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Mai chuckled, “Grandfather hid them. He brought them back when he knew you were on your way.”

  The four-inch-tall tiara was lovely, with bright green and gold stones in it. There was something about the stones that was familiar, but Sy guessed that she had seen them in images as a child.

  Her mother offered Mai hints on working with her hair, and her father paced. “Father, you can wait in the other room with Agoth if you wish. There is going to be a lot more fussing if I am any judge of Mai’s determination.”

  Mai twisted, pinned and locked the tiara onto Syrella’s head.

  In two and a half hours of teasing, poking and twisting, Mai pronounced Syrella fit to be empress and a bride in the same day.

  She was wearing five pounds of gems and a dress so light, it felt like it wasn’t even there, but the train was a solid ten feet long. “This is going to be annoying.”

  “You look lovely, treasure.” Her father poked his head through the door, and he smiled. “I believe it is time to go.”

  She nodded, flexed her fingers and tucked the soul stone into her bodice over her heart once again. “Wherever I go today, I am taking you two with me. I have been without you too long.”

  “We are going to leave for a night of our own when you and your new husband retreat for privacy. I love you, Syrella, but I am not going to start your union off with a peep show.” Her mom pressed a kiss on her cheek, and Sy could feel it.

  She blushed at the thought of being alone with Dorium but that was for later and she was already linked to his mind. He was excited and impatient and that sensation spurred her out into her front room where a stunned Agoth bowed low.

  “Since your bodyguard is your bondmate-to-be, we are being escorted by a dozen of the house guard. Shall we?” Agoth opened the door, and the men outside bowed.

  Sy strode forward, and when her imperial guard surrounded her, she could feel their pride. Her parents walked behind her, and she didn’t know if anyone was staring at them, her eyes were fixed forward on the approaching throne room.

  Dorium was waiting for her on the other side of that doorway. She was getting married and her dead family was with her.

  It was her perfect day.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dorium looked lovely, Perinio gave a moving speech on the solemnity of bonding, and when she said her vows and her family agreed to the union, her heart soared. The moment that Dorium returned the vows and took her in his arms, it was the happiest moment in her life.

  She was new to kissing, but the sudden pain caught her by surprise. She heard a roar of pain from Dorium and when she looked down, the arrow that was sticking out of her chest had dug into his skin as well.

  Her parents were at her side in an instant while the guards tried to get her to safety while apprehending the attacker. “Mom, Dad, get Mai. Now.”

  They disappeared in a flash.

  The wild screaming of Algiatha was suddenly cut short, and Syrella relaxed while she tasted blood.

  Dorium was holding her in his arms so that the arrow would not be under compression. “Stay still, a doctor is coming.”

  “Mai is coming. She’s a healer. She can help.”

  A strange figure spoke, “Put her on the throne.”

  Dorium looked at the man who glowed, and he scowled, “What?”

  “We will take care of her. Put her on the throne.”

  Sy looked around and saw the flickering lights that were coming out of the ether. “Dorium. Help me.”

  He lifted her and laid her across the seat of the throne so that the arrow was exposed on both sides.

  The glowing figures moved him gently aside and stroked Sy with a thousand tender touches. The arrow simply dissolved out of her chest and then hands pressed the wound closed, not allowing one drop of blood to spill.

  The rattle in her chest disappeared, and she looked at the assembled figures. “Hello, Emperor Ukan.”

  He inclined his head. “Greetings, Empress Syrella. I knew you would be the one.”

  “The jewels?”

  “Carved soul stones.” He inclined his head. “I have never seen a ruler strong enough to pull us all out, but you did it. May the stars bless your union and the thorn bless your children.”

  Dorium pushed through the transparent figure, and he cupped her cheek. “I thought you were dying.”

  “I sort of was. These are the imperial jewels, and on the Day of the Dead, I can bring back my ancestors or those of my bloodline. Welcome to my extended family.”

  Mai arrived out of breath. “You need healing?”

  “The old emperors healed me, but Dorium has an arrow wound in his chest.”

  Mai reached out and pressed her fingers to the wound.

  Dorium winced, but he allowed the touch, and eventually, he smiled and pulled her hand away. “Thank you, Mai.”

  She was shaking and there was blood on her hands but pride flowed in her eyes. She got to her feet and walked to stand behind Ikatti.

  The secretary was controlling the crowds, and he finally came to ask Sy, “Can we proceed with the gifting?”

  She sat up straight in the throne, her gown marred by the arrow hole in it. She took Dorium’s hand. “Stay next to me?”

  He smiled and pressed his hand to her shoulder so she would know where he was.

  I don’t want to let go of you today. I came too close to losing you.

  I know. We are going to look into how Algiatha got loose, but that is a conversation for another day. That bitch was very persuasive. Now, I am going to make a speech.

  She held up her hands, and Ikatti banged his staff a few times. Sy got to her feet and squared her shoulders. “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my bonding day.”

  A few members of the gathering giggle uncomfortably.

  “Four days ago, I was living a quiet life as a teacher, and now, I am empress. I was not expecting the call to power, but when it came, I knew it was my duty. I did not know until I arrived here that I was the last chance for Vexa to remain an active empire.

  “My predecessors were not prepared for the position they took over. I see the signs here in the palace, and I will eventually work my way to the outer regions. We can work together for a greater and more profitable way of life without twisting folks under our feet. The better conditions that there are for the workers, the more productive they are, whether at a farm, assembly centre or any kind of processing area.

  “We stand between two great bodies and are tugged at by them both. The Alliance pulls one way, the Nyal Imperium pulls the other. I want to stop the pull and simply stand between them as Vexa. We are Vexar, and we will determine the shape of our next generation.”

  She wasn’t expecting the roar. She was shocked by the chant and when she worked out that it was Sy-rell-ah, she looked at Dorium for help. He stepped forward and put his arm around her. “Enjoy it. You have come back with the help of the dead emperors, that has to be a good sign that you are the right person in the right job.”

  She leaned against him, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her glowing mother doing the same thing to her father.

  They had had their day, watched their daughter wed, helped her when she was in peril and now saw her with her choice of male. For her parents, it must have been a pretty good day.

  Six hours later, Mai was unlacing her gown while Dorium watched. His own formal uniform in Vexar style was loosened at the collar and as many buttons as Sy had been able to reach in the hall when he kissed her while Agoth opened and checked her chambers.

  “Mai, I think you can leave now. Dorium can help with this.” The gown was loose enough to slide out of, but Sy’s nerves were jangling.

  Mai nodded and locked the box of jewels, leaving them on the dressing table. “Good night. Ikatti says you have no appointments until noon. Take your time.”

  She closed the door behind herself, and Sy let out a sigh. She removed the soul stone from her bodice, shuffled over to the jewel case and then scooted back to the bedside.
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  Nervous beyond belief, she cheated. She clapped her hands together and froze him in place, dropping her gown into a puddle on the floor. She reached over and unfastened his tunic, spreading it open to expose the panels of muscle she had been wondering about. Her hands touched him, stroked his skin and learned the feel of him while he remained frozen in place.

  When she had enough and was feeling guilty, she scooted under the sheets and clapped her hands again.

  “What did you do?” Dorium looked down at his chest and blinked in shock.

  “Um. I froze you so I could get undressed, and since you were frozen anyway, I went exploring.” She blushed and burrowed deep.

  He flipped the blankets back, and she squeaked in panic. “There will be times when you can freeze me but our bonding night is not one of them.”

  Syrella learned over the next hour why she wanted him awake and moving when they were alone together and when they were done he began the lesson again, making sure that she paid attention to every detail.

  Curled together near midnight, Sy woke to get soft kisses from both of her parents before they returned to their shared stone.

  She watched them stand in front of the soul stone and their tender kiss as they disappeared for another year. She wanted that kind of love in her life, and she was getting the idea that it was just getting started.

  Epilogue

  “And so, after the death of Syrella II, her daughter, Syrella III decided to open this educational facility to all people of the Vexar colonies.” The tour guide smiled and walked the new students through the Citadel school Vexa.

  Nervous, one of the new students asked, “Is that a picture of Syrella III?”

  The image on the wall was ten feet wide and fourteen feet tall. A woman in an amazing golden gown with a bloody hole under the ribs sat on the imperial throne of Vexa. On her lap were two strange things—one baby with green skin in a pink gown and a baby goat with eight legs. Standing to one side of her was a tall man with green skin and a fiercely proud expression.

  The guide smiled, her green features soft as she explained. “That was Syrella II. She was a good rule maker and a better rule breaker. With every decision, she crafted a more stable society, and as you will see when we get further in the facility, she had a lot of children.”

  The young girl went up on her toes to get a better view. She looked at her own green skin. “I never knew that Grandma was so pale.”

  Her mother ruffled her hair and smiled. “She was a Vexar and Duchess of Saluthic. The Admaryn forest genes didn’t come into your line until Dorium, pet.”

  She addressed the rest of the crowd. “Now, we are going to continue to the sanctum where the soul stones of Dorium and Syrella II are housed. Every Day of the Dead, they walk and talk with their extended family.”

  The guide and group of new students moved on, and Syrella and Dorium entered the gallery.

  “I still can’t believe that they painted me with a goat. It was a nice goat, mind you.” Sy leaned her spectral body back against her husband’s.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t know you would share my life to the very end. Boy, were they surprised when you had a child every three years for a century before we decided that it was enough of an increase to the imperial line.” He wrapped his hands around her waist and pressed a kiss to her spectral neck. “Thirty-three daughters and you kept your figure.”

  She laughed brightly and then stilled when she heard someone coming. “Come on, they can’t know that we are here all day, every day.”

  He sighed and let her pull him into their private room, the hidden space a small addition to the Citadel facility while it was in the planning stages. It gave them a chance to be together without disturbing the living.

  As long as they were together, he didn’t mind the occasional skulking. Her link to the throne kept them in the physical realm, and one day, they may move on to the next.

  He would need a guarantee that they could still have freaky sex in the next realm, so until someone came to him with an affidavit, he was going to watch all of his beautiful daughters make dozens of beautiful granddaughters while he enjoyed spending every day with the wife he loved the moment he first set eyes on her. She still didn’t know about his love at first sight, and he wasn’t going to tell her.

  A man needed to take some secrets to the next life.

  Author’s Note

  Called to Power was always going to be a Citadel outward book. She had to inherit a lot of power and the idea of being a last resort appealed to me.

  Women of power have always had to choose their men carefully, and if not…hello tabloids. Syrella was a solid character who knew what she was and who she wanted.

  Dorium just had to stay still long enough for her to get the nerve up. The breeding contract was a perfect excuse and the bondmate proposal wrapped everything else up.

  Sigh. I liked this story even if I didn’t do it justice.

  The Day of the Dead is a much better idea than being afraid of haunting spirits. There are those I love that I would love to see, just for a few moments. Ah well, perhaps in my dreams.

  Thanks for reading,

  Viola Grace

  [email protected]

  http://www.violagrace.com

  http://devinedestinies.com

  http://extasybooks.com

  About the Author

  Viola Grace was born in Manitoba, Canada where she still resides today. She really likes it there. She has no pets and can barely keep sea monkeys alive for a reasonable amount of time. Her line of day job tends to be analytical which leaves her mind hopping to weave stories. No co-worker is safe from her character analysis. In keeping with busy hands are happy hands, her hobbies have included cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, costuming, cake decorating, baking, cooking, metal work, beading, sculpting, painting, doll making, henna tattoos, chain mail, and a few others that have been forgotten. It is quite often that these hobbies make their way into her tales.

  Viola’s fetishes include boots and corsetry, and her greatest weakness is her uncontrollable blush. Her writing actively pursues the Happily Ever After that so rarely occurs in nature. It is an admirable thing and something that we should all strive for. To find one that we truly like, as well as love.