Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

"Oh wow!" She gasped as the wings began to move, back and forth, at her will. "I can actually use my back muscles to make them flutter!"

"Yes. They respond to your brain's control of your muscles." Jason grinned. "It's as if you have your own set of wings."

She reached out to touch the gossamer wings and found that her hand passed through thin air!

"Oh my goodness! It's just a vision! How does it look so real but doesn't even exist?"

Jason and Jared laughed as they gave each other high fives.

"We've been working on this for awhile because we wanted you to have the most awesome dress, and it's just now good enough to show you.

"It's all an illusion, Candace Dearest, for a very important reason." Jason grinned. "In a room full of people, you can't unfurl wings. They would bang into everything and everyone, and if you're not careful, will knock things off tables and shelves."

Jared nodded. "Your wings could also break. That's what happened to Olivia Faraday and Bethany Dresden. Even Valeria Marakesh couldn't avoid damaging a wing. It's their greatest strength, but also their greatest weakness."

"We will be sending you into a crowded ballroom with illusive dragonfly wings and you will be a spectacular vision, but also completely safe. There's nothing for some upset female to rip off."

"The dress looks good." Jason finally pronounced. "Take it off so we can make the final adjustments and add the jewels and the trimmings that will make this dress fit for a Queen to wear."

"You need a new pair of shoes too." Jared muttered as he fussed with a few details at the hem. "We can make another set of ballet shoes that will match this dress just in case you decide you want to dance in this thing."

"Wow!!!" She laughed. "I can't wait! The two of you will also be there, right?" She began struggling out of the dress.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world. I heard Dear Old Dad threw this party so we could find our dream wife." Jared said with a wry grimace as he helped her take off the dragonfly dress.

"Yeah. We could tell him that we already found her but he's never going to understand." Jason grimaced as he helped her back into her brown bag dress with a grimace of distaste.

Candi gave them a sad smile.

"It's not because he doesn't understand but because he wants the very best for you both. The Emperor is very sharp."

Jared shrugged, packing up the dragonfly dress. With a quick flick of his hands, the dress disappeared.

"What he wants or thinks is best doesn't have any bearing on what we want. Jason and I may just be younger brothers who don't have much political pull but we are also individuals who deserve to be with the person we love."

"I thought all Princes have to marry someone within an 'approved list'. You can't just pick someone off the street and marry them…can you?"

Jason and Jared glanced at each other. Jared shook his head.

"Not that it matters to us at all, but in this case, it's not even relevant. All Avgo females are within the 'approved list'."

"So she's an Avgo Female!" Candi's jaw dropped.

The twins nodded.

Candi's eyes sparkled.

"Don't tell me. Is it Valeria? Or maybe Olivia? She is absolutely gorgeous, with those butterfly wings of hers."

The twins glanced at each other.

"No, Candace." Jared shook his head, his brown eyes soft and gentle.

Candi frowned, perplexed.

"Who then?"

Jared opened his mouth, about to respond when Dante's voice came through the entryway.

"There you are!"

Dante was finally back from his trip off-world.

"Yes, here we are." Jared turned toward Dante as he appeared through the entrance.

Suddenly, Dante's Moon was warm and whole again and everything was as it should be.

Candi was surprised to realize how much she missed his familiar shock of spiky blue hair that almost touched the top of his shoulders.

She also missed his bright intelligent green eyes as they took in everything and found solutions to all that was not quite right with her world.

Dante strode in. Those bright green eyes were mesmerized and fixated on Candi's face.

"I wasn't talking about the two of you clowns. I was looking for Candace."

"Well, hello to you too." Jason sniffed. "I have a serious bone to pick with you!"

He pointed at Dante's face.

"I don't care how broke you are, you cannot dress our Candace in scullery maid outfit." He pointed to Candi. "Look at her! She's wearing an old brown bag!"

Dante was looking at Candace, but not at her clothes. He was staring into her eyes.

"It doesn't matter what she wears. She could be in rags and still be my Candace."

As he got closer, he reached out with both hands and cupped the sides of her face. In a softer voice, he muttered as he looked down upon her turned up face.

"It's only been three days but I could barely make it through. I missed you so much."

Dante looked as if he wanted to kiss her, but Candi could see that self-control exerting itself on him again. With barely veiled annoyance, he turned back to the twins who were glaring at him.

"You're right. She needs more clothes. This old bag is not what I want my Queen to be wearing, even if it's just play clothes. Send your people over and outfit her completely."

"We've already started the process, as soon as we realized you weren't taking good care of her." Jason sniffed.

"We have to get her ball gown ready, but I'll have the staff draw up some new designs for her daily wear and her play wear, as well as work wear."

Jared turned to Candace.

"We will be back tonight to bring various items of clothing for you to consider. Meanwhile, go burn this thing for me." He pointed at the brown dress. "It really makes my eyes ache."

Candi nodded with a laugh. They really were clowns of the most endearing kind.

The twins dropped a kiss onto her cheek and took their leave.

As they disappeared from sight, Dante's iron resolve snapped. He reached out, and with a sigh of relief mixed with exhaustion, gathered her into his arms and dropped his head to taste her lips.

His mouth was warm and soft. His full lips fluttered about, tasting her for a few moments in gentle nudging caresses.

"Ahhh. Forgive me." He groaned and crushed his lips into hers, devouring her with a hunger that was almost frightening.

Candi gasped as he plundered her with his tongue as if he was a starved man and could not get enough.

Everywhere was the touch, the taste, the scent of the man. The sensation, sharp and intense; the thrill, sensuous and electrifying.

Then with a deep breath, he sank his head onto her shoulder, quivering like a child who'd been deprived too long of love and comfort.