Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

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 the large 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 glanced 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 was coming 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 the large impressive life-size stone sculpture of a male Erenveil bat warrior and a large 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 his large muscular 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 slashed 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 claws Darling," she murmured. "If you accidentally touch me with them, you will give me puncture wounds."

Byron\'s body stiffened. Slowly, he retracted his claws 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—I 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—"

"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-in-law." 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—"

"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 available, 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 alarmed.

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."

She sighed. He was not listening to her. She needed bigger guns.

"I want you to clean yourself up and come 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 his large 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 becoming 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 black 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 to laugh.