Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

Jason was standing outside the elevator waiting for them.

As soon as Candace and Jared stepped out, Jason scooped Candace up into his arms.

"Oh my God, I have missed you so much!" He murmured, crushing her into his body.

The universe around them melted away at that moment. There was no one else around but the two of them. His world was finally perfect.

The crushing embrace lasted until someone with green hair and brown eyes cleared his throat and kicked Jason in the leg to remind him that there were still other people standing around.

"How is my Tiny Dancer?" Jason pulled back to look into her eyes.

Candace smiled. "I'm doing well. Still a little tired, but I'm getting used to it."

"You're not going to have to lift a finger here. It's all just rest and relaxation for you." He straightened back up to his full 6"1' height and gestured at someone who was standing behind her.

"Sweetie. Look who's here to visit with us?"

Candace turned and gasped. It was the tall glass Avgo Female Anaïse Paroles who had the blue sapphire gemstone.

Her body was no longer the perfect clear crystal glass that once was the envy of the women of her human species.

Because of the vicious Avian attack during the Avgo events, She had been fractured into splintered shards that permanently marred her perfect body.

She had been reconstructed, piece by painful piece, but it was obvious she still needed much more reconstructive work.

The light caught her shattered body and cast sparkles that winked and twinkled everywhere she went. It was at once dazzling and macabre at the same time.

"Anaïse! How are you? Are you recovering well?" Candace reached out and grasped both her hands.

Anaïse smiled. "I'm slowly recovering. Thank you."

She looked Candace up and down with admiring eyes.

"You are looking very well. It seems as if you've gotten quite a bit of a tan."

"Hah, yes!" She grinned. "My husband has a tropical island and I just spent a week with him."

"Your husband?" Anaïse cracked a grin. "Ah that's right. I heard the new Crown Prince is Lucas, and since you're the Avgo winner, you automatically become his wife."

"Yes. It's Lucas's island." Cadence turned large eyes at Anaïse. "I'm surprised to see you here on a ship traveling into a distant area."

Anaïse smiled. "I was still in Erenveil after the Avgo Events ended when I struck up a conversation with—" she indicated at Jason.

Candace turned a questioning eye at Jason.

Jason shrugged. "We were just talking about the extent of the damage that her body had taken on."

He motioned at Anaïse's body.

"I mentioned that since I often use my magic reconstructive techniques on fractured gemstones, I might be able to help her body heal from all the fractures."

Anaïse nodded and looked down with bashful eyes.

"Prince Jason said he could help me to look normal again."

Candace smiled and reached out with both hands, touching Anaïse's arms.

"I truly hope Jason will be able to help you. He's very good at what he does."

Anaïse nodded. "He also made a blue Avgo gemstone pendant for me."

She glanced up at Jason with grateful eyes.

"Do you remember when he asked me if he could look at the color of the stone?"

Candace nodded, remembering that day at the Royal Ball when Jason's only question to Anaïse was to see her blue stone.

"At that moment, I didn't understand what he meant and I was upset at him, but now, I'm so glad he did." Her eyes grew tragic.

"Once the Avgo Events were over, my stone disappeared. I couldn't call it up again, no matter how hard I tried." She closed her pain-filled eyes.

Candace looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She knew what it felt like to lose the Avgo. She had lost her pink Avgo stone as well.

It was fortunate that she had been able to recover three of the shards back. She no longer felt such loss as the moment when it left her and flew into the seven men.

Anaïse extended from her hand, a blue sapphire Avgo gemstone replica.

It was an absolutely exquisite replica of the original, meticulously set with heavy gold and hung on a matching thick Byzantine gold chain.

Candace smiled.

It was Jason's personal handiwork through and through. There was no mistaking the precise and meticulous details that came from such a talented artist as Jason. It looked very similar to the pink one she owned.

"Jason knew I was going to lose the stone. He made this and gave my stone back to me." Her eyes shone with love and admiration as she looked at Jason. "And now he will help me heal my body as well."

Jason smiled without saying anything. He turned to Candace.

"I also made a yellow topaz Avgo replica for Jenna. Next time we see her, you can gift it to her."

Candace smiled and nodded. Jason had always been so thoughtful. She idly wondered if he created one for the other Avgo Contestants as well.

Definitely not for Helene Cordera who tried to kill her.

She turned back to Anaïse with a smile. "Let me help you put it on."

Anaïse gave a grateful nod and handed the blue sapphire Avgo gemstone to Candace.

As she turned her back so that Candace could fasten the chain on, Candace realized there was a bit of an issue.

At 5'10", Anaïse was a fairly tall woman. Candace, on the other hand, was barely 5'2".

There was no way she would be able to place the necklace around Anaïse's neck without having to ask her to bend down a bit.

At that moment, someone scooped her up and lifted her so that she was equal to Anaïse's height.

Candace smiled as she turned a grateful eye to her muscle-bound benefactor.

It was Jared.

"There you go," Candace murmured as she slipped the pendant around Anaïse's neck and secured the clasp. "It looks absolutely lovely on you."

Anaïse turned back around to see Jared still holding onto Candace with gentle adoration.

She hid a giggle behind her hands.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I could have lowered my body so he wouldn't have to lift you up."

Jared smiled. "No worries. Tiny Dancer is so light, I can carry her around all day and not even break a sweat." He nuzzled her neck playfully.

"The two of you seem to be very close." Anaïse smiled at Jared.

Jared smiled into Candace's blonde hair, his cheeks blushing.

"I haven't seen her for two weeks and I miss her like crazy."

"But—she just told us she had been with her husband Lucas last week at his island."

"That's right. I picked her up from there just now." Jared grinned.

"But she's…married."

Jared nodded with a big grin.

Anaïse blinked. Was she not in on some strange joke?

"It's a complicated situation, but the gist of it is this. She's also my bride." Jared planted a kiss on her lips.

"And what does Lucas think about that?" Anaïse's face was incredulous.

Jared grinned with a shrug. "You'll have to ask him what his thoughts are. I can't read his mind."

"Lucas is Crown Prince." Anaïse mused. "He probably didn't have a choice in marriage partner."

She turned to Candace. "I'm sure if you told Lucas that your heart belongs to Jared, he would release you so you can be with the man you truly loved."

Candace raised a finger and opened her mouth, ready to clear up Anaïse's misunderstanding of the situation, but Anaïse had already turned back to Jason.

"I'm an Avgo female too. In fact, I am the first runner up, behind Candace. You are my number one choice for lifetime mate."

Jason turned to Anaïse with startled eyes, even as she lifted her head with pride.

"If you chose me as your bride, I will do everything in my power to help you with all that your heart desires."

"What?" Jason looked stunned.

"I am the Princess of the Silicon race of Haribou world. Within my hands hold much of the riches of the galaxy.. It can all be yours if you become my husband."