"And you!" Even though the low, menacing tone of voice wasn't directed at me, I still found myself flinching at the sound. "Don't you dare touch him without permission again, you…just what are you, a pirate gypsy?"

Only through sheer strength of will did I manage not to snicker at the interesting label given to my once 'friend with benefits.' "I'm sorry about that," I apologized to a stunned Kazren, who was still holding his cheek and gaping down at Cyrus. "In my defense, you should have waited for me to speak before trying to kiss me so suddenly-OW!" I cried when Cyrus's dexterous fingers quickly threaded into my hair and pulled. "Ow ow ow…I'm sorry, Cy. It won't ever happen again, I promise. Ouch! That hurts, damn it!"

"You should have thought about that before allowing some pirate gypsy to kiss you like that," Cyrus growled in my ear as he, once again, tugged mercilessly at my hair.

I don't know why, but I was becoming rather aroused. Not so much by his forcefulness but by the fire behind his hazel eyes. When was the last time I saw that expression on Cy's face? I'd nearly forgotten how sexy he was when his feathers were ruffled. "I think I'm going to need some thorough disinfection." I purred as I gazed at him through half-lidded eyes. "Very thorough."

The blond finally let go with a soft huff, but he couldn't hide the slight pink that rose to his cheeks. I wanted him. I wanted to claim him right there in the hallway and-

"Hey, I'm still right here!" Kazren practically shrieked. I briefly wondered if he recognized the lust on my face. "Honestly!" He straightened up to his full height, wincing as he touched his tender jaw. "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

I rubbed the back of my neck as I looked at them both. "Kazren, this is my partner in absolutely everything, Wanderer Cyrus Kairos. Cy, this is Kazren, an old…friend of mine."

"By 'friend,' I'm sure meant 'lover,'" Cyrus snorted as he gave Kazren a once over. "Never thought I'd come across a pirate gypsy, of all things."

"I am no such thing." Kazren hissed. "I'm simply a Revolutionary."

"Keep telling yourself that," Cyrus replied in a snarly manner. "Since you genuinely did not seem to know that we were exclusive, I'll let this particular incident slide. But, be warned that I can best even Revelin when it comes to Vim manipulation."

Kazren shook his head and sent me an incredulous look. "You always did prefer the more violent types, didn't you?"

I merely shrugged. "What are you doing here, anyway? You don't usually venture into this dimension except when forced."

"Alexandra," Kazren replied. His expression hardened in a way that I had never seen on his face before. "There's something about her home dimension she should know about."

"She's at the entrance hall with Verity. You can't miss them; they have an Arctic dragon with them." Cyrus informed him.

Kazren nodded before taking off down the hall. He never once looked back. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I realized that Kazren must have brought back more trouble with him than I had initially thought.

Before I had the chance to think about it any further, I felt my arm being tugged. I stumbled twice before Cyrus all but shoved me into our room. "For someone who doesn't like being handled, you sure-" I wasn't able to say anything else. While I'd joked about being 'disinfected' before, I didn't realize that I must have hit close to home. Cyrus's tongue was doing things inside my mouth that would have made a lesser man faint. As it was, my knees were beginning to feel a little weak.

The blond deftly maneuvered me to sit on the bed and promptly straddled my lap, and I immediately knew I was a goner. My groan of appreciation was lost within Cyrus's mouth. For the briefest moment, I considered getting Cyrus jealous more often. When we began softly grinding in earnest, we heard a loud knock at the door. Both of us pretended not to have heard it, but then the knocking became thunderous.

With a hiss, I slid Cyrus onto the bed and stomped over to the door. "What the hell do you want!?" I all but bellowed. Lexie shoved the universe's most annoying creature in my face. I wanted to trap him back in that damn jar for the rest of his unnatural life. "You couldn't keep him with you for just one night?"

"He talks too damn much. Group meet after the ceremony." Alexandra replied in an authoritative tone that I knew better than to try to argue with. I watched her walk away with Kazren in tow and frowned as her actions verified that trouble was undoubtedly brewing.

"The ceremony begins in an hour. Why are neither of you ready yet? Aren't you the bestmen-HACK!"

My hand subconsciously began to tighten its grip on the serpent.

"Help me, Master Cyrus!" Vianis squeaked, and Cyrus quickly came over to forcefully pry my hands open to free him.

"Revelin Eferize," The warning behind Cyrus's low growl meant that we were no longer going to be able to finish what we started. I let out a long sigh and pulled out our suits from the closet.

:::::::::::::::::::::::

The ceremony was simple and surprisingly went off without a hitch. As best men, my partner and I were in the perfect position to protect both royal couples from any incidents. But it appeared as if the people of both kingdoms truly were tired of their predecessors' wars. Everything was rather peaceful.

Observing my charges as they began such weighty commitments, I realized that they had finally reached adulthood. A small wave of nostalgia hit me as I recalled how young Damien and Dandelion were when I was first hired to watch over them. Neither of them had quite hit puberty, so they were both the same height. They had always been clever, adorable, and full of trouble. Now, they knew enough to keep such trouble to themselves for the sake of others. Damn if I didn't feel proud.

When the end of the ceremony came to pass, I felt another feeling entirely when I saw the joy and relief on the royal couples' faces. Why did I feel a touch of jealousy? My gaze settled on Cy, and I couldn't help but imagine what being married to him could be like. The trust that we built up until now would only grow if we were ever wedded, wouldn't it?

If I had a ring on my finger, it would be announcing to others that I was taken. Would Cy like that? The thought of becoming an Idler had never crossed my mind. But I couldn't deny that the idea of retiring with Cy was starting to look very appealing. Cosmos, we'd retire as hard as we worked. Was marriage truly such a terrible thing if it meant peaceful company in old age?

The glare Cyrus sent me was one I recognized. 'Pay attention or else.' Alright, so our retirement wouldn't be all that peaceful. I'd still accept it with open arms.

"If you keep staring at me like a lecher, the people will not take our vows seriously," Duncan whispered to Damien.

The blond prince let out a soft chuckle beside him. "I see that you are ready to take your responsibilities as king seriously."

"And you are not?" Duncan countered.

"Aren't I technically the 'queen' in this union?" Damien teased. "Ack!" He hissed as Duncan stepped on his foot.

I couldn't help but think that Cy and I would behave in similar ways during our own ceremony one day, and I didn't mind it one bit.

When the ceremony was finally over, Cyrus and I dumped our gifts onto a table at the reception. We were then urged to meet with Alexandra, Kazren, and Verity on top of one of the towers of the Darenvy castle. The two newlyweds didn't need our presence any longer, and Lexie insisted that she needed our help. So, we packed our bags and climbed enough stairs to have us heaving by the time we reached the top of the tower.

A very familiar aircraft approached us from above. Whenever children saw it in motion, they called it the "flying ice cream cone," and I never bothered to correct them. The top half of the ship spun so fast that the panels seemed to merge into swirls, giving the top half the appearance of soft-serve ice cream. The bottom half was in the shape of an upside-down cone with a pearlescent beige hue. I lifted my eyebrow as I noticed something new. Lights lined the top panels, casting soft colors onto the top half, making it seem as if the ship was Neapolitan in nature, shifting from white to brown and pink. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Cyrus was becoming rather pale.

"Can't we travel by ground?" He whimpered.