DECEMBER 18th, 5032

"We can't travel with your motorcycle?"

"No Firefly. It's winter time. The roads are way too slippery for my bike’s tires."

"You mean we'd fly off, straight to our demise?"

"Most definitely. We don't want that now do we?" He whispered against my neck before he returned to look down at me after fixing my puffy, pink scarf.

My Seven Dates of Starlight started off with Marcus as my date.

In order for them to evenly share me, they decided each day would be designated to one star knight – Marcus was first.

It made sense since he knew Earthala the most, Elias and Eli next up in the Earthala department, followed by Daniel, Kai, and Ryder.

I was now in the downtown district; Marcus' hand in mine as we strolled the busy streets of Scarlet's city – L.A.

I wore a white, knitted sweater with pink sparkles scattered around the bottom half of the oversized piece of clothing and a black tank top to shield me from the cold that would seep through the holes. It matched with my pink scarf with white glitter, black PINK wool leggings, and black Sorel branded boots, all courtesy of Marcus. I looked fashionable in the cold weather.

Marcus wore something similar – his white, knitted sweater had an ombre effect from white to navy blue, his black sweatpants tucked into his black Timberland boots. His hair was in a neat man bun, showing off the navy blue and black scarf he wore.

Daniel had done my hair which was in loose curls and rested neatly down my back, covering my ears from the cold breeze. Marcus ended up wearing contacts; his sapphire eyes now black to avoid attention. I wished I'd copied him, already being asked fifteen times whether my eye color was real or contact lenses – Marcus had to explain to me their usage when he applied them in the washroom of Junho's humongous house.

Junho was Marcus' best friend down here on Earthala and was currently dating Scarlet. He mentioned he wouldn't be staying there this year seeing as his family get-together had suddenly been canceled, and he'd be spending time with Scarlet and his other coworkers.

This allowed us access to the entire property, housing the three-level mansion, to ourselves, having cleaning service and a chef to cook us anything we desired, free of charge. I was blown away at the white structure when we had arrived, unable to fathom how someone who looked like they were in their late twenties could afford to live in such luxury.

I thought our house in Knightwood was beautiful, but this house put our "little" home to shame. The interior held seven rooms and four bathrooms. The theatre room, gaming room, sauna, gym and workout rooms weren’t included in that total, either.

The backyard was massive, the vast forest similar to Knightwood, minus the snow. Apparently, there was an ice rink in the middle of the woods and a hot spring nearby.

There was so much to do and just so little time. I was beyond excited to see what the boys had in store for me, and my morning started with myself and Marcus going Christmas shopping.

Marcus pulled out his phone, removing his mittens before his fingers flew across the keyboard. We stood on a section of the sidewalk that wasn't blocking anyone from passing by; people of all shapes and sizes walked swiftly up and down the blocks. I watched a bunch of kids play with one another across the street, while another pointed at the window display of a toy shop, showing her mother what she was interested in.

I smiled, wishing that the kids I once knew at the facility had such a chance to experience this innocence; myself included.

Marcus’ arm went around my waist, pulling me into him as he looked down at me, frowning.

"Mako." He whispered; the cloud of breath escaped his lips. I smiled, leaning up to give him a quick kiss; his warm, pink lips inviting.

"Sorry, did you say something?" I questioned. He gave me a look before shaking his head. I knew he didn't like whatever expression I had just portrayed – sadness reflected in my eyes. I made a mental note to try and stay in the present and not dwell on the past.

"Nope. What I was going to say is our Uber will be here in a moment."

"What's an Uber?" I questioned, scrunching my face. That sounds weird.

"It’s a car service, love. Think of it like a taxi. The cars you read in books that pick-up people who don't drive or have the time to take other means of transportation. A driver comes and picks us up and takes us where we want to go."

"Oh. That's pretty cool. Where are we headed?" I inquired.

"There's this mall I've been wanting to check out ever since I heard the advertisement for it. It's some VIP mall. It may be a tad busy today but seeing as it's still morning it shouldn't be too bad and there won't be many kids either. It's a mall more for adults and the upper class, so we may be lucky." Marcus explained.

"Are we upper class because of our uh...you know, status?" I questioned lowly. A mall designated for only high-class people sounded like the resort we had just come from in Minato; the fact we were royalty favored us and allowed us to avoid the six rotations wait list.

"I guess we are. Our status doesn't necessarily count here in human eyes, but the shifters among the humans know royalty when they see them. It's kinda a vibe they get. EliaseAnne and I are the usual visitors down here, but Kai is well known across the realms and is given much respect. All I need to say is I'm a friend of Kai or Junho, and I get into everything." Marcus confessed.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I rubbed them up and down, hoping to create some heat. I didn't feel cold when we walked, but now that we stood still, the cold began to bother me.

My spirits slept, and I didn't want to bother Lily. Not to mention Marcus didn't want us using any magic while in view. He put his phone back into his pocket, pulling me into his arms.

I sighed in relief at his warmth, enjoying the hug.

"How are you so warm? Without using Ryuu's magic?" I pondered; my voice muffled in his sweater as I enjoyed his pine scent that fit perfectly with winter.

"Dragon spirits always run on the warmer side compared to all other spirits. You may not count because you have multiple, but pure dragon shifter’s temperature is warm. Or me, whose body temperature alternated between hot or cold, depending on my environment.

I lifted my head to look up at him.

"You get special privileges huh?" I purred, smirking.

"Yes Firefly, I do." He replied, leaning down and kissing me. I smiled against his lips, the thought of us kissing freely on the side of the street while the snow began to fall from the clouded sky made me happy. It was something I had never dreamt about and enjoyed being in Marcus' arms.

"You two lovebirds can continue kissing in the car. I'll even use the soundproof window, so you have privacy."

We pulled apart, turning to see a familiar, tall man with amethyst eyes. His hair was gelled to one side; the violet purple, short locks highlighted with silver. He wore black dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a black coat. His black tie had white polka dots, and his black leather gloved hand held the door open to the massive black vehicle.

"Christian!" I beamed, remembering Scarlet's fourth boyfriend.

"Oh, look it’s the sexy boy number four." Lexi pointed out.

"Isn't he the one who Scarlet refers to as Mr. Grey?" Hope questioned.

"It's from that book humans rave about." Lily admitted.

"Oh, the sex book." Rose replied.

"Yes, the sex book, now didn't we agree to take a vacation from interrupting Mako?" Midnight scowled; the others bailed out of my mind before I could reply. I smirked, giving Midnight quick thanks before she left my mind.

I guess I forgot to mention Scarlet and her five boyfriends or love interests as she called them during our first introduction when we visited Earthala a few rotations back.

"Nice to see you again Makoto. I'd bow, but I know you don't like that." He winked, remembering my dislike from our last visit. I giggled.

"Bonus points for remembering." Marcus let go of me, so I could give Christian a quick hug before making my way into the brown leather seated car.

Marcus gave him a pat on the back before they exchanged greetings; Marcus entered to sit next to me as Christian closed the door, making his way to the driver seat.

"Christian, you're driving us today? I thought you were going to be with Scarlet?" I questioned, confused. He smiled in the rearview mirror.

"This time of year is a tad busy for me, especially with that new mall that opened. All the celebrities and higher class want the fancy treatment, so I'm officially booked through the twenty-third. Don't worry, I volunteered to drive you guys when Junho informed me you wanted to go to the mall.”

 Marcus helped me with my seat belt, before he buckled himself in, relaxing in the soft, oversized seats. I pulled off my pink gloves, feeling much warmer in the comfort of this high-class car. I placed my left hand into Marcus' awaiting one.

 "That seems rough but are you going to get time off to celebrate the new cycle?" I questioned.

 "Yes. I should be off. Unless something drastic comes up from my other job, which I really doubt. Crime rates are super low in the shifter world during the holidays. Most shifters head back to their designated realms to see family, so very few shifters are left unless for business reasons." Christian explained. Marcus pulled me into his side, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

 "I'm glad you at least get some time off. You don't really need the money. None of you do." Marcus pointed out, referring to Christian and the others in their team. Christian chuckled.

 "True. I think it just keeps us busy." He replied, putting the car in drive, flicking a switch that made a light go on and off. Marcus has explained it was a signal to indicate that the car wanted to enter the road.

 I didn't think cars were very interesting, so I hadn't bothered to learn anything about them. My previous motorcycle ride with Marcus a few rotations back was the only motivation to dedicate five hours in research of different bikes and if girls could drive them too.

 When I had asked Scarlet, she informed me we could, and she'd teach me someday. To my luck, we’d had a good time during my first visit to Earthala.

 I relaxed against Marcus, closing my eyes as Christian put on some soft, Earthala tunes. We'd gotten up super early to get a good, sweaty workout done. We'd both been slacking on our weight training workouts, hardly using the large-sized gym with almost every piece of equipment and weight I could remember from Knightwood available for our disposal.

 Now that I relaxed in these comforting seats and in the pine scented arms of my lover, I felt exhausted, letting out a yawn.

 "You tired, Firefly?" His hand gently brushed the hair out of my face as I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the moment.

 "A little." I replied.

 "It's going to take about thirty minutes to get there. Why don't you take a nap?"

 "Okay." I agreed, feeling tired. A nap would be nice.

 "I'll wake you up when we get there." He promised, kissing me on the forehead; his finger trailed in a circular motion on my arm, the continuous motion and the soothing music enough to help me fall asleep.

“What’s so special about this mall?” I questioned; Marcus pulled me along as we exited the elevators.

We’d just finished at a fancy restaurant for lunch, followed by Christian picking us up and driving us to this all exclusive mall. Marcus had explained it was preparing for a big launch and was currently open for exclusive invites.

We’d been given the chance to enter thanks to Junho. I didn’t know if he was royalty or something, but it seemed he had connections to a lot of stuff.

“It has a lot of high-end brands. Think of it as a place where royalty would come to first if we were back in Minato, or the other realms.” Marcus explained.

“Are they all royalty?” I asked, looking at the couple that passed by in over the top attire – the sparkling ensemble looked like they were going to the announcement of the president rather than the mall.

“No, Firefly. They’re celebrities. People who are really well known across Earthala, some of them are even known throughout the realms.

“Oh. And they all come shop here? Do they have PINK here?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Yup, they all come far and wide here since it was announced. Yes, they do have PINK here, but I wanted to take you somewhere first. Junho mentioned it was somewhere he was looking forward to bringing Scarlet to.” Marcus explained.

“What shop is it?” I asked.

“We’re approaching it.” He announced. I turned my head to the bright, flashing lights store sign – VIP Sexy and Free: Lingerie for the Classy.

"Lingerie?" I questioned; my face grew red. Marcus chuckled at my reaction, squeezing my hand.

"C'mon. You never got the chance when you and the girls went to the mall our last trip. I want you to choose a few styles so I know what to pick for you in the future." Marcus admitted.

"Awww, so romantic." Midnight announced, sounding amused. Hush you. You’re gonna encourage the others to start being sappy.

"It is romantic, awwww." Hope hummed.

"You have to model for him!" Rose proposed.

"She can do more than model." Lexi giggled.

"You guys are all bad influences. But, you should reward him with a tiny glimpse." Hope encouraged.

I mentally groaned. You see what you did Midnight?

"Oops? My bad." Midnight replied; her voice demonstrated that she had not an ounce of remorse.

We entered the store, a female attendant greeted us.

"Hello! How can I be of service?" The chirpy voice made me frown. Her voice is so high.

"Ah sorry. We're forced to talk this way, company policy." She apologized; Marcus shook his head as I blushed at my outspoken thoughts.

"My bad," I answered, looking away.

"My girlfriend’s going to look around. Any recommendations?" Marcus asked.

"Oh yes! We actually have a new set of lingerie that came in from Dubai! It had five hundred pre-orders and we just put them on the shelves this morning. Very popular in the celebrity community. We have three in each color. I bet it will be sold out by the time the twenty-second approaches." She revealed, leading us down to the back end of the store.

She went into the back storage area, returning with a few different colors of the three-piece set. I took a minute to analyze it – picking the neon pink set. It was strapless with white lace and gold gemstones, one shiny bright diamond in the center. The set came with underwear and stockings that had the same design with additional gold ribbons at the top of each.

I noticed the slit in the underwear.

"Um...is it supposed to have a hole there?" I questioned, poking my hand through it. What's the point of underwear with a hole in it?

"Yes! It's done to make it easier to access down under." She announced, happily. I blushed, looking up at Marcus whose face was red. I wonder...

"Can I try it on?" I questioned.

"Of course! Right, this way." She cheered, directing us to the VIP change rooms. I let my hand slip in Marcus' pulling him along. He looked confused at first but followed.

"Here you go! I'd take you to the other change room but it's still under construction." She confessed.

"No worries. Thank you." I replied, opening the door to the large change room. Damn, if this is a change room I can imagine the VIP ones are the size of our house.

"I'll be right here, Makoto," Marcus announced, leaning against the wall.

"Okay," I replied, blushing. The attendant left us alone, stating she'd look for different styles in my size.

It didn't take long for me to put the piece on, taking a long look in the mirror. I bit my lip, loving the set. It fit my curves perfectly; the strapless bra surprisingly held my breasts in place. My flat stomach stood out; the lines of my abs noticeable even though we'd eaten a short time ago. The underwear fit my ass, even giving it shape and the stockings fit just right; the ribbons reached my knees. The neon pink ensemble was a perfect match; neon pink always looked good, even with my usual pale complexion. With the random hole in the panties, it made me feel a tad daring. This does give quick access.

"Show him, show him." All four of my spirits chanted, Lily still asleep. I sighed.

"See, I'm not a bad influence this time." Midnight announced. She continued. "But, you should show him. I think it would turn him on."

I took a deep breath, looking one more time before making my way to the door.

"Marcus?"

"Yes, Firefly?"

"Um...do you want to have a peek? I just wanna make sure it looks good." I mumbled.

"I'd be honored to. Can I enter?" He asked.

"Yes," I replied, unlocking the door before stepping back. I looked at the floor; my fingers fidgeted as I bit my lip. Why am I so nervous? He's seen me naked before.

"Maybe cause you’re in public and have never done this before." Midnight disclosed.

The door closed before Marcus shoes were in my line of vision as I continued to stare at the floor.

"Makoto, look at me," Marcus whispered. I gulped, looking up to meet his gaze. He had an admiring look on his face; his eyes hooded with lust.

His hands slipped in mine, pulling me into a hug.

"You're so fucking sexy, Mako." He whispered in my ear kissing my neck. I moaned at the touch as it sent shivers down my spine.

"You like it?" I whispered, followed by a moan as he sucked my flesh.

"I love it. But I knew it would suit you. Anything you wear looks like absolute perfection, Firefly." He confessed, pulling back to look into my eyes.

He looked at my lips before he lowered his to mine. His hands slipped to my hips, while mine roamed his shirt, wrapping around his neck as I kissed him back.

"Operation – make out in the change room. Check." Lexi purred.

"Was that even on the operation list?" Hope questioned.

"What's going on? Oh, are they making out?" Lily yawned, entering my mind.

"Shh, maybe if we're good they'll have sex," Rose emphasized.

"Isn't that illegal?" Hope questioned.

"There's a sign in front of the change room that says sex is allowed." Midnight mumbled.

"WHAT!" The others replied. I pulled back.

"Marcus, we can't make out here! We're in public!" I announced, blushing. He grinned.

"Actually, we can do more than just make out, Firefly."

I gawked at him, blinking in confusion.

"But...it's a change room!" I stressed.

"There's a sign. It's allowed." He replied.

"But...I...we...I didn't pay for this." I noted the sexy set I wore, feeling even more embarrassed at my arousal that was becoming very apparent down under.

Marcus grinned, directing me to press me against the wall.

"I'll pay for it, and get a set of each." He whispered in a husky voice.

"We...can't have sex here," I mumbled.

"Is that your mind talking Firefly? Cause I have a feeling your body is telling me something else." He whispered, lowering his lips to my neck. His hand left my hip, sliding between my legs and pressing against my entrance.

I moaned at the cold touch; his fingers gathered my wetness before he removed them – lifting his finger to his mouth and licking them slowly. I gaped at him; the action only made me more excited.

"Don't want to get this set drenched yet, love." He smirked. He pressed his arm above me, leaning in to kiss me again; our tongues danced – tasting myself as we continued to kiss.

His phone began to vibrate in his pocket, pulling us out of our daze as we pulled apart catching our breath. He took his phone out, answering it.

"Yeah. Okay...no. Don't ask why I'm out of breath...I was busy. You know, I hate you. This is why you and Ryder fight. I'll get payback for this. Alright, bye." He hung up. I began to giggle at his frustrated look, already knowing who it was.

"Elias."

"Yes. I swear, he interrupts everyone." He huffed, causing me to laugh. I slipped my arms around his waist, pressing myself against him; he blushed looking down at me before I leaned up, kissing his neck. He groaned, making me want to please him more.

"Firefly, you're killing me here." He strained. I gave him a final kiss, biting his flesh gently before pulling away.

"You and me later?" I whispered. He grinned.

"Yes. Now, let's buy half the store and go to the movies." He chuckled at my widened eyes. He kissed my cheek before turning around, making his way out.

"We're not buying half the store! Dammit, Marcus! Don't buy half the store! Leave some for Scarlet and Junho!" I called out. He laughed but continued to make his way down the hall. I sighed, knowing my effort was futile. I glanced at the mirror one more time, seeing my flushed cheeks and the fresh hickey on my neck.

I can't wait till later.