Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

The sun was blazing down onto the courtyard where Süren was hiding but he was behind the intensely fragrant white angel trumpet lilies and they were large enough to give him a decent amount of shade.

He wasn't a peeping tom. Truly!

He just wanted to hand over something to Lyra before he left, but there was no way he could even get close to her. There were just too many guards stationed around her.

Süren sighed.

She rarely left her room. Even when she did, her mother never left her side.

What was a man to do?

His six guards were also in various niches within the courtyard, waiting alongside him. They'd been there for almost an hour, not moving, barely even breathing.

One of them glanced at his time piece.

Whatever the Crown Prince wanted to do, he'd better do it quickly. They didn't have much time left before they had to move out.

King Batsaikhan had already ordered for Crown Prince Süren to return asap. The dragon warship that Süren took to get here had already been resupplied and refueled. It was only awaiting the final word from the Crown Prince to take off.

The men frowned as time began ticking away. Although Prince Süren was their Commander, they feared the King more.

Suddenly, Süren's eyes focused in on the patio doors.

They were opening.

A breathtaking girl with long black hair and bright blue eyes emerged from within the cool darkened interior. Her gentle demeanor tugged at his heartstrings, making him ache with a gentle pleasurable pain.

She was tall and slender with the grace of a lily and the beauty of a fresh new bud barely starting to bloom.

He swallowed to clear his throat.

"Lyra," he whispered, throwing his voice at her. He did not want to scare her, but he was running out of time.

Lyra looked up. She had heard her name being called out by a man.

How she knew a whispered voice could be a man, she didn't know. Perhaps it was her canine nose, suddenly catching a whiff of his scent.

She zeroed in on the six locations that she could smell male pheromones exuding. The closest was within the angel trumpet vines.

"Who are you?" She called out, her body moving into fighting stance.

"Shhhh. It's me Süren." His voice was barely above a whisper as he came out of the bush with his hands out in a 'please don't hurt me' gesture.

Lyra turned to the man who had just emerged from the bushes.

He was tall and large, with a bull dog body just like her brother Slate. His skin was darkened bronze and his hair was long and dark.

His muscles were so bulky, she could barely see anything beyond the intense virility of his body.

Lyra's breath got caught in her throat. It was as if she'd seen him for the first time. His strong regal face with winged eyebrows and tall strong nose over surprisingly lush soft lips were mesmerizing.

But most beautiful of his perfect physical form were his dark almond brown eyes. Those eyes were now gazing at her with a soft and sad expression.

"Süren! What are you doing here?" Lyra relaxed her fighting stance.

It wouldn't have mattered that she knew some basic fighting moves. She wouldn't be able to do much against this large strong man other than run away.

But it was too late to run away. He had already reached her side.

"Listen." He reached out for her hand. "I don't have much time. My father has ordered me to return to my world. This is the last time I will be able to see you, at least for awhile."

Lyra's heart pounded with a furious beat.

She didn't want him to leave. They'd barely just met! Why did he meet her just to leave?

He pulled out something from his black and red warrior jacket and deposited something into her palm.

"This is for you." He took a deep breath. "I have asked your father for your hand in marriage."

"What???—" Lyra spoke up. He put a finger to her mouth.

"Yes, I know you are still only fifteen. I am happy and willing to wait for you if you will only give me a chance."

Lyra said nothing. She looked down at the small pouch in her hand.

"What—what is this?"

"Open it."

She untied the string and pulled the pouch apart.

"Oh my!"

Lyra gasped as she pulled out a gemstone the size of a quail egg, set in a deep heavy gold.

The gem's colors burst forth in the bright golden sunshine in a kaleidoscopic swirl of reds, blues, purples, and yellows.

"This is so beautiful! What is it?"

"It comes from my world. It is a dragon opal, very rare, very precious. Allow me."

He reached out and took the opal from her hand. With gentle hands, he reached around her and clasped the ends together.

"This is my Promise Gift to you, and this is my promise. I promise I will return for you. Please wait for me."

Lyra's eyes glistened with unshed tears. This was so romantic. No one had ever done anything like this for her before.

She reached up and touched the dragon opal with shaky fingers. Süren could have given her a pebble from the beach and she would have treasured it just as much, with all of her being.

He saw her blue eyes tear up and his heart rend in two.

"Please don't be sad. I promise you I will be back as soon as possible. It won't be long."

Lyra blinked as a tear rolled down her face.

"Thank you for the gift. I have nothing to give you."

"Could you give me a kiss? It would be more than I could hope for."

Lyra took a deep breath. "I—I don't really know how to…I've never…never kissed a man before."

Süren smiled and raised her face up with a gentle hand as he lowered his lips onto hers.

Lyra took a deep breath, taking in the woodsy virile scent of the man standing before her. She could barely breathe as her heart blossomed into a newly opened flower.

At the moment their lips touched, an explosion shook the core of the earth.

BOOOMMM!!!

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

Screams tore out through the lazy afternoon as the sound of the blast reverberated through the air.

Süren looked up and without a word, swept her thin body up into his arms.

From within the room, he could hear her mother call out her name.

"Lyra!!!"

The Royal Consort Gwendolyn ran out into the courtyard as a second blast hit somewhere closely.

One of Süren's men ran to her, covering her body with his as a volley of fiery debris rained down upon their courtyard.

"Mother!!!" She screamed even as Süren gave a whistling signal.

The dragon who had sheltered Gwendolyn with his wings swept her up into his arms.

As one, the Crown Prince Süren and his six guards rose up into the air and flew away, towards the relative safety of their hover pod, high above the capital city of Erenveil.

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