The slender woman fingered the amulet around her neck, it felt weird, warm, pulsing with its own strange magic and it gave her a hint of a headache she didn't like at all, it had cost a fortune, an alchemists creation with some powerful warding spells in it. In spite of the cost though, in jewel and in pain, it protected her from the very real, extremely strong Wizard Saint, kept her mind free from him, she wouldn't be felt or heard by him as long as she avoided falling under his direct attention and focus.

That wasn't hard to do on the Luxury liner they were on. She gathered her things, casting a decent illusion spell over herself so she looked like a plump elderly man and went to find her prey. She had to send in regular reports every couple of hours and at first she'd been very unhappy her Warqueen had assigned her such a task, that was until she saw Kaleb.

She no longer wondered why so much effort was being put into assuring the man was brought in, he had to be the finest looking male Esther had ever seen. So tall, built, and his face, the man was nearly unreal he was so handsome, those pale lavender eyes, plump lips and silky platinum hair. She'd watched him take his new wife...watched the woman ride that golden tanned body, she'd slid her own hand into her pants while she'd watched the Celestial mage enjoy her husband, how Kaleb had so skillfully handled his wife's body and imagined it was herself on top of him.

She'd cum before the woman had, and grit her teeth with desire. Yes, there was no doubt the worth of the big blonde male, a man like that, so strong and healthy and young, he could service many women, sire strong children for the Warqueens bloodline. Sydelle was strong, she needed a man like this to sire her children. If Esther played this all out right, she herself might just get the honor of having the man herself, getting the chance to bear a child by him. She had worked her ass off since that thought had settled into her head.

The Warqueen wanted him, and his brothers too, the white haired woman so bent on possessing these men...Sydelle had plans for her Esther wasn't fully privy to even though she was the Warqueens top assassin and tracker. Her job here was simple, follow the big blonde, keep him under surveillance, keep the white haired woman from doing anything stupid that would endanger the Warqueens interests, and, when the time was deemed right and the order came...drug him with the powerful drugs their top alchemist had developed, place the teleportation lacrima she had on him and teleport him back to the Warqueens throne room.

If possible she was to get similar teleportation lacrima planted on the other men the Warqueen wanted. The big raven haired slayer, the Archangel mage the white haired woman meant to breed her now soulless sister to.

It had been that act that had turned the Warqueens favor off of the white haired woman, she had betrayed her own sister, gotten the seith to pluck the other womans soul from her body and imprison it in a lacrima that gave her magic and will to the woman who wore it.

The Warqueen meant to take that lacrima, kill both sisters, one for being vile the other, well, because she was weak and in the way. Wearing the lacrima would give the Warqueen the magic she would need to get Archangel children from Kaleb and his brother and if everything went to plan, by next year Joya would be rejoicing the births of powerful children that could rain down their Warqueens wrath on the world and conquer all she wished to take.

It was a shame the Dragon hunter had been killed in the explosion, her second though was nearly as knowledgeable and had eagerly accepted the job at Esthers side, she would help shadow Kaleb and Lucy until the family came to Minstrel for the week of celebrating the new marriage, when the family came, their teams would also be arriving, Esthers to aid her in the capture of the two Archangels, Poleras team to help her bring in the burly raven haired and blonde Dragon slayers. They had to take them immediately, the blonde hadn't mated yet, so getting him and using him would be easy, but the raven haired one had supposedly completed mating, it meant they had to take his mate too, find a way to use her to be able to use him.

He was big, powerful though, with rare healing magic, Sydelle had decided in spite of the effort he would require to condition for use as a breeder, he would be worth it. Ultimately, all losing the princess had cost them was time. It would take longer to do everything, be more difficult transporting the men once they had them, but it could all be done, they knew the drugs worked, Esther herself had thoroughly enjoyed fucking the hell out of the Archangel with the Dragon Hunter, they hadn't gone easy on him at all, but he was big, strong, powerful, not only held up under their insatiable demands but exceeded their best hopes for the night they'd had. She'd almost cried when she'd seen he'd taken one of the birth control disks from the tin she'd found in his pants, assuring he wouldn't impregnate either of them.

It couldn't be helped, now she had the possibility of instead getting a chance at the Warqueens coveted male and Esther would give anything to be one of the honored warriors her Queen allowed to birth the next generation of her line. Any child sired by the Wizard Saint, would become Joyan royalty by order of the High Warqueen. She so valued him.

Esther glanced over to Polera, the Dragon Hunter was fingering her own amulet too, proving Esther wasn't the only one conscious of the things effects, necessary, Mindbenders were rare, telepaths and memory makes, dreamscapers and other forms of mind mages were more common than mindbenders, a mindbenders effects on a mind were permanent, not temporary, once one had done something to you...if you killed the mage the effects didn't wear away, no, Mindbenders could permanently alter how someone thought, place fears into them, extract memories and implant false ones, to think that was only the main line of his magic, that he was also a vessel of immaculate light, made an Archangel by mating with the powerful Celestial mage he had married...it was more than a little daunting, so she would deal with the amulets side effects to remain safe from the mans notice. He was on guard, she'd seen that, and mistakes handling him could cost more than her worst imaginings, there were stories about what this man had done to people during the clan wars a couple of years ago. Chilling ones.

"A couple days aboard this ship...I wish we had time to enjoy it." Polera sighed and Esther shrugged.

"I am enjoying watching the Queens male, he is very easy on the eyes." She smiled and Polera nodded, chuckling. The two women leaving their cabin to find their prey.

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Lucy smiled as soon as she woke, stretching in the bed and sliding her hands in search of warm skin but frowning when she found empty sheets. Opening her eyes she looked around and her smile came back, her eyebrow lifting as Kaleb emerged from the bathroom, drying his long hair with a towel. Gods above she loved the Boscan lack of modesty, he never had the least bit of shyness nor hesitated to walk around naked and provide her with very nice views.

He smiled when he saw her and her heart flipped in her chest, married, they were married...she was Lucy Pradesh now, the wife of the Guildmaster of White Sea...the man who had become her...everything. He leaned on the dresser across from the foot of the bed. "Good, you're awake." He observed and Lucy pouted at him.

"But you didn't wake me...I like how you usually wake me…" She pouted, Kaleb drew a breath, the woman owned him...her little play pouts were some of the sexiest things he'd ever seen her do, and he'd seen her do some pretty incredible things at this point in their relationship.

"You do huh? I kept you up pretty late, so i figured I'd let you sleep in while I hit the gym on the ship. Want to go get breakfast?" He asked and Lucy smiled. He never missed his workouts, even if he had to work them in between his multitude of tasks each day. They had been up pretty late, for all sorts of good reasons though. The little dark spots on his skin, on his hip by the bob-tailed panther tattoo, and, though she couldn't see it she was sure she'd left one high on the inside of his left thigh, on his chest and neck would fade through the day she knew, but for now, the fact he belonged to her was all over him, not just evident by the thick gold band around his wrist or the one around his finger either.

Her stomach rumbled just as she was about to tell him she still wanted him in bed for a while and she rolled her eyes and flopped down from the suggestive pose she'd slid into under his smirking gaze.

Kaleb chuckled, they'd missed dinner, totally absorbed in each other, and he didn't want room service when there was a sparkling pool by a very nice cafe to enjoy. Besides, Lucy in a bikini was calling to him, he'd seen Virgo pack that dark blue bikini with the stars on it and had been eager to see her in it. Naked Lucy stretched out underneath him was always his favorite, but damn if his little Sunrise didn't make clothes look good too.

They dressed, Lucy modeling her bikini resulted in her delaying breakfast because Kaleb couldn't keep his hands off her once he'd seen her in it. She was still teasing him about making them late for breakfast as they came out onto the deck and headed for the cafe by the pool.

"All that sweetness, letting me sleep in, insisting we get breakfast and relax by the pool because you're so wanting me to rest and I finally grudgingly put clothes ON and you're all over me….now, I LIKED that, but next time? Get me before I am showered and dressed...wicked Boscan." She giggled. He swept her around into his chest right before she could walk between some tables and select a place to sit, his smile and eyes dancing with that same sexy wickedness she'd seen when she'd come out of the bathroom in her bikini still a little damp from her shower she had grudgingly taken ALONE.

"You still look edible woman so don't tease me. I'm not above sitting you on a table getting on my knees and going down on you in public till I get my fill, this is a Boscan airship, nobody would stop me." He growled and Lucys mouth fell open, eyes wide.

Kaleb smirked and dipped his head to kiss her, tongue sliding right between those lax lips as he pressed her better against his chest, he was only in snug purple swim shorts with white stripes down the sides and a thin white silk button down he hadn't buttoned, so Lucy in her gauzy blue sarong and bikini felt delicious against his bare skin.

She was right, he'd had the best intentions, he really had, but his self control could only take so much, and this was their honeymoon, he was supposed to be focused on her so he wasn't feeling terribly guilty about how he'd pinned her to the wall in their suite shoved her little bikini bottoms out of his way and utterly ravished her, forcing them both to have to clean up again before they could get to breakfast.

When he pulled back they were both breathless and Lucys eyes had that little hint of a lusty haze he liked so much.

"May I bring you two some mimosas?" Both mages turned to see a waiter with a knowing smile on his face looking at them.

"Strawberry smoothie and a large Pelerno coffee for me." Kaleb replied reaching past Lucy to pull a chair out for her at the closest table. "Extra honey." He added as she sat down, the waiter nodded and hurried to get their drinks while the couple sat, Lucy plucking a menu from the center of the table and trying to get her breathing back under her control.

Kaleb was going to be the death of her, sexy and insatiable and oh so good at making her body get lost in pleasures he was always so happy to give that she didn't do her share, she'd grown bolder and bolder as they'd been together and as often as not it was her that initiated sex and she wasn't shy about what she wanted anymore, there was no point, if she didn't volunteer the information, he just got it from her treacherous thoughts anyway.

They ate, teasing back and forth for a while before settling into talking about where in Capressa Lucy wanted to go first when they arrived. When they finished they went over by the pool and Kaleb removed his shirt, tossing it to a small table between a pair of lounge chairs before stretching out on one. Lucy removed her sarong and laid down on the other one, loving the feel of the sun on her skin.

She was sipping lemonade enjoying glancing occasionally over at her new husband and letting her eyes feast a little on the more than 6 feet worth of well toned muscle and smooth tanned skin that was all hers to enjoy when two women started walking purposefully toward them. She smirked when Kaleb, not opening his eyes, held up his ringed and banded hand and the women halted, pouted and went back to their seats.

A little bit later a very nice looking young brunette man climbed out of the pool and started toward them, Kaleb smirked "Your turn Sunshine." he said quietly and Lucy smiled, holding up her own ringed hand and adjusting the glinting gold choker around her neck that had the man looking absolutely crestfallen before he turned and jumped back into the pool.

That was how it went while they relaxed by the pool, after a faint sheen of sweat started to show on his skin though Kaleb stood, reaching up and tying his hair back into a low tail, Lucy smiling and watching his muscle move as he stretched his arms up, here were places she committed to memory so she would lick them later when she got him back to their room.

"I'm going in, wanna join me?" He asked and Lucy smiled, nodding eagerly and reaching up to take his hand only to squeal when he pulled her right up out of the chair and into his arms, holding her bridal style and walking right to the pool while she squirmed and struggled to escape.

"Kaleb! NO! I don't want to just ahhhhh!" Her shriek was cut off as Kaleb dove into the water carrying her. Lucy pressed her lips together, once in the water she escaped his hold on her and got a foot down, pushing off the bottom out of his reach. For such a big man he moved extremely well in the water but Lucy was agile, fast, small and...the tattoo across her collar bone glowed faintly, letting her breathe nicely underwater and webbing her toes and between her fingers giving her an immediate strong advantage over her overconfident mate.

Grinning she grabbed his ankles and yanked him down under the water before he could gather much of a breath, lunging in and slanting her mouth over his, blowing air into his mouth and smiling against his lips when his brows shot up in surprise.

You can breathe underwater?! He asked and she nodded pointing at the tattoo he had many times trailed lips teeth and tongue over.

Aquarius gifted me with some of her magic before I had to break her key… Lucy told him as she breathed more into his mouth and Kaleb pulled her against him turning the exchange of air into something much more heated.

We should go back to the room...he growled into her head and Lucy sighed another lungful of air into him before he pushed off the bottom and took them both back to the surface, barely getting their heads above water before he was kissing her again.

Lucy giggled against him, there were times lately when she just did that anymore, her own happiness breaking through her control and escaping her.

"I like that idea…" She breathed against his mouth and Kaleb grinned, pulling her toward the edge of the pool and hefting her up on the edge before grabbing it and pulling himself up. They grabbed up their things and retreated to their room, barely making it to the bed and Kalebs swim shorts were unceremoniously ripped off his body because Lucy had been patient enough and it wasn't her fault he didn't have easy to tug strings like she did to get his clothes off so she could get at her prize…..

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Vander leaned back against the door across from Lucy and Kalebs room, smirking at his mate who rolled his eyes, you didn't need slayer hearing to know Lucy was the aggressor and she and Kaleb were seriously going at each other right then.

"My image of Tink has been ruined...holy shit." Cobra chuckled. They were on security detail. Kaleb knew they were there, they'd managed to block him for all of about 20 minutes before he shattered through both their carefully set up mental shields, Kaleb was on guard, that much was clear, fuck it had down right HURT when his magic had shattered those barriers. He'd withdrawn instantly with soothing apologies for causing them pain followed by mental mutterings about how they fucking deserved some of it for trying to hide their presence from him in the first damn place, as if feeling strong mental shields wouldn't set off his suspicions big time.

He asked them to stay out of sight, to let Lucy relax and enjoy at least feeling like they were alone and Vander and Cobra had readily agreed.

"Well, it IS their honeymoon, supposed to fuck like animals on your honeymoon right?" Vander drawled tipping his head back against the door. Cobra growled faintly, eyes travelling up his mates throat, wicked ideas forming in his mind as his pants tightened. Was he insatiable? Probably, he had gone years of his life barely interested in sex, getting off occasionally with whoever, but the intimacy, the touching involved with sex turned him off, he didn't trust anyone enough and most people didn't want to just bend over and let him ram his dick into them until he got off, no, people wanted touching, kissing and shit he wasn't willing to give.

Now though, he was mated, and to a sexy fucking Boscan who turned him right the hell on and knew what to do with him once he was. Vander was HIS, his mate, and the intimacy was welcome with him, so it had sort of opened up a floodgate Cobra hadn't even known was there when he'd finished bonding to Vander and now...now he found there wasn't really a day he could get through without sex, and maybe that was a Vanders hefty libido mixing with his through the bond but he didn't care, it really did relax him and make him happy and shit looking at Vander leaning against that door with his head tipped back…

Tanned skin, skin tight black leather hugging that gorgeous body, the black leather jerkin he prefered open to his navel giving Cobra a generous view of skin stretching over hard muscle….He swallowed hard.

"I'd like to fuck you like an animal…" He purred and Vanders eyes shot open snapping to his immediately, lips curling up in a wicked smirk.

"I'd like to feel you from the in...side…" Vander sang softly and Cobras mouth went dry.

"You bring me closer to Go..mmmph…." He was slammed against the door Vander had been leaning against, Vanders mouth pressed over his as Cobra reached back and fumbled for the door. When it opened they tumbled through it, Vander lithely reaching to kick it shut as he ripped Cobras shirt open, straddling his hips then lunged down to scrape his teeth over an exposed pec and flat nipple.

Cobras back arched and he hissed at the feeling, raking his claws over Vanders shoulders trying to pull that hard body against his.. Clothes ripped and the pair wrestled on the floor, this was one of the the things that drove Cobra out of his mind with his mate, Vander always challenged him, yes there were times that the tall Boscan was affectionate, when they honestly made love, but not now, this was one of the times Cobras inner dragon roared to life inside him, his blood raced in his veins and turned scorching hot, he got so hard it hurt right up until one of them "won" and someone was inside someone then it was all powerful thrusts and guttural noises, rasped out teasing and moans.

More often than not Cobra ended up on top, he'd come to realize that was because Vander really didn't care where he was in the mix as long as it was bone melting, and he got to feel and hear Cobra come undone, he was perfectly happy. This time though Vander had gained the upper hand and kept it and Cobra was biting into the side of the mattress of the bed one hand braced against the dresser the other clutching the bed as Vander snapped his hips, shadows wrapped around Cobras weeping member and he snarled, eyes rolling back in his head as they gripped him, pumping him in time with Vanders thrusts, caressing his thighs, his balls and abdomen while Vander bent over him and sucked at his shoulder, his neck, leaning forward and finally getting the tip of one of his ears in his mouth and sucking on it.

That was the end for Cobra, sensory overload, he groaned out his release, always a little pleased Vanders shadows took the evidence with them when they vanished and Cobra collapsed on the floor, Vander rolling off of him and landing on his back beside him gasping for air a couple of moments later.

"So...yeah...keeping in the spirit of things is good…" The shadowquip said breathlessly. Cobra chuckled, hissing when he sank fully to the floor and his very sensitive dick hit harsh carpet.

"I ever tell you how much I love fucking you?" Cobra asked and Vander smirked.

"Every time you get me naked." his mate replied.

"Yeah? Well...I really like it, never thought I'd mate with a man, always thought I'd end up with some little shy sweet virgin to counter what a prick I am." Cobra chuckled.

Vander snorted "Yeah well I am decidedly not shy and hell and gone from virginal." He laughed.

Cobra shifted, moving so he was over Vander, looking down into those wine colored eyes he now adored and associated with everything good in his life.

"Quit being an ass and let me get this out, you're the best thing that ever happened to me...and I want to...fuck...Van...marry me." He finally huffed and Vanders smile fell, his eyes warming, softening, his long fingered hands sliding into Cobras messy hair and pulling him down for a long kiss.

He'd loved Vanders lips since he'd first seen the man, the full bottom lip just begged to be bitten and sucked on and nothing, looked better wrapped around his cock except maybe Vanders body...He trailed a fang along Vanders lip and purred hearing the moan he got.

"Fucking romantic Dragon Gods I'm going to grow a vagina if you keep it up." Vander mumbled as he kissed along Cobras jaw and Cobra growled, feeling Vander smirk against his skin.

"Van...so help me I will tie your ass to the bed with magic cancelling ropes and fuck you unconscious if you don't answer me…" Cobra growled.

"Mmmm, oh baby...promise to do that anyway and I'll answer you…" He purred back and Cobra smiled.

"Candlewax...my fangs and some ice cubes…" He breathed and Vander shuddered.

"Fuck yes, I'll marry you..." Vander breathed, staring raptly into his face, Cobra smirked.

"Go get some candles babe…"

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Shimako stretched her arms over her head, humming happily as she wobbled a little leaving the bedroom, she paused in the doorway, looking back over her shoulder. Sprawled across her bed, his sunstreaked mahogany hair shining on their red sheets was a very naked, now passed out Zen. She smiled, how she would love to show the women of the temple where she was now, watch them turn deep green with envy and seethe with the knowledge that scrawny little Shimako, the priestess who had to climb shelves to reach the cupboards, who they had all plotted against and tormented all the years of her youth, was now the mate of an Archangel.

She looked down at the black wings in her skin over her heart, smiling fondly, her near white blue eyes warming on the man in the bed.

Zen was huge, tall, powerfully muscled, came across as stone cold and intimidated most people he met, but she had seen those amethyst eyes fill with pain, watched them swim in unshed tears, seen them also fill with lust, tenderness...love...for her.

To hell with the people at the temple where she had grown up, who thought Zen would use her up and cast her aside...he not only hadn't... she smiled lifting her fingers to her lips, sliding her thumb over the ring around her finger...she was no longer a temple concubine, cook and priestess...she was now Shimako Pradesh, the wife and mate of Zen, the Evening Star. She was loved, cherished...and Gods knew she loved him back with a ferocity that surprised even her.

Wobbling some as she walked just made her smile more as she went to grab a cold bottle of wine from the wine chiller she'd brought with her. She had finally been cleared to move to Bosco when Arman had sent the marriage offer to Stella. Hishiko more than happy to marry one of her priestesses to the Evening Star of the Triad. There had been negotiating back and forth on how often Shimako and Zen would come to Stella, and finally it had all been settled and now...she had unpacked her few bags of belongings in the spacious 2 bedroom 2 bath guild apartment that Zen had called home.

She smiled moving around the kitchen preparing breakfast, this was even temporary, they had already met with a realtor, were already looking at houses near the guild...a house that would be hers, where she could have her own kitchen built to her specifications (with NO tall cabinets) and she...would be a guild mage of White Sea alongside her husband.

It had been hard to explain to Zen why something so..mundane...as having a home meant so much to her, why she had cried at their wedding like she had. She had had no hope of such things, none, she had looked to cooking as her only avenue of advancement aside from perhaps birthing exceptional children for Stella, otherwise, she had expected to have nothing more than a little nightstand/cabinet, a sleeping mat and the space those used in a large hall with 39 other women just like her for the rest of her life. She was short even by Stellan standards, skinny, flat chested and while she would say she had pretty eyes, none of her other features were exceptional, there had been dozens of women far more beautiful than her in the temple.

No, only her cooking skills stood out, and those not enough to make up for her plain looks and small stature, the other women had FREQUENTLY reminded her of that.

But then Zen had come to the temple, recovering from being rescued from Pegrand, needing training in his magic only the temples of Stella could provide to the first Archangel mage in over a thousand years.

The temple had been awash in giggling excited...plotting, scheming back stabbing women and men eager with hopes of catching his eye. He had to have a magical bonded mage, someone with celestial, light or holy magic so he could gain enough stability with his newly freed magic to be safe around others.

Shimako had not been among those being offered to him, and he had been adamant, clear, he HATED how Li and Xiao had both at first acted like those being offered had no choices, how Zen could just pick, the newly freed ex-gladiator had been a slave his entire life, and had been clear in front of everyone with Li and Xiao, he wanted no part in handling others like their opinions were less important.

Once many had assured them they would love to become his bonded, the man had settled into his training and had set the Temple alight with his combat skills, his pure raw power and strength, his complete lack of fear or reservations about charging into any combat situation, tactics on his feet on the fly that were always so sharp, so targeted toward swift and absolute victory. The best trained mages of Stella had struggled against him physically and had learned fast, that while his magic mastery was just developing, they still had to be very careful, because he could walk through almost any form of magical attack they sent at him, the glossy black wings deflecting it all.

Shimako, had watched like many others but hadn't even hoped she'd exchange two words with him...but she was who took him his breakfast each day, opened the curtains of his room. At first he hadn't seemed to notice, but then, he'd started talking to her, and the day had come when Xiao had walked into the kitchens and told her to prepare for the bonding ceremony, that Zen had asked for her to become his bonded.

The others had been furious, she'd had more than one fight that day, and...because she was her fathers daughter...she had won those fights and...ultimately...she had fallen in love with the big gladiator who was gruff, surly...but also...kind, and finally, so very wonderfully loving. He talked to her, felt he could trust her, her and the silver haired priest of Anubis, Hestor, who had been teaching Zen to read and write had become Zens closest friends…

She had wanted to take a knife to Hestor Kedanzas throat for what he'd done to the man, after months and months of working to where he smiled easier, was opening up more, laughing sometimes even, Hestor had betrayed Zen, kidnapped him, seen him bound and raped and...Shimako really could imagine nobody who could least afford to endure that...yet her amethyst eyed angel had endured it, had even readily forgiven Hestor when he had learned what was happening to the man, what had driven him to his actions.

Shimako herself wasn't so quick to forgive, but she followed Zens lead, still gratified though when she had the chance to glare Hestor down and give him an "I'm watching you" motion before holding up one of her meat cleavers meaningfully and the man had paled.

She and Hestor knew Zen better than his own family did. He talked to them...once she and Zen had become lovers he had laid in her arms many times listening to her talk about her life and telling her about his.

Zen had walked into the arena and faced miserable unhappy people and creatures that didn't want to die, forced there just like him, and he had gone in knowing he was going to have to kill them, end their lives to keep his own, he had made that choice over and over again and had to live with that. For him, there was no telling himself he hadn't meant to do it, because he absolutely had.

He had laid in her arms and told her of some of them, of the young man kidnapped from Enca, tall and handsome, who had endured the rapes and misery for nearly a month, survived his fights and killed others because he so desperately wanted to get home, to get back to his new wife, pregnant when he'd been taken with their first child. He survived because of her and his unborn child, and he fought Zen with all he had but even with two other gladiators joining him trying to take Zen down, Zen had killed the other two and finally rammed a sword through the mans chest, watching his desperate eyes, hearing his whisper to Zen to please, if he ever got free, to tell his wife not to wait anymore for him, to marry again, live and love their child, that he had tried to live and get back to her but...had failed.

The light fell from those eyes, the man fell dead to the arena floor and Zen cried silently in Shimakos arms remembering it, one of so many deaths he had inflicted that he suffered for and could never forget. He'd told his father about it, and Arman had held him like she did, had suggested that maybe...to ease his mind...Kaleb could help, but Zen had so far rejected the idea, even seeing how it had helped Cana so much.

Shimako understood his choices, that the pain honored the loss of those lives in a way, a sacrifice for the tragedy. She worked about the kitchen, making him crepes filled with fresh fruit and a lemon curd to put on toast because he loved lemons, fruits and vegetables...telling her slaves almost never got to enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables. She loved that his absolute favorite dish was...ratatouille, not a rare steak with thick cut potatoes like a man his size would seem to want, but a peasants vegetable dish, and lemon tarts for dessert.

She was lost in thought when warm arms wrapped around her and she smiled, leaning back into the familiar hard muscle of her husbands body "I love you." She said quietly and Zens lips had touched her ear "I love you too Shima." he said softly, her eyes closing in happiness for a moment before she snapped them open and smacked his arms "Now let me finish, you need to eat, you have workouts and we have training." she said firmly and Zen chuckled letting her go, reaching over her to snag a strawberry from one of the plates and managing to keep it in spite of her deft smack to his hand he popped it into his mouth with a rakish grin and stepped out of her reach, hissing when she lunged and slapped his bare ass, shooing him from HER kitchen.

She leveled narrowed eyes on the unrepentant man but they held no real ire...she was simply too happy.

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Cana sat back on the barstool, grinning at Jina, the woman who ran White Seas massive Hall. She was calm, collected, reminded Cana of Mirajane sometimes though she did not possess massive magic power, Jina was a weaver mage and empath, and not overly strong, though she ran the hall with a strong hand and the mages there from the lowliest youth to the double S Century class powerhouses all listened to her without much question.

Jina poured Cana some of the Strawberry wine Rowan made and Cana was purring enjoying the "fruits of labor" from her handsome green mage. As she sipped, she caught sight of Hestor coming in with Farron, the pair had been...inseparable since Farrons reinstatement to work for the Boscan Consulate. His ship had been returned to him and was being upgraded at the skydocks by a team led by a spicy tempered ex-Sevenese Army, Encan woman named Cidalise, who was one of Canas favorite buddies now.

She still wasn't certain about Hestor, but she understood Lucys position with him, and that a Celestial Summoners keys had a strong influence over their temperament and personality over time. Hestor having an incomplete...dark magic set had, over time, worn away his will and apparently, something had happened when Kaleb had mated with Lucy that had made the man just...snap.

The man was elegant though, typical of Stella, lithe build, near emotionless face most of the time. Stellans almost all had black or brown hair, like Boscans, and Hestor was from one of the nearly extinct bloodlines of Stella that had the beautiful silver hair and steel blue eyes, so that made him stand out. He was also...short compared to his 6'3" fiance. Had to be 5'9 or 10" tops. That was also typical of Stellans, they tended to be on the short side.

As if sensing being watched those cool steel blue eyes turned under sooty lashes to meet hers and a well sculpted brow lifted. She had to give it to him, the man was beautiful, pretty by anyones standards. Not her type...she liked a little more meat and height on her men, and a tan too and Hestors skin was pale. But she could see the appeal, and when Farron looked at the man, his eyes warmed and the amount of love in the Ambassadors eyes was just...staggering considering all he'd been through, but, one thing Cana knew, love couldn't grow in a vacuum. Somewhere along the line before she had been lucky enough to come to White Sea, Farron had found good reason to fall in love with Hestor, to become so loyal and committed to that love that he had endured all he had and...loved the man still.

Hestors icey gaze softened, lips turning up and pink coloring his cheeks meeting Farrons gaze and Cana smiled, there it was, Hestor loved Farron, as much as Farron loved him...and that made the card mage grin and turn back to her wine, waiting on Rowan to finish up rolling cloves, he'd made several batches of clove cigarettes for the various mages, including himself, who had magic that needed smoke as a strengthening element. She swallowed the sweet wine, content in the moment. Lucy was safe and happy, yes she herself had lost Cristoff but he was still a close friend and she had Rowan now...Hestor was stable and Farron was healthy again and they were happy together. That worry, gone.

She raised her glass to Jina "To the future.." she smiled.