the stinkiest wife you''ve ever been with."


    Jared and Jason bothughed. "Darling, we''ve never been with any wife before, but having said that, we don''t care at all. We''ll take you just the way you are."


    "You may not care, but I care. Do what you wish for a bit. I won''t be long." She smiled and made her way into the bathroom.


    The twins immediately followed her.


    Candace turned towards them in surprise. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "You said to do what we wish." Jared grinned. "We wish to join you."


    "You want to shower with me?"


    They nodded, looking at each other a bit hesitantly.


    Candace reached out and took hold of theirrge strong hands, veiny and roughened with callouses from their physical work.


    These were the hands that had done everything in their power to make her happy. They had toiled andbored to create all the wondrous outfits and jewelry for her, all without asking for anything in return.


    Theirs was a love that was unselfish and giving. They had never asked for recognition or reciprocity, simply standing in the back behind their other brothers, fully supporting her in everything she did.


    The twins were not the soft dough-boy princes who did little manualbor. These were real hands-on men who crafted supreme objects of art with genius and heart.


    They were the go-to men when things needed to physically be done because they were not afraid to get their hands dirty. There was something gritty and genuine about them that made Candace swoon with infatuation.


    Her heart skipped a beat and then raced with fervor. It was so easy to fall in love with them. Good thing they were her husbands already or she would be fighting a tide of emotions that could not be held back.


    Her sweet twins.


    Something inside of Candace wanted to give back to them the love that they had given her so generously.


    As Candace looked into their soft brown eyes, her heart thudded with force. Reaching out, she gathered both men into her arms and pressed a kiss on each of their lips.


    Wordlessly, they gathered her into their arms.


    Their arms reached around her and each other, sharing a single sacred embrace between the three of them. The silence stretched on into a divine space and time where nothing and no one existed but the three of them.


    With the merest of touches, they began to kiss her face and neck. She reached out and touched both their faces, drinking in the sensation of being loved by two men at the same time.


    They had dropped their light-hearted teasing external shell and stripped down to the very core of their beings¡ªtwins who were caring and sincere, loving and sensitive, thoughtful and selfless.


    To love them in return, she had to understand them. To know their innermost thoughts and feelings, she had to look beyond their yful joking clownish fa?ade to unveil what had been hidden, protected behind their demeanor.


    Candace felt such privilege that this was the first time they had allowed her to peek into their deepest psyche.


    In exposing their private hidden core, she had been given a chance to be a part of what had always been an exclusive paradise that they shared only with each other.


    With trembling hands, one of the twins began removing her clothes.


    It was VERY different from all the other times when they had removed her clothing so that they could measure her or dress her in their creations.


    They were not in work mode at this point.


    They were making love to their wife.


    "What in the world is this stuff Lucas dressed you in¡­" he muttered to himself, fingering the inferior fabrics.


    Candace began to smile.


    You can take the man out of the job, but you can''t take the job out of the man. Jared just could not help his sense of style poking out at the most inopportune time.


    "It''s basic beachwear." Jason grimaced. "I''m sure he didn''t have much to offer there on that deserted ind but these coarse floral fabrics."


    He released her snaps and buttons and gently discarded the clothes onto the shower floor.


    They paused their kisses of her lips to pull off their shirts.


    As their pants came off, theirrge stiff members sprang out at a perky angle, perfectly formed and in perfect symmetry.


    From above her, the shower head exploded as warm water began streaming down on top of the three of them and in seconds, they were dripping wet.


    She looked up into their eyes and what she saw caught at her throat. They were looking at her with so much love that Candace could barely keep the tears from springing out at the corners of her eyes.


    She reached out and wrapped her hands around their necks as they leaned in towards her.


    Everything flew from her mind as their hands began to reach for her exposed breasts.


    With sighs of pleasure, they lowered their heads and began kissing her face and neck, trailing downward until they reached her breasts.


    Her spirit began to float on ayer of chiffon as each twin imed a breast and began fondling it as if it had been assigned to them.


    And oh, the feel of both her nipples being suckled on simultaneously by two men was an experience she could not adequately describe.


    Candace reached out with both hands and ran her fingers through their long dark green hair.


    They were so beautiful¡ªher twins.


    Jason knelt down in front of her and beganthering up a wash cloth.


    Slowly, he began to rub her body in soft gentle circr motions, drawing round white soap suds everywhere on her belly, around her breasts, on her back, her thighs, her knees.


    He added more liquid soap on his hands and began paying special attention to the V between her legs. With gentle care, Jason began to rub her womanhood with the liquid soap, working up arge mound ofther.


    Candace gasped with pleasure as he touched sensitive areas with his soft fingers, washing her with the same care and precision that he gave to his artistic creations.


    Meanwhile, Jared was just as busy from behind. He had already begun to wash her hair with a softly scented shampoo.


    With slow tender touches, he began to swirl the soap around her long honey blonde hair and down through the length of her tresses.


    Moving all ten fingers upward from her neck, Jared began massaging her head with firm circr motions not unlike Jason''s massage of her body with his washcloth.


    Jared went from washing her hair to caressing her head, back, and shoulders with the thick shampoo suds until she sighed with pleasure, arching her back and head into his waiting hands.


    Between Jared and Jason, she waspletely covered in soapy suds.


    Once they were satisfied with their cleaning efforts, they moved her back into the warm stream of water and began rinsing her off until she was no longer soapy.


    As she stood there, they began kissing all the various parts of her that they had gotten squeaky clean. They touched her with so much reverence, it was as if they were touching a goddess.


    Candace took a deep breath as she felt emotions rise within her.


    They had done it again, bestowing on her their abundant love with ease and unselfish actions and giving to herpletely without regard to themselves.


    It was her turn to treat them as the divine beings that they truly were.

 Chapter 230 - Avgo Virgins

    Jared waited a few minutes for Jason to catch his breath before switching ces with him.


    He had heard about the extremely painful heart ache that came from the extraction of the fragment of Avgo shard that had embedded itself into them.


    But Jared was a stoic man who had a fairly high pain threshold. How bad could it get? His brothers had all gone through the pain and they looked none-the-worse for wear.


    He could handle this. He was a Prince of Erenveil.


    Flipping Candace onto her knees, he picked her up and rested her entire body weight on top of Jason''s supine body.


    Jason was as good as a nice thick pillow to prop her up at the height she would have been if she was on her hands and knees.


    While the two of them murmured sweet nothings into each other''s ears, kissing and hugging, Jared reached between her legs and pushed her thighs wide open.


    Without further ado, he found her petal opening and slipped right in.


    For a moment Jared paused, his hands resting on her beautiful buttocks, his body holding perfectly still. He had to limate himself; go slow, because it wouldn''t take much for him to release himself within her.


    All that grunting and moaning that Jason and Candace had been emitting had made him so hot and horny, he could barely stand it. If it hadn''t been for the sted Avgo shard that needed to be delivered into the right ce, he would have asked for some of Candace''s amazing manual strokes and eased the sharp edge of his desire.


    He wasn''t sure if ejacting outside of her body would dislodge the Avgo shard, but he didn''t want to take a chance. He had waited all this time. A few more minutes was not going to kill him.


    It was hard though.


    Jared and Jason had bathed and undressed in front of each other all through their lives, from infancy until adulthood. He had never felt anything other than a basic boredom with his brother''s exposed body. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    All that changed, however, when he saw first hand, how Jason responded to Candace''s body.


    Suddenly, the voyeuristic act of watching his brother mming his heated steel rod into their wife and sobbing with pleasure made Jared burn with desire.


    Suddenly, his eyes kept being drawn towards the juncture where Jason''s shaft entered and withdrew from Candace''s body.


    The more he watched, the stronger his desire grew as he intuitively felt as if Jason''s shaft was his. What Jason felt, he could also feel in a phantom sort of way.


    It grew and grew until he could barely feel anything except for his hot throbbing engorged manhood, singing with pent up frustration.


    Candace was mewling and moaning into his mouth, making him thirstier and thirstier until his body red with the heat of passion that was charring him into glowing lumps of coal.


    It was truly a heroic effort to keep his hands from reaching down and pleasuring his own aching penis, because he knew he was very close to the edge of explosion.


    And now that he was embedded deep within her, Jared could barely move.


    He threw his head back, his eyes rolling into the back of his sockets trying to process all the feels that were reverberating through his body.


    He never knew that holding perfectly still could feel this good. He was too far past the edge. Any sudden movement would push him into the edifice.


    From his vantage point, he could see her buttocks and her exposed anus above the point where his shaft was embedded inside her body. Below her body was Jason''s manhood, already starting to swell and almost ready to go again.


    Jared shut his eyes. The visuals of his brother and his wife making passionate love once again shed in front of his eyes, overloading his senses.


    As he slowly moved his body in slow gentle motions, Jared threw back his head and gritted his teeth, trying hard not to make the same sounds that he had heard tearing out of Jason''s throat as the pleasure became almost unbearable.


    The sounds came out all the same.


    "Oh god, Candace. Fuuuck. Feels so good. Ahhhh. Candace!" He heard his own vocal cords crying and sobbing Candace''s name over and over again.


    As the sharp pleasure of exquisite torture began to mount over his body, Jared held his breath, waiting for that moment when his heart would burst open and release the Avgo shard.


    Knowing that the pain in his heart would happen dampened his ardor a tiny bit.


    Not a lot. Just a little.


    Jared sighed with resignation. There was nothing he could do but bite the bullet and let ''er rip.


    He grunted as he grasped onto Candace''s hips and bucked into her body with wild abandonment. If it was going to hurt, he might as well get as much pleasure as he could before his heart tore into shreds.


    Suddenly, a sea of pink and red appeared before his eyes as his heart began to ache. It felt as if he was hemorrhaging blood from his eyes.


    The pain intensified while at the same time, his pleasure centers were singing at high volume. His body continued to rock into Candace in an uncontroble surging rhythmic action.


    Suddenly, there was nothing around him. There was only that one connection between Jared and his wife. He could feel the surge of passion cresting, higher and higher.


    BOOM!!! The crescendo exploded all around him.


    "Aaaaaahhhhh!!!" He howled with pain.


    The Avgo fragment ripped his heart muscles into shreds as it exited from there, going straight through his engorged penis and into Candace.


    Bowled over by acute agony, Jared slumped onto Candace''s back, pressing her down onto Jason.


    Since Jason was under Candace, he was unable to hold Jared''s body back and took the brunt of the weight from both his wife and his brother.


    Sandwiched in between the brothers, Candace iled her arms and legs, trying to breathe.


    Reaching out with all his strength, Jason pushed Jared off Candace''s body. Jarednded on the bed beside them, panting and heaving with bted shivers of pain and delight.


    "Are you okay?" Jason asked, stroking Candace''s back.


    "Yeah!" Both Candace and Jared breathed, for very different reasons.


    Jared flopped onto his back, eyes closed, rubbing at his heart.


    "Damn Jason. That was painful."


    Jason chuckled and looked over at his brother''s sweat-drenched dark green hair.


    "Yeah, but it only hurts the first time.. Now that we''re not Avgo virgins any more, it won''t hurt from here on out."

 Chapter 235 - The Emperor Maker

    "You cannot do this." The Emperor sniffed.


    "Actually, she can, Father." Dante responded without hesitation. "I just had one of my advisors study in detail ourws as well as the ancient text."


    "Not only is what she just told you written into the archaic portion of ourws, it is also part of that ancient script The Ellipsoidal Macrocosm that our wife has studied in detail."


    "What exactly does it say?"


    "It specifically states that as soon as the next Primary Avgo Female has chosen her mate, or mates, she immediately bes the next Empress, making all her chosen mates Emperors."


    "Absurd." The Emperor grounded.


    "Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you Father, but I suggest you discuss this thoroughly with your advisors." Dante suggested gently.


    "Even if they do not know all the details, they can at least read through the scriptures and give you some sound advice."


    He was not surprised that Father did not know the details of this tiny but crucial detail. Even he had barely begun to grasp this information.


    It was not surprising that this was a key aspect of the Avgo Events that everyone tried to bury until it became lost to time. If the Primary Avgo Female knew about this, it would have given them far too much power, and that would not have been something that any Emperor who was currently holding onto power would have allowed to relinquish.


    Instead, it had turned into a beauty contest whereby it turned into a grab for the most desired prize, the chance to be the Crown Prince''s wife. Those in power needed to make sure the Crown Prince was someone who could actually be a Crown Prince, as opposed to some lesser Prince, or heavens forbid, some random Joe Blow.


    If it hadn''t been for the fact that Candace was such a persistent schr of antiquities, who knew how long it would have been before the power of the Avgo Female could have been exposed for what she truly was.


    The Primary Avgo Female was an Emperor Maker.


    The Emperor muttered silent profanities at this sudden turn of events and waved his hand, disappearing from visuals.


    Jared heaved a sigh. "Father did not like that at all."


    "Like it or not, it is a part of our Erenveil history." Byron raised an eyebrow. "That was how he became Emperor. He just didn''t realize what had happened because he was the Crown Prince and was simply told whoever won the Avgo Events would be his Empress.


    "That''s truly sad," Lucas shook his head. "Neither he nor the Prime Avgo Female ever had a choice, really."


    Byron turned to look at the rest of his brothers. "Remember this moment everyone so you won''t get so shocked when it happens to us. When the next Avgo femalees, we will have to retire to make way for the new Empress."


    Jason shrugged. "Me and Jared, we''re not Emperor material so even if we get promoted to two-sevenths of an emperor, or however it''s sliced and diced, we''re not going to do anything different than what we''re doing now."


    "I think this would have more impact on our children. Whoever bes the next Prime Avgo Female will be the one choosing the next Emperor." Dante called out.


    Lucas nodded. "That''s right. If one of our sons aren''t chosen then the throne goes to whoever the next Avgo Female chooses, be they insect or dragon or mer."


    "Let the future deal with itself." Dante blew a tired breath. "How much longer do you three have before you hit dragon space?" He closed the folder he was scanning and turned back to the twins.


    "We made good time. It was supposed to take close to three days but this ship is faster than the normal ship, so we will be at the edge of dragon space by ten o''clock tomorrow. By around dinnertime, we will be within rendezvous with Mother Gwen''s starship."


    "Dinner time. So we''re talking between eighteen hundred hours to twenty hundred hours." Dante nodded. "That''s a good enough timeframe. I''ll contact her and givest minute directives for taking over the ship."


    He turned with softened eyes at Candace.


    ''I''ll talk to youter. I love you." Dante murmured into Candace''s ears. She nodded and gave him a smile.


    He waved a hand at the group. "Take good care of my wife, you green haired clowns." He said before his visuals went dark.


    "I also have to take care of some important details." Byron threw a kiss at Candace. "Be good to my woman."


    ''It won''t be long, Love. We will be together soon.'' Byron touched her mind before disconnecting their mental contact.


    The only one left was Lucas.


    "I was waiting for them to leave because I need to ask you guys something." He leaned in closer.


    "I need to get an entire wardrobe sent to my ind so when Candace drops by my home, she will have decent clothes to wear." His face reddened.


    "Things just happened so quickly I didn''t get a chance to prepare the ind for her very well."


    Jared waved a hand. "Don''t worry Lucas. I have already ordered my team to make up a full summer wardrobe to be sent to you within a week."


    Lucas'' eyes were grateful. "Hey, I appreciate that. Throw in some cute beach jewelry for her as well. I don''t care about the costs."


    "It''s okay Bro. We''re not going to charge you for clothing our wife. Do we look that poor to you? We''re her husbands too. It''s our job to make sure she''s clothed properly."


    Lucas smiled. Things just seemed to flow so much more smoothly when all seven of them banded together and got things done.


    ''I''ll see you when you get back, Wife. You take care of yourself.''


    ''You too.'' She smiled and waved at him.


    As Lucas signed off, Jared and Jason both looked at each other. They turned back to her.


    "None of the guys said goodbye to you."


    "They did. Mentally." She pointed to her head.


    "Why are you holding out on us with the mental connection?"


    Candaceughed. "Is that what it looks like I''m doing?"


    She looped her arms around both their necks.


    "You know, I''ve only been delivered into your arms for a single day. We still have dinner to eat and then we can go back into the bedroom and do whatever we wish."


    Jared snapped a finger. "I got a great idea! How about we have them deliver food into our bedroom and we just stay in bed!!! Isn''t that a great idea?" n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Candaceughed. "But the servers are at the dining room waiting for us. If we don''t show up¡ª"


    "As soon as we call and tell them we want room service, they''ll shut down the dining area and let the servers off for the night. They''ll be able to do other things instead of stand around watching us eat." Jason retorted.


    "Yeah, that way, they get to do what they want to do and we get to do what we want to do!" Jared grinned.


    Jason gave Jared a wicked look. "Oh hey. What we want to do won''t hurt any more!" He rubbed his chest muscles.


    "Is that all you''re worried about, you goon?" Jared punched Jason in the shoulder.


    "Heck yeah! That hurt!!!"


    "No kidding," Jared shook his head. "I thought I was going to die."


    The twins chattered back and forth, even as they escorted their wife back to the bedroom suite, bypassing the dining hall entirely.


    They were hungry again, and it wasn''t for food.

 Chapter 236 - Offending Fasteners

    Every snap. Every hook. Every button. Every tie.


    Every fastener that the twins designed on Candace''s clothing was made to be removed very easily and very quickly, and each fastener or closure could be removed with one hand.


    There was very good reason for this.


    It was the brilliant work of a couple of men whose only consideration was how easy it would be to remove her clothes as quickly and efficiently as possible without doing damage, identally ripping the fabrics, or tearing off the fasteners used on those clothes.


    When they had first heard of Dante and te, using their bat ws to rip into her clothing because the oafs were too excited and couldn''t take the time to unfasten all those tiny rows of buttons made of gas or amethysts, they had gone on a rampage and blown a gasket at their brothers.


    Do you men know how expensive that brocade fabric was??? They shouted. That was imported silk from the silk moths of Nymphalidae!


    The men being shouted at hung their heads in shame as Jason and Jaredmbasted them. The twins refused to back down even though Dante offered to get more silk from his mother''s world Nymphalidae for a bargain price.


    Those pieces of clothing took several days and a dozen people to create and embroider. How dare you just tear them to pieces!!! The twins howled.


    Slip the panties off gently! Don''t just rip them off Candace''s body or tear into them with sharp bat ws! They continued their barrage of verbal attacks.


    Sheez!!!


    Of course, they''d also made the offenders reimburse them triple the cost of recement for damaging the VERY expensive outfits and undergarments the twins had so lovingly provided for THEIR wife using the best materials and gems they could get their hands on.


    This was, of course, very different from Lucas, who had asked very nicely to please allow him to purchase the clothing for his wife so she would be well-dressed when she visited his ind.


    In that instance, it was a point of pride. Jason and Jared would never allow their wife to go anywhere looking like a hobo, and to charge another man to dress their own wife was too ridiculous to contemte.


    The need to create easy to release snaps, hooks, buttons and ties had been targeted at their ogre-fisted brothers to salvage Candace''s clothing.


    They never thought it would apply to them.


    As it was, by the time the twins got Candace back to the bedroom, it was quite clear that Jared was going to have to do a tiny bit of mending to rece a popped button that he had tugged on just slightly too hard.


    "Ugh. Why don''t we just velcro all her clothes together." Jared muttered with disgust as he rescued the valuable diamond-encircled jade button from the floor.


    "What? No!" Jason scowled in disgust. "That would be super ugly, Jared. The ps will bump up and pop at the seams. The fabric won''t lie t against her body."


    Jared shook his head as he unfastened her brassier from the front with a single flick of his finger. "At least it would save her clothes from heavy wear and tear."


    Jason shook his head. He was having a bit of trouble sliding her panties off. "Why didn''t we put a zipper on her underwear so it''s easier to take off?"


    With a curse, he finally hooked her panties off with a finger, dropped it to the floor and kicked it to the corner.


    "Who the hell puts zippers on silk panties? Are you an idiot?" Jared removed her bra and threw it into the corner to join the discarded panties.


    "And that''s how we have to keep recing those little lingerie pieces. You treat them with no respect whatsoever." Jason muttered.


    "I threw the bra next to the panties that you kicked into the corner so when we pick them up we can pick both up at the same time." Jared exined with impatience.


    "Oh who cares. I''ll make her a few hundred pieces of lingerie if I need to." Jason''s eyes grew heavy with passion as Candace''s breasts were released from their confines into his ready waiting hands.


    "Gentlemen." Candace chided,ughing at their back-and-forth. "For the next hour, you both need to control your bickering or I will throw both of you out and get some rest myself."


    "My lips are sealed." Jared raised a hand in solemn vow. "Except to kiss you, at which point I need to open my mouth. Only then will I open my mouth."


    "Not another sound from my lips." Jason promised. "Except if I feel too good and can''t help myself. Then I will moan and groan only. No words."


    Candace covered her face andughed as tears of mirth ran down her cheeks. How was it possible that even while she stood,pletely naked in front of them, they could still be bantering back and forth, throwing out jokes?


    "Looks like I have some work to do. You both are still fully dressed." Sheughed and began to yfully tugged at their shirts.


    They grinned and yanked the shirts over their heads, exposing two very well-built muscr frames.


    She reached out, touching each of their pecs, making smacking sounds with her lips in appreciation.


    "Hmmm. Stud muffins!" She eximed. "I need some butter."


    It would have been a huge turn on if it wasn''t for the fact that they knew she was doing it as a joke.


    It was all the twins could do not to crawl on the floorughing at her antics. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Theirughter abruptly ended when she began kissing their chests.


    Back and forth, from one man to the other, she touched and tongued both of them until they gasped for air.


    Her hands continued trailing down their bodies until she reached their trembling abs.


    With quick moves, she unbuttoned their trousers and slipped their well-tailored pants off their long legs.


    It didn''t take much to free theirrge hard veiny members from the constraints of their underwear until they were standing, stiff and proud at attention, pulsing and eagerly awaiting their mistress'' loving attention.

 Chapter 237 - Double Play

    n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    Now that the Avgo shards had been extracted, the twins were no longer so worried about having their aroused members touched and kissed.


    The three of them stood at the center of the room, among all the loose fallen clothing, touching each other with greedy hands.


    Or rather, she touched the twins and the twins touched her.


    Jason stood facing her. His warm soft shapely lips had covered her mouth. As his tongue thrust in between her lips, she quivered uncontrobly, surrendering herself to his kiss.


    "Hmmmm."


    He pushed his tongue deeper into her mouth, tasting, caressing, suckling. His hands were not idle, as he fondled and squeezed the plump softness of her breasts.


    Meanwhile, from behind, Jared was kissing her nape and trailing kisses down her back as his hands touched and squeezed her buttocks.


    "Oh my God, how did we get so lucky to have a dancer wife with a hot ass like this." Jared muttered thickly as he rubbed and pped her buttocks with a gentle hand.


    They began sandwiching her between their bodies and rubbed themselves on her in a seductive dance that tickled the core of her womanhood until she could barely stand.


    "I want to kiss you both." Candace smiled at them and gestured for them to move a bit closer to each other.


    Then she knelt on the floor in front of them so she was eye-level to their crotches.


    Their pale pink shafts stood out from feather pale green fronds of their pubic hair, hitting home to Candace that she truly was no longer even on Earth.


    These were part mermen she was married to and were making love to.


    Reaching out with both hands, she touched both of them at the same time, gently fondling and caressing their thick shafts.


    "Ooooohhh," Jason breathed and threw back his head.


    Touching her golden hair with hisrge sinewy hand, he held the back of her head as he guided her closer to his manhood.


    "Eat me, Love." Jared muttered huskily.


    She looked up at him as her mouth opened to take in the tip of his member.


    Jared returned her gaze with adoring soft brown eyes.


    As the tip of his shaft disappeared into her mouth, he closed his eyes and shuddered with pleasure.


    Even while her mouth was swallowing Jared''s hard member, her hand was busy fondling and touching Jason''s shaft.


    It only took a few minutes and Jason was demanding his kissing time.


    She pulled Jared out of her mouth and engulfed Jason''s member, giving him the same treatment she had given Jared.


    "Oooohhh," it was Jason''s turn to gasp and quiver with delight.


    A few minutes of licking and sucking both of them in turn and the men were dying to be inside her.


    "Get on the bed so we can pleasure you too." Jared waved a hand and Candace''s entire body lifted up from the ground.


    He levitated her onto the bed and then with a gentle thud, the twins joined her amongst the pillows and cushions.


    Jared lifted her up onto her hands and knees and kneeled between her legs. Leaning over, he began to lick and kiss her petals.


    She began to gush love juice, dripping onto the bed from all the y that his tongue was doing to her body.


    As he was kissing her, Jason took over the front end, kissing her mouth deeply with his own. Then, kneeling in front of her mouth, he pointed his stiff member at her lips.


    "Let me in, Love." Jason whispered.


    Candace smiled and reached for the base of his shaft. She moved her body forward and pushed his entire shaft into her mouth.


    Jason shuddered and inhaled sharply as he pulled her long hair back to better see her mouth take in his long thick manhood.


    From behind, Jared held his hard shaft and began gliding it


    to thrust his thick member into her body.


    It started off as an attempted synchronized thrusting, where Jason and Jared both thrusted into her at the same time and at the same speed and force.


    Within ten minutes, Jared had out sped Jason as he rammed through from behind, doing double time and then triple time as his passions began to go into overdrive.


    The difference was his unique position.


    Jared could not only see himself thrusting into Candace from behind, he could also see Jason''s hard member being swallowed whole into her mouth and he could see how it was affecting his brother.


    Jason was gritting his teeth and inhaling in sharp breaths as the pleasure of having his penis swallowed whole by his exquisite wife began to overwhelm his senses.


    This visually erotic, animalistic raw vision of Jason bing so sexually aroused caused Jared to be acutely inmed with desire. He was so excited that the skin around his nipples and his groins turned a deep pink.


    As he became more deeply aroused, Jared could not hold back the rapid thrusting of his hips. He began to turn into a machine, POWERING THROUGH and pounding into her with speed and force that caused her to mewl with need.


    This was the other reason why his unique vantage point was such a turn on for Jared. He knew that it was his shaft that was driving Candace''s pleasure center.


    "Feel good Baby? Hmmm?" Jared asked in between his own panting.


    "Mhhh, mhhh, mhhh!" Candace mumbled around Jason''s thick cock as her face scrunched up with desire.


    Jared''s rapid thrusting was hitting her G spot so repeatedly that she was quickly rising to the upper waves of climaxing.


    There was one other thing that Jared knew she enjoyed thoroughly. His wife loved getting pped.


    He reached out and pped Candace''s buttocks a couple of times.


    THWACK! THWACK!


    Candace''s pale buttocks immediately showed two red palm prints.


    It was so stark against her surrounding pale skin that for a moment, Jared was horrified that he had inadvertently hurt his wife.


    "Harder! p me harder!" Candace insisted.


    Jared gave a mental sigh of relief that she hadn''t been hurt by his ''spousal abuse'' and gave her a harder tap with his palm.


    THWACK!!!


    Thest p pushed her over the edge.


    Candace arched her head back and gasped.


    "Haaahhh-Aaahhh!!!"


    She wasing so hard, she could barely keep from sinking down onto the mattress.


    Jared reached down below her tummy and supported her until she could recover a bit, even as he continued pumping into her.

 Chapter 238 - Double Bite

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    Once she was sufficiently recovered from her orgasmic highs, she took Jason back into her mouth again.


    Over and over, they pumped themselves into her, muttering colorful obscenities that Candace barely understood. She could tell they were both so close to orgasm.


    She pulled Jason''s shaft from her mouth.


    "You both are getting close to climaxing but just like thest time we made love, neither of you turned into bats." She raised an eyebrow as she thought about that oddity.


    "Come to think of it, by this point, I have to remind your brothers to sheath their ws so they don''t scratch me. You twins don''t show any signs of inadvertently turning into bats at all."


    The twins gave each other knowing nces.


    There was a secret that they harbored which no one knew, and the twins had never divulged for fear of bacsh.


    They did not automatically turn into bats upon sexual release as all their other brothers did. They simply remained humans because out of all the brothers, the twins were triptych in nature.


    They were usually in their human default form but could turn into bats like all their brothers did.


    They could also turn into mermen when the need arises.


    "We just have better control than our brothers do." Jared responded, hoping Candace would simply ept it at face value and not question more deeply the reasons why.


    Candace nodded. To her, it didn''t matter at all. She merely wanted to tell them that when they transformed, she wanted them to bite her.


    When you do transform, bite me," Candace reminded them. "Both of you bite me at the same time if you can."


    "Why the same time? Would you be able to handle both of us at the same moment?" Jason asked.


    She gave a naughty grin. "I want to see what it feels like to have two vampires bite me at the same time."


    "Do you ept that we will be able to mind meld with you?" Jason asked onest time.


    "Yes. Bite me." She smiled and closed her eyes in anticipation.


    With a nod of assent, they both bared their teeth and grew their fangs until it was at the appropriate length to begin drawing blood.


    It was most definitely a very controlled transformation. There were no quivering wings and no ws that extruded. The only things that changed were their fangs.


    "If you''re ready for us, we''re going to bite now." Jared prompted again.


    "Do it." Candace nodded.


    With his penis still embedded within Candace, Jared leaned forward and began licking Candace''s left neck while Jason angled his neck downward and began nuzzling her right neck.


    Anesthetic fluids oozed out of their fangs as saliva flooded their mouths in anticipation of the love bite.


    With both left and right carotid arteries imed, they slowly and tenderly sank their fangs into the throbbing arteries that moved her life-giving blood up into her brain cavity, careful not to tear her skin too much.


    "Haaaah," Candace gasped as their fluids hit her blood stream, causing another orgasm to rise and swell within her.


    As one, both their fluids hit her body making her quiver with ecstasy. At the same time, her blood spurt out in hot metallic abundance for both of them to enjoy.


    Jared sucked in two mouthfuls of her sweet blood, feeling the euphoria of her blood entering his body along with the rhythmic contractions of her body as she convulsed and climaxed around his shaft.


    Jason drank with grateful reverence, a few gulps of her precious blood as he grasped his shaft and pumped with his hands until he could barely hang on.


    Between the two intensely erotic feelings, both Jared and Jason stroked themselves a few more desperate times before they both hit the climax point.


    "Aaaaaaarghhh!!!" The twins both grunted, arching their backs in ecstasy as Jared emptied himself inside her body while Jason squirted his semen onto her back.


    For a moment, there was nothing but the sounds of the twins'' panting.


    With a defeated groan, Jared fell to one side of Candace while Jason slid down onto her other side, breathing deeply.


    "You guys never grew wings and ws. You only grew fangs." Candace murmured with disbelief.


    Beside her, the twins stiffened. They didn''t realize she knew what blood bats reverted to when they lost control of their senses.


    Candace blinked with sudden recognition of something important. She couldn''t quite grasp what it was at the moment though.


    "If it wasn''t for the fact that I''ve seen three of your brothers have the exact same reaction, I would have never thought anything of it," she murmured to herself with wonder.


    "But Dante, te, and Lucas, all were struggling just to keep from slicing me open with their ws whereas you two just¡­powered through."


    "We''re all a bit different." Jason murmured, hoping she would not think too deeply about that.


    "Hmm. I''ll be the judge of that after I spend some time with Byron and Leonardo. If Leo is anything like Lucas, he will also struggle to keep his ws and wings from sprouting once he nears orgasm. I don''t know about Byron though."


    ''Do you really want to know?'' Jared whispered into her mind.


    ''Absolutely, but before you tell me, is it possible to have Jason join this mind meld?''


    ''Try.'' Jared suggested.


    ''Jason?'' She called out.


    ''Yes Darling?'' Jason asked.


    ''Can you mind meld with Jared?''


    ''I don''t know,'' he turned to her and kissed her face. ''I''ve never tried.''


    ''Jared. Can you hear Jason at all? He''s talking to me right now.''


    ''No. I can only hear you.'' Jared admitted.


    ''Let me test something.'' n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    She concentrated and tried to link their mind paths into a single tiny connection and then released a single thought into the tiny connection.


    "Raspberry pie." They both said out loud at the same time.


    "Oh good! You both can hear me at the exact moment I said that." She pped her hands in delight.


    "Okay, we just need to keep practicing until you both can talk to each other through me."

 Chapter 239 - [Bonus ] Mind Chatter

    It sounded much easier than it actually was. They continued to probe mentally through her for another hour until she finally begged them to stop.


    Then it was one more bath time before bed.


    They drew a very warm bath in therge jacuzzi and set the bubbles going.


    Then, she and the twinszed around and yed with the soap bubbles, making mounds of white froth on the tops of their heads and on their faces andughing with the joy of it all.


    They yed until they were all squeaky clean and the twins were satisfied that their fingers were sufficiently pruny and wrinkled before allowing Candace to step out of the bath.


    They dried each other with sts of magically created warm air and then tumbled into bed, wearing nothing but their happy grins.


    As rowdy as the twins were, Candace was expecting them to physically possess her again, as they had begun to show signs of bing hard and stiff as a result of lying naked under the covers with her, but bed time was a non-event.


    Nothing happened except for sleep.


    The twins jostled about until they found their perfect sleeping position¡ªright up against Candace and promptly began to breathe into her ears in a steady and rhythmic cadence.


    Towards early morning, she shifted her body and found herself pinned on both sides by their tworge bodies.


    Their continued even breathing was a soothing reassurance that her two precious men were safe and resting beside her.


    Their sleeping faces were ssically beautiful. Their long darkshes rested against their sculpted regal cheekbones. Their long green hair syed out like silky sea foam on therge cushioned pillows.


    In their sleep, they had wound their arms so tightly around her that she could barely move. As before, their legs were thrown over her body as if she was a body pillow.


    Her slight change in breathing tipped them off and their soft brown eyes slowly opened.


    "Hmmm. It''s still early. Did we wake you up?" Jason asked as he began kissing her corbone.


    "It was your snoring again." Jared turned his nose into her neck and inhaled the scent of her hair.


    "I don''t snore. That must have been you." Jason''s hands began wandering about, touching her body.


    "You can stop touching my hands now. I don''t roll that way." Jared sniffed as his own hands began rubbing her stomach.


    "Jason. Jared. I can''t¡ªI can''t move," she murmured with an indulgent smile.


    "Yeah, Jared. Ease up a bit on Tiny Dancer." Jason''s tongue began licking the pulse point between her cor bones.


    "Of course I will." Jared smiled and pulled her even closer to him as he began nibbling on her jawline.


    "You guys. It''s too hot with you both right up against me." She kicked out at both of their legs in a yful futile manner.


    "Hahaha. Okay, we''ll give you a bit of space." They bothughed and moved away from her, giving her about six inches of space between each of them.


    "While you were sleeping, we thought about the possible reasons why we still can''t talk to each other even though we can talk to you." Jason mumbled from her left side.


    "That''s right. We want to try again. Can you link us back up?" Jared whispered from her right side.


    "Hmmm." She yawned. "Let me set up another mental space inside my mind."


    Once again, Candace linked to the two of them within her mind. This time, because she was half-asleep, she missed connecting with thempletely.


    ''Candi Baby.'' One of them called out to her.


    ''Hmm?'' She jerked awake. She had identally fallen asleep while trying to maintain the connection.


    ''Did you hear what we said?''


    ''Not¡ªnot really, I think I fell asleep.''


    Jasonughed. ''Let''s try again, shall we?''


    ''We need to. We can''t verify if it worked or not without her input.'' Jared chuckled.


    "Wait a minute." Candace spoke out loud. "I heard the both of you talking to each other inside my head."


    ''BINGO!'' They bothughed excitedly. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''So we''ve figured it out darling. Once you ept our mental links, loosen up and don''t establish such a tight connection so we have enough leeway to be able to connect to whoever else is in the mind space you''ve created. Does that make sense?''


    Candace rubbed her eyes tiredly.


    ''I guess.'' She yawned again. ''We need an external test. Let me get someone else into the mind space and see if they can talk with you.''


    Casting about, Candace found te still up and alert enough to pick up on her call.


    ''What is it Baby Girl? Is everything okay?'' te asked with some rm.


    ''Rx Brother.'' Jared spoke up. ''We''re testing this to see if we can use Candace''s link to have mental group chats.''


    ''Who''s this?'' te asked.


    ''It''s me Jared.''


    ''I''m Jason. I''m also here.'' Jason spoke up inside her mind.


    ''And Candace?''


    ''Right here, Love.'' She responded with another loud yawn.


    She was starting to fall asleep again as the three brothers chattered back and forth about things that didn''t quite make sense to her sleepy brains.


    Towards morning, she was once again awakened by one of the twins, asking her if she could contact the rest of the men.


    She found Dante, Lucas, and Byron, all receptive to her contact so she pulled them into the mental space that was still being upied by the twins and te.


    Then, while they chattered quietly to each other, she snuggled back under the covers and went back to sleep.


    Interestingly enough, their quiet mental chatter didn''t bother her at all. It was almost like having a radio or television talk show running in the background while she slept.


    She didn''t have to understand who was saying what. It was just ambient white noise to her if she didn''t focus in on their conversation.


    By the time she woke up the third time, the twins were no longer lying next to her, but she could still hear their voices chattering inside her mind.


    ''Where are you?'' She called out.

 Chapter 240 - [Bonus ] Ragamuffin In Designer Clothing

    ''Candi Baby!'' Jared''s voice called out. ''We''re in the exercise room, lifting weights. We couldn''t sleep any more so we thought we''d give you a bit of peace and quiet.''


    ''Yeah. We tried to talk softly. Did we make too much noise?''


    ''No. I slept just fine, but I could use some breakfast.''


    ''Haha. Baby''s hungry.'' Jasonughed. ''Get dressed and meet us in the dining room. There should be breakfast ready for us.''


    Jared interjected. ''After breakfast, we have to meet up with a couple of delegates, one from pirate space and the other from dragon space.''


    ''Are we in Dragon space already?''


    ''We barely crossed over from pirate space, into dragon space, but yes. We''re actually very close to meeting up with Mother Gwen."


    Candace quickly washed up and threw on whatever random bits of clothing she could find that the twins had provided for her.


    As she made her way to the breakfast room, she could hear teing back into her mind and chatting with the twins yet again about his mother.


    ''You''re able to reconnect to the twins even though you left the conversation?'' She asked with surprise as she entered the dining room.


    ''Apparently, the link remains until you close up the mind space.'' teughed.


    ''That''s right.'' Dante poked in. ''As long as this unique mind space continues to be opened, any one of us can wander back in if we have time.''


    ''I''m here too, Love.'' Byron spoke up.


    ''Oh wow.'' Sheughed. ''Everyone''s here.''


    ''Everyone except Leo.'' Lucas chuffed. ''He''s the unfortunate one who has been left out of the conversation due to the fact that he hasn''t turned in his Avgo shard to you yet.''


    ''That is unfortunate. I will meet up with him and quickly take care of that so all you brothers can talk through this mental space without having to go through other less secure channels ofmunication.''


    "Candace!" Jared met her at the dining room entrance. He leaned over and kissed her before leaning back and looking at what she wore.


    "Why are you just throwing odds and ends together and looking like a ragamuffin, even in my designer outfits, hmm?"


    He grumbled under his breath as he hooked her arm with his and led her to the dining table where Jason was already pouring a fresh cup of hot coffee for her.


    As his gaze turned to Candace, he winced with pain.


    "Darling, how can such a beautiful woman have such poor style?" He looked her up and down. "Can''t you see that you''re wearing a sky blue tunic, over orange desert tights, with a pair of fuchsia mules?"


    He nced at her jewelry choice. "At least your gold bangles don''t sh with your rose gold ne¡ªtoo badly." He trailed away with a heavy sigh.


    Candaceughed. "I just dug into the clothes you brought for me and grabbed somefortable stuff. It''s not like we''re going to meet anyone."


    "Wrong. Wrong!" Jared groaned and covered his face. "I told you we would be meeting up with the pirate delegates after breakfast. I should have said thirty minutes."


    "Thirty minutes?" She gasped.


    "That''s right. We only have about thirty minutes to feed you before the first of the delegates board the ship."


    She looked down at her colorful clothes. "Well at least I''m fully clothed."


    She startedughing again as the twins looked at each other with pained expressions. They gave unspoken signals to each other and nods of agreements.


    As Jason took care of her feeding needs, Jared took off at a run. Within ten minutes, he had returned with apletely different outfit in his hands.


    While Candace finished her toast and marmde jam, he began undressing her with professional swiftness.


    Gone was the lover, undressing his wife with eagerness. This man was on a professional fashion mission!


    Within ten minutes, Candace emerged as a polished diamond, sparkling like a rare gem.


    Her white sheath dress was beaded with white pearls of varying sizes, trimmed with touches of ice blue embroidery.


    It looked demure and gentle, yet gave off definite vibes of ''hands off our woman'' with a wide dark blue choker made of some deep matte stone.


    On her fingers was arge dark blue sapphire alongside a seven piece set of stacker rings, one for each man in her life.


    "That was a good find, Jason." Jared inclined his head at the choker ne. "I have never seenpiszuli that beautiful before."


    "Only the best for my wife."


    "Andst but not least," Jared knelt down and ced a pair of white shoes on her feet. Then he stood up, looking at her up and down.


    "We don''t have time to paint your face, but you are a natural beauty. All you need to do is smile and you take our breath away."


    "She doesn''t even need to smile. She takes my breath away no matter what she does." Jason murmured gently as he finished brushing her hair and setting into ce a hair clip with a blue butterfly made of glittering sapphires of varying shades of blue.


    "Now we are ready to meet with the first of the delegate team. These delegates are from pirate space."


    =============


    With her hands in a gentle sp at each of the twins'' elbows, Candace made her way to the parlor room.


    The delegates, a man and two women, were already seated at the couches near therge deep space viewing window.


    They stood up when she and the twins entered the room.


    The man bowed deeply and the young women curtsied.


    "Crown Princess Candace." He bowed to her. "Princes Jason and Jared." He bowed again. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "I''m sorry, we didn''t quite catch your names." Jason inquired.


    "I am Baron Hughbert and these are my two daughters, Ophelia and Ingrid."


    The two young women gave shy smiles and looked down at their soft frail hands. They were quite pretty, with dark brown hair and striking pale blue eyes.


    "Good to meet you. Please have a seat." Jared indicated at the seats they had just risen from.


    As the attendants came and went with tea service, the Baron began talking about his two daughters in glowing terms.


    "Ophelia is a very good singer and songstress. Perhapster, she can entertain everyone with a few songs that she wrote." He beamed with pride at his first daughter.


    "Ingrid is an athlete. She is a sharpshooter with a bow and arrow and is a first rate martial artist. She can also do some demonstrations of her abilities, if there is time." He looked at his second daughter.


    Jason and Jared nodded, not quite sure what the point was.


    Candace turned and looked at the girls.


    "How old are they?"


    The Baron beamed proudly. "Ophelia is twenty-four and Ingrid is twenty-three."


    "Oh they are both not much older than me." Candace grinned.


    "That is a good thing, if they should turn out to be your sisters-inw.." Baron Hughbert chuckled.

 Chapter 247 - The Raptor 104

    As the transport pod carrying the precious green-haired twins moved away from the Raptor 650, the ck Vulture stood waiting with its hangar wide open, like ck maws, waiting to swallow whole, the transport pod.


    On the Raptor 650, the Emperor was pacing back and forth. His repeated tries to contact his sons had been blocked by the pirates who had jammed all theirmunications.


    The only person who could get through to his own ship was S¨¹ren, and only because Altan was still maintaining dragon contact with the Raptor 650.


    Unfortunately, since all frequencies ofmunication were monitored by the pirates, there was no way for S¨¹ren to st outmands to do much of anything.


    All he could do was tell them to maintain status quo, in hopes that he could bring them in as backup to whatever forces that could break through the blockade that had surrounded them.


    Duke Erden stood with his hand around Gwendolyn''s waist, not saying much. The tall thin woman was ethereal, as a queen should be.


    She and the tiny blonde Crown Princess Candace were troopers! They were women, and yet, nothing fazed them! Even the little fifteen-year-old Princess stood defiant and unafraid next to S¨¹ren.


    He was proud of them all. That was how the leading women of the gxy faced challenges. Defiant and unafraid.


    The Duke''s eyes shifted back and forth, taking it all in. He had tried surreptitiously to contact his people, but it was also a futile effort. The pirates had jammed hismunications with his people as well.


    His men were all waiting on the Dragon w, thinking all was well on the Raptor 650. All the pirate ships surrounding the cruise ship should have tipped them off, but there was also the Emperor and the dragon King S¨¹ren onboard.


    Who would dare do such a silly thing as threaten the both of them?


    Who indeed.


    Meanwhile, Candace stood frozen in her spot, intensely listening in on the dry and precisemands and orders that te and Dante were throwing out at their men. No wonder they could rule such a vast entity like the gxy. They were like well-oiled war machines!


    ''Hang in there Baby Girl,'' te murmured at Candace. ''We got you covered.''


    ''They dare threaten my wife¡­" Dante snarled. ''They are obviously tired of living.''


    ''You men do what you must. Don''t worry about me.'' She reassured them. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    ''Don''t worry. You got Erenveil forcesing in thirty-two minutes.'' te intoned with surety.


    He was counting down every minute that was passing by with the cold calcting part of his brain that never forgot and never forgave.


    It kept time along with the passionate bleeding part of his brain that missed his wife so much, he continued to keep the channel within her mind open so he could hear the sound of her heart beating and the rhythm of her breathing.


    The Princes of Erenveil had been the general peace keeping forces throughout the gxy for so long that the gxy forgot something intrinsic about them.


    They weren''t called the Dark Princes of the Shadow Realm for nothing. They had once been the stuff of nightmares. They were the demonic visions that men of ancient past drew on cave walls and spoke of within their nightmares.


    The images of their ck leathery bat wings soaring through the deep dark night, of theirrge razor sharp fangs sinking into the throats of the unsuspecting victims¡­all these were very real.


    They were about to get a taste of how real the Dark Demons of Erenveil were.


    "Open up! Here wee!" Jared yelled into the microphone at the ck Vulture.


    With a whoosh, the transport pod flew in through the open face of the ck Vulture and the maw closed in on itself.


    Once inside, the twins exited the craft without fear.


    A dozen men were waiting for them, with stun weapons drawn.


    Jason and Jared held up their hands and smiled.


    "We''re the Erenveil Princes who are supposed to be marrying your twodies." Jason grinned. "Do you really want to shoot at us?"


    Jared snickered. "If you damage even a little bit, our beautiful male bodies, those two lovelydies are going to kill you."


    The leader of the group inclined his head.


    "Princes. This way please." He turned and led the way, striding through the hallways of the ck Vulture with surety.


    The twins followed the leader, with the remaining eleven following behind them.


    ''Will you take a look at this,'' Jaredughed as he chattered through their shared mind space. ''Thisyout looks just like one of our ships.''


    ''That''s because it is.'' Jason sneered. ''This is one of our older Raptor models.''


    He checked something on his wrist. ''It''s the Raptor 104.''


    Dante sniffed. ''Raptor 104 and Raptor 189 were stolen many years back from one of the raids that happened early on.''


    ''Well then I guess this makes it easy for us, doesn''t it?'' Jaredughed. ''All we need are themand codes. This ship should still be able to recognize its basemands.''


    Danteughed. ''I can give you five minutes of darkness. What you do with that five minutes will determine whether you are worthy of being considered my brothers.''


    Jared sneered. ''We only need one minute.''


    ''Five minutes.'' Dante announced. ''Starting in five, four, three, two, one¡­''


    DARKNESS.


    The onboard lights blinked out instantaneously across the entire ship.


    There was the sound of scuffles and grunts as men went down thudding onto the ship floor.


    Two minutester, a tiny magic light glowed from one of the twins'' fingertips. The twins were both standing upright while a dozen meny prostrate on the floor at their feet.


    ''We got them all.'' Jason breathed a sigh of relief.


    Jared reached out with a finger and fired a pulse of energy at one man who was struggling to rise from the floor.


    ''Now we got them all.'' He sniffed.


    ''Go to the lower engineering deck.'' te took over.


    The twins nodded and began running for the engineering deck. Theyout of the series that started at 100 to 199 were all the same. This ship should be no different.


    The ship was a multi-storied sprawling mega-plex of rooms and halls, but the twins were no mere decorative royal members. They had spent countless years decorating and designing the ships'' living spaces.


    In no time t, they had found themselves within the bowels of the engineeringplex.


    ''We''re in Engineering.'' Jared informed the brothers. He looked around at the almost empty space.


    ''There''s hardly anyone on themand deck.''


    ''Running the ship is mostly automated.'' Danteughed. ''It''s not the dark ages where you need someone to babysit theputers.''


    ''I think I see one guy at the mainputer console.'' Jason said.


    ''Good.'' te answered. ''The ship has most likely been re-engineered, its codes redesigned many times over, but as long as we can gain ess to the physicalmand console, we should be able tomandeer it from there.''


    ''We''re here.'' Jason shot a pulse of energy at the sole engineer who was sitting at the console. ''And we have ess to the ship''s systems console.''


    ''Good.'' te said. "First thing you do is change the root password to something we know.''


    ''I''ll use babycandace all one word.'' Jared said as his fingers danced across the old-fashioned keyboard.


    ''That''s fine,'' te said. ''Disable all ounts so no one else can get in.''


    ''Done.'' Jared said.


    ''Okay. Sit back and rx for about thirty minutes. One of my men have taken over with remote ess and we will be driving that baby for now.''


    ''That''s it?'' Jason asked, crestfallen. ''That''s all the excitement we get?''


    ''That''s it. You guys did good.'' te chuckled.. ''Just sit back and chill.''

 Chapter 248 - Slates Corridor

    True to te''s word, within thirty minutes, there appeared hundreds of Erenveil warships on the horizon. They had sted across pirate space, taking over control of the corridor that linked dragon space to Erenveil.


    Within this corridor, on the Erenveil Prime Warrior''s Command, a permanent patrol station was established that did nothing but fly back and forth between the two dragon-bat spaces.


    On the Raptor 104, Baron Hughbert howled in frustration.


    "What do you mean you can''t get this rust bucket to do what you tell it to? Who''s driving the ship?"


    The captain of the ship shrugged.


    "We don''t know, Your Grace. It seems to be driving itself, most likely remotely controlled."


    "Where is the ship''s engineer?"


    "Sir, I''ve tried to contact the ship''s engineer. It looks as if he is dead."


    "How did he die? Did he choke on some food or trip and hit his head?"


    "No, Your Grace. He was shot by a bolt of energy that disrupted his body''s electrical system. It stopped his heart."


    Baron Hughbert''s face paled.


    "Where are the twins? They came onboard. Where are they?"


    "Sir." Another officer came running onto the Command Deck. "The twelve guards that were sent to escort the twin Princes, they''re all dead."


    Baron Hughbert mmed his hands onto the deck console.


    "Find the twins!!!" He hollered.


    As his men ran off to do his bidding, Baron Hughbert''s face scrunched up into a fearful twist.


    "Get me in touch with all the pirate ships'' captains."


    "Yes, Your Grace."


    Ten minutester, Baron Hughbert sank down onto his chair.


    Half the ships that were floating around in the space around the Raptor 650 had been disabled remotely in the same manner as his own ship had been.


    The remaining ships had been quietly infiltrated by Duke Erden''s men and had been taken over, lock stock and barrel.


    Above his head, the visuals came to life. Three faces appeared from three different screens, but they were simr enough that Baron Hughbert knew they were rted.


    "Baron Hughbert," the first man called out. He had long raven hair and bright blue eyes¡ªthe Erenveil Prime Warrior.


    "Prince¡ªPrince te." Baron Hughbertughed nervously.


    "I hear you have been trying to bully my family." te stared at him with dangerous intent.


    "Yes. My two little brothers are on your ship, fighting for their lives." Prince Dante raised an eyebrow. "What have you done to them?"


    "Going against the directives of the Pirate King. You have some nerve." Prince Byron interjected.


    "The Pirate King gave me jurisdiction of this area!!!" Baron Hughbert sputtered.


    "Did I now?" A fourth face appeared. It was Mattheus Cordera.


    "I specifically told you that the Emperor was going to take a trip through your space to visit family members within dragon space."


    He narrowed his eyes.


    "What did I say, Baron Hughbert? I told you to leave the Emperor''s family alone."


    Baron Hughbert took a deep breath.


    What could he say at this point? He''d been caught, and all because he had thought the space he upied was far-flung enough so that he could do things which the Pirate King could not oversee.


    The Pirate King Mattheus Cordera was now clicking his tongue and shaking his head.


    "Tch. Tch. Unfortunately, since you have done this much damage, there is no recourse other than to cede that entire corridor over to the Erenveilian forces so their people can travel through to dragon space without undue harassment."


    Mattheus Cordera''s face twisted into an evil macabre smile.


    "Do you know what I do to those who disobey a direct order from me?"


    Baron Hughbert shivered uncontrobly.


    "But that''s not what''s worse, Hughbert." Mattheus Cordera waggled a finger.


    "What''s worse was that I had to hand over to the Erenveil Prime Warrior, Prince te, the ENTIRE corridor of space between Erenveil and Avalia as justpensation for the stunt that you just pulled."


    Mattheus Cordera leaned forward, his piercing green eyes full of evil intent.


    "The pirates just lost a huge stretch of extremely valuable real estate space, and it''s all because of YOU. Do you know what happens to those who cause such disastrous losses?"


    A sudden acrid smell rose up as a dark yellow liquid rushed out from themand console seat where Baron Hughbert sat.


    The officers standing around him looked stoic. They wanted to wrinkle their nose in distaste but warrior training dictated they do nothing.


    Mattheus'' hand rose up. He snapped his fingers once.


    From all sides, forces streamed into the Command Deck of the Raptor 104 and hauled Baron Hughbert away. He was so scared, he couldn''t even struggle as his feet dragged his puddle of urine in two long stretches towards the entrance.


    "Ugh. That''s so disgusting!" A voice called out by the entryway.


    It was Jason, the Fourth Prince of Erenveil. He walked into the room with an indifferent stride alongside his twin.


    "Someone clean that up for me. Chop, chop. Hurry it up!" Jason pped his hands a couple of times.


    Jared, the Fifth Prince of Erenveil stood at the Command Deck with his arms akimbo, staring at the wet fluids on the floor.


    "Phew! Make sure you guys use some nice air deodorant too. It stinks in here!"


    "Jason, Jared." Mattheus greeted them from the still-opened visuals monitor.


    "Cousin!" Jason waved a hand. "What took you so long? We were frightened to death by this miscreant you just took away!"


    "Yeah. We almost had to marry his daughters! That''s what was so scary!" Jared shivered.


    Dante and teughed.


    "How is Mother?" te asked.


    "She''s doing well." Jason smiled.


    "Yes." Jared agreed. "She looks quite happy with her new man, the Grand Duke Erden."


    "And Lyra?" Dante asked. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "She''s the same little sassy girl we know and love. Only this time, she''s got a new person to bully around." Jaredughed.


    "Crown Prince S¨¹ren?" Mattheus asked.


    Jason shook his head. "No. It''s now King S¨¹ren. He just deposed his father and has taken over the throne."


    Matthew Cordera raised an eyebrow.


    "I wasn''t expecting it so soon although I''m d that has finally happened. The dragons deserve a better king than Batsaikhan."


    "Speaking of which," Jared shook his head. "We still have to deal with that asinine Grand Duke Abberbie, the one who instigated all of this to begin with."


    Mattheus Cordera shook his head.


    "I''m afraid that''s beyond my purview since he''s a dragon. I''ve done as much as I can from where I stand."


    "You''ve been very helpful Cousin."


    "I hope this is good enough," Mattheus Cordera sniffed. "te has been kicking my ass about the time on Emporia and this was the onlypensation I could get him to ept so I can get him off my back for kidnapping him."


    te growled deep in his chest, a sound that vibrated so loudly everyone felt chills run down their spines.


    "Why the hell did you do that though, Man?" Jared asked.


    "I needed to bring attention to the old mer king, Mortimer Cordera so I could use Erenveil forces to get rid of him. I sent te back, didn''t I?"


    "You nearly killed him!" Jason spat. "You nearly killed Candace too."


    "That was not my intention and I am sorry about that." Mattheus grimaced. "I took care of those who tried to hurt te and Candace. They are no longer even on this side of reality."


    "You still owe Candace for putting her through all that." Jared narrowed his eyes.


    "I offered myself as payback, but s¡­" Mattheus sighed. "She rejected me."


    "Don''t even think about our wife in that way." Jason warned. "She''s too far above you."


    "Oh believe me, I know." Mattheus shivered. "That woman scares me."


    "So now this corridor between Erenveil and Avalia belongs to te?" Dante asked, his green eyes twinkling with appreciation.


    Mattheus Cordera nodded.


    "Yes."

 Chapter 249 - The Grand Duke Abberbie

    At that very moment, the Grand Duke Abberbie was sitting on his small fishing vessel in the middle of the small lotus pond at the center of his pce.


    His wife had always thought it odd that he enjoyed fishing the tpia that the gardeners released into the ornamental pond in the middle of the huge inner courtyard.


    Shouldn''t a person at least go to a realke and catch real fish, as opposed to sitting on a tiny little thing norger than a small canoe and waste time catching fish that was released into the pond that morning just for his fishing pleasure?


    And if a person truly insisted on catching fish in that ornamental pond, wouldn''t standing on the foot bridge be easier than sitting in a tiny boat?


    The Grand Duke Abberbie did not care what his wife thought. At the crack of dawn, he had paddled out to the middle of that lotus pond and let down the line from his small bamboo pole.


    For all intents and purposes, he looked like amon fisherman, wearing the rough brown fisherman garb. On his head was arge conical hat, and on his feet, watertight ck boots. In the round covered bowl at his foot was a small number of tpia fish that he had just caught that morning.


    It was now mid-morning. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The puffy clouds were white. Butterflies fluttered and dragonflies swooped.


    Oh look. He had caught another small tpia. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    By the gazebo, Duke Abberbie''s advisors were standing around waiting for him to return from his fishing expedition. They needed to talk with him about very important situations that had just transpired, but nobody dared intrude on his fishing activity.


    What they realized, and that the Duke''s wife did not, was that Duke Abberbie only went fishing when he needed to get away from everyone and just be by himself.


    Leaving the duchy pce was not something that he could do on a whim, but taking himself away from all interruptions for the morning was very doable.


    By noon, he put his pole down and paddled back to shore. It was time to see what, if anything, had happened while he was ''gone''.


    "Your Grace!" His minions came running as he stepped off the tiny boat.


    He handed his pole to one of the advisors and the bowl full of fish to the other and began striding away.


    Both of the advisors were elegantly dressed in their finest court garb and did not want to get fish-tainted pond water on their clothing, but they had no choice.


    They took the fish and the pole with ginger hesitant fingers and ran after him as he walked away from them.


    "Your Grace, King S¨¹ren has arrested Baron Hughbert on charges of insurrection and carrying out a coup, not just against him but also against the Emperor of Erenveil."


    "And what does that have to do with me?"


    "Your Grace, Prince Altan has implicated you."


    "Oh he has, has he?" Duke Abberbie snorted. "And what did he say, not that he has anything to back it up."


    "He said you told him that you would provide the necessary military power to remove King S¨¹ren from power and ce him on the throne."


    "Oh he did, did he? And what has happened to him?"


    "Sir, Prince Altan has now been ced on house arrest."


    "Hmmm. A pity he''s such a sniveling idiot. Why would I ce an idiot on the throne? The only one who is worthy of the throne is S¨¹ren, but he''s an even greater idiot for having rejected my daughter."


    His precious perfect daughter, the one who had been groomed since birth to be the Dragon Queen.


    It was almost a done deal.


    They were already engaged to be married within the year¡ªand the Prince had to return from a wild hare joy ride with an Imperial Princess in tow, proiming her as his new bride.


    Duke Abberbie had insisted King Batsaikhan intervene and when that didn''t go as nned, he had engaged Baron Hughbert with promises of suitable marriage candidates for his daughters.


    Who would not want their children to be Imperial Princesses, married to handsome Princes from the capital world of Erenveil? It would have brought legitimacy to the Baron''s pirate status if the twin Princes had been amenable.


    But who was he kidding?


    Why would two wealthy important Imperial Princes agree to marry some nobody girls from some backwater world in the middle of nowhere?


    Of course Duke Abberbie knew the twin Princes would not agree, but that wasn''t the point. The point was dangling that carrot in front of the Baron to get him to do what the Duke wanted him to do.


    Prince Altan had also fallen for that marriage trap, hook, line, and sinker. With the beautiful Princess Lyra so close to reach, Altan was an easy prey. If S¨¹ren took him down for insurrection, it would be one less thing the Duke had to do.


    Duke Abberbie had been very careful to leave nothing that would lead any merest hint of negative bacsh back to him.


    He would simply sit back and watch what happened. S¨¹ren couldn''t do anything to him anyway. The Duke held in his hand over fifty percent of all the military power of Avalia.


    It would be the heigh of idiocy to fight against him, and S¨¹ren was no idiot. The dragons would weaken to the point where the pirates would take over, and nobody wanted that.


    "Honey! Honey!" The Duke''s wife Minata ran out in a panic as he wasing towards the doorway.


    Her blue-violet hair was a huge mess and her makeup was smeared from the tears that were streaming down her face.


    Duke Abberbie held out his hand.


    "Calm down Minata. Tell me in a few words what the problem is."


    Minata panted. "Sharina has been taken!"


    "What???" Duke Abberbie roared. "By whom???"


    "Prince¡ªKing S¨¹ren! He''s charged her with attempted regicide!"


    Duke Abberbie stood still, shocked to the core of his being.


    Regicide was the murder of, or an attempt to murder the king. On what grounds was S¨¹ren able to charge a simple girl like Sharina with that?


    Suddenly, Duke Abberbie slumped to the ground.


    The aphrodisiac he had given Sharina to make sure S¨¹ren impregnate her had mixed with the powerful anesthesia that King Batsaikhan had given his own son to produce such a terriblebined effect that it had almost killed S¨¹ren.


    There were doctors on hand who could vouch for the efficacy of thebined drugs on S¨¹ren. It was what had sent King Batsaikhan to the dungeon and it was what would send Sharina there as well.


    Regicide only had one oue to the guilty parties.


    Death.


    Duke Abberbie tore off his clothing and ran for his bedroom.


    "Where is my court clothing. I need to go see King S¨¹ren immediately!"


    The advisors ran after him. "Sir. King S¨¹ren is not seeing anyone at the moment. He''s not even at the pce!"


    "Where is he?" Duke Abberbie turned to his advisors with blood in his eyes.


    "He is with his fianc¨¦e''s family onboard the cruise ship Raptor 650, Sir."


    "Call him!" Duke Abberbie howled.


    "Sir, we are trying." The advisors responded. "He is not responding."


    "Call his advisors!"


    "Sir, his advisors are responding but all they can say is that he will be out for several weeks to prepare for his coronation."


    "What about my daughter???"


    "Sir, she is ted to be executed within three days for the crime of regicide."

 Chapter 253 - An Executive Order

    She took a deep breath and began recounting her tale.


    "I went with Duke Erden''s men to rescue S¨¹ren because he had been kidnapped and held at Duke Abberbie''s pce, specifically, inside Sharina''s bedroom."


    A gasp rose up from the various Advisors who were in the room. Apparently, most of them had not been briefed on exactly what had transpired.


    "And what happened when you came into the room?" S¨¹ren prompted.


    Lyra pursed her lips in disgust.


    "I had gone with the Duke''s Number Two and Number Three men who took me straight to Sharina''s bedroom. By the time we reached the doorway, I could hear S¨¹ren howling and yelling out curses."


    "What exactly did he say?" One of the Advisors wanted to know.


    Lyra sighed. "I heard him say things like, ''get away from me bitch or I swear I will kill you!''." Lyra bared her fangs. "He was awake and aware that he was being attacked."


    "And then what happened, Darling?" S¨¹ren asked.


    "The two men who were with me kicked the door in and then I ran in." Her eyes were wide and troubled.


    "S¨¹ren was lying on the bed with his hands tied above his head, like this." She demonstrated, raising her arms above her head, wrists together. "His legs were spread wide open, each ankle tied to a bed post. He didn''t have much clothing on."


    The Advisors cringed with distaste as they looked at each other. This was obviously far worse than they had been led to believe.


    Lyra''s blue eyes began to tear up. The memory was obviously distressing her.


    "S¨¹ren had tried to morph into his dragon self to escape his bonds but his arms had been tied so tight that it obstructed his wings from emerging. It must have been so very painful¡­" Tears began streaming down her face.


    She was a winged being too. She understood the pain of a partially extruded pair of wings.


    "It was obvious to me that he was drugged with something that was torturing him." She covered her mouth for a moment, reliving the moment. "His eyes were wild with pain and he was screaming and cursing at her."


    "Her?" One of the Advisors asked.


    "The brown hair girl named Sharina." Lyra snarled. "She was pulling off her clothes and getting ready to climb onto S¨¹ren''s body."


    "What???" The Advisors turned to her with horror-stricken eyes.


    "Are you all hard-of-hearing?" Lyra snarled. "That girl''s intent was very clear. She was going to force him to have sex with her!"


    Lyra''s blue eyes red red.


    "As soon as I saw that, I ran into the room, morphed into a bat and whacked Sharina''s head with my w to get her off S¨¹ren."


    A collective gasp was heard around the room. They could see this young girl doing such a deed.


    S¨¹ren''s eyes misted. The more she talked, the deeper in love he fell. This was a woman who would have his back in all situations. Indeed, she had proven this over and over again.


    "I grabbed her hair and yanked her backwards, telling her to get off my man. Then I dragged her off his body and onto the floor and started beating the shit out of her." Lyra snarled.


    "And then?" One of the Advisors prompted.


    He could hardly believe this, but if there were two other men in the room with the young Princess Lyra, then it would all check out.


    "Meanwhile, Duke Erden''s men had untied S¨¹ren and were half-carrying him out. I didn''t manage to do much more than that because I had to leave with S¨¹ren and the men."


    Her eyes shot deadly sparks.


    "Otherwise, she would have been dead."


    S¨¹ren waved his hand and her visuals flipped back to face him.


    "Thank you Darling. That was what I needed from you. I''m going to let you go now so I can finish this meeting."


    "Okay." She smiled at him sweetly and threw out her hand to disconnect.


    S¨¹ren turned back to the Advisors.


    "I understand what you are telling me, Advisors." He sighed and stood up. "Amander who is so arrogant as to throw away his own men''s lives over trivialities would not be inmand for long."


    "In this situation, however, it is abundantly clear and has been witnessed by at least three people that an attempt had been made on my life."


    "Aside from the fact that the drugs had nearly killed me, which the physicians can vouch for, I had also been nearly sexually assaulted by Sharina."


    The Advisors frowned and looked down at their hands.


    "R*pews have been on the books for a very long time, but it always applies to women, never to men." He pounded his fists onto the conference table.


    BAAM!!!


    "I am here to tell you that it absolutely does happen to men! I demand the same justice that women who have been sexually assaulted receive."


    The Advisors mumbled amongst themselves.


    "Your Majesty," one of them finally turned back to him. "This is something that we are unable to determine amongst ourselves, as it is not within the purview of the courts."


    S¨¹ren stared at the man, saying nothing.


    "The death order was not an execution by trial." The man continued in his monotone.


    "This was an executive order by the sitting monarch, therefore the gathering of the Advisors'' signatures would not apply in this case. We will be taking our leave at this time."


    They all stood up, bowed once at S¨¹ren, and one-by-one, winked out of the 3D meeting.


    "Isn''t that what I said at the start of the meeting?" S¨¹ren said through gritted teeth at Arden.


    The Duke chuckled. "It takes a girl to fight against a girl. Nobody could resist the crying blue eyes of the beautiful young woman you''ve promised yourself to."


    "We''ve managed to convince the Advisors. We still have to deal with the military forces that Duke Abberbie wields."


    Duke Erden shook his head.


    "I''m not saying this because I want to take advantage of the situation, but have you thought of the fact that your betrothed is the younger sister of Erenveil''s Prime Warrior?"


    S¨¹ren looked over at his uncle. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "I''m not a man who hides behind his woman."


    "That''s not what I''m saying." Erden shook his head. "You may not be hiding behind her skirts, but her brother te already knows the situation."


    "Whether or not he thinks of you as a suitable marriage partner for his sister is besides the point. The point is, her mother is going to be my wife, and she will be here."


    "Lyra¡ª"


    "Lyra will remain here with her mother. She has already spoken of her decision to stay with her mother."


    "Be that as it may, I''m not going to ask the Erenveil Prime Warrior to help me fight a civil war just to keep my throne intact." S¨¹ren heaved a sigh.


    Erden shook his head. "te''s mother and sister are in Avalia. Do you honestly think he will sit back and watch while all around them, a sea of battle ensues?"


    S¨¹ren shook his head.


    Duke Erden smiled. "There is also another woman you have to consider."


    S¨¹ren turned a questioning nce at his great uncle.


    "The Crown Princess Candace Farrah is also here. Do you know how important she is?"


    S¨¹ren nodded. Of course he knew. The woman was famous.


    "While she is still in dragon space, Abberbie will not be stupid enough to start anything. However, I can guarantee you that before dawn tomorrow, something will happen."


    S¨¹ren nodded.


    Sharina was, at the moment, the most heavily guarded prisoner in the Avalian dungeon. Dawn was the appointed time that Sharina would be executed.


    Whatever happened would ur in the hours right before dawn.

 Chapter 254 - The Last Stand

    Midnight blew across the darkened spires of Avalia''s Dragon Pce, swirling the fireflies around the fragrantvender and rosemary meadows.


    Thergest of the three moons, a pinkish gold sphere, shone weakly onto the rugged ins below. Tendrils of hazy wispy clouds hovered over its face, obscuring some of its details.


    The medium-sized greenish moon was a bit paler, less obtrusive, but it did give out a decent amount of light. It hung high on the horizon, next to the tiny blue moon that gave out the least amount of light.


    Three full moons. There would be very little cover for any covert operation.


    High atop one of the watch towers, a single solitary man stood watch. Stray wisps of his hair blew across his face with the murmuring gusty winds.


    His eyes were alert, his senses humming. He had been standing on high alert for hours now but he continued his vigil without cessation.


    If there was one night when all hell broke loose during the witching hour, it would be tonight.


    "Nothing yet." He spoke into thin air. "East Tower is quiet."


    He paused for a moment, obviously listening to someone say something.


    "From the Southeast you say?" He cocked his head, listening and watching the southeast side. "I still don''t see anything."


    His sharp dragon eyes continued to scan the horizon.


    Nothing was happening save for the rustling of the winds through the willows on the ground near the trickling creek that ran down the craggy hillside to feed into the pce ponds.


    Suddenly, from below the horizon, hundreds¡ªno thousands of dragons on the wing rose up.


    "They''re here!" He sounded the alert. "Thousands of them, flying in from the southeast! Sound the rm!"


    On hismand, horns began ring, breaking the silence of the night.


    From below his watch tower, hundreds of his fellow warriors began teeming forward taking up their positions.


    "Get ready! They''reing!" He shouted.


    In no time t, the hordes of dragons flying in formation began to descend from the sky.


    "Fire at will! Fire at will!" Themands came as hundreds of pulse beams began shooting up from the ground to hit with solid thuds, the force shields of the dragons that were flying in.


    There were hundreds of shooters but there were thousands of fliers.


    Once half the fliersnded within the courtyards, the shooters used their weapons as bludgeoning tools as hand-to-handbat began.


    ck-d Royal Guards with red cors and red sleeves fought against Duke Abberbie''s ck-d warriors with green cors and green sleeves.


    Screams and shouts rang out everywhere as friends fought against friends. Brothers fought against brothers. Fathers fought against sons.


    The rtively small space of the courtyard did have one redeeming quality. It limited the number of attackers who could descend into the pce.


    From the courtyard, bands of ck-green dragons fought with ck-red dragons to break through into the inner sanctum of the pce.


    Their objective¡ªto rescue the girl who was to be put to death tomorrow.


    If they seeded, it would be a civil war which would depose King S¨¹ren, thetest Dragon King to ascend the throne, to make way for Duke Abberbie to be the new Dragon King.


    If they failed, it would be status quo and Duke Abberbie, along with his entire family and retinue of followers, would be ughtered for the crime of insurrection and uprising.


    It was a civil battle that was truly horrific in scope and scale.


    In a very short amount of time, there were hundreds and hundreds of dragon warrior deaths on both sides, all on ount of a single female who was imprisoned within the dungeon keeps of the Avalian pce walls.


    As the ck-green dragons fought to gain traction into the pce, they were met on all sides by King S¨¹ren''s forces.


    Someone set a section of the pce on fire. Screams and howls began to get desperate as people trapped within that one section of the pce began to die a horrible death of smoke inhtion and burns.


    The smell of burning wood merged with the stench of burning flesh. It was a revolting unique odor of wood smoke and a strange sweet charred smell simr to that of roast pork.


    Women began to join men in the desperate battle, fighting invaders as well as quelling the fires with water hoses and buckets.


    More ck and green warriors poured into the pce. The pce royal guards were barely holding their ground, meeting every new warrior with a fresh warrior of their own.


    High above, within the safety of an Avalian warship, Duke Abberbie gazed down at the forces on the ground.


    His curly brown hair, rotund body and jowled cheeks were by no means jolly. He couldn''t be much more serious than he was at that very moment.


    At the height that his warship was hovering, he could not see much, but the visuals zooming in on the pce grounds were adequate for him to make out the battle raging below.


    Duke Abberbie''s aim was not to win this battle. He only wanted to extract his daughter from the dark desperate dungeon they had held her.


    Unfortunately, the pce defense was very tight. The only way to extract her was to win a fight that he did not want to engage in.


    His attempt to buy off the Advisors had failed and so there was no other choice but to send his troops in.


    Duke Abberbie stood at the window of the ship, looking down at the light show on the ground. His eyes were tragic.


    Although he could not hear the raging battle, he knew that dragons on both sides were being ughtered for what would seem to be no good reason at all. They were weakening their dragon forces for nothing!


    Damn S¨¹ren! It didn''t have to be like this.


    All he wanted was for S¨¹ren to marry his daughter and take over the throne in an orderly peaceful manner. Why did S¨¹ren have to make a big deal out of marrying Sharina?


    If he really wanted the Erenveil Princess, he could have simply taken the girl as a Royal Consort. Although Sharina would have been a bit upset about that, no one would truly care.


    Lyra was just a minor princess from a minor Royal Consort. Being a Royal Consort herself to the Dragon King would not have been an insult.


    Instead, what had happened? S¨¹ren had fought like a hell hound against the idea of marrying Sharina. In ast desperate attempt to snare him, Sharina had done what he told her to do and was now on death row.


    Damn S¨¹ren!!!


    Duke Abberbie had been more than willing to cut a deal to get his daughter out, but S¨¹ren did not even want to discuss any options!


    It was all S¨¹ren''s fault! Because of him, there would be such wanton destruction of the pce and the deaths of so many people! n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Duke Abberbie mmed his hand against the ss window.


    His daughter certainly did not deserve to die. How was she to know that S¨¹ren would have reacted so badly to the drugs?


    "Your Grace!" An attendant ran into the room. "The Royal Troops are flying up to fight an aerial battle!"


    Duke Abberbie scowled. Aerial battles were even more costly in terms of dragon lives.


    The Royal Guard were not even waiting for his forces tond. They were engaging them in the air!


    This was hisst chance to extract Sharina. There would be no more chances.


    "Call in the remaining ground troops. Flood the pce. I want my daughter out of there whatever it takes!" He yelled.


    "Yes Sir!" The attendant ran out of the room to do his bidding.

 Chapter 258 - [Bonus ] Second Chances

    "What?" Lucas scowled at Leonardo. "You do realize that just humping some random chick is not going to make that chick your bride, right?"


    Byron frowned. "Yeah Man, if I had to marry every single person I slept with, I''d have a harem sorge there wouldn''t be a pce I owned that could handle them all."


    He raised his eyebrows. "Of course, ever since I met Candace, I''ve been like a celibate monk." He rubbed at his chest. "I''ve been protecting this shard with my life."


    Lucas pressed his lips into a tight line. He was not about to tell them he''d been ''deflowered'' by Candace. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Wait. Did men have flowers to be ''deflowered''? Lucas didn''t know the answer to that, but he didn''t have much time to think about it. Leonardo was speaking again.


    "You don''t understand. She''s pregnant." Leonard shook his head.


    "Wait¡ªwhat???" Lucas shook his head. "The Avgo shard¡­"


    "I shot it into her." Leonardo muttered, looking absolutely miserable.


    Byron and Lucas looked at each other.


    "Man. Is that even possible? I thought the Avgo only goes where it wants to go." Lucas pondered.


    Byron nodded. "That''s absolutely correct. It knows its mother, Leo. It''s not going to go to another woman." Byron murmured, rubbing his jaw.


    "Wait. How did that happen?" Lucas waved a hand in protest. "Tell me exactly what happened."


    Leonardo nodded. "One night, almost four weeks ago, me and Olivia were workingte. I was trying to fix her wings, remember?"


    At Lucas'' and Byron''s nods, he continued.


    "It got superte. She was in some pain, so I suggested that we get a couple of drinks to rx her wing muscles a bit."


    "A couple¡ªa couple of drinks?" Lucas'' eyes bulged.


    "Yeah." Leonardo looked at the tumbler in his hands. "I had my usual mojito and she drank some other thing, I don''t remember what¡­"


    "Leo, a couple of mojitos wouldn''t do anything to you. It would take at least a dozen of these concoctions before you even felt it!" Lucas waved a hand. "You can hold your liquor better than anyone I know!"


    "That''s true but for some weird reason, I gotpletely stered that night." Leonardo shook his head.


    "Maybe I was exhausted. Maybe I just had an off-day. I don''t know, but I had no idea what hit me." He rubbed both hands at his temples.


    "By morning, I woke up and she was sleeping beside me."


    "You slept with her?" Byron scratched his head. "No, let me rephrase it. Did you have sex with her?"


    Leonardo nodded.


    "Do you remember any of it?"


    Leonardo shook his head. "I just remember waking up naked and she was with me, also naked."


    "And afterwards, did you sleep with her again?"


    Leonardo shook his head. "I was too ashamed."


    "Ashamed?" Lucas'' eyes bulged.


    Leonardo sighed. "It''s a horrible feeling, Brother. I feel sick to my stomach. I cheated on Candace, and I don''t even remember doing it!"


    "Man!" Byron shook his head.


    "I don''t know what to tell you, Bro. How are you going to tell Candace? She''sing home in less than a week!"


    "Fuck if I know!!!" Leonardo cursed. ''I was going to try and mitigate it on my end, y it down and make it inconsequential, but Olivia wouldn''t have any of that."


    "What do you mean?" Lucas turned glittering angry eyes at his brother.


    Leonardo took a deep swallow of his mojito and gasped as the alcohol hit the back of his throat.


    "She started calling me her husband in front of everyone, and since we''d been seen sleeping in the same bed, everyone began to assume I''d taken a consort."


    "You could have objected and killed the noise." Byron sighed.


    "I couldn''t. She took a pregnancy test and the test came back positive. She''s pregnant, Byron." Leonardo covered his face with both hands.


    "Oh Man." Byron growled a deep frustrated sound.


    "A few days after that, I got a message from Father saying that he had arranged it so that she would be my legal wife. I hadn''t even told him about the pregnancy, but I figured she had told her family and between them and Father, it was a done deal."


    Lucas mmed his hand onto Leonardo''s jacket and pulled him closer. With his other hand, he touched Leonardo''s chest, his eyes narrowing in focus. A few secondster, he clicked his tongue in disgust.


    "Tch. What the hell are you talking about Leo???"


    "Huh?" Leonardo blinked at his brother in confusion.


    "I can still feel the Avgo shard inside your chest!!!"


    "What?" Leonardo''s mouth was open, not quite understanding what Lucas meant.


    Byron grimaced and reached out, grabbing onto both of Leonardo''s hands. He mmed one palm into his chest and one palm into Lucas'' chest.


    "Feel the difference?"


    Leonardo blinked and began to focus on the heart muscles of the two men in front of him. Suddenly, his eyes widened.


    "Lucas'' heart does not have the Avgo shard and you¡ª"


    "I still have the shard. I haven''t had a chance to return it to our wife yet. Now." He pulled the hand that was touching Luca''s chest. "Touch your own chest. What do you feel?"


    "Feels¡­as if you and I both still have the shard inside us." Leonardo squeezed his eyes shut and began breathing in ragged breaths.


    He hadn''t been able to find his shard because it had been with him for awhile and he had gotten used to its presence. Once he touched Lucas'' chest that had been devoid of the fragment however, he could tell the difference immediately.


    "Oh thank God. I still have the Avgo shard. Thank you Lord!!! Thank you. Thank you." Leonardo continued muttering to himself, a tear rolling down his face.


    "Believe me, you would know if you delivered that shard." Lucasughed.


    Leonardo opened his eyes. "How?"


    "Not to give spoilers or anything but it honestly feels like a terrible excruciating heart attack." Lucas rubbed at his chest in remembered pain.


    "Oh yeah?" Byron asked.


    "Man. Not gonna lie. The pain was so intense, I nearly passed out!"


    "I don''t care." Leonardo covered his face with both hands. "I want to feel that pain. I need to go see Candace right now. I desperately need to see her again."


    "I understand how you feel, Brother." Byron sighed. "You thought you had lost her forever but suddenly, you got a second chance to make it right." He shook his head. "That happened to me too."


    Leonardo reached out and grasped both his brothers'' hands. "I need to see her again. Please help me."


    "What about Olivia?" Byron asked.


    "What about her?" Leonardo shot an angry look at Byron.


    "Didn''t you say she was pregnant?"


    "I don''t care. I don''t even know if that child is mine. What I do know is that I still have my Avgo shard that I need to deliver to my wife."


    Lucas and Byron nodded.


    "Well." Byron put down his drained mint julep. "No time like the present."


    They got up and headed to the hangar. If they caught a ride on one of the Raptors flying to Dragon space, they could get there in less than three days.


    "Leo!" Someone was calling him from behind.


    It was Olivia Faraday.


    Leonardo continued walking. He did not even bother to turn his head.


    "Leo. Where are you going?" She called out again, more desperately.


    "I''m going to be with my wife.." Leonardo responded.

 Chapter 264 - The Seven Co-Emperors

    "Oh my stars." The Emperor gasped. He turned back to Leonardo. "And what about the fetus?"


    "The child belongs to someone else." Leonardo''s eyes were grim.


    The Emperor shook his head.


    "That''s a shame, but you know that I have already sent out the marriage decree and her father has epted. At this point, what people will see is you putting your wife and child into the dungeon."


    "I don''t care."


    "Son, they will dere war!"


    "War for what?" Candace jumped up, her blood boiling past the point of containment. "For a woman who slept with another man and is trying to pass off that child as the heir to an Erenveil Prince?"


    "Candace. This is not your business child. Have a seat and let me talk to my son."


    Candace gasped. "Father. Leonardo is my husband. This is more my business than it is yours!"


    "Candace. You cannot marry Leonardo. He is already married."


    "That''s absolutely correct! He is already married." She patted her chest with an emphatic hand. "He''s married to me!"


    She turned to Dante. "Do you have the marriage documents, Love?"


    "Right here waiting for you Baby Girl." Dante smiled and gave a gesture.


    Appearing immediately in front of each person was the marriage document that had been signed by the Emperor and the various Court Advisors.


    In clear Erenveil script were all the seven names of Candace''s seven husbands. Dante, Byron, Lucas, Leonardo, Jason, Jared, & te.


    The Emperor sputtered. "How¡ªhow is this possible? I only wrote in the three names of the Crown Princes!"


    "Are you sure, Father?" Dante raised an eyebrow. "I was there that day and I saw all seven names documented very clearly with my own eyes."


    "I saw it too. I was also there!" Lucas grinned.


    "As was I." Byron nodded with his hand over his heart.


    "You¡ªyou boys¡ª" He stammered, looking confused. "But why? You are all still very young! Why would you want to limit your potential so much for a single woman?" N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "What potential are you talking about Father? We are all at the top of our game, doing the things we enjoy the most. How has Candace limited us from doing what we love to do?"


    The Emperor sighed. "There are so many amazing and beautiful potential mates out there!"


    Leonardo rubbed his face with a wearied hand. "Father, I look around and all I see are women like Olivia Faraday."


    "I agree." Jared shuddered. "Totally disgusting."


    "Which makes our wife all the more precious to us." te intoned with seriousness.


    "Absolutely. I feel so blessed." Lucas gave a silly grin and a deep happy sigh. "Do you realize that in the entire gxy, there is only ONE Prime Avgo Female, and she is our wife?"


    "And before you say anything Father," Jared held up a hand. "I truly only want to be with my wife. I am not interested in taking a royal consort. This is non-negotiable."


    "Likewise." Jason said.


    "But I have sent out¡ª"


    "We have sent out retractions, Father." Lucas informed him in the same dazed happy voice that he had been using the entire night.


    "Retractions? Are you daft? What gives you the right to retract my decrees?"


    Candace rose and faced him. "You can ept that the retractions have been sent out using your power as current Emperor, or you can fight the retractions and find yourself the much-loved ''former-Emperor''."


    "You¡ªyou¡ªare you trying to usurp the throne?" The Emperor shook with rage.


    "On the contrary." Candace smiled with patience. "You are still the Emperor because the Seven Co-Emperors have decided to allow you to remain Emperor for awhile longer. How much long you remain the Emperor depends on what happens within the next year."


    "I am still the Emperor!" He raged.


    "Father, didn''t you talk to your advisors about the archaic portion of ourws, taken from the The Ellipsoidal Macrocosm?" Dante asked.


    The Emperor scowled.


    Of course he had talked to them about it, and he definitely did not like what he heard. He had figured if he ignored it, then it would go away into obscurity.


    Unfortunately, his sons and daughter-inw were not going to let it go. They were going to insist on taking up the reigns.


    To be perfectly honest, the Emperor had set it up so that one day in the near future, his sons would take over so he could rest and retire infort with his wives.


    But this was not yet that moment. They were currently still waging a war against various factions of the gxy. He still had too much to do!


    "Obscuredws should be done away with." The Emperor brushed his hand in a dismissive manner.


    "Father," Byron shook his head. "It''s not an Erenveilw. Ites directly from the Ellipsoidal Macrocosm which means it can''t be changed or voted off the books. It''s one of the inalienablews, a specific directive from the gxy."


    Lucas nodded. "Once the next Primary Avgo Female has chosen her mate, or mates, she immediately bes the next Empress, making all her chosen mates Emperors. That''s how you became Emperor."


    "I became Emperor because I was the Crown Prince!"


    Byron shook his head. "Had rissa chosen someone other than you, that someone would have been Emperor. You just got lucky she didn''t know that and ended up marrying you."


    "Pfft. I don''t believe in all that ancient mumbo jumbo." The Emperor blustered.


    "It''s not ancient mumbo jumbo Father. The Avgo power is very real." Lucas murmured. "It was the Avgo who chose all seven of us as Co-Emperors. You cannot stop that from happening."


    The Emperor blinked in irritation and nced at Lucas a couple of times. Since when did his extremely shy and mentally dull son be such a decisive, intuitive, sharp man?


    He stared at Lucas more closely.


    "What the¡ªwhat is the matter with youtely, Lucas? You used to be the best looking son of mine. Now you look like a homeless bum!"


    "Really?" Lucas grinned and rubbed his tousled long hair, bleached almost white by sun and salt water. "Candace, do I look like a homeless bum?"


    Candace turned to him with a smile. "As long as you''re happy Sweetheart, you can wear beach gear and surf all day long if you feel like it."


    "However!" She threw a warning nce. "You are going to have to clean up nicely before your wedding. I refuse to marry a man who is going to show up to his wedding looking like a homeless beach bum."


    Lucasughed, his amber eyes dancing with delight. Because she epted him exactly as he was, he could be himself without worry of being judged.


    He no longer needed to be an actor and fake being happy. He truly was happy!


    "Speaking of which," te raised an eyebrow. "When exactly is our wedding?"

 Chapter 266 - Warrior Princess Poppy

    Poppy pulled the fencing mask over her face and carried her sword onto the fencing piste where the match was to be held.


    Her opponent was already there. He looked tall and formidable, but Poppy was no joke. She had been fencing since her early teen years.


    They began to parry and lunge at each other¡ªattack and riposte, neither giving nor losing much ground.


    Her opponent had height and weight on her. Poppy had speed and agility. They seemed to be fairly evenly matched and the duel continued for some time until with a final shout, her opponent hit the final touch and won the match.


    "Good job." He called out.


    "Thanks." Poppy muttered and turned away, sweating buckets.


    Any match where she had to work that hard, whether she won or lost, was a good match. Still losing was not preferable to winning. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    She pulled off her fencing mask and threw it at her handler, letting loose a cascade of shoulder-length deep red hair into the light. It was damp with sweat and dangling down her back like clumpy red strings.


    She was definitely not a pretty sight, but Poppy didn''t care. She was an Erenveil warrior. What was a bit of sweat and funk?


    As she walk into the back area, Poppy unstrapped her arm bands and detached the sword wires. Without a word, she handed her sword and gloves to her handler.


    Her white fencing outfit was drenched in sweat so she began stripping even before she made it into the shower.


    As the warm water streamed across her face, Poppy closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything. Too much had been happeningtely, none of it very good.


    The war had been dragging on and on, causing people to be weary of fighting.


    At first, it was just a few border skirmishes between the battle-hardened outliersprised of avians and insectoids who had been scuffling over the same old tired territory.


    Eventually, it had involved the Larouche Gardens insectoids and the avians of Coraline Moons. Fighting was now intense around that area, with neither side gaining much ground before being pushed back again.


    It was the inevitable culmination of an ancient sh. Both sidesid im over the territory, calling it holy space belonging to their ancient ancestors who were ironically enough, humans.


    Poppy sighed.


    The term ''Holy Space'' was so oxymoronic. There was no such thing because the Erenveilian gxy was in constant motion as it orbited around another gxy.


    What they fought over was the rtive distances between the various worlds that were also spinning in their own orbital voyages around their home stars.


    But it was a truism that the more knowledge was avable, the less people were inclined to care about the truth. In the end, what they thought were truths was good enough for them, irregardless of whether the truths were really true or not.


    She squeezed lime-scented soap onto her hair and body and scrubbed herself until her skin tingled.


    Inhaling the fresh sparkling scent, Poppyughed as she remembered Jasonining at one point that she smelled like dishwashing liquid soap.


    What they didn''t realize was that she and te shared one thing inmon.


    Whereas te only wanted to see a clean white environment around him to escape the bloody filth of war, she only wanted to surround her senses with fresh citrus scents to rece the smell of blood, vomit, feces, and all the charred, burned bodies that came with heavy intense fighting.


    It was the sad consequence of being a warrior who could never escape the frequent visitations of post traumatic stress brought on by horrific memories of violent encounters.


    By the time Poppy emerged from the hot shower, her stomach wasining. She needed food.


    Her handler hadid out another set of clean space warrior ck bodysuit for her, along with the insignias that identified her as Commander of Dante''s armed guards, the Special Forces.


    Poppy threw on the clothes and made her way to the dining hall to fill her stomach.


    She had a couple of hours at least, before she had to meet up with Dante and te for their weekly overview meeting. It would be time for her to destress and just rest her tired mind and body.


    The dining hall was filled with people from across the sector of space she was currently patrolling.


    Some were visiting dignitaries that had been caught in the crossfire. Others were business executives who were enroute to take care of urgent emergencies and had found themselves stranded.


    Here and there were a few youths, students far away from their own home world. There was even a young mother with two small children.


    All were disced due to the war which was dragging on for longer than it should.


    As the attendant brought her a tter of what looked to be some sort of thick vegetable and mystery meat stew over mounds of rice, she blew on a spoonful of the food and stuffed it into her mouth, uncaring of what it tasted like.


    This was not high level eating. This was just to quell the stomach''s rumblings.


    "Mind if I join you?" A male voice asked in formal polite Erenveilian speech.


    Poppy looked up.


    It was the man who had beaten her at fencing not an hour ago.


    "Be my guest." She indicated the chair across from her with a careless wave.


    He gave her a grateful smile, set down his tter filled with steaming hot food that looked to be of the same caliber as what she was eating, and sat down.


    Even though he had showered and cleaned up, just as she had, she could still catch his basic smell, a musky sweet cinnamon scent that reminded her of a warm tasty dessert.


    He wore basic white bodysuit¡ªa safe nondescript color which tagged him as a neutral. It was what most intergctic travelers wore to remain neutral and prevent people from misidentifying them with one faction or another.


    There were no other identifying badges or insignias on him to give a hint as to his home world. For all intents and purposes, he could be a ship captain or a deck hand. There was no way to tell.


    The man was quite tall with a wiry frame that was deceptively strong. She knew how strong he was from the way he so handily beat her at one sport that she was truly good at.


    He had thick shimmering silken strands of silver hair hanging slightly past his shoulders. It was the kind of hair that would be found on dolls and tinyp dogs, not on strong dominant males.


    His skin was almost translucent they were so pale¡ªand so wless it was as if they were made of the most precious magnolia petals.


    His eyes were a light crystal blue that looked out on a world with the kind of rare joy that young children exhibited. His lips were a lush deep pink that reminded her of the kind of face that belonged on a doll¡ªsharp cheek bones, high thin nose, and a pointed chin.


    Even his pale petal ears were pointed at the tips.


    "So.. What, pray tell, is an elf doing on my ship?" Poppy''s eyes crinkled with a slight smile.

 Chapter 271 - Nap Time

    "Lean in towards Lucas a little bit." The Director ordered. "A little more. Lucas, move your hair back a little¡ªyou''re hiding your wife''s face too much."


    "Okay. Let''s take it from the point where the gondolier sings O Sole Mio." The Director raised his hand and gave a quick motion to start.


    There was no doubt who was the star of the show.


    Lucas was wearing a pair of pink pants that ended at the knees, with strange pointed toe shoes to match.


    His white broadcloth shirt was full and billowy, but although it was tucked into the back of his pants, he might as well not have worn one at all because none of his buttons were used.


    His sun-bronzed torso, made even darker against the whiteness of the shirt, was out on full disy due to the exuberant use of the fan-generated wind that was blowing directly at them.


    A strong steady gust continued to blow his long pink-blond hair and shirt back from his body revealing his bare pecs and abs that had darkened from all those weeks surfing on his paradise ind.


    As his side-kick partner, all Candace needed to do was sit on the gond stool and smile, say a few words as prompts so that he couldunch into his well-rehearsed and heart-felt words written by some love-struck script writer.


    She wore a simple white dress that was not very fancy because it was mostly used as a foil to keep the eyes fixated on that muscr bronze body of the movie star standing next to her. Even her face was partially hidden away by a big hat rimmed with fake candied fruit.


    The director knew what he was doing. It wasn''t that the Prime Avgo Female wasn''t beautiful or that she wasn''t famous. Of course everyone knew who the Prime Avgo Female was.


    Focusing on the Prince meant that Lucas would be able to carry most of the acting work and cover for herck of acting skills.


    Jason and Jared sat back and watched the show with eager eyes. They loved watching Candace perform with Lucas.


    Surprisingly enough, although she had no previous acting experience, Candace was a natural actress who provided a perfect counterpoint for Lucas. All she needed was more experience, which at this point totaled exactly two days of screen time.


    The two of them were obviously a natural match for each other, as Lucas did not have to act as if he was in love with his wife.


    In fact, Lucas was so obviously in love that it was oozing out all over the screen. The director had seen this and was capitalizing on the extremely handsome actor''s emotions, drawing each ounce out as much as he possibly could.


    The twins smiled as they kept their eyes on their wife-turned-actress. Today was thest day of the two weeks that the twins were supposed to share with her.


    It sounded like a lot of time¡ªtwo weeks, but the reality was, there had been so much extraneous activity that they had only been able to sleep with her for half of that time.


    The remainder of the nights had been mostly of Candace crashing on the bed alone after an exhaustive day doing something with Lyra or Mother Gwen.


    Of course, this was crucial business and they did not begrudge her the need to take care of Mother Gwen and Lyra, but a tiny part of them felt shorted.


    After today, there would be two weeks where she would not be able to spend time with them at all since it would be designated time with Leonardo and then Byron.


    Those two were important for the Avgo shards they still held within their hearts. Without the final two shards, their infant could not be conceived.


    It was not just the twins who would be short-shifted. During the week that would have been te''s turn, they were supposed to get married. This meant te would have to wait a bit to get his full week.


    At least that was the schedule that they had been tentatively given by Dante.


    In reality, things shifted ording to life events. Absolutely nothing was set in stone.


    Several hourster, the Director cut the scene and sent them home. He had gotten exactly what he wanted and he was happy with the shoot.


    As Lucas helped Candace back to where the twins were seated, they stood up to give her hugs.


    "Great job Honey."


    "You looked amazing Darling."


    "Thank you! I can''t believe you men were able toe up with these crazy amazing outfits!" Sheughed.


    Jason and Jared grinned and gave each other high fives. She loved their designs!


    Candace blew stray strands of blonde hair from her eyes.


    "Oh my gosh. I''m so tired. Would you all mind if I just went to my room and took a quick nap?"


    "I was going to suggest that." Lucas smiled tiredly. "We''ve been up very early this morning doing this shoot and I need a nap myself."


    "We''ll see you for dinner?" Candace suggested hopefully.


    Lucas yawned. "Absolutely. Get some rest Love."


    He leaned down and kissed Candace. Straightening up, he giving a quick wave to his brothers and headed down the hall towards his room.


    "We''ll walk with you to your room then." Jason offered as he linked his arms with Candace. Jared took her other arm and they escorted her to her room.


    "Want toe in?" Candace asked.


    "You want us to take a nap with you?" Jason''s eyes brightened.


    "Your bright eyes don''t look too tired." Candace pursed her lips.


    Immediately, Jason''s eyes drooped, looking more tired than an old porch hound.


    "I''m super tired! Oh boy, am I tired." He gave a fake yawn. "I''m so tired I could sleep for days on end. Absolutely."


    Candaceughed as Jason and Jared opened the door for her.


    "Come on in." She moved in ahead and reached up to pull the basket of fake candied fruit off her head. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    The men helped her take the fruit basket with sad shakes of their heads.


    "Why did you design this thing so damn heavy?" Jared fussed. "She had to wear it for eight hours!"


    "No choice. The light stic stuff looked so fake, the Director rejected it immediately." Jason sighed.


    Candaceughed as she stripped off the t rubbery fruit roll-up that covered her body. In minutes, she was standing in the room wearing nothing but her bra and panties.


    Jared and Jason looked at each other. They had to control their urges. She was exhausted and needed to sleep.


    "Hmmm. I''m so tired.. Let''s just pile on the bed and sleep, shall we?" She patted their arms and headed towards the bed, leaving a trail for them to follow that consisted of a single pair of panties and ace bra.

 Chapter 272 - All Systems Go

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    Without wasting a single moment, they all jumped into bed with her.


    Their brains were on fire but they pushed all the erotic thoughts into the back of their minds and tried hard not to think about anything but sleep.


    "You guys." She grumbled. "How am I going to sleep if you''re all like this?"


    She pushed them back a bit. "You''re still fully dressed. Take off your clothes so it''s morefortable."


    Take off the¡ªoff the clothes? Could they do that and just sleep? With a beautiful naked wife next to them, was it even possible?


    Jason and Jared shrugged. They didn''t think so, but what did they know? They were just simple Imperial Princes.


    Whatever she asked them to do, they would do.


    Quickly, they shed off their shirt and pants, leaving their underwear on. It was their final line of defense agains her naked nubile body.


    As they sidled up next to her, their skin touched hers and they each felt a surge of heat that exploded from their sr plexus, radiating outward until their entire bodies were flushed with desperate aching need.


    "Hmmm. You both are so hot." She murmured in a sleepy voice and reached out with smooth cool hands to touch their abs.


    Her fingers began ying with their hard stomach muscles, almost as if she was teasing them.


    They looked at her face. Her eyes were closed and she looked as if she was half asleep.


    The twins could barely breathe as their breaths got caught in their throats.


    Forget sleeping. They could die of delicious torture at this moment.


    Unable to hold back, their bodies began to inadvertently buck as they rubbed their swollen members onto either side of her hips. Their hands reached tentatively for her breasts and began fondling her.


    The more they fondled, the heavier Candace began to breathe.


    "Oooohhh. Feels good." She murmured, touching their buttocks and feeling the softness of the fabric of their underwear.


    "Why don''t you just take these useless things off," she suggested. "You men have grown out of them."


    They looked down at their bodies and grinned.


    Her eyes were closed. How could she see that both their penises were already so aroused, they were poking halfway up out of their underwear bands?


    This must be her green light, thumbs up, all systems GO signal!


    Quickly shedding thest remaining articles of clothing, they happily mbered back under the covers with Candace and began taking turns kissing and licking her body.


    It had been almost a week since theirst lovemaking session and their bodies were famished.


    The twins began kissing her face, paying close attention to her ear lobes. As their tongues dipped into her ears, she moaned with pleasure. How could the feeling of tongues in her ears feel so erotic?


    "You like that, Love? Hmm?" One of them murmured as his tongue plunging into her mouth, tasting, caressing, sucking.


    Meanwhile, the other breathed into her neck and began suckling her, leaving dark red kiss marks on her pale skin.


    "Hmm. Your skin smells so good."


    Candace wound her hands into their hair, gasping and moaning with mounting ecstasy. They were driving her crazy and her body was starting to burn up.


    They continued downward, assaulting her senses with their lips and tongue on her breasts, suckling and tasting, licking and tonguing her until it felt so good that she cried for more.


    They paused there and began kissing her stomach. More red kiss marks appeared all over her abdomen as they suckled and tickled her with their kisses.


    Jason paused and reached with both his hands to push her legs wide open. His fingers parted her petals until he could see the depths of her dark hole.


    Leaning down, he began licking and kissing the lips in between her legs until she was mewling and moaning, barely able to breathe.


    As Jason continued thoroughly kissing her womanhood, both of Jared''s hands were on her breasts, kneading and stroking them, using his sensitive fingers to touch her nipples, rolling and gently pinching them until Candace''s body wracked with pleasure.


    Jason''s tongue continued plunging into her depths until Candace screamed in orgasmic pleasure, gushing out in cascades of love juice.


    Jason flipped her onto her stomach and ced her on top of Jared''s body.


    "I''m going to enter you, Love." Jared whispered.


    She nodded, feeling Jared gently inserting hisrge bulbous head into her entrance. She was so wet that it took only a slight push for him to plunge his entire shaft into her body.


    "Haaaaaahhh¡­" Jared breathed with ecstasy as he began gently moving his hips, sliding himself in and out with a steady regr rhythm.


    Meanwhile, Jason was feeling around in the crevice between her buttocks with his finger.


    Oh Lord, what was he doing!


    Her eyes widened as she realized he was going to enter her backside.


    The two of them began holding her steady as Jason continued to work his finger into her body. It took a couple of tries, but finally, Jason was able to get his entire finger into her depth.


    As Jared began pumping himself into her body, Jason poked at her rear end with his finger, getting her body used to the feeling of being loved from the rear.


    Candace moaned and cried at the feeling of beingpletely filled up by her men. The feeling was at once strange and exciting. So much so that she came within a matter of minutes, triggering an orgasm from Jared.


    They switched ces after that and it was Jason''s turn to enter her.


    With a few gentle thrusts, he entered her body and began thrusting while Jared was above, lubricating the inside of her buttocks with his finger.


    Ten minutes of thrusting and she hit her third orgasm as Jason emptied himself into her, grunting with the joy of release.


    After they rested for a moment, the twins grabbed her and took her into the shower. They beganthering themselves and her up with mounds of sweetly scented soap, cleaning her thoroughly.


    As they cleaned her, their erections came back full force.


    Once was not enough for them.. They wanted more and she was the only one who could provide them with the release they needed. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om

 Chapter 274 - [Bonus ] Dual Transformation

    With only fifteen minutes left before they had to get up and dress for dinner, they decided just to lie there and let their bodies recover from all the loving.


    The twins were lying on either side of Candace, resting their heads on her stomach.


    She was gently rubbing their soft green hair that was almost dry when she suddenly remembered something that she was supposed to ask them.


    "So, remember what I asked you guys about a couple of weeks ago, where I noticed you didn''t change into bats when you came?" Candace asked.


    "Of course we remember." Jared mumbled, half asleep. "Except you never brought it up again."


    "Yes. I was going to ask you, but then I forgot."


    "You¡ªyou forgot? How could you forget something that important?" Jason''s eyes slowly opened.


    "I''m sorry. Was it important?" Candace murmured. "I just thought it was because you two had better control than your brothers."


    Jason and Jared both turned their heads and looked at each other.


    "Darling. We don''t transform into bats and we don''t lose control of our bodies during sex because we''re not¡­" Jared paused for a moment, not knowing how to exin.


    Jason sighed. He twisted his body until he was facing her, his head still on her stomach.


    "We''re not normal, Candace." He sighed. "You are the only one who knows that because you are our wife."


    "Huh?" She gave him a questioning nce. "What do you mean?"


    "Let me see if I can exin it in simple terms." Jared cleared his throat.


    "For us, being a human does not requires mindful transformation. Being a bat however, requires mindful transformation."


    Candace frowned. "I don''t quite understand. Are you telling me that being human is the default for you?"


    They both nodded. "That''s exactly what we are telling you. For example, if we were to be knocked unconscious while we were in bat form, we would transform back into human form because it really is our default."


    "That sounds really normal to me." She shrugged. "What''s so strange about that?"


    "Darling. What do you think the default state is for our other brothers?"


    Candace thought about it for a moment. Suddenly her eyes widened and she gasped with surprise.


    "When they lose control, they revert back to being bats!"


    "Precisely!" Jason and Jared both spoke up.


    "But why¡­"


    Jason shrugged. "We don''t know. Maybe it''s because our mother is not an Avgo female?"


    "Neither is Byron''s mother." Candace pointed out.


    "But you haven''t slept with Byron yet. You don''t know if he will turn or not."


    "Actually, I have seen Byron transform into a bat when he was losing control. It was the day when he found out he was no longer the Crown Prince due to his illegitimate status."


    The twins nodded. "In that case, we have no idea why we are the way we are. It could be due to one other thing that makes us¡­abnormal."


    "What is that?"


    "We can also turn into mermen." Jared muttered in such a low voice, Candace thought she was hearing things.


    "Say what?"


    Jason cleared his throat. "We don''t just have the ability to turn into bats. We can also turn into mermen, just like our mother can."


    ""Wow!" Candace gasped. "Howe you never told me?"


    "It''s something that we try to hide away." Jared''s face was grim. "If it were ever to be revealed that we did not breed true, our mother would be rejected by the Emperor."


    "Breed true?" Candace''s mind grappled about, trying to figure out exactly what they were talking about. "What in the world are you talking about? How much truer can you possibly be?"


    "You don''t understand." Jason sighed. "The royal bloodline is a pure lineage of blood bats that breed true."


    Jared nodded. "When a child is born of the Emperor''s lineage, that child cannot transform into his mother''s lineage. He or she can only transform into a bat."


    "Ohhhh." Candace nodded. "I remember hearing someone tell me that my children could only be bats because their fathers were all blood bats."


    "That''s right. Unfortunately, we can not only transform into bats, we can also transform into mermen." Jason''s face flushed with embarrassment.


    As she stared at both of them in astonishment, the twins looked away, unable to meet her eyes.


    "Please keep this secret for us, Candace." Jared pleaded. "We have kept this dualistic nature a secret all these years to protect our mother."


    "We don''t care what happens to us, but if this gets out, she will be disparaged and ridiculed." Jason mumbled.


    "That''s ridiculous!" Candace scowled. "Why would anyone think such trash!"


    "It''s because our mother is the Emperor''s only wife who was not an Avgo female." Jason responded. "Many people think that because she is not an Avgo female, ours and Ariana''s gics are of inferior stock."


    "No one has ever been able to prove that we are inferior to our other brothers and sisters." Jared shook his head. "However, if they knew that we could transform into mermen, they would absolutely point out that it was due to the inferior genes from our mother."


    Candace took a deep breath. "But you men are bats. The only people who can change into blood bats are those who have at least on blood bat parent."


    "Hmm yes, that''s right." Jason nodded. "We got lucky. We were able to morph into bats with our first transformation. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Yeah. We didn''t actually shift into mermen for at least another year, and by then, we were able to hide it fairly well." Jared grimaced.


    "Ariana is barely ten years old. She''s too young to morph because she hasn''t hit puberty yet, but our mother is very concerned. She is not sure if Ariane will morph into a bat first or a mermaid first." Jason confided.


    "If you''re so worried about her transformation, why not send her and your mother to Avalia and let her live with Mother Gwen for awhile?"


    Jason and Jared looked at each other for a couple of minutes, but then Jared sighed.


    "That would mean she would have to leave Father."

 Chapter 275 - [Bonus ] Candaces Mermen

    Candace pursed her lips and thought about the entire situation for a few minutes.


    Something was not right about how the twins were thinking about all of this, but she couldn''t quite put her finger on it, at least not yet.


    "You said that the Emperor would reject your mother if Ariana morphed into a mermaid instead of a bat. Why would your mother stay with a man like that?"


    "Because he is the Emperor. For us to be considered Princes and for Ariana to be considered a Princess is important to her. It is our birthright after all."


    "But a birthright should remain a birthright no matter how a person matures and ages." She reasoned.


    "The natural growth and development of a child should not be the reason for a birthright to be taken away." She scratched her head in frustration.


    "That''s not a birthright. That''s not a right at all. It''s like saying, ''you''re my child but only until I decide on a whim that you''re not.''"


    Candace shook her head, her voice rising with annoyance. "That''s just stupid! You don''t have to live under that dark cloud any longer!"


    She sat up and reached out for both of them, gripping their necks in a tight embrace.


    "You two are now Co-Emperors alongside your brothers. That will never change for as long as you live, no matter what shape you transform into." Her eyes were fierce.


    "Furthermore, your sister will also forever be a Princess, irregardless of whether she bes a bat or a mermaid!" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The twins looked at each other as sudden understanding dawned on them.


    "You''re right." Jason suddenlyughed. "Once we be Co-Emperors with our brothers, this no longer even matters."


    Jared''s eyes began shining. "We''ve just been hiding this for so long, it''s be second nature."


    Candace scowled. "You should NEVER have to hide your true selves away!!!"


    She pressed a hard kiss on each of their foreheads.


    "You inherited both sides of your parents'' lineage. There''s nothing wrong with that. It''s how gics work!"


    "In fact, your mother''s mer side is just as valuable and precious as your father''s blood bat side. Thebination of bat and mer is what makes you both so unique."


    Her eyes glittered with unshed tears.


    "I treasure that, and I want you to embrace everything that makes each of you rare and precious. Do you understand???"


    They both reached out and crushed her into their bodies, unable to say anything. With just a few words, she had made them feel worthy and precious.


    They stayed together in that mutual embrace for a few minutes until Candace raised her head. Something else was nagging at her.


    "So I have another question. Our children¡­will they be able to transform into mer people also or will they just be bats?"


    Jared and Jason looked at each other.


    "We¡ªdon''t know. We''ve never had a wife or child, so we have no idea, but¡­what if¡­" their eyes mirrored the worry that they had carried all this time.


    If the babies they bore with her did not breed true, would she reject the children? Would society look down upon them?


    Candace raised an eyebrow.


    "Are you asking me what if the child that I carried inside my body and cherished for months and months, and then bore with great pain, could change into merfolk as well as a bat?"


    Her eyes began shining. "I can hardly wait to see what they can do!"


    Candace gave them with a huge grin. "We could build a huge ocean vessel and live on it part of the year, when it''s warm."


    She pped her hands in delight. "You and the kids could swim around all you wish as merfolk. Even Lucas would have a st. He loves the ocean so much!"


    The twins began tough. Candace was the Empress who chose her Emperors after all. Who would dare demean or look down upon the very children that she carried and gave birth to?


    "You know what I would do?" Her eyes gleamed as she continued to think about the possibilities.


    "On the cruise ships away from natural waters, I would build huge swimming pools for everyone so you two can continue to swim as mermen!"


    Suddenly, Jason and Jared felt a huge burden lift from their very souls. No matter how inferior their gics was, she would never think less of them.


    More importantly, she would be able to protect her babies with the kind of fierce love that truly powerful women would be able to provide.


    "How hard is it to transform into mermen?" Candace suddenly asked.


    Jasonughed. "Do you want to see?"


    Candace bit her lip. "Only if you want to show me. I don''t want to make you both feel¡ª"


    "Oh stop it." Jared shushed her lips with his own. "You''re our wife. If you can''t see this, then something is wrong with us for not being able to trust you enough to show you what is essentially part of our true self."


    "Do you need to be in the water to transform?"


    They nodded their heads. "We just took showers, but we can run a warm bath and just get our bottoms wet for a bit to show you. Come!" They pulled her off the bed and back into the bathroom.


    Within ten minutes, the bathtub was filled with lukewarm water and they both sat on the edge of the tub with their legs submerged to their knees.


    "Don''t you have to bepletely in the water to transform into mermen?" Candace gave them a dubious look.


    "Haha. No. We just need to get a little wet is all. It helps with the transformation."


    They grinned at each other and then looked at her.


    "Ready?"


    Candace nodded.


    Just as they merely shrugged into their bat wings when they transformed into bats, the twins did not have to do any strange mumbo jumbo to turn into mermen. They simply transformed.


    One moment, they were simply naked men sitting on the tub''s edge and the next, they had slipped into the tub and were resting their human elbows on the tub''s edge as their fish tails sshed in the tub water.


    Candace gasped with wonder as she reached out towards their silver-green scaled fish tails.


    "Can I touch?"


    "Go ahead."


    "It''s so smooth and cool." Candace murmured, touching the smooth skin on their bodies.


    "Do you have¡­you know¡­"


    "A penis?" Jasonughed. "Right here Darling." He pulled a p apart and his member popped out from a slit near the pelvic area of his tail.


    We''re like dolphins and whales in that we do have normal sex, as opposed to, you know¡­spraying our semen all over some eggs on the sea floor." Jaredughed.


    "When it''s not in use, we keep it in this little pouch inside this slit right here, you see?" Jason pulled her hand towards his body and allowed her to touch his partially erect penis.


    "Does it work the same as when you''re human?"


    Jason doubled overughing. "Of course, Love. Would you like to try?"


    Candace shook her head. "We don''t have time."


    Jaredughed. "That''s a shame. Maybe in the future, you can try it, see if you like us better as mermen, batmen, or humans."


    Candace stood there with her arms akimbo.


    "I like you two in any form as long as you are still the same two people that I know and love.. Don''t try to change and don''t try to hide what you are, or you two are in big trouble with me, you hear???" She warned with intensity.

 Chapter 276 - [Bonus ] Money Pit Marakaran

    The first mini-moviemercial ying up the positives of CandyLand released within twenty-four hours of the conversation that Dante had with Ash.


    During that time, Dante''s attendants were rushing around, creating a realistic set of business documents that would allow CandyLand to look as if it would be a powerhouse of apeting force against a major businesspetitor, the weapons system of Haribou.


    Best case scenario was that CandyLand and Haribou Weaponry would both lose and Marakaran would win. Worst case scenario would be Haribou wins.


    Of course, Dante knew that war and strife was far more profitable than bringing joy and cheer to families and kids, but sometimes, he had to make do with whatever weapon was avable on hand.


    If CandyLand won, Dante would simply bite the bullet and make it happen.


    Setting it up at such great expense and taking so little profit would essentially make CandyLand Marakaran a money pit, something that the fiscally astute Dante cringed at.


    Had this been a normal business dealing, both he and Marakaran would have been able to make money off the tourists.


    The way that it was set up, this CandyLand would not only make no money but would also be a financial drain on the other CandyLand resorts which would have to partially support Marakaran CandyLand with its profits.


    Unfortunately, there was no other way topete with what Haribou was offering the investors and legitors on Marakaran, so Dante did what he normally did in uncertain times like these. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He threw caution to the wind and took a gamble with what wasing from his heart.


    Conservation of the beauty of Marakaran, along with aiding the elven world in resisting the war machine that was Haribou was something that he would do his best to back.


    "Hold on." Dante tapped at the paper. "This is not going to be sufficient to attract the support of Marakaran legitors."


    "Your Royal Highness¡­" The attendant hesitated. He had pushed the numbers as far as he dared. Any more and the shortfall woulde directly out of Prince Dante''s pockets.


    "Add a third more incentive money here. Double the bonus there. And¡­take a full percentage point off here."


    "Sir!" The attendant''s eyes bulged.


    "Do it." Dante mmed his hand on the document.


    "Yes Sir." The attendant bowed and took the document away to make the necessary changes.


    By that very afternoon, in all the melee of war propaganda of doom and gloom by the Haribou public rtions, a happy cheerful child-friendly CandyLand mini-movie starring the explosively popr Prince Lucas and the Prime Avgo Female Candace began showing up everywhere.


    It was supposed to have only been released within the boundaries of Marakaran, but in the age of instant visuals, there was nothing that could keep such a well-produced piece of visual art from being scattered far and wide throughout the gxy.


    People shared the mini-movie to friends and family. Celebrities talked about Marakaran and the new CandyLand theme park that was rumored to be nned at that bright beautiful paradise resort.


    Suddenly, everyone was moring to book their next vacation on the paradise of Marakaran so they could see the newest andtest CandyLand world in the making.


    Ratings and bookings for tourism went through the roof!


    In a matter of 48 hours, there was zero avability for the normal tourist to book a stay on the entire world of Marakaran, stretching out for over a year.


    Everyone wanted to see, not just CandyLand being built but also Marakaran in all its natural splendor.


    There was also the promise of seeing their beloved movie star Prince Lucas and his wife, Candace Farrah, rumored to have been the inspiration and namesake for Prince Dante''s CandyLand resorts.


    Informal polls began to pick up spikes in the numbers of people who were already firmlymitted to voting for CandyLand over Haribou Weapons.


    Even those who were staunchly against the development of anything on Marakaran were starting to change their tune and singing the praises of a possible CandyLand Marakaran.


    It got so heated, Ash made a quick call to Dante.


    "Yes yes," Dante nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I know what you are going to say, Ash."


    "What are your ns, now that my people are moring for a CandyLand on Marakaran?" Ash grinned.


    He was not opposed to the idea of having CandyLand on Marakaran. It was in keeping with the fact that Marakaran was already a hot tourist destination.


    Nothing would change other than the fact that they would be even more exclusive and more luxurious. It would be even more difficult to book an adventure on Marakaran, pushing it into the realm of exclusivity for the very wealthy.


    Everyone knew Dante protected his investments with guard ships that were basically Erenveil warships painted a nice friendly color.


    With Erenveil protection flying around Marakaran space, Ash would not have to worry about hostile takeovers which meant more people would feel safe toe visit.


    "I wasn''t going to put a CandyLand on Marakaran." Dante admitted. "It was just to split the vote, but I almost can''t pull out now."


    Ashughed. "It would be a shame if you did.


    I have seen the document you have drafted. It''s very generous on your part and may not seem as if it would be beneficial to you, but I promise you it will be quite lucrative for you. How many have you already set up?"


    Dante blinked. How many did he have?


    "I have four in the eastern quadrant. Three in the southern areas of insectoid space. One in the northern sector, and one in dragon space."


    "So this would make the tenth CandyLand you''ve created."


    "Again, I wasn''t going to set a CandyLand in Marakaran because I know how expensive the real estate is there. It would not be profitable for me."


    "Don''t worry. I will give you tax rates and real estate prices that you will not be able to turn down. You were doing this as a favor to me and my world and I will not forget that." Ash smiled.


    "Oh yeah?" Dante raised an eyebrow.


    "Absolutely. I have done research on your CandyLands. You try to work with the environment that you find yourself in. You don''t try to change the environment to suit your schemes."


    "Well that''s the whole reason for CandyLand. It''s a safe ce for kids to visit when their parents are on vacation at the more adult areas. It''s an extension of their vacation that their children can also enjoy. It shouldn''t stick out like a sore thumb."


    "I like that. Let''s move forward with this, Heavens willing of course." Ash smiled.


    They ended the conversation with real ns to begin initial stages of nning and development, depending on the votes within the next four days.


    Once King Ashwyn disconnected from the call, Dante shut the folder that was currently in front of him.


    He was done¡ªso done they could stick a fork in him and the fork would drop.


    "Hold everything for the next twenty-four hours." He called to his attendant and rose from the desk.


    His wife was going tond soon and he needed to be at thending site to greet her.

 Chapter 282 - Slave Auction

    Far away, on Emporia, a man was silently watching the royal group disembark from the cruise ship Candace 001.


    The visual feed wasing from his own world''s intelligence unit, discretely spying from space. It had alerted him of something important happening on Marakaran¡ªso important that all the Princes of Erenveil were congregated there at the same time.


    He watched with mild curiosity as he saw the Erenveil brothers and the blonde woman named Candace with whom he had met the day he rescued her from the band of pirate thugs that had surrounded her on Emporia.


    She seemed healthy and cheerful and he was happy for her.


    His interest and attention increased dramatically however when he saw Poppy emerge from the space port structure and run towards them.


    He smiled with tenderness. His beautiful Poppy, the red haired Princess from Erenveil.


    She was in her usual ck warrior outfit, her deep red hair flowing in waves that caressed her shoulders and billowed out behind her. She walked with the natural lithe bounce of a powerful female fighter, with barely suppressed energy and strength.


    She was his pride and joy.


    Poppy was barely sixteen when he firstid eyes on her, a frail battered flower that had been stripped of everything including her dignity.


    She was a certified virgin, something that was highly sought after, especially a beauty such as her, with red hair and heavens knew what color eyes.


    She came from an upper ss family. It showed in her stance, her bearing, her gentle rearing. Her skin was unmarred and her hands were fragile and unscarred from heavy work.


    How she came to be separated from her family was a mystery.


    All under-aged children and youths who made it to this ve trading ce were either runaways who had gotten snared by the ve traders, sold by their family, or stolen from their home worlds and brought into pirate space.


    It didn''t matter any more. From this point forward, she would belong to the highest bidder.


    She was standing on the tform in all her naked beauty wearing nothing but her long red hair. Her skin was pale baster and her aureoles the color of pink pearls. Her eyes were downcast so he could not see what color they were.


    But it wouldn''t have mattered if they were red or green or blue. She was so beautiful, his heart had been lost at that moment.


    Encircling her thin regal neck was a circlet of tinum from which a dainty tinum chain was attached. The chain was bound to the pink marble column behind her, looking as if it was holding her in ce.


    It was just a formality of course, an indicator that she was a ve. She could have just yanked on the chain and it would have broken easily, but what was the point? Where else could she run to?


    She was on a ve ship in the middle of deep pirate space.


    The girl''s starting bid price was high. So high that most of the bidders at the auditorium gave a sigh and sat back to watch the high rollers y their game.


    Mattheus Cordera had attended this ve market to search for a male attendant to take care of his gopher duties, but all that flew out of his mind when he saw her.


    Along with all the other bidders, Mattheus did note that day with the kind of funds to purchase such a high quality ve as the red haired girl.


    There were only two other bidders who could even approach the start price. They were gutless grizzled men he knew well.


    One of them dealt in drugs. The other was a high-level visiting dignitary who lived on the right side of space but often came to pirate space to find luscious treasures such as she.


    The bidding began in earnest as the two men locked horns. The price for the girl began to rise meteorically.


    After five minutes of bidding, the visiting dignitary was starting to falter. Even he was not willing to part with that much wealth just for a single girl.


    As the auctioneer began to wind down the bid war, it looked as if the drug lord would take home the girl. It was then that Mattheus could no longer sit still.


    He called out in a strong voice his bid, slightly higher than the drug lord''s bid price.


    A gasp rang out all over the auditorium. This was a young upstart. Where would he get the money to pay for a bid this high???


    The drug lord shrugged and made another bid.


    Mattheus gritted his teeth and bid higher by a slight amount.


    This went on three more times until the drug lord threw up his hands and gave up. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    He didn''t need the girl that badly. He had several dozen wives at home he hadn''t seen in months. There were a few that he hadn''t spoken to in over a year.


    After the auction had ended, Mattheus had gone to the back office to finalize the deal.


    Without hesitation, he had hocked his beloved warship over to the dealer for the amount of currency he needed to transfer over to the auctioneer.


    The moment he did that, he was essentially homeless, but Mattheus didn''t care. Fortunes came and went but there was only one red haired girl with the fragile face and body.


    Mattheus would never forget the moment when she was led into the room to meet her new owner. They had given her a short white shift to wear, but they might as well not have bothered.


    It was so thin that it was mostly see-through and provided little to no warmth at all. She was standing there in front of him, barefoot and shivering, staring at the floor.


    "What is your name?" He had asked her with as much gentleness as he could muster.


    "Poppy." She had responded listlessly, still staring at her feet.


    Mattheus'' heart nearly broke at that moment. He had not known who she was. He just saw a shattered girl that he felt the urgent need to protect.


    "Come. Let''s get out of this rat-infested hole." He reached out his hand.


    As he led her away, she had followed him without protest.


    Where else could she go? She was in deep pirate space with no clothes, no papers, no money.. There was no escape other than death.

 Chapter 292 - [Bonus ] Rubies Are Red

    As the wine continued to be poured from the casks that had been brought out by the servants, Ashwyn waited with nervous restlessness. His attendant had been gone for over an hour and had not yet returned with what he had asked for.


    As thenterns began to dim, he gestured for the attendants to relight them all. Each fuel source onlysted two hours, and the first set of fuel cones had barely been lit when Poppy took off in a huff.


    Two hours. He hoped it was enough time for her to calm down a bit so he could at least talk to her.


    "Your Majesty," a voice called out behind him.


    Ashwyn turned. "Do you have it?"


    "Yes, Your Majesty." He bowed and proffered a small t box.


    Ashwyn took the box and opened the top.


    Nestled within the velvet lining was a pendant fashioned from deep gold, holding arge ruby tear drop surrounded by diamonds.


    It was a fairlyrge ruby so the piece was quite heavy. It was also exquisite.


    "Very good." He closed the lid and tucked the box into the inner breast pocket of his robe. He hoped this was a good enough peace offering and Poppy would be happy with it.


    Now, he could either wait for Poppy to show up or he could go look for her.


    A quick look around at therge gathering convinced Ashwyn to sit and patiently wait. He had no idea where she was anyway.


    As the lights of the pcenterns began to glow brightly once more, Ashwyn stood up and began walking around the perimeter of the group.


    He did not want to look as if he was pacing, but that was exactly what he was doing. Where in the world had she gone to that she would not return to the dinner when all her brothers and her sister-inw was still here?


    He was about to throw caution to the wind and go look for her when Poppy reappeared, with Mattheus in tow behind her.


    Ashwyn moved towards her.


    "Poppy." He called out.


    She stopped and turned her violet eyes towards him.


    Ashwyn let out a silent breath of relief. She no longer looked so angry. In fact, her eyes held a strange glint that Ashwyn could not put his finger on.


    "Can we please talk?" He asked her outright, hoping that she would not refuse him in front of everyone.


    "Just for a few minutes, Poppy." He begged.


    She pressed her lips into a thin line and nodded.


    "Come." He extended his hand and she reached out for him.


    The moment their fingers touched, Ashwyn felt a warmth suffuse his entire body and his body began to tingle in a way that he just knew¡ªhe knew the chemistry that he felt for her was real.


    Ashwyn had heard of chemistry between people but this was the first time he had ever felt it so clearly before.


    At that moment, he knew he needed to find a way to be with her, but he also knew one thing for certain. Chemistry between two people on any level could not be created. It either existed or it didn''t.


    He knew that he could not make Poppy physically attracted to him. All he could do was create the right conditions for her to discover what chemistry was possible between them.


    He led Poppy over to the west side where the green house was located and ushered her through.


    This time of the evening, there would only be small fairy lights strung about the bushes and the small trees growing inside the ss dome. It would be tranquil enough for him to be able to talk to her.


    He had to find a way to open up the opportunity for her to be able to feel chemistry to whatever degree it existed within her. It would either happen or it wouldn''t.


    "Poppy. First things first. Please¡­let me humbly apologize for not being clear with you from the very start who I was."


    "I was just afraid that¡­that once you knew I was the king of this world, you would prejudge me and decide it wasn''t worth your time to get to know me for whatever reason."


    "Reason? Like what?"


    "Well¡­" he waved a hand. "Being with a king has its drawbacks."


    "Oh? Like what?" Poppy raised an eyebrow.


    "I don''t know. Maybe you enjoy cruising all over the gxy and don''t want to be stuck being on one world all the time. Or maybe you think kings have lots of concubines or consorts around and you don''t want to be one of a bevy of wives."


    "And is that what you have? A bevy of wives?" She gave a small smile.


    "No!" He protested immediately. "No. I''ve never been married and I don''t have anyone at the moment."


    His face turned red. "My father just passed awayst year, so I haven''t been king for very long. My advisors are looking for wives for me but I''ve been¡­pushing them off as much as I could."


    "Why?" Poppy gave him a questioning look. "Do you prefer to be with a man?"


    "No!!!" Ashwyn covered his eyes with flustered hands. "I am only attracted to women¡ªI mean, not lots of women, just¡ª"


    Poppy was now trying hard not tough.


    He sighed. "I''m doing a terrible job of trying to talk with you."


    He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small box.


    "This is a gift to say I''m sorry. Please don''t be mad at me."


    Poppy looked at him for a moment and reached out for the box.


    "Hmmm." She turned the box around in her hand. "A box this small can only hold one thing."


    "I hope you like it." Ashwyn murmured.


    She looked up at him with sparkling violet eyes and opened the box.


    "Oh my!" She gasped, pulling out the ruby pendant on its gold chain. "This looks like¡­"


    "It''s called the Amaryllis Ruby." He breathed.


    "Isn''t this part of your world''s Crown Jewels?"


    He nodded.


    Poppy handed it back to him. "I can''t take your world''s Crown Jewels. They belong in a museum or something."


    He sighed. How did she know he''d had his attendant take it out of the pce''s museum and polish it up just to give it to her?


    "If you don''t ept it, then it means you are still mad at me."


    Poppy looked up at him and shook her head.


    "If I tell you that I''m no longer mad at you, will you take this back?"


    "No. Once I give something away, I hope the person I''m giving it to will not reject it."


    "But this is too valuable for me to take."


    Ashwyn''s blue eyes softened. "I made a terrible mistake when I first met you and did not clearly tell you who I was."


    He sighed. "I even lied about the pce being a hotel because I wanted you to bring your family here to hold their wedding but I didn''t know how to present it to you in a way that would allow you to ept." n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "I''m truly sorry, Poppy. Please ept this gift and give me another chance."


    Poppy looked down at the Amaryllis Ruby. She looked up at Ashwyn.


    "When you say ''chance'', what are you talking about?"


    "Give me a chance to pursue you. I know we''re barely even friends, but I believe if we''re given a chance to get to know each other, we could be much more than friends."


    Poppy stared at him and slowly nodded.


    Ashwyn closed his eyes and heaved a sigh of relief. He took the box from her hand and pulled the chain out.


    "Then let''s start with this."


    He reached behind her and fastened the chain around her neck.


    "You are so beautiful, I can barely breathe when I am this close to you." He whispered.


    Poppy reached up to touch the ruby. "Does this mean we are now friends?"


    Ashwyn smiled. "Something like that."


    Most couples were friends, weren''t they?

 Chapter 293 - [Bonus ] The Mermaid

    After a few hours, dinner began to wind down. Eating became less of a focus as dessert and more drinks began to be passed around.


    And then as the night wore on, the little cute umbre drinks were reced by the harder drinks as someone brought out a bottle of liquor with shot sses which began to be passed around from man to man.


    The women decided to take a walk around the gardens to take advantage of the cool evening air. It also gave the men a chance to be slightly raucous and tipsy in thefort and safety of the barbecue grounds with attendants all around them.


    Poppy and Candace, along with the rest of the Emperor''s wives and girls began their walk around the pond, following the lights of thenterns that were lit along the stone paths.


    Daisy and Ariana ran on ahead,ughing and giggling at the various statues and stone animals along the way.


    They were heading towards the red bridge which crossed the pond midway and had begun to climb on the bridge by the time the women were able to make it to the foot of the bridge.


    Daisy wasughing at something Ariana pointed at in the water and she swung her body over the edge of the handrail to better take a look at whatever it was Ariana was pointing at.


    Suddenly, the handrail detached from the bridge and splintered, causing Daisy to lose her bnce.


    "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Daisy screamed as she pitched into the water, headfirst.


    SPLASSSHHH!!!


    The women heard the cry and began running towards the bridge.


    SPLASSSHHHH!!!


    There was a second ssh as Ariana jumped into the pond following her little sister.


    All the men jumped up from where they sat and ran to the area where the women and girls were.


    As the women reached the midsection where the girls had entered the water, they could see two small heads bobbing in the water.


    Ariana was holding onto little Daisy and swimming towards the shoreline. As she reached shore, the men were the first to make it to the water''s edge.


    "Daisy! Ariana!" Their brothers cried out. The men reached down and lifted both the girls up out of the water.


    The little blonde Daisy was soaked and covered in some kind of seaweed kelp which clung to her dress in long ckish green strands.


    Nothing clung to Ariana at all.


    Nothing clung because from the waist down, she had turned into a mermaid!


    "Oh my God," someone whispered.


    "Here, put this over her."


    One of the men pulled off his royal robe and they covered her with it¡ªbut nothing could cover up the long fish tail of the little mermaid Ariana.


    The women ran back towards shore, crying with distress.


    "Oh my poor girls!" Royal Consort Theodora ran to a soaking wet Daisy and picked her up, but then she turned to Ariana and reached out to touch her wet green hair.


    "You''re such a great older sister. Thank you for saving Daisy!"


    Ariana pressed her lips together. Her face looked scared.


    She was in big trouble and she knew it. She didn''t dare look at her mother.


    Candace and Poppy had reached the girls by then and were trying to console them.


    Jason picked her up and held onto her body in a protective stance, even as Jared held onto her hand.


    The silvery greenish-blue fish tail stuck out from under Jared''s robe, looking more and more out of ce.


    Ashwyn gestured once. "Please follow me into one of the chambers so we can get the girls dry."


    Lucas reached down and picked Daisy up.


    "I''ll carry her, Mother." He reassured Theodora as he and the twins followed Ashwyn. The rest of the women flocked along, looking worried and unnerved. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    Emperor Rex remained standing, fixed in one spot with his other sons. He could not believe that his little daughter had turned into a mermaid.


    He had never tested any of his children for royal lineage. Why would he? He had been confident that they were all his children.


    But Ariana had turned into a mermaid!


    Rex had no idea what to think. Was she his child or does she belong to another man?


    Byron pped him on the shoulder.


    "Don''t be too worried Father. The girls seem none the worse for wear."


    Emperor Rex stared at him, unable to say a word.


    "It''s a lucky thing Ariana swims like a fish and was able to rescue Daisy so quickly!" Byron tried to reassure the Emperor.


    "Like? Like a fish?" The Emperor stuttered. "She IS a fish!"


    "Father, it''s not as if it''s all that strange." Dante turned to the Emperor and tried to reason with him.


    "It''s not strange, no." Emperor Rex muttered. "Not if you''re a mermaid."


    "But Father," te grimaced. "Mother Fatima is a mermaid."


    "Yes but her boys, the twins, are bats! I didn''t expect Ariana to be¡ªto be¡ª"


    "To be like her mother?" Leonardo shook his head.


    The Emperor turned to Leonardo. "You are a doctor. You, more than anyone know that we blood bats breed true!"


    "Until we don''t." Leonardo shrugged.


    "What are you talking about?" Emperor Rex huffed. "The blood bats have bred true for thousands and thousands of years!"


    "Father," Lucas shook his head. "What does it matter? It''s not as if she is any less your child."


    "I don''t know that." Rex spat. "What if her mother¡­her mother¡­"


    Rex paused. He could barely even think the thoughts.


    te turned to him, appalled. "You''ve held Ariana as a newborn, cared for her as a toddler, and raised her as a young girl. Now that she''s reaching puberty, you suddenly decide that she''s no longer your child?"


    "She''s not a bat." Rex pointed out.


    "She''s still your flesh-and-blood." Byron reached out for his father but the Emperor yanked his arm away.


    "I don''t know that! I need to talk to Fatima." The Emperor''s eyes were intense.


    "Talk to me about what?" The diminutive mermaid with long greenish brown hair came back out, her soft brown eyes were filled with disappointment.


    "Fatima." The Emperor turned to her. "Come with me.. We need to talk."

 Chapter 294 - [Bonus ] The Empress Reigns

    He ushered her over towards the red bridge and left the brothers standing by the edge of the pond.


    They stood there, respecting his need for privacy to talk to his consort but could not walk away, just in case Mother Fatima needed their support.


    Alone with his third Consort, the Emperor turned to her.


    "What is going on, Fatima? Why is Ariana¡ª"


    "I don''t know. I was not expecting it." She turned back to him with daggers in her eyes. "But don''t you dare treat her as if she has done something wrong. That girl jumped into the water to save her sister!"


    "I am not talking about that and you know it. Of course she did something heroic by saving Daisy from the water, but why did she turn into a mermaid, Fatima. Exin that to me."


    Emperor Rex''s face was starting to turn red. He began breathing heavily, the smell of alcohol flooding the space between them.


    Fatima narrowed her eyes. "I don''t know. It''s not as if I understand gics very much."


    "But the gic oue of the blood bats is not hard to grasp. We are on the throne for the single reason that blood bats breed true! What do you think will happen to the throne if we do not breed true?"


    Fatima closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh.


    "Rex, she is a ten-year-old Third Princess. Whatever happens to the throne is not going to have anything to do with her. She has absolutely zero impact on your precious royal lineage."


    "That''s not what I mean, Fatima! Everyone knows that blood bats breed true. Do you know what happens to children that don''t breed true?"


    Fatima winced. What was he trying to tell her?


    "They are cast out as illegitimate because OBVIOUSLY they are not the children of the reigning monarch blood bat!"


    "Are you telling me that you are going to cast my daughter out as illegitimate?"


    Rex''s violet eyes grew red as his fangs began to grow. Fueled by the abundant amount of alcohol he had imbibed with the rest of his sons, he was starting to lose control of his own rage.


    "Tell me the truth, Fatima. Who is Ariana''s father?"


    Fatima looked at him and beganughing. Even as sheughed, her eyes grew cold.


    "Wouldn''t you like to know." She spat at him.


    With a roar of rage, Emperor Rex reached out and pped Fatima''s face. His razor sharp bat ws dug into her cheeks and ripping them to shreds.


    "Aaaaaahhhh!!!" Fatima screamed in horror.


    Her cheeks were shed into bloody ribbons.


    Suddenly, from behind, te tackled his father down onto the grass as Leonardo ran to Fatima and began frantically trying to heal her face with his own energy.


    "Fatima!" Anastasia ran towards them and ced herself in between the Royal Consort and Rex.


    She had seen the struggle from within the room that the girls were in and had run out, leaving Theodora inside, tending to Daisy and Ariana.


    Turning to Rex, she cried out in outrage.


    "Are you out of your fucking mind??? What is wrong with your ass???"


    "Stay out of this Anastasia!" Rex roared with rage.


    "I most certainly will not!" Turning to te, she pointed at the Emperor. "Take him away!"


    ==============


    As te escorted his father back to his Raptor for temporary restraining and questioning, Leonardo took Mother Fatima to one of his own ships, the Alpha Fuchsia Hospital.


    It was a stroke of luck that Leonardo had sent themand only a day ago for the ship to apany him while he was down on Marakaran and it was currently hovering above the paradise world.


    He needed all his equipment and staff to do the kind of emergency treatment that was needed on her face.


    Everyone trooped back to Candace''s suite of rooms.


    The Princes huddled around Candace on therge sofa sectional while Anastasia and Theodora sat with their arms around Ariana and Daisy on therge bed.


    Ashwyn and Mattheus sat on the divan opposite the Princes and Candace, looking on as Poppy wore out the carpet in front of them, pacing the floor and trying to make sense of the entire situation.


    How in the world did a happy joyous asion such as a family wedding turn into such a hot mess?


    She had always known Father was a royal pain in the ass about certain things, but this took the cake. There was no excuse for his actions. Absolutely none. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    He had tried to rip Mother Fatima''s beautiful face off with his bat ws! And for what?


    FOR NOTHING!!!


    The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.


    "We need to call Mother Gwen." She spoke up suddenly.


    "I agree." Dante second her announcement.


    Within minutes, Mother Gwen''s face appeared on the virtual monitor, hovering above them.


    She was smiling broadly, expecting this to be a happy group call in regards to the wedding, but her eyes grew serious, seeing everyone''s unsettled, dismal faces.


    "What''s going on?"


    "Mother Gwen¡­" Poppy took a deep breath. "Father has gone ballistic. He just shed Mother Fatima''s face to ribbons."


    "WHAT??? Is he a mad dog???" Mother Gwen jumped up, her face pale with rage.


    "Tell me exactly what happened." Shemanded.


    Quickly, Poppy recounted what she knew, and the brothers filled in what she missed.


    Gwen rubbed her face.


    "Oh my God."


    Suddenly her head snapped up. "Do not allow Fatima or Ariana to go back to the royal pce. That man has lost his privileges to be with her!"


    "How far away are you, Mother Gwen?" Byron asked.


    "Lyra and I are on our way there. We should be back in Erenveil space within twenty-four hours."


    "Come straight to Marakaran." Dante spoke up. "We will meet you at the space port."


    Once they got off the call with Mother Gwen, Poppy plopped herself down next to Mattheus and Ash.


    "I''m so worried about Mother Fatima." She murmured, covering her face.


    Beside her, the two men rubbed her shoulders and sat in silence, lending her their unspoken support.


    "She is in the best of hands." Lucas consoled.. "Leo will ensure that she will heal up nicely and won''t have any issues."

 Chapter 295 - The Prime Warriors Dilemma

    "This is all my fault." Ariana spoke for the first time, her face breaking into tears.


    "What?" Anastasia looked down at Ariana''s pale face. "No, Darling!" She protested. "None of this is your fault."


    Next to her, Daisy started to cry. "It''s not Ariana''s fault, it''s my fault!"


    Theodora shook her head and grabbed her daughter into her arms.


    "Sweetheart. None of this is your fault and none of this is Ariana''s fault." Her eyes grew hard. "The only person at fault is the one who acted violently!"


    "Momma, if I hadn''t fallen off the bridge, Ariana wouldn''t have jumped in to save me." Daisy cried into her mother''s arms.


    Ariana''s eyes were full of tears. "No Daisy, you fell because the bridge broke. I caused all this. If I hadn''t transformed, nothing would have happened!"


    Jason and Jared looked at each other. They got up and came towards their little sister.


    Kneeling in front of her, they reached out and gathered Ariana into their arms.


    "Ariana. Don''t even think that. Both you and Daisy are innocent in all of this."


    Ariana started to cry. "I honestly didn''t know I had transformed. One moment, I was treading water and trying to pull Daisy''s head above water, and next thing I knew¡ªnext thing¡ªI¡ª"


    She cried even harder as words struggled to surface but was choked off by her tears.


    "Next thing you knew, you had transformed into a beautiful mermaid." Mattheus murmured, his eyes full ofpassion.


    He had seen the transformation himself the moment it happened, when her tail had shed above the water surface.


    Ariana shook her head, choking back sobs. "I don''t know what''s wrong with me."


    "There''s nothing wrong with you, Sweetheart." Mattheus sighed. "You are a beautiful little mermaid, just like your mother and your entire merfolk species."


    He smiled gently.


    "You realize, in this room, there are four of us merfolk."


    Ariana looked up at him. "Four?"


    Jason and Jared nodded.


    "There is you and Mattheus. He is the King of the merfolk world of Emporia." Jason pointed out.


    "And then there is me and Jason, your brothers." Jared smiled.


    Ariana''s eyes widened. "You and Jason are mermen?"


    They both nodded, amidst the surprised stares and ck-jawed surpriseing from everyone except Mattheus and Candace.


    "How¡ªwhen¡ª" Lucas stammered.


    "Puberty, I presume." Mattheus smiled.


    The twins nodded.


    "Luckily for us, we turned into bats first, so Father didn''t think anything of it." Jared confirmed. "Half a yearter, when we transformed into mermen, no one saw, and we kept it a secret."


    "But to hell with that!" Jason snarled. "I''m not keeping this a secret any more. I''m half-bat half-merman. Why do I have to be ashamed of half of myself? Why does my sister have to cry and feel ashamed about being who she is?"


    "You don''t have to hide it, Love." Candace spoke up. "I''ve told you that before. Now I''m going to insist you all speak out and tell everyone who you truly are."


    Anastasia sighed. "I agree with Candace. It''s not as if it''s a huge surprise. Everyone knows Royal Consort Fatima is a mermaid."


    "Does that mean I get to tell everyone I''m half-lion?" Lucas grinned at his mother Theodora and his sister Daisy.


    "Can you turn into a lion?" Candace''s eyes widened.


    "Sadly no, although I have tried many times." Lucas gave aical sad face. "s, all that happens is my bat wings pop out."


    As if to prove a point, his dark wings extruded and began to p back and forth in a pathetic feeble manner.


    Daisy and Ariana began tough at Lucas'' antics, their tears drying up rapidly.


    Mattheus grinned. "Ariana, Jason, Jared. As King of the merfolk of Emporia¡ªI wee you back into the shoal."


    ==============


    te stood at the Command deck of the mother ship Raptor 600 staring out into the depths of dark space. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    They weren''t very far from Marakaran, hovering above the blue-green world, but for all intents and purposes, they werepletely off-world.


    As Prime Warrior of Erenveil, he could only act within his powers once he was within intergctic space.


    Had they stayed on Marakaran, he would have had to turn the Emperor over to the King of Marakaran to prosecute and judge.


    Ashwyn was standing next to te at the time and had pushed him to take the Emperor off his world so he would not have to deal with it.


    So now it was in te''s hands. Lucky him.


    He took a gulp of the water goblet in his hand as he thought carefully about what he needed to do as Prime Warrior of Erenveil. The position he held was independent of the ruling faction for this very reason.


    If the Emperor or someone wielding the powers of the throne were tomit a heinous crime, he was the single check and bnce needed to handle the criminal investigation and subsequent judgement.


    It was not an enviable position to be in because he had to judge and sentence his own family members.


    He drained the goblet and handed it to the attendant standing nearby.


    "More water." Hemanded.


    Not that it did anything to alleviate the alcohol in his bloodstream, but it was better than nothing.


    He, along with all his brothers and his father, had been drinking way too much on Marakaran and now he needed a way to clear out the alcohol, or at least dilute it somehow so that he could think clearly on this situation.


    te frowned into his hands.


    To be fair, this was a personal act of violence that did not affect the gxy or the world of Erenveil.


    In essence, the Emperor was not trying to kill the Crown Prince who would have been the next Emperor. Nor was he trying to kill an heir of the Crown Prince which would affect future gctic governance.


    Furthermore, it waspletely spontaneous and in the heat of the moment, as opposed to a premeditated action. The Emperor had simply been drinking far too much of the sweet wines and had lost control of his anger.


    pping at the Royal Consort would have been a terrible act of violence against her but it would not have caused much physical damage¡ªexcept for the fact that his ws had extruded at the wrong time.


    te closed his eyes and sighed. He knew how easy it was to hurt the ones closest to him.


    He himself had lost his head a couple of times around Candace when they were making love and had nearly shed her skin to ribbons when his fangs and ws had appeared at the moments leading up to orgasm.


    He had tried to keep his hands off her during such times, but he could see how easily it would have been to inadvertently hurt her.


    But this was different. The Emperor had reacted with violence, not with love.


    Even if te''s ws had somehow touched Candace during their lovemaking, it would have been gentle touches that might have scratched her lightly. Those light scratches would have been simple and easy to heal with his energy touches.


    It would have NEVER gouged her face the way his Father''s ws had dug into Mother Fatima''s face. That was a forceful p with ws extended!

 Chapter 300 - The Cost Of It All

    The days marched forward with relentless speed.


    There were fittings that needed to be scheduled for all members of the family, excluding the Emperor and Mother Fatima.


    There were also rehearsals that needed to be attended by everyone¡ªagain, excluding the Emperor and Mother Fatima.


    The menus had to be chosen and approved.


    Candace was in the middle of tasting and approving the menus, which consisted of breakfast, lunch, and dinner for all the guests on that day.


    "Why do we have to provide so much food?" She frowned at one of the advisors during the tasting of smoked salmon.


    "The guests are flying in from all over the gxy, Princess. They cannot bring all the food and drinks they need so we have to provide food for them."


    "Yes but breakfast, lunch, and dinner???"


    The man nodded. "Most of theme from very far away. They will be spending at least one day here, if not more. You have to feed them all."


    Candace had frowned at the budget for the sheer amount of food that was being ordered. The number looked huge. She had no idea how much that many jemals were, but she knew how much food was being calcted by the advisors.


    "That''s enough to feed an army."


    "Yes, Mdy. There has to be enough food to feed thousands of guests, including their entourage. You can''t leave the guards and attendants hungry for a whole day."


    "How are we going to pay for it all?" She gasped.


    The advisors looked at each other. "Perhaps we could discuss this together with one of your husbands." They suggested.


    "Wait a moment. Let me contact one of them."


    She narrowed her gaze and threw a query into the mental space that connected her to the men.


    ''Anyone here?''


    ''What is it Darling?'' Dante responded.


    ''Dante. I''m talking to one of the advisors about the cost of all this food for the wedding.''


    ''Hmm. Whatever it is, I''m sure it''s fine, Darling."


    ''Dante, it''s 500,000 jemals. I have no idea how much that is, but it sounds so excessive¡­''


    ''How much?'' Dante asked again.


    ''The advisor said 500,000 jemals for one day''s worth of food.''


    ''Does that include the alcoholic beverages?'' Lucas chimed in.


    ''No.'' She sobbed. ''That''s a different tab.''


    ''Hmmm. We will need to figure out the cost of the wine and beer as well.'' Lucas murmured.


    ''I have that taken cared of.'' te came online.


    ''I went beer tasting the first day I got here, and then I took a detour to price out the wines as well. I got the prices down to the number I was happy with and it will being to the pce a day before the wedding.''


    ''Good job te.'' Lucas said.


    Dante paused for a moment, finishing off what he was doing with someone nearby. Then he gave Candace his full attention.


    ''I''ll talk to the advisors about the food costs. You just keep tasting and picking out the foods you like the best and leave everything else to me.''


    ''Thank you Dante.''


    She finished the salmon tasting and then it was onto the amount of desserts that had to be finalized.


    "Fifty¡ªfifty tiered cakes?" Candace had gasped. "But there are eight tiers for each cake. Who''s going to eat that much cake?"


    "Mdy, each tier cake can only feed 120 people. Fifty cakes will be able to feed 6,000 people."


    "We don''t have that many peopleing to the wedding." She gave him an evil eye.


    "Mdy, it''s always good to have extra¡­"


    "Halve that. I don''t even think 3,000 people will be eating cake. Half the people there are men, and many of them don''t even like to eat sweet things."


    "Mdy, twenty-five cakes may not be enough¡­"


    "We also have fruit tarts, pies, eirs, and ice cream. There is plenty of sweet stuff to go around. If there is not enough cake, cut the slices a bit smaller."


    "Yes, Mdy." They bowed their heads.


    By the end of the day, Candace had gotten word from Leonardo that he had ordered all the flowers and decorations.


    He had also engaged Poppy and Lyra to help him take over the job of being Flower Ladies and they had begun the process of creating floral charts for what types of flowers go where and what colors go with what. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    With the two Princesses running around, assisted by their three ''fetch-and-carry'' men, things began to move more quickly.


    Several groups of attendants were creating huge sculptures out of tulle and satin and fresh flowers to be used as decorations around the stage area and the dance areas.


    Meanwhile,rge fabric drapes and decorations were being hung by the attendants all over the pce and the grounds.


    Amidst all this craziness, the first of the dozen music bands began arriving with their equipment and entourage.


    They had been called by Prince Lucas himself and were ecstatic that they would get backstage viewing of the most eagerly awaited wedding of the gxy.


    Candace did not even bother to ask Lucas how much each of those bands would cost. She had no idea what the budget was for entertainment.


    In fact, she also had no idea how much all the wedding outfits and jewelry for the entire wedding party would be. Jason and Jared had taken that on without batting an eye.


    Amidst all this frantic movement, the first of the visuals collecting pods began to appear.


    When the visual pods first started showing up, Candace was not happy.


    "Why are the visuals collecting pods showing up and following me around? I''m finished with all the Avgo Events!"


    She had wailed at her husbands as they sat around the fire pit in the courtyard outside her bedroom suite, drinking spiced cider and toasting marshmallows.


    "It''s actually not something we can control." te sighed. "A royal wedding this grand is not something that can be keptpletely private."


    "He''s right." Lucas shook his head. "If we don''t allow the legitimate venues toe in and take care of the visuals, we can''t control the quality of unauthorized visuals."


    "But what''s to stop the unauthorized visuals, even if we have the legit ones do the visuals?" Candace grimaced.


    "You''re burning your marshmallows Darling." Byron reached over and took her stick from her hand.


    "The legitimate groups will do their own policing of the illegal stuff because they will want to be the exclusive sources for the visuals that get spread throughout the gxy." Leonardo grinned.


    Byron handed the marshmallows to her. "Here you go. Careful, it''s hot."


    "And of course, since the legitimate sources will be selling high-end advertising, we will be profiting from it all." Dante smiled.


    "Profit?"


    "Haha. Yes. Very profitable!" Jason grinned, his face looking evil and distorted from the mes flickering within the fire pit.


    "What kind of profit are we talking about?" She blew on the marshmallow and ate a gooey piece.


    "Enough profit so that they are footing the entire bill for the cost of our wedding." Jared announced smugly.


    Candace''s eyes widened.


    "There is one drawback though." Lucas wrinkled his nose.


    "What''s that?"


    "The old goat Lorem Ipsum is going to be the main announcer for the wedding." He informed with resignation as all the brothers moaned and covered their eyes.


    te growled with dissatisfaction. "He''d better mind his Ps and Qs or his chin whiskers are mine again!"

 Chapter 301 - Unfortunate Knocking

    That night, Candace got a knock on the door.


    It had to be one of the attendants bringing herst minute things to look over before the morning''s craziness started again.


    "Hang on, I''ming." She threw on a light robe over her night shirt and ran to the door.


    ''Rx, it''s just me.'' Byron called out inside her mind.


    Candace''s eyes widened.


    "Byron!" She gasped and threw the door wide open. Reaching out, she pulled him into the room.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be meeting with the bird delegates this evening? At least I think I heard you saying something about that."


    Byron reached out and touched her head.


    "I was. I canceled at thest minute because I didn''t wanted to spend thest day of my week with you having to pander to nasty old war birds that are trying to find every single excuse to start more fights."


    "Byron¡­" Candace reached out and rested her forehead on his chest. "I know. This was supposed to have been your week. We were supposed to spend time together, get to know each other on a more intimate level¡­"


    "I''m not ming you, Love." He lowered his head and dropped a kiss on her honey blonde head.


    "We''re eight days away from our wedding. Even with all the attendants around us helping with the nning, staging, and execution, it''s such a huge event that it''s still a frenzied time for us."


    Candace closed her eyes and sighed. "It''s still not fair."


    Byronughed. "I am an illegitimate son who somehow got to be Crown Prince for most of my life. And just when I thought I lost everything, including you, Father allowed me to share the title alongside my other brothers."


    He bent down and picked Candace up. "I thought I had lost you forever and had to leave Erenveil, but then suddenly, I became your legal husband."


    Byron chuckled. "You''re right. It''s not fair. How did I get this lucky?"


    Candace looked down into his upturned face. "But you didn''t get your week, as promised."


    Byron''s eyes misted. "It''s just postponed, right?"


    Candace nodded vigorously.


    "See? I''m not missing anything. We are simply using this time to get our wedding organized."


    His brownish-red eyes darkened. "I want to stand beside you and proim with pride that I am your husband next week and I can''t do that if we don''t take the time to organize our wedding."


    He gave a happy sigh. "Nothing wrong with dyed gratification. And besides, I''m already legally married to you. That means we have the rest of our lives together. What''s one week out of a lifetime?"


    Candace smiled and pressed a kiss onto his forehead. He was such a generous loving man. Even when things weren''t perfect, he made them perfect simply by looking at it in a different light.


    "Give me a raincheck on our week." Candace whispered. She reached out


    "Meanwhile, we still have tonight, if you''ll have me." She gave him a furtive look.


    "Oh my God, Woman. Do you even have to ask?" He growled and began nuzzling at her neck.


    "I''ve been lusting after you ever since I first met you, jumping on Leonardo''s priceless piano and trying to bash our heads in with that antiquemp base." He carried her over to the bed and set her down.


    "Over that entire time period, I''ve fallen in love with you so many times, I''ve lost count." Heughed into the base of her throat as he pressed her body onto the bed. "That never affected the ''lust'' part though."


    "I never knew. You''ve been such a perfect gentleman through it all." She reached out and ran her fingers through his soft red hair.


    "Only because I was Crown Prince and had to be impartial to all the Avgo Females," he hissed as his tongue found a beautiful spot in between her breasts where he began licking. "But Love, I have never wanted anyone but you."


    His fingers began to pluck at the individual buttons of her blouse, causing herce bra to peek through.


    "Oh mercy me. It''s a front sp bra." He hissed with need. "Are you trying to kill me, Woman?" He breathed as he gently nibbled on the rounded tops of her breasts.


    Candaceughed nervously. Why would front sp bras kill him?


    Reaching with eager greedy fingers, he unsnapped her bra sp and released both her breasts from the bounds of her clothing.


    Byron choked in a breath and began devouring her nipples, first one, then the other.


    "I can''t believe how beautiful my wife is." He muttered thickly. "I can''t believe you''ve been my wife for weeks and this is the first time I''ve had a chance to even see you like this."


    "As I said. You''ve been deprived of your time with me. I''ll make it up to you, I promise." She smiled.


    "Hmmm. What are you nning on doing with me, huh you little tease?" Heughed gently as he tore thest of the pearl buttons from the front of her blouse.


    The twins were going to kill him for damaging the blouse they made for Candace, but at this moment, Byron did not care in the least. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    His little tease wasn''t just lying around either. Her hands were all over his body, reaching through his white broadcloth shirt and touching all of his chest muscles.


    "Are you nning on tearing my shirt off?" He chuckled.


    "Oh you mean like you just did with mine?" She countered with a grin.


    "Go ahead, Woman. I''m waiting for that satisfying ripping sound of you tearing my shirt apart to get at my body."


    "Hmm. You asked for it!" She giggled and reached out with both hands, yanking on the front.


    For a moment, nothing happened.


    She yanked harder.


    One button popped off, but the others remained stubbornly stuck to the broadcloth white shirt.


    "Aaarrghhh!!!" She growled, pulling ineffectually on the front of his shirt. "It would actually be faster if I just unbuttoned them and take the shirt off in the usual manner."


    Byron couldn''t help it. He burst outughing.


    As his body heaved with helplessughter, he helped her rip his shirt by tearing it apart with his own hands and then allowing her to fling it to the ground.


    "Now that we''re both naked from the waist up, what do you think is the next step, hmm, Woman?"


    Candace grinned and began tugging at his pants.


    Without waiting for her to make another attempt at tearing off his trousers, Byron pulled it off for her, kicking his pants to the ground.


    Instantly, his manhood sprang into attention, long and hard and eager for her touch.


    "Your turn." He motioned with his fingers at her belly button. With one finger, he pulled at her waist band and in one swift motion, had taken off the soft stretchy material.


    "That''s not really fair. My clothes are softer than yours, and much more fragile."


    Kneeling on the bed with her legs between him, Byron reached out and separated her thighs.


    "It''s all you will ever need to wear around the pce, Love," he muttered.


    His eyes swept over her entire body, twin mes of desire burning within his pupils.


    He opened his mouth and moistened his fingers.


    As his wet fingers reached out to touch her womanhood, a knock on the door sounded.

 Chapter 302 - Sexy Stone Statues

    For a moment, they both stared at each other with horrified eyes.


    It wasn''t because they were ashamed to be seen naked in each other''s arms. They were already legally married and it wouldn''t have been a huge scandal or anything of the sort.


    It was just because they weren''t expecting anyone.


    Byron put a finger to his lips and shushed Candace as he stared at the door. If they remained quiet, maybe whoever was at the door would just go away.


    Unfortunately, that was the worst thing to do in the circumstance because whoever was at the door figured no one was there.


    There was the sound of the key being turned in the doorway, and then the sound of someone turning the knob.


    The door creaked inward.


    "Mdy?" It was the advisor who was supposed to have arrived with the ns and schedule for the following day''s worth of activities.


    There was no response from the Princess. No one was in the room.


    She walked into the room, carrying with her a soft leather briefcase and arge white box.


    Where in the world would the Princess have gone to? She was supposed to try out the second ball gown for the first dance to make sure everything fitted well before the wedding.


    There were also scripted dialogue to be delivered in front of the visuals cameras before and after the ceremony, along with from-the-heart marriage vows that had been written by some of the best scriptwriters. They would have to be rehearsed and memorized so they could be spoken with at least a modicum of realism in front of the visuals.


    She clicked her tongue as she noticed the cast-off clothing strewn about the floor.


    It wasn''t a slight against the Crown Princess Candace who was busy from morning till night with the wedding arrangements. She was royalty and it wasn''t her job to clean the room.


    The advisor was not happy with the servants who were supposed to be taking care of the Princess'' room. This was uneptable. There were five of them and they only had one job¡ªtake care of the Princess.


    They were not doing a very good job.


    She ced therge box and the briefcase onto the table and went to pick up the discarded clothing.


    Walking over to the dirty basket, she threw the clothing in and closed the lid. With a slight turn, she made another quick sweep of the room to make sure that everything was clean and in its ce.


    She was almost certain that the Princess had returned to her room, but no one was in the bathroom and no one was in the suite. Perhaps she had gone for a walk outside to get some fresh air.


    The advisor walked over to the french patio doors and peeked out.


    The night air was fresh and cool, lightly scented with the perfume of freesias growing inrge pots around the patio doorway. It was a soft gentle night¡ªperfect for a short walk, but no one was out here.


    She inhaled with appreciation and closed the door, locking it with an automatic flick of the fingers.


    Without further ado, she went to pick up the smallundry basket with the discarded clothing. She needed to make sure they would be washed tomorrow morning, to be back in the Princess'' closet by the end of the day.


    Within minutes, she had exited the room, turning off the lights as she walked out the door.


    From between the giant broad elephant ear leaves by the side of the french doors, Byron and Candace looked into the room that the advisor had just left. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    The woman''s efficiency was truly amazing.


    "Did she just lock us out?" Candace whispered with horror.


    "What''s more important is that she took my clothes with her." Byron''s chest began heaving as he startedughing.


    They were standing outside, at night, not wearing a stitch of clothing, with a locked door between them and their own bedroom.


    "How are we going to get back in?" She covered her mouth with dismay.


    Byron was still chuckling. "The lock is not a big deal. I can melt it off with magic, but having all my clothes taken away¡­" he beganughing again.


    Candace gave him a dumbfounded stare which made Byronugh even harder.


    He was about to usher her back inside when they heard the sound of someone walking through the courtyard from one of the other rooms.


    It was a male gardener and he wasing straight towards them.


    Candace scrunched up her face in horror, even as Byron ced his hand over her mouth.


    "Shhhh." He shushed her and pushed her closer towards the wall.


    ''Don''t move. Don''t make a sound. We''re going to be stone statues for a few minutes.'' He muttered into her mind.


    ''Okay.'' She responded.


    With a touch of magic, he turned their skin and hair into the color and texture of pale marble stone. He also stiffened them a bit so that the night air would not be able to ruffle through their hair.


    The gardener wasing closer.


    ''Don''t breathe.'' Byron warned into her mind.


    Another minute went by and the gardener had walked past the life-size stone sculptures of a naked couple in an intimate embrace. They were standing in the middle of the tropical garden, frozen in the act of making love.


    He cast an admiring eye at the beauty of the stonework. Whoever the artist was, they did such an amazing job that the stone sculpture almost looked real.


    Almost. He shook his head. All fake chiseled stone.


    Nobody in real life looked that good.


    All those bulky male muscles. Damn. The guy was so well hung! And the girl¡ªshe looked too hot to be real.


    As he walked past, Candace had the sudden urge to sneeze. She tried to hold it in but it wouldn''t stay held in.


    "Achoo!"


    The gardener stiffened and turned towards the direction of the sound. It was most definitely the sound of a girl sneezing.


    He peered through the bushes with suspicious eyes.


    There was absolutely no one in the courtyard but himself and half-a-dozen sculpted stone statues scattered around the garden.


    Suddenly, the gardener felt his hackles rise. This courtyard must be spooked by something ghostly or unnatural.


    With a slight shiver, he took off running for the doorway on the other side of the courtyard.


    As the doorway mmed shut behind the gardener, Candace and Byron broke downughing. They held each other up as they melted into helpless peals and chortles.


    The sounds of their barely audible heaves and muffled guffaws could be heard throughout the courtyard. Luckily, there was no one else in the courtyard to hear them other than a few scattered stone sculptures and some small birds.


    ''Let''s go back inside before another person walks by.'' Byron called out into her mind.


    They walked back to the french patio doors and Byron broke the lock with his magic.


    As they walked in, he shot two streams of energy, one at the french doors they had just walked through and the other at the doorway of the suite. He had welded the lock mechanisms shut.


    Now, no one would be able to interrupt them.


    He turned back towards Candace, his eyes sparking with amusement,ced with passion.


    "Now. Where were we?"

 Chapter 303 - Hurt So Good

    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    From the me of a single tealight candle that they lit just for a bit of ambience, Byron and Candace began slow dancing in the middle of the room.


    Her arms were entwined around his neck and he was holding her body close to him. They were swaying to a faint strand of music that Byron had called forth with a gesture of his hand.


    Within the semi-darkness, their skin glowed a luminescent pearly shade of fragile petals.


    The perfume of musk and muguet rose up into the air,bined with the scent of their warm bodies, intertwined into the unique aura of their first dance together as husband and wife.


    Byron sighed with bliss.


    Throughout all that time, even when they were outside pretending to be stone statues in the darkness amongst the flowers and bushes, his desire for Candace never subsided.


    Now that they were alone once again, his passion began to me even hotter. Their bodies were touching in all the right ces as they continued to sway to the music.


    When he could no longer hold back his desire for her, Byron picked her up and carried her to the bed.


    He had to cut short the dance. He had gotten so hard that the length of his male member was getting in between the two of them and making it difficult to dance with her.


    Candace did not protest. Not only could she sense his urgency, she could also see and feel it.


    Without a word, they began exploring each other''s bodies with fingers and lips and tongue.


    He touched all the crevices of her body with his lips, moving from the hollow of her neck to the pulse points behind her ears while her hands moved from his back to his pecs, touching and caressing his lower abdomen.


    Byron inhaled sharply as her hands began wandering around his pelvic area, touching his inner thighs and his lower back. Her hands grabbed onto his buttocks and squeezed their firmness.


    She was touching everywhere but his hardness and it was driving him crazy. At this point, she didn''t need to touch him at all. He was just about ready to explode.


    As his lips and tongue explored her face and neck, his fingers never stopped ying with her breasts, arousing her to fevered pitch.


    "Aaaaahhhh." She sighed with delicious wanton.


    "You like that, Love? Hmm?" He murmured as his fingers gently pulled at her nipples while his lips trailed a line down towards her breasts.


    As his mouth took over where his fingers had been, Candace arched her back and took it all in like a happy kitten. She ran her fingers through his red hair, murmuring and gasping with intense pleasure.


    He moved lower, towards her inner thighs and separated her legs. Here was the point where he had gotten so rudely interrupted by the advisor, whom he was going to have a talk with as soon as possible.


    He spread her lips open and lowered his head to dip his tongue into her opening.


    Candace gasped as her pleasure center began to fire on all cylinders.


    Byron smiled. He loved to pleasure her, partly because he loved hearing the sounds she made and partly because it was making him more and more aroused.


    His tongue began flicking at her bud, gently at first, but then as she rose higher and higher, he slowed his licking down. His lips surrounded her bud as he began suckling it gently.


    As she mewled and moaned with pleasure, Byron pushed a finger into her depths to ease her open and get her ready for hisrge girth.


    She was so tight inside that he needed to ease her opening a bit so his stiff engorged male member could fit. It wasn''t long before he was able to insert two fingers, even as his lips continued to suckle her clit.


    Thebination of his lips and his fingers was causing her to reach new heights of ecstasy. Candace was so wet, she was dripping into his hand and onto the bed.


    "Haaaaaaahhhh! Haaaaahhhhh!" Candace gasped, panting in quick gulps as she clutched the bed sheets with grasping fingers.


    She was almost ready toe. She was ready for him.


    "I have a payload to deliver to you, Love." He murmured.


    Sweat rolled down her face as she smiled up at him.


    "It''s going to hurt you, that Avgo shard." she reminded him.


    "I am so looking forward to the pain as well as the pleasure." He growled as he grabbed her thighs and threw her legs over his shoulders.


    Grasping his member, he aimed hisrge bulbous head at her opened flower and rubbed it around until his shaft was sufficiently wet from her juices.


    Then he slowly pushed his shaft into her body, inching forward until he was hilt-deep within her. He held still for a moment so she could get used to his girth and then he started in a slow rhythmic rocking motion, pressing himself into her. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Their lovemaking was gentle.


    Until it wasn''t.


    Byron began giving in to his body''s demands to take over. He started thrust harder and harder, faster and faster.


    Leaning onto her body, his hands reached for hers and their fingers interlocked. Then, they held onto each other and began rocking in a rhythm as old as time.


    Candace gasped as his manhood hit against her womb, sending her closer and closer to the edge of climax. Her body began shaking and she moaned with wanton desperation.


    The heat between them was like a raging fire burning out of control. The scent of theirbined sexual excitement was turning him on more and more.


    As he continued to thrust into her, Candace squealed and shivered, feeling his thick veiny shaft rubbing against her swollen tingling bud.


    Her body began to experience micro-bursts of pleasure, exploding everywhere within and around her womanhood.


    "Haaaahhh, haaaahhh, aaaahhh¡­feels so good Byron." She whimpered. "Don''t¡ªdon''t stop."


    "I couldn''t stop now even if I tried, Woman." He panted.


    As Candace was experiencing the multiple orgasms brought on by his lovemaking, Byron could feel his self-control begin to slip.


    His neck veins bulged and sweat poured from every inch of his skin as he continued pumping and thrusting himself inside her.


    His passion began to rise and Byron began slowing down. He desperately tried to control his raging desire, but it had run away from him. There was no holding it back.


    As he began to lose control of his body, his fangs began to grow. His wings extruded from his back and his ws began to lengthen.


    "Sheath¡ªsheath your ws Love." Candace panted.


    "Sorry. I won''t hurt you, I promise." Byron murmured, quickly retracting his ws.


    Candace''s orgasms continued as he maintained his steady thrusting. He gritted his teeth as he felt his own sensations of impending orgasm building up.


    The closer he got to his own orgasm, the more his thirst for her blood grew. He tried to ignore it but it could not be ked.


    It was as if the act of lovemaking triggered the primal urge within him to take into himself, a small part of her life force.


    Unable to abstain, Byron sought out her right carotid artery and sank his sharp fangs into her soft skin.


    "Aaaaaahhh!!!" She squealed.


    ''I''m so sorry, Love,'' he spoke into her mind as he injected her with his serum.


    ''I''m just so thirsty for you.'' He whispered mentally as his mouth sucked her blood into his body.


    ''Drink as much as you need, Love.'' She assured him even though she knew he would only ever take a tiny amount of her blood.


    Candace could feel the warmth of his liquid serum flowing through her bloodstream and racing throughout her entire being as rolling waves of pleasure rolled through her body.


    She began to convulse, her body trembling as another orgasm began to hit her body.


    As she felt his mouth on her neck, gulping down the blood from her body, she quivered with ecstasy as she felt the length of his manhood pulsating inside her.


    He was starting toe.


    At the moment of ejaction, he clutched at his chest, his face scrunching up in pain.


    "Aaaaaaargghhhh!!!" He cried out with the pain of release.


    The shard that was the Avgo embedded within his heart tore away from the muscles that were holding onto it and an electrical discharge ran through his body, coursing through his penis.


    With ast agonizing burst of pleasure, Byron exploded within her body, returning to his beloved woman the Avgo shard that he had been protecting all this time within his heart.


    "Holy hell." He gave a swift intake of breath as he rubbed Candace''s sweat-drenched hair.. "That hurt so damn good."

 Chapter 307 - The Taming Of The Lion

    n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    [WARNING: MATURE CONTENT]


    "Oh my God, Candi¡­"


    "Uh-uh. No no. She gave him a yful nip on the thigh. What is that you''re supposed to call me again?"


    "Mis¡ªmistress Cancandy." Leonardo gasped at her nip.


    "Good boy." She purred, licking like a cat at his manhood.


    Unable to see her movements, Leonardo suddenly had a vision of Candace as a powerful lioness, taming him with her long wet tongue. It was such a powerful vision that he gasped as a strong deep thrill ran through him.


    Loosely tied up as he was, Leonardo had to surreptitiously magic the belt bond a bit tighter for fear that he would identally slip out of the bounds she had ced on his wrists.


    But it was thest thing that he could consciously do because after that, Leonardo could only react.


    "Ohhhh¡­aaahhhhh¡­haaaaaaa!!!" He moaned and sobbed as she did things to him that he could not see but could definitely feel.


    She tickled his body with soft things, warm things, silky things, wet things.


    She trailed her fingers, swirling around and around the base of his hard member, refusing to touch the head of his shaft.


    "If you want me to lick you, beg me." She whispered.


    Leonardo''s breath contracted. Beg her? He had to beg his own wife for¡­


    But then the delicious tingling sensation of her tongue touching all around the base of his testicles and in between the hollowed crevices of his male member and his thighs made Leonardo mewl like a little kitten.


    "Say, please lick my balls, Mistress Cancandy." She murmured.


    Leonardo''s mind was swirling in a thick hot sweaty messy soup. He could barely think. All his focus was aimed directly at his loins and what this woman was doing down there.


    "Please¡­please lick my balls, Mistress Cancandy." He muttered.


    Suddenly, he felt his testicles being taken into her mouth and suckled with just enough force that he cried and sucked in his breath. The pleasure was so intense and she had barely even started.


    The more he mewled and moaned, the more she suckled his sacs. First one, then the other. She tongued the balls round and round inside her mouth, touching and rubbing the base of his testicles with a firm finger.


    Then she did something that was so unthinkable, he nearly went insane.


    With a lubed finger, she gently inserted it into his back door and began gently rubbing his prostate.


    "Haaaaaaaahhhhaaaaaaa¡­" he heard the high pitched sound of moaning that wasing out of his mouth and he could not believe it was him that was moaning.


    His breath got caught in his throat and he could not breathe. The sensation of his prostate being tickled and his balls being sucked at the same time was causing him to mentally break down into a quivering ball of sensations¡ªa climactic high that never ended.


    With his eyespletely covered and his hands tied up, he had no higher rational senses and no way to stop what was going on. But why would he stop her? She was sending him into sexual paradise.


    "Leo. Say, Please lick my cock, Mistress Cancandy."


    This time, there was no hesitation.


    "Please lick my cock, Mistress Cancandy." His face twisted with pleasure at the finger up his butt that never stopped its wriggling motion on his prostate.


    Suddenly, he could feel her tongue sliding up the base of his shaft and then his manhood was sucked down to the base!


    Unable to see anything, all Leonardo could feel was a wet oral passage that sucked him in a rhythmic manner.


    "Aaaaaaarggghhh!!!" He growled, feeling his fangs and wings beginning to extrude from his back.


    She pulled his shaft from her mouth and retracted her finger from between the cheeks of his buttocks.


    "Careful of those ws. Sheath them Darling." She cooed.


    Leonardo did as she told him to do and then waited.


    "Leo. Say, Please fuck me, Mistress Cancandy."


    Leonard smiled. His little minx.


    At that moment, he wanted to magic the wrist bounds off, grab her and make torrid, hard, rough love to her, but she was running the show at this moment. He couldn''t spoil her fun.


    "Please fuck me, Mistress Cancandy." He said with the kind of meekness that would have never happened in a day of his life, except that he was yacting with her, and it was fun.


    In a smooth motion, his Mistress Cancandy had straddled him. With a gentle motion, she positioned his manhood directly in between her petals and sank him deep into her body.


    "Haaaaaaahhh!!!" He breathed.


    This was not fun. This was excruciatingly pleasurable.


    His mighty lioness had dominated him, taken away his ability to do much other than gasp and moan and pant¡ªand beg and plead and act subservient to her strong domination.


    His insides quivered.


    If he thought he loved her before, when he first saw her walk the ss walkway to rescue his brother, then this was a hundred times more potent.


    If he thought he loved her when she threw her body between him and a bomb that was about to explode, covering his head and ears with her hands to keep him safe, this was a thousand times more effective.


    As she bounced on top of him, he could hear her breathing and crying out his name.


    "Aaahh. Aaaah. Leo¡­oh my God, Leo. You''re so big, oh Lord! Feel so good¡­"


    Her moaning was causing the tides of his desire to rise higher and higher.


    He could feel the heat being generated between their bodies. He could smell the sweat and sexual juicesmingling between the two of them.


    She chose that moment to touch her lips to his and they began to kiss and make love at the same time.


    Without the ability to see, his mind continued to make up the most crazy and amazing sights. The lioness was riding him, dominating him, and he was helpless in her hands.


    He felt the waves of his desire spiking over and over and over until the spikes wereing in more urgently.


    Growling in his throat, Leonard strained against his shackles.


    His Mistress Cancandy reached up, released his bonds and took off the silk scarf.


    Her beautiful face swam into view.


    "Candace," he breathed and wrestled her onto her back.


    "Oh my God, Woman. You''re driving me insane!" He grounded out and began pounding himself into her.


    Harder. Faster. More intense.


    His cheek rested on hers as he bucked into her like a frenzied mad man.


    "Grrrrrrrr". He roared like the lion he was. His fangs grew longer as his thirst for her blood began to turn him into a beast.


    "Bite me." She offered coyly.


    He didn''t need a second invitation.


    Leonardo took a deep breath and fastened his fangs directly onto her smooth pale neck. With gentleness and care, he sank his fangs into the throbbing arteries.


    Immediately, his serum hit her body and she quivered with ecstasy, her blood spurting out in hot red abundance.


    Leonardo fixed his mouth around her wound and took a few gulps of her precious blood. He continued to lick her wound until she was healed, and then he turned his warm aqua eyes towards her.


    ''Can you hear me now?''


    ''Absolutely Leo.'' She responded.


    ''I love you, Wife.'' He sent into her mind, even as his body surged and he reached the bursting point.


    Leonardo''s face grimacing with the pain of pleasure as he felt the Avgo struggling from his heart.


    "Aaaaaarghhhh!" Leonardo growled as the pain in his chest blossomed.


    At the moment his manhood erupted within her, he clutched at his chest as he worked through the intensity of pleasure and pain.


    Within seconds, he released his seminal fluids and returned to Candace the Avgo shard she''d given him.


    "Haahh! Haahh! Haahh!" He panted for a minute, trying to recover.


    Perhaps it was because Leonardo''s was the final Avgo shard to be reunited, and he was a doctor which meant he was able to monitor his wife''s condition.


    Perhaps it was because the time between the Avgo collection was fairly long, and the shards had been waiting so patiently that they had run out of patience.


    Whatever the reason was, Leonardo could feel the difference in Candace immediately.


    One moment, she was quivering with physical pleasure, riding the same orgasmic wave he was.


    The next moment, she was clutching at his arms, her face wracked with pain.

 Chapter 308 - A New Life Begins

    "Wife. What is it?"


    Candace shook her head, her face scrunching up. She was barely able to breathe, her pain was so strong.


    With a quick touch of his finger onto her temple, Leonardo


    Leonardo pulled himself out of her and began doing an impromptu physical check-up.


    Gone was the lover being dominated by his woman. Back was the doctor trying to care for his patient.


    His hands began to glow a blue color as he checked her abdomen for any internal bleeding or blockages.


    What he found shocked him to the core.


    ''Oh my God. You guys!'' He called into the mindspace that Candace had set up for the brothers.


    ''What''s up?'' te was first to respond.


    ''Hey Leo! Wee to Candace''s Husbands Club!'' Jared whooped out a greeting.


    ''What''s going on?'' Dante asked, a little distractedly due to his work.


    ''Something''s wrong with Candace. She''s in a lot of pain.'' Leonardo yelled into the mind-space. ''You guys need toe to her bedroom. NOW!!!''


    Without waiting for them to respond, he disconnected and went back to concentrate on Candace. He didn''t have time for chit chat.


    He quickly got himself dressed and cleaned her up with a wet towel before throwing a clean sheet over her naked body.


    At this moment, she was no longer an object of desire. She was his patient.


    Leonardo went back to monitoring her womb with his medical energies.


    She had collected all seven shards and they were floating within her body, but it wasn''t a random meandering. It was a strange purposeful float.


    He projected what he could feel into a virtual monitor above her bed and continued to move his hands around on her abdomen to maintain visuals.


    When he found what he was looking for, he locked the frames into position to maintain visuals of her womb.


    Within a matter of minutes, all his brothers had burst into the room and were gathered around her, panting and heaving from having to rush there.


    "What¡ªwhat''s that?" Lucas asked, pointing to the image on the virtual screen.


    "Looks like it''s our Avgo shards, dancing around in a pattern." Dante squinted at the visuals trying to see clearly, the shards among all the background noise of her internal body.


    "Recognize the pattern?" Leonardo asked.


    "It looks like a¡ªa heptagon?" Lucas responded.


    "Close. It''s actually a heptahedron." Leonardo nodded. "Seven-sided, three-dimensional structure. This is one of the sacred geometries of life."


    "Wait, wait." Byron held up a hand. "I remember the twelve sacred geometries when we were learning basic magic theory from our teachers, but I never heard of the heptahedron being a sacred geometry before."


    Leonardo sighed. "The twelve that you''re talking about, Egg of Life, Flower of Life, Tree of Life, et cetera, has to do with the basic shapes that make up the universe and life in general. This one is different."


    He indicated at the visual that was urring in real timeing from Candace''s body.


    "This is a sacred geometry that forms in order to receive a soul into a new vessel that is being formed."


    "What???" Dante gasped


    Leonardo''s face twitched. Being the most intelligent brother has its drawbacks. What was to him, simple to grasp, wasplex to others around him.


    How could he find words and make it simple enough so that his brothers could understand?


    "Okay, so we all know that the Avgo isn''t just some random gemstone. It''s actually alive. It chose all of us as its father, remember?"


    The brothers all nodded.


    "But it couldn''t form for the longest time until all the fragments had been collected."


    te crinkled his eyes at Leonardo. "Hurt like hell, didn''t it?"


    "Like a heart attack." Leonardo admitted with a shake of his heart. "I thought I was going to die and leave her a partial widow for a moment there."


    All the brothers chuckled and nodded with understanding. They remembered all too well the pain they each felt at the moment the Avgo tore away from their heart.


    Leonard pointed to the virtual monitor above Candace''s sleeping form.


    "Look at the way it''s moving!" He pointed to the motion of the seven shards. "It''s forming into a seven sided heptahedron."


    He used his finger and drew a blue shape into the air, infusing it with magic so it would remain as a 3D shape. Then he twirled it so that it spunzily in the space between the brothers.


    "See that? There are seven sides and each side has exactly the same surface area." He pointed to various areas of the spinning shape. "There are four equal triangles and three equal four-sided shapes that look like kites."


    He gestured with emphasis. "Each of those triangles and four-sided shapese from one of us. This shape needs all seven of the shards to be able to create the heptahedron."


    His six brothers stared at what Leonardo was pointing at and gave vague nods. They understood basic magic, but the geometric mathematics were moreplex to grasp.


    "So what does all that have to do with the shards and Candace?" te stared at the blue heart that was moving the blue fumes around inside it.


    Leonardo pointed to the visuals monitor above Candace''s head.


    "Gentlemen, you are seeing in real time, our tiny child being created."


    As they stared with fascination at the spinning points of light that Leonardo pointed out, they suddenly noticed that it was going straight for the egg, which looked like a huge round sphere hovering in the background.


    In no time t, it had been subsumed by the egg and had disappeared.


    "And BAAM!!!" Leonardo announced with great cheer. "Her egg has been fertilized by the Avgo shards."


    "Wow that''s a huge egg!" Lucas murmured, fascinated.


    Leonardoughed. "It''s magnified so you can see the details. This is so tiny that we wouldn''t be able to see anything just by looking at its actual size."


    "That heptahedron fertilized only one egg." Dante mused. "Looks like we''re only going to be getting one child."


    "But what about the sex of the baby?" Jared asked.


    "Doesn''t that depend on the individual sperm?" Jason added.


    Leonardo nodded. "Normally, yes. But this is the Avgo we''re talking about. It''s so far beyond my level of understanding that all I can do is continue to observe what is happening to her."


    "I''m okay with only one child." te murmured, and all the other brothers agreed with him.


    But then suddenly, before their eyes, the egg split into seven separate eggs. n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    "Holy Mother of the Universe!" Byron breathed.


    "Does that mean we each get our own baby?" Jason rubbed his jaw.


    "No." Leonardo stared with fascination at the turn of events. "It means we share in parenting all seven children. Do you not see what just happened?"


    He nced at each of the brothers, swearing to himself. Why was he the only one who understood basic human physiology?


    "The seven shardsbined into one and fertilized the egg."


    The men nodded.


    "The egg underwent mitosis that resulted in seven individual eggs."


    The men nodded again.


    "This means each child will have half its genes from Candace and half its genes from ourbined gics.. What each egg gets from us men is luck of the gic draw, but for the most part, we are fathers to all the babies, not just one."

 Chapter 309 - Pre-wedding Frenzy

    Morning came and went, and Candace was still out like a light. It wasn''t until almost noon that she began to stir from her deep slumber. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    For a moment, she didn''t know what had awakened her, but then her stomach growled again. It was a deep, loud, extremely embarrassing rumbling. At least it would have been embarrassing had there been anyone in the room.


    She rubbed her stomach and blinked. She had skipped lunch with Jenna Natoli and had romped around with Leonardo but it shouldn''t have gotten to the point where she was this hungry.


    She sat up and swung her feet onto the floor.


    Any type of food that had legs and coulde to her would be of the uncooked and still living sort. For anything else that was in the least edible, she would have toe to the food.


    As Candace stood up, the room began to melt sideways.


    "Whoa!" She gasped and sat back down. Why was she so dizzy?


    She tried again but only got as far as the wing chair before copsing onto it, breathing heavily. Why was she so weak and woozy?


    She probed around in her mind, going to the shared mind-space.


    ''Hey¡­guys?''


    ''Baby! You''re awake!'' Jason squealed.


    ''Oh my gosh!'' Lucas yelled.


    ''Hold it! Don''t get out of bed. I''m on my way!'' Leonardo''s voice came on strong and insistent.


    ''How are you feeling?'' It was Dante asking.


    ''Are you still in pain?" That was te.


    ''You haven''t eaten anything for awhile. I''ll bring some hot soup over right away.'' Byron chimed in.


    ''Hold on,'' Candaceughed. ''What''s all the special treatment for? Am I dying or something?''


    ''No Darling,'' Jared chirped. ''You''re not dying. You''re just pregnant.''


    ''I''m what???" Candace''s eyes bulged in shock.


    ''Pregnant! You''re having our babies.'' Lucas confirmed with augh.


    ''But¡­how do you know?''


    ''We were there. We saw you get pregnant.'' Jasonughed with glee.


    Candace grimaced. Talk about tall tales and grandiose make-believe. How could they possibly have seen something that could only be happening inside her body?


    She was about to respond with something waspish when the door opened and a stream of men came in, each bringing something with them.


    "What are you doing out of bed?" Leonardo scowled and went to the wing chair.


    She looked up into his thunderous face, wondering why he was so upset.


    "What''s wrong?" She looked at him and the rest of the brothers who were standing all around.


    "You''re not allowed out of bed until the doctor says it''s okay for you to be out of bed." Leonardo leaned forward and picked her up from the chair.


    "And I haven''t said you could be out of bed yet." He grumbled into her ear.


    As Leonardo deposited her back into bed, Jared covered her with the quilt and began fussing over her.


    He and Jason wiped her down with a warm wet cloth and brushed her hair.


    GRRRROWWWLLLL.


    Her stomach groaned again. It made such a loud sound that her face reddened.


    "Sorry. I don''t know why but I''m super hungry."


    The men allughed.


    "The babies are crying for food." Byron came forward with a covered bowl while te pulled a small table over to her bedside.


    "I can¡ªI can feed myself, Byron. No need to spoon-feed me. I''m not an invalid" Candace grinned, taking the spoon from him.


    "You''ve been unconscious for days." Dante reached out to touch her head. "We''ve been so very worried."


    "Days?" Candace''s eyes widened as she chewed on the chicken soup. "Hmmm. This is good. Did I miss the wedding?"


    The men looked at each other and beganughing.


    "How can you possibly miss the wedding? It''s not as if it can happen without you, Woman." Byron chuckled.


    "Rx, you''ve only been sleeping for the better part of three days." te reassured her. "There are still a few days left before you have to marry us."


    "Oh my gosh! I lost three days???" Candace''s eyes grewrge. "But there''s still so much to do!!!"


    "Rx, Wife." Leonardo touched her head. "Everyone else has been chipping in and we''ve done most of the things that needed doing."


    "That''s right," Lucas grinned. "All you have to do is rest, rx, eat, and take care of those babies in your tummy."


    Candace inhaled sharply. "All those babies in my tummy? How many are we talking here? Two? Three?"


    "Seven." The men all chorused together.


    ==========


    The days rolled by like lightning over water. The sounds of thunder rolled over head with the rain and the wind and the sun and the surf.


    Candace slowly recovered from her initial shock of bing Avgo pregnant. The idea of having seven babies at the same time was at first, daunting, but with the men''s assurance that it would be fine, she limated to that reality.


    Although she was not showing yet, the eggs had imnted which caused her to lose a lot of energy and she found herself tired and sleepy part of the day.


    Jenna popped in asionally to alleviate her boredom with tales of grandeur. It seemed that elven men had a penchant for spotted cougars¡ªwho knew!!!


    Candace hadughed. "Honey, it''s not just elven men. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You''d y any man who came walking around."


    Jenna shook her head. "None of your husbands even looked at me twice. I''m telling you. It''s the elves. They like cats!"


    Her sisters Poppy, Lyra, Ariana, and Daisy also came by with sweets and flowers, bringing gossip and cheer.


    Apparently,cking the main female lead to focus on, Lorem Ipsum had done individual interviews with the other Imperial Princesses. There had been a rather substantial spread done for Poppy, Lyra, Ariana, and even Daisy got a good amount of air time.


    "It was like a floodgate opened up, Candace." Poppy harped on. "Suddenly, Erenveil began to be flooded with messages from kings and dukes around the gxy."


    Lyra smirked. "They were crawling out of the woodwork and prowling about. It was like this was the first time they''d even known there were princesses in Erenveil."


    Candace hadughed. "Have you all gotten your bridesmaids dresses?"


    "We did a fitting yesterday." Poppy smiled. "You have three bridesmaids." She indicated at herself, Lyra, and Ariana. "And you have a special flower girl!" She reached out and gave Daisy a pat on the head.


    Candace turned towards Daisy. "Do you like your dress?"


    The little girl''s eyes were shining. "I love it! Brother Jared putce flowers all over it."


    "I can''t wait to see it." Candace smiled.


    And of course, her husbands took turns staying by her side, just in case she needed anything, or simply just to work next to her.


    There was always a floating desk nearby that Dante or te or Leonardo would use to work at while they kept an eye on her.


    And all those fancy rehearsals for a fancy scripted wedding¡ªall those went by the wayside.


    "We''re not putting on a show for you people to watch for fun." Byron put his foot down. "Go take visuals of the twenty-five wedding cakes!"


    "But all the major visuals productions are here!"


    "Tough. My wife is not feeling well and we''re only going to do the basics. If you want to do some major visuals, go run visuals on the progress of CandyLand Marakaran." Dante brushed his hands at the attendants, throwing them out on their ears.


    The night before the wedding, Candace could barely contain her excitement.


    She was supposed to have been the one walking down the aisle towards her husbands who were to stand on the tform waiting for her, but Leonardo made the entire production change the script.


    "Haha!" Lucas hadughed. "We''re going to walk up the aisle?"


    Leonardo nodded. "She''s gotten much stronger, but I don''t want to take a chance that she will get dizzy and faint half-way, so we''re going to have her just stand up there on the tform and wait for us."


    "Since we are the strong ones, we will walk to her. I think that''s a splendid idea!" te raised a fist and Jason bumped fists with him in agreement.


    Whoever heard of the grooms walking up the aisle to meet with the bride who was standing at the altar waiting?


    But the men were adamant and all Candace could do was smile and nod in agreement.. It was their wedding and they could do what they wished.

 Chapter 311 - Lorem Ipsums Grandstand

    "Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Lorem Ipsum! Wee to the biggest event of the century! We are delighted to bring to you, the very best of Marakaran and all the Behind-the-scenes activities surrounding this momentous asion!"


    The very familiar sound of Lorem Ipsum reverberated all through the courtyards and the pce halls as the various massive virtual screens popped up everywhere.


    Suddenly, visuals of the long-legged white faun dressed in a perfectly tailored ck suit and bow tie began showing up in every virtual monitor across the gxy.


    His cloven hoof toes peeked out from under his pants, unshod, and his tail whipped back and forth with excitement.


    Lorem Ipsum''s horns were impressive, jutting back behind his skull in double arcs that were genteel and wicked at the same time. His silvery white goatee was once again curled and gelled into a perfect question mark, looking even better than before the plucking.


    He reached out both hands and gave his customary dazzling show of blue and pink electric sparks which shot from his fingertips.


    AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!


    Wild screams of delight came from the canned noise. It had to be canned since the gardens of Marakaran were filled, but mostly with dignitaries, kings, and important people, and none of them were screaming.


    He quickly began to run through all the events leading up to the wedding.


    There was regal music ying in the background as the visuals showed the twins hard at work making what looked to be wedding apparel.


    There was Poppy running around directing attendants and handing off boxes and boxes of wedding invitations. There were even visuals of te, taste-testing beer and wine.


    Obviously, Byron''s directive to go take visuals of the cakes had been followed because suddenly, the cakes were on disy.


    "From the numerous types and styles of cakes that the pastry chefs have been concocting to the numerous floral arrangements the decorators have been creating, we''ve been showing you the best of the best."


    More visuals sshed onto the virtual screens showing heart-shaped towers of cakes in pink and red, flower-shaped cakes in yellow and orange, blue and violet cakes arranged on tforms that included staircases and morning glory flowers.


    There were cakes that looked like a small ice castle and cakes that looked like sculptures of dolphins and dancers and even a bust of the Emperor.


    There were enough amazing looking cakes that the entire show could have been focused on them and the viewers would have been thoroughly satisfied.


    The flowers that Leonardo ordered were also on disy. Thousands and thousands of flowers were being arranged into tall sophisticated designs by dozens of floral designers. Huge sculptures of ribbons andce were also shown erected everywhere.


    The decorations and cakes melded into images of the various bands and solo acts that were being called in. They had been ying since early that morning and the shows were broadcast all over the gxy.


    It was a crazy hodgepodge mixture of elite ssical music andtest popr music styles, and interspersed between the shows were images of Lucas making arrangements with the directors and the band leads.


    "The event is just about ready to begin, Ladies and Gentlemen." Lorem Ipsum''s goat face came back onscreen.


    "The guest list is a highly kept secret, but I can assure you that only the top levels of society are allowed through the gates of Marakaran, and at this very moment, there is no way to even fly through Marakaran space."


    "But we''re going to let you take a peek into the ceremony, Ladies and Gentlemen. These are views you would never get a chance to see any other way, since this ce has beenpletely off-limits to everyone except those who are allowed ess."


    He led the viewers through the stately gardens of Marakaran pce and paused in front of the ss tform that held, at the center, a white gazebo with open sides. It was decorated with fresh flowers and white fabric draped from top to bottom.


    The visuals moved forward, where a small podium was erected. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Within the podium was a small, nondescript thin man who was standing there, whistling a strange tune.


    "Ahh. Pardon me, Sir. Might I enquire your name and title?" Lorem Ipsum asked.


    The man smiled. "My name is Ray Torra. I''m the Custodian of The Tower on Earth"


    "Ah. Custodian Ray Torra." Lorem Ipsum did not sound too impressed. "What is your role at today''s ceremony?"


    "Oh not much. I just hang out to make sure everything c''est si bon."


    Lorem Ipsum gave a nervousugh. "Ahaha. Well, thank you for that enlightened response."


    He gave a gesture and they moved towards the group of wedding party who were clustered to one side. This boring old man wasn''t going to make good visuals.


    "Ahh. I see the bridesmaids!" His eyes lit up. They were most definitely more exciting to broadcast than the old custodian at the podium.


    "What lovelydies!" He approached the bridesmaids. They were all dressed in pink to reflect the predominant color of the wedding.


    Lorem Ipsum turned to the cameras. "I am delighted to introduce to all of you, some of the most beautifuldies of the wedding procession. This is Princess Poppy, Princess Lyra, Princess Ariana, and Princess Daisy!"


    The cameras panned over the princesses who dutifully gave a smile. The princesses had been told this would be part of the ceremony, so they stood there and endured Lorem Ipsum''s chatter until he finally left to cover the visuals for the three groomsmen.


    The groomsmen, being Kings, were far morefortable with visuals being taken of them at all angles. They stood there and spoke with eloquence, all the questions that Lorem Ipsum shot at them.


    "And there you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen. Three major Kings who are, might I add, still single and avable for any interested females out there who might like to try their hand atnding a king for a husband."


    The three kings nced at each other with barely suppressed disgust.


    Who said they were single? Who said they were avable? Who said they wanted to be swamped with squealing females out tond them as wealthy husbands?


    They were about to correct those terrible misconceptions when the sounds of the wedding music began to y all over the speakers. The three kings took off. This was their cue.


    Lorem Ipsum turned back to the visuals gathering pods.


    "Ladies and Gentlemen, we''re getting very close to the moment when the wedding party will be gathering." He waved his hands with excitement.


    "Let us get to the front entrance where everyone will being through the floral entrance. We cannot miss that sight."


    The visuals pods aimed their lenses at the floral entrance.