Chapter One: the Three Fates- Lachesis prt1
"Where are we again?" Monet asked, looking around. The Shifters were in the center of a village, seemingly deserted, that looked very spooky. The small, fine fur at the nape of her neck was bristling with nervousness. Nicolina was clutching Max's arm, and Max, without thinking, sent waves of reassurance through telepathy. Robert, Ray, and Patricia were scouting ahead, Robert the eyes, Patricia the nose, and Ray the ears. Everyone was waiting for Ravyn to come back from scouting the city, exploring the houses. She might have gotten hurt, as she often went solo. She'd cut off all mental contact with everyone, even her soultwin[1] and her best friend, Stacie. The Italian/Asian vampire was starting to freak. She freaked more when she heard a cry of rage.
Ravyn went flying through the air, barreling into Monet, and they both fell to the ground. Almost instantly, they were both on their feet, Monet with feet spread, cheetah teeth bared, and wild cat claws unsheathed. Patricia and Stacie snarled in defensive anger, the two of them back to back. Patricia, the youngest Shifter in Midnight's inner circle, was having trouble keeping in control. Coyote fur kept sprouting along her arms, back, and shoulders. Her eyesight was sharpening, but not as much as say, Monet's, or Ray's, or Stacie. Coyotes didn't have perfect vision. Her sense of smell, however, was sharper than any of theirs. The boys, Max, Devin, Enrique, Robert, and Ray, were all in fighting stances, awaiting the next attack. It didn't come. "Who's there?!" A voice cried defiantly. "Who are you?" "Tell us who you are first, and then we may be so gracious as to return the favor." Robert cried. His nerves were on edge, and the feathers at the base of his neck[2], kept hidden by his hair, were bristling almost like cat fur. "My name is Ariadne[3]. I'm... I'm the Regent here. Now, tell me, who are you? Reveal yourselves now, or my people will force it out of you." On a group connection mental connection, Max asked, Who's Ariadne? Do any of you know the name? I've heard of her, Stacie murmured, eyes a hard, flinty yellow. She's one of the most popular seamstresses in the Night World, and she's said to be related to Dracula. She's only seven, though. That can't be her. Who's ruler of this city? Patricia asked quietly. One of Dracula's wives, Lachesis.[4] In the instance of Lachesis being unable to rule, her daughter Caliope[5] would be the Regent. So, who's this chick? Monet's fur was bristling with hostility. "You're lying!" Enrique challenged. There was a pause, and then the girl's voice cried, "How dare you! I'll prove to you that I am the ruler of this city!" A young girl of less than ten, younger even than Nicolina, who was fifteen, stepped out of the shadow of the doorway. Her eyes were a brilliant green, set in a slim, ivory face. Her hair was long and red, wavy, and she wore a pair of black jeans, a cream colored T-shirt, and white moccasins. In her hand was an ivory Beyblade, and she let it fly at the Shifters. "Go, Drigger!" "Go, Kaelas!" "Go, Grypholion!" "Go, Draca!" "Go, Scarlette!" "Go, Kyote'!" Suddenly, though, the blades already sent forth pulled back of their own accord, all except Kaelas. Patricia cried out in confusion. "What are they doing!?" "This is our fight. Draciel! Let's get busy!" Nicolina and Max exchanged a glance full of secrets only they could understand. The two Beyblades, one as pearlescently white as fresh fallen snow on unthaw-able ice, the other the shamrock green of the Emerald Isles, where Max's father hailed from, slammed in unison against the marble white Beyblade. "Kaelas, Ice Blizzard!" "Draciel, Shell Shocker Attack!" The two bitbeasts, the glowing violet turtle and the huge white tiger, rose from the bit pieces and with a flash of blinding light, swatted Ariadne's blade into the air and sent it flying to land at her feet. "Oh, no! No, no!" Everyone heard the silent, mental wail of anguish, as well as the thought of- If I can't beat these pathetic weaklings, I'll never be able to rescue Mother and Caliope! Never! What am I going to do?! "Who are you? Where is the Fate, Lachesis? Where is Princess Caliope?" Patricia demanded, looking at the young red-haired girl. Ariadne did not look up from her fallen Beyblade. The Coyote, acting on a hunch, demanded firmly, "Second Princess Ariadne Clotho[6] Dracula, where is your mother, Fate Lachesis Morae[7] Dracula, and your sister, First Princess Caliope Lachesis Dracula?" The girl lifted her head to look into Patricia's eyes. Something in the steely authority of the Coyote Princess's voice made the royal factor of her upbringing respond. "The Fate known as Lady Lachesis Morae Dracula was kidnapped by the Army of Death three months ago. My sister, Caliope Lachesis, was kidnapped a month ago." "The other Fates? What of them? Dracula's other wives?" "Many are being held prisoner by the enemy. The spells guarding the Thirteen Sacred Objects of Apocalypse can only be wavered or broken by the Brides. And there is another spell, woven several trillion years ago by the First Witch, that protects Castle Dracula from invasion. Each Bride knows a point in the spell, but there are more points than Brides. Dracula himself holds the last points of the spell, and only when his Brides are brought before him can they then undo the spell. But the enemy doesn't know all this, and they're trying to make my Mother and the other Brides tell them. But, they won't... they won't, they can't! I know my Mother, she won't!" The young princess, too young to even have come to power yet, threw herself at Patricia and started to cry. The American froze, then softened and began comforting the girl. "It's alright, it's alright. We'll rescue your mother, and your sister. Don't worry, it's alright." Ariadne stopped crying after a few minutes, ashamed of herself. Goddesses, even half-goddesses, didn't cry. She sniffed once and nodded. "Come on. I'll escort you to the Hall of Fate." Her small voice was proud and strong, and if it held a waver of tears, no one said anything.
The first thing the Shifters noticed upon entering the Hall of Fate was the architecture. Despite being the stronghold of the Bride of the most famous, Romanian vampire in the world, the Hall was built in the ancient Greek style, and was made of dark green marble. Everything in the hall was green, or so they thought, until they reached the guestrooms. "My mother's favorite color is green, if you can't tell. So is my sister Calliope's. The non-private part of the Hall and my mother's suite of rooms are green, white, red, and gold." "I like those colors." Devin said, but then yelped when Ravyn stepped on his foot. He looked at her in surprise. Let her talk; don't comment, just listen. She needs someone who'll listen. You're right, I wasn't thinking. Unaware of the transaction between soultwins, Ariadne murmured, "Here, these doors lead to each of your rooms. One of the servants will be up to escort you to the dining hall in a while." The young girl left, leaving some very confused Shifters behind. Why were there only seven rooms? Monet voiced the question aloud. "Probably because," Ravyn said slyly, grinning up at Devin, "there are three very obvious couples in this group, and only four single people. And you know what they say..." The Dragon Prince grinned and said with her, "oldest has first dibs!" With that, Ravyn and her soultwin, using irksome dragon instinct, picked a room and shut the door behind them. "I don't even want to know what those two are gonna do in there." Ray murmured, looking disgusted. "Nothing. They won't do anything. They're not married yet." Nicolina replied. "Devin doesn't believe in premarital sex. Kinda like how Mormons don't believe in homosexuals. It's sad, though, that someone as frickin' ancient as Devin is has never been laid before." The petit princess grinned, knowing the easily embarrassed Prince could hear her. "How old is Devin?" Ray asked hesitantly. "Older than your Princess, that's for sure. He's one of the oldest Shifters alive. Well, Mystic Shifters that look like that, anyway." "Mystic Shifters?" "Shifters whose other form is a magical creature, like a unicorn or dragon or something." "Oh. What about Ravyn?" "She's the oldest of the Queens, but she sure as hell doesn't act like it. She's over two hundred thousand years old. She's never been laid either. They're waiting for each other." "Aw!" Monet cried. "How sweet." "Personally, I think it's pathetic." Robert sniped acidly. "Someone as powerful and as strong a ruler as Prince Devin has never had the balls to-" Suddenly, the hall was frigid, ice frosting the windows and the walls. Max and Ray shivered, suddenly frightened. Robert swore, shivering even in his warm clothing. "What the bloody hell?" "I think Ravyn heard you, feather brain. Anyway, Max, I guess we're gonna share a room." The small princess and the golden-haired once-human smiled at each other and slipped into their own room. Stacie, tossed over Enrique's shoulder, giggled as he carried her into their room. The last four eyed each other before retiring, Patricia grinning at the strangeness of her friends, and Robert trying to wipe some of the frost out of his hair.
"What are you doing?" Devin asked. "Looking at the clothes given by Ariadne. Problem with that?" Devin didn't reply, so she assumed he didn't. In truth, however, he was watching her admire herself in the mirror. She was so beautiful to him, a perfect goddess. Right now, her hair hanging around her shoulders was chopped and ragged, cut as indiscriminately as if a child had done it. But that only added to her appeal. The dress she was wearing, made of ivory satin, hung about to her knees, hugging her frame, accenting her curves. It was tied at the waist with two belts of golden braid, which sat at an angle on her slender hips. The fact that she was barefoot, and glancing down at her wiggling toes, made him laugh at her adorable childishness. She glanced at him with an indignant expression, then bounded over and flopped down on the bed beside him, pouting like a spoiled child. "What's so funny?" He just smiled at her. "Well?" He chuckled. Pulling her towards him, he brought her to rest against his lean frame and laid her down gently on the bed with him. He kissed her cheek, smiling down at her affectionately. She suddenly felt very strange, all warm and tingly. She found herself breathing shallowly, trying to keep her racing heart steady. She had an odd feeling about the next few minutes. "Listen, Rave, I've been thinking... I've been, um, really thinking about... things." He cleared his throat and fell silent. She glanced up at him, murmuring, "Devin? What things?" "Us, primarily, um... Ravyn, my love, how long have we been together?" They'd been together since they were mere smokelings, nearly two hundred thousand years. "Hundreds, thousands... hundreds of thousands of years, in fact. Why?" "Have you ever wanted... anything, um... more, out of this?" "More, Dev? What, uh, what d'you mean?" "Um, okay... uh, how can I put this? Ravyn Elliot, my soultwin, will you do me the honor of... of... oh, my gosh, I have never been so nervous in my entire life, I might as well just say it already... Ravyn...." She tried not to giggle, but he looked so nervous. He stood up and began pacing, breathing hard and running his hand through his hair. She wondered what he could possibly want to ask her. It couldn't be... be.... "Devin? Devin. Pay attention, look at me. Breathe in, breathe out. Come on, stop for a sec and calm down. Now. It can't be that important. Okay? Breathe evenly, open your mouth, and speak. Okay?" He looked into her eyes and gave her a small, nervous, smile. "Ravyn, I know this is a bad time, what with the war and the Dracula campaign and everything, but... before we do one more thing, war-related or otherwise, I have to know, will you marry me?" She looked up at him in total shock. "What?" "Marry me. Now. Or tomorrow. Or the day after, but soon! Marry me." She blinked, stunned, whispering, "Whoa. What?" His face fell. "You're right, it was a stupid idea, I-" Before he could finish his statement of negative self-deprecation, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He returned her kiss with an unusual fervor, the kind of passion that usually only sparked when they'd been separated for a long time. His mouth was soft and generous, drugging her with the kiss, the obvious hunger behind it. They came up for air a few minutes later, and she could only look at him, his chest heaving with the effort to calm his out of control breathing. He smiled a self-mocking half smile. "Is that a yes?" She proceeded to make it very clear that it was, in fact, a yes.
Stacie, Nicolina, Monet, and Patricia all were huddled together, whispering, earning frightened looks from their guys, as well as from Ray and Robert. They all giggled when Ravyn came downstairs on Devin's arm. The two Shifters looked at the girls before the dragoona sighed and walked over to her childhood friends. "What is it, you lot? Why are you laughing at me?" She eyed the other girls, brow furrowed as she pretended to be ticked off that the girls were wearing clothes just as cool as hers. "And why are you all dressed nicer than me?" Stacie was wearing a dress of scarlet silk, almost like a kimono, embroiders in black silk thread with the image of prowling panthers, hanging loosely around her and tied with a black sash. Patricia wore a cream-colored midriff sash-shirt and a dark brown skirt that fell to her knees, along with a silver Coyote pendant. Nicolina practically sparkled, wearing a shimmering white peasant top and an ankle-length skirt of dark blue shot with silver. And Monet stood casually by, cat-like smugness in every stitch of her golden satin gown, with a slit all the way up to her hip on both sides and tank sleeves. She had to admit, Ravyn thought to herself, they all looked fabulous. She wasn't gonna look at the boys, though, for fear of busting up laughing at their panicked expressions. "Is it true?" "Is what true, Ducky my love?" Ravyn employed her pet name for Nicolina. All the girls grinned at each other. "What? What?" "You and the darling Prince of Dragons had an interesting last few hours, huh?" Monet giggled, smile bright and wide. "We felt an intense jolt of pleasure run through your mind, we know what happened." Ravyn sighed, deeply in exasperation. "No, obviously you don't. He... he..." she smiled happily, "he asked me to marry him. Nothing happened after that. He just asked me to marry him." All the boys nearly had heart attacks when the shrieks of total delight rang through the room. The four girls were jumping up and down, screaming, hugging Ravyn. What the hell's this ruckus? DEVIN ASKED RAVYN TO MARRY HIM!!!! No he did not! Midnight's telepathic voice was full of incredulous joy. Ravyn and the girls all chorused, He SO did! Devin Black, you bastard whelp, is it true!? Devin laughed in her mind, then, giving the phantom impression that he had his arms around his soultwin, he said mentally, Yeah, and she said yes. Oh, my gosh, but she did. Worst mistake of my life, dudes! The dragon Shifter joked, smiling. I'm kidding, I love you, Devin. At that moment, Ariadne appeared and escorted them to the dining room.
"Lady Morae, what are you looking at?" Machiko Kamisenshi looked at the bowl of shining, metallic black stone in the old woman's hands. It was full of crystal clear water, and in its depths Machiko saw her High King, his woman, and other Shifters like them. There was the Arcerian child and her Vampiric lover, the snobbish featherbrained Prince, and one of the secondary Coyote princesses. There was the Tygre turned Vampire, and the French Chaet Huntress, Ray and Monet. There was something very Sherike about those two, something Machiko liked. The Shadow Jaguar, now a bloodsucker, also held the young woman's attention, as did her lifemate, the Jagguar Prince. The red haired half-vampire, half-goddess was in their midst. "She looks so much like Lachesis, but she wears Clotho's colors." "True. I worry." "About her clothes?" "No, not about her, Lady Kamisenshi. About His Excellency, and Lady Elliot. Something wicked will mar their happiness, I know. Not before we have a Queen, but perhaps before we have another Prince." Machiko stared at Lady Morae Spydre, and said nothing. There was nothing to say. ----------------------- [1] Equivalent to soulmate, save in this: a soulmate is a soul made to be with another soul. A soultwin is a soul who's searching for a soul identical to theirs. [2] All Avian Shifters have feathers at the nape of their neck. The Royals have smaller feathers than most. [3] Greek goddess of the labyrinth, spiders, and weaving. [4] One of the Fates; goddess of the past, birth, and children; called the Emerald Weaver. [5] Eldest of the Nine Muses of Mount Helicon, goddess of epic poetry and weaver of stories; in this story, daughter of Lachesis and Dracula. [6] Clotho is one of the Fates; goddess of the present, life, and adults; called the Ivory Weaver; being the second Fate, and Ariadne being the second born of Lachesis, her middle name is Clotho. [7] Morae: Greek goddess of the night, mother to the Fates. Lachesis' middle name, and the middle name of Erato, Calliope's first daughter.
"Where are we again?" Monet asked, looking around. The Shifters were in the center of a village, seemingly deserted, that looked very spooky. The small, fine fur at the nape of her neck was bristling with nervousness. Nicolina was clutching Max's arm, and Max, without thinking, sent waves of reassurance through telepathy. Robert, Ray, and Patricia were scouting ahead, Robert the eyes, Patricia the nose, and Ray the ears. Everyone was waiting for Ravyn to come back from scouting the city, exploring the houses. She might have gotten hurt, as she often went solo. She'd cut off all mental contact with everyone, even her soultwin[1] and her best friend, Stacie. The Italian/Asian vampire was starting to freak. She freaked more when she heard a cry of rage.
Ravyn went flying through the air, barreling into Monet, and they both fell to the ground. Almost instantly, they were both on their feet, Monet with feet spread, cheetah teeth bared, and wild cat claws unsheathed. Patricia and Stacie snarled in defensive anger, the two of them back to back. Patricia, the youngest Shifter in Midnight's inner circle, was having trouble keeping in control. Coyote fur kept sprouting along her arms, back, and shoulders. Her eyesight was sharpening, but not as much as say, Monet's, or Ray's, or Stacie. Coyotes didn't have perfect vision. Her sense of smell, however, was sharper than any of theirs. The boys, Max, Devin, Enrique, Robert, and Ray, were all in fighting stances, awaiting the next attack. It didn't come. "Who's there?!" A voice cried defiantly. "Who are you?" "Tell us who you are first, and then we may be so gracious as to return the favor." Robert cried. His nerves were on edge, and the feathers at the base of his neck[2], kept hidden by his hair, were bristling almost like cat fur. "My name is Ariadne[3]. I'm... I'm the Regent here. Now, tell me, who are you? Reveal yourselves now, or my people will force it out of you." On a group connection mental connection, Max asked, Who's Ariadne? Do any of you know the name? I've heard of her, Stacie murmured, eyes a hard, flinty yellow. She's one of the most popular seamstresses in the Night World, and she's said to be related to Dracula. She's only seven, though. That can't be her. Who's ruler of this city? Patricia asked quietly. One of Dracula's wives, Lachesis.[4] In the instance of Lachesis being unable to rule, her daughter Caliope[5] would be the Regent. So, who's this chick? Monet's fur was bristling with hostility. "You're lying!" Enrique challenged. There was a pause, and then the girl's voice cried, "How dare you! I'll prove to you that I am the ruler of this city!" A young girl of less than ten, younger even than Nicolina, who was fifteen, stepped out of the shadow of the doorway. Her eyes were a brilliant green, set in a slim, ivory face. Her hair was long and red, wavy, and she wore a pair of black jeans, a cream colored T-shirt, and white moccasins. In her hand was an ivory Beyblade, and she let it fly at the Shifters. "Go, Drigger!" "Go, Kaelas!" "Go, Grypholion!" "Go, Draca!" "Go, Scarlette!" "Go, Kyote'!" Suddenly, though, the blades already sent forth pulled back of their own accord, all except Kaelas. Patricia cried out in confusion. "What are they doing!?" "This is our fight. Draciel! Let's get busy!" Nicolina and Max exchanged a glance full of secrets only they could understand. The two Beyblades, one as pearlescently white as fresh fallen snow on unthaw-able ice, the other the shamrock green of the Emerald Isles, where Max's father hailed from, slammed in unison against the marble white Beyblade. "Kaelas, Ice Blizzard!" "Draciel, Shell Shocker Attack!" The two bitbeasts, the glowing violet turtle and the huge white tiger, rose from the bit pieces and with a flash of blinding light, swatted Ariadne's blade into the air and sent it flying to land at her feet. "Oh, no! No, no!" Everyone heard the silent, mental wail of anguish, as well as the thought of- If I can't beat these pathetic weaklings, I'll never be able to rescue Mother and Caliope! Never! What am I going to do?! "Who are you? Where is the Fate, Lachesis? Where is Princess Caliope?" Patricia demanded, looking at the young red-haired girl. Ariadne did not look up from her fallen Beyblade. The Coyote, acting on a hunch, demanded firmly, "Second Princess Ariadne Clotho[6] Dracula, where is your mother, Fate Lachesis Morae[7] Dracula, and your sister, First Princess Caliope Lachesis Dracula?" The girl lifted her head to look into Patricia's eyes. Something in the steely authority of the Coyote Princess's voice made the royal factor of her upbringing respond. "The Fate known as Lady Lachesis Morae Dracula was kidnapped by the Army of Death three months ago. My sister, Caliope Lachesis, was kidnapped a month ago." "The other Fates? What of them? Dracula's other wives?" "Many are being held prisoner by the enemy. The spells guarding the Thirteen Sacred Objects of Apocalypse can only be wavered or broken by the Brides. And there is another spell, woven several trillion years ago by the First Witch, that protects Castle Dracula from invasion. Each Bride knows a point in the spell, but there are more points than Brides. Dracula himself holds the last points of the spell, and only when his Brides are brought before him can they then undo the spell. But the enemy doesn't know all this, and they're trying to make my Mother and the other Brides tell them. But, they won't... they won't, they can't! I know my Mother, she won't!" The young princess, too young to even have come to power yet, threw herself at Patricia and started to cry. The American froze, then softened and began comforting the girl. "It's alright, it's alright. We'll rescue your mother, and your sister. Don't worry, it's alright." Ariadne stopped crying after a few minutes, ashamed of herself. Goddesses, even half-goddesses, didn't cry. She sniffed once and nodded. "Come on. I'll escort you to the Hall of Fate." Her small voice was proud and strong, and if it held a waver of tears, no one said anything.
The first thing the Shifters noticed upon entering the Hall of Fate was the architecture. Despite being the stronghold of the Bride of the most famous, Romanian vampire in the world, the Hall was built in the ancient Greek style, and was made of dark green marble. Everything in the hall was green, or so they thought, until they reached the guestrooms. "My mother's favorite color is green, if you can't tell. So is my sister Calliope's. The non-private part of the Hall and my mother's suite of rooms are green, white, red, and gold." "I like those colors." Devin said, but then yelped when Ravyn stepped on his foot. He looked at her in surprise. Let her talk; don't comment, just listen. She needs someone who'll listen. You're right, I wasn't thinking. Unaware of the transaction between soultwins, Ariadne murmured, "Here, these doors lead to each of your rooms. One of the servants will be up to escort you to the dining hall in a while." The young girl left, leaving some very confused Shifters behind. Why were there only seven rooms? Monet voiced the question aloud. "Probably because," Ravyn said slyly, grinning up at Devin, "there are three very obvious couples in this group, and only four single people. And you know what they say..." The Dragon Prince grinned and said with her, "oldest has first dibs!" With that, Ravyn and her soultwin, using irksome dragon instinct, picked a room and shut the door behind them. "I don't even want to know what those two are gonna do in there." Ray murmured, looking disgusted. "Nothing. They won't do anything. They're not married yet." Nicolina replied. "Devin doesn't believe in premarital sex. Kinda like how Mormons don't believe in homosexuals. It's sad, though, that someone as frickin' ancient as Devin is has never been laid before." The petit princess grinned, knowing the easily embarrassed Prince could hear her. "How old is Devin?" Ray asked hesitantly. "Older than your Princess, that's for sure. He's one of the oldest Shifters alive. Well, Mystic Shifters that look like that, anyway." "Mystic Shifters?" "Shifters whose other form is a magical creature, like a unicorn or dragon or something." "Oh. What about Ravyn?" "She's the oldest of the Queens, but she sure as hell doesn't act like it. She's over two hundred thousand years old. She's never been laid either. They're waiting for each other." "Aw!" Monet cried. "How sweet." "Personally, I think it's pathetic." Robert sniped acidly. "Someone as powerful and as strong a ruler as Prince Devin has never had the balls to-" Suddenly, the hall was frigid, ice frosting the windows and the walls. Max and Ray shivered, suddenly frightened. Robert swore, shivering even in his warm clothing. "What the bloody hell?" "I think Ravyn heard you, feather brain. Anyway, Max, I guess we're gonna share a room." The small princess and the golden-haired once-human smiled at each other and slipped into their own room. Stacie, tossed over Enrique's shoulder, giggled as he carried her into their room. The last four eyed each other before retiring, Patricia grinning at the strangeness of her friends, and Robert trying to wipe some of the frost out of his hair.
"What are you doing?" Devin asked. "Looking at the clothes given by Ariadne. Problem with that?" Devin didn't reply, so she assumed he didn't. In truth, however, he was watching her admire herself in the mirror. She was so beautiful to him, a perfect goddess. Right now, her hair hanging around her shoulders was chopped and ragged, cut as indiscriminately as if a child had done it. But that only added to her appeal. The dress she was wearing, made of ivory satin, hung about to her knees, hugging her frame, accenting her curves. It was tied at the waist with two belts of golden braid, which sat at an angle on her slender hips. The fact that she was barefoot, and glancing down at her wiggling toes, made him laugh at her adorable childishness. She glanced at him with an indignant expression, then bounded over and flopped down on the bed beside him, pouting like a spoiled child. "What's so funny?" He just smiled at her. "Well?" He chuckled. Pulling her towards him, he brought her to rest against his lean frame and laid her down gently on the bed with him. He kissed her cheek, smiling down at her affectionately. She suddenly felt very strange, all warm and tingly. She found herself breathing shallowly, trying to keep her racing heart steady. She had an odd feeling about the next few minutes. "Listen, Rave, I've been thinking... I've been, um, really thinking about... things." He cleared his throat and fell silent. She glanced up at him, murmuring, "Devin? What things?" "Us, primarily, um... Ravyn, my love, how long have we been together?" They'd been together since they were mere smokelings, nearly two hundred thousand years. "Hundreds, thousands... hundreds of thousands of years, in fact. Why?" "Have you ever wanted... anything, um... more, out of this?" "More, Dev? What, uh, what d'you mean?" "Um, okay... uh, how can I put this? Ravyn Elliot, my soultwin, will you do me the honor of... of... oh, my gosh, I have never been so nervous in my entire life, I might as well just say it already... Ravyn...." She tried not to giggle, but he looked so nervous. He stood up and began pacing, breathing hard and running his hand through his hair. She wondered what he could possibly want to ask her. It couldn't be... be.... "Devin? Devin. Pay attention, look at me. Breathe in, breathe out. Come on, stop for a sec and calm down. Now. It can't be that important. Okay? Breathe evenly, open your mouth, and speak. Okay?" He looked into her eyes and gave her a small, nervous, smile. "Ravyn, I know this is a bad time, what with the war and the Dracula campaign and everything, but... before we do one more thing, war-related or otherwise, I have to know, will you marry me?" She looked up at him in total shock. "What?" "Marry me. Now. Or tomorrow. Or the day after, but soon! Marry me." She blinked, stunned, whispering, "Whoa. What?" His face fell. "You're right, it was a stupid idea, I-" Before he could finish his statement of negative self-deprecation, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. He returned her kiss with an unusual fervor, the kind of passion that usually only sparked when they'd been separated for a long time. His mouth was soft and generous, drugging her with the kiss, the obvious hunger behind it. They came up for air a few minutes later, and she could only look at him, his chest heaving with the effort to calm his out of control breathing. He smiled a self-mocking half smile. "Is that a yes?" She proceeded to make it very clear that it was, in fact, a yes.
Stacie, Nicolina, Monet, and Patricia all were huddled together, whispering, earning frightened looks from their guys, as well as from Ray and Robert. They all giggled when Ravyn came downstairs on Devin's arm. The two Shifters looked at the girls before the dragoona sighed and walked over to her childhood friends. "What is it, you lot? Why are you laughing at me?" She eyed the other girls, brow furrowed as she pretended to be ticked off that the girls were wearing clothes just as cool as hers. "And why are you all dressed nicer than me?" Stacie was wearing a dress of scarlet silk, almost like a kimono, embroiders in black silk thread with the image of prowling panthers, hanging loosely around her and tied with a black sash. Patricia wore a cream-colored midriff sash-shirt and a dark brown skirt that fell to her knees, along with a silver Coyote pendant. Nicolina practically sparkled, wearing a shimmering white peasant top and an ankle-length skirt of dark blue shot with silver. And Monet stood casually by, cat-like smugness in every stitch of her golden satin gown, with a slit all the way up to her hip on both sides and tank sleeves. She had to admit, Ravyn thought to herself, they all looked fabulous. She wasn't gonna look at the boys, though, for fear of busting up laughing at their panicked expressions. "Is it true?" "Is what true, Ducky my love?" Ravyn employed her pet name for Nicolina. All the girls grinned at each other. "What? What?" "You and the darling Prince of Dragons had an interesting last few hours, huh?" Monet giggled, smile bright and wide. "We felt an intense jolt of pleasure run through your mind, we know what happened." Ravyn sighed, deeply in exasperation. "No, obviously you don't. He... he..." she smiled happily, "he asked me to marry him. Nothing happened after that. He just asked me to marry him." All the boys nearly had heart attacks when the shrieks of total delight rang through the room. The four girls were jumping up and down, screaming, hugging Ravyn. What the hell's this ruckus? DEVIN ASKED RAVYN TO MARRY HIM!!!! No he did not! Midnight's telepathic voice was full of incredulous joy. Ravyn and the girls all chorused, He SO did! Devin Black, you bastard whelp, is it true!? Devin laughed in her mind, then, giving the phantom impression that he had his arms around his soultwin, he said mentally, Yeah, and she said yes. Oh, my gosh, but she did. Worst mistake of my life, dudes! The dragon Shifter joked, smiling. I'm kidding, I love you, Devin. At that moment, Ariadne appeared and escorted them to the dining room.
"Lady Morae, what are you looking at?" Machiko Kamisenshi looked at the bowl of shining, metallic black stone in the old woman's hands. It was full of crystal clear water, and in its depths Machiko saw her High King, his woman, and other Shifters like them. There was the Arcerian child and her Vampiric lover, the snobbish featherbrained Prince, and one of the secondary Coyote princesses. There was the Tygre turned Vampire, and the French Chaet Huntress, Ray and Monet. There was something very Sherike about those two, something Machiko liked. The Shadow Jaguar, now a bloodsucker, also held the young woman's attention, as did her lifemate, the Jagguar Prince. The red haired half-vampire, half-goddess was in their midst. "She looks so much like Lachesis, but she wears Clotho's colors." "True. I worry." "About her clothes?" "No, not about her, Lady Kamisenshi. About His Excellency, and Lady Elliot. Something wicked will mar their happiness, I know. Not before we have a Queen, but perhaps before we have another Prince." Machiko stared at Lady Morae Spydre, and said nothing. There was nothing to say. ----------------------- [1] Equivalent to soulmate, save in this: a soulmate is a soul made to be with another soul. A soultwin is a soul who's searching for a soul identical to theirs. [2] All Avian Shifters have feathers at the nape of their neck. The Royals have smaller feathers than most. [3] Greek goddess of the labyrinth, spiders, and weaving. [4] One of the Fates; goddess of the past, birth, and children; called the Emerald Weaver. [5] Eldest of the Nine Muses of Mount Helicon, goddess of epic poetry and weaver of stories; in this story, daughter of Lachesis and Dracula. [6] Clotho is one of the Fates; goddess of the present, life, and adults; called the Ivory Weaver; being the second Fate, and Ariadne being the second born of Lachesis, her middle name is Clotho. [7] Morae: Greek goddess of the night, mother to the Fates. Lachesis' middle name, and the middle name of Erato, Calliope's first daughter.