EPILOGUE
Planet Tritona, Stargon Palace
One year later…
Mindrin swept down the huge central staircase, unable to take her eyes off the two princes she’d come to love so fiercely. They stood at the bottom of the ornate stairs, both of them watching her with an intense love that sent warmth sweeping through her from head to toe.
Tonight at the Stargon Palace they would be celebrating their first anniversary. The event was the talk of the capital. It had been planned for months and had elements of celestri, mar’don, and human traditions in a grand, interwoven mix of food, culture, and music.
The palace’s main staircase had one hundred steps. She made it down all of them without a single stumble, even in her diamond- and kesmar-studded heels and her designer evening gown. The aqua blue gown was beautiful, flowing over her body like living water, but controlling the skirt was a full-time job. She was proud of herself, though. She’d been practicing moving gracefully in heels and a long gown for exactly this moment. A moment when hundreds of pairs of eyes would be on her, along with holovid cameras broadcasting the celebration across all three civilizations.
Tyal wore formal evening wear of celestri tradition, elegant, perfectly tailored, and complimenting his silver-blue skin. Valdur wore the military dress uniform he favored for formal occasions. He stood there, spine straight, shoulders back, looking as gruff, imposing, and impressive as ever. She loved him for it, but she also loved him for that warm, melty center inside his armored heart. Once she had slipped past that armor, Valdur’s love had proven passionate, protective, and enduringly kind. Tyal was just as passionate, just as kind, but his talent was making her laugh. Oh, and understanding whenever she was feeling a little blue and needed a crystal rose or a few tender words to lift her spirits. She knew he was cheating, being an empath and all. But she was willing to forgive him for it because he also helped Valdur better understand her whenever Valdur was being a stubborn blockhead and refused to acknowledge that she was right.
She grinned as she reached the last step. Both men held out a hand for her—Valdur his right, and Tyal his left. She took each hand, giving them both a squeeze. Her smile felt like it took up her entire face. She was so filled with love for them that she had to be careful of her eye makeup or she’d begin weeping and smear it somehow. Her two princes were so extremely special to her. They were the males she loved most in the universe. None of these other fancy trappings mattered. Not the palace, not the servants, not the fancy food, and certainly not the fame. She would’ve counted herself lucky to have known either of them, but to have love them and be loved by them was a dream come true beyond imagining. She had to blink her eyes quickly again to keep from breaking out in happy tears. Happy tears always confused Valdur. He couldn’t for the life of him understand why anyone would cry when happy. But what did her big, frowning male know?
“Every time I see you, I swear you grow more beautiful, serrasa va,” Tyal said, bowing over her hand and kissing the back of it. Her skin seemed to heat where his lips touched her, and she had to bite her lip as a surge of desire and anticipation swept through her. “I am truly the luckiest celestri alive.”
Valdur grunted. “I didn’t memorize any fancy words, Mindrin Zeras Drakon Garios, keeper of my heartfire. But hear the truth when I say no mar’don has ever loved another as much as I love you, my princess.”
She was smiling so wide now that her jaw actually ached, but their words warmed her all the way through. “Oh, you claim you didn’t memorize any fancy words?” she teased. “My heart swears you did absolutely fine. Both of you make me feel like the queen of the universe. Thank you.” She looked from Valdur to Tyal, desperate for them to understand the depth of her feelings, of her love for them. “I love you more than I can ever say. There isn’t a morning I don’t wake up grateful to have malfunctioned my way into your lives. There isn’t a night that goes by that I don’t fear I’m going to wake up again and this wonderful, perfect dream will be over.”
Tyal moved to her side and tenderly turned her chin so he could capture her lips in a passionate kiss. As soon as Tyal’s lips left hers again and before she could recover her pleasure-dazed thoughts, Valdur took her in his arms. He claimed her lips with a fierce kiss of his own, one that left her utterly without doubt as to the heat of his desire and the depth of his love. When he finally ended the kiss, the guests around them broke out in cheers and applause.
The three of them turned to face the guests, and even Valdur was smiling. When the applause finally died down, Tyal began to speak.
“Thank you for joining us tonight as we celebrate the continuing peace between our peoples. Know this, strife can always be overcome by love. There is nothing stronger in the universe, and that is a lesson that my two mates, Princess Mindrin and Prince Valdur have taught me well. A lesson I will always be grateful for.”
Valdur waited until the applause died down. “Mar’don are not made for fancy speeches, I believe we can all agree on that.”
She and Tyal laughed, as did the audience, and she felt Valdur lovingly squeeze her hand. She’d been encouraging him to show his sense of humor more—actually, she’d been encouraging him to develop one—and she was proud of him for taking a risk tonight.
Valdur continued. “On the anniversary of the historic renewal of the Andurai Peace Accords, I can only say that what I’d first taken as a duty to my empire and my people has become the greatest joy in my life. It is an honor to stand beside my mates today. It’s something I take great pride in. Their love has made us all stronger and safer, and there is nothing more I could ask.”
Don’t cry, don’t cry, but her two princes were making it hard for her to keep her composure. Mar’don aren’t made for fancy speeches? Right. She was going to make him pay for that later tonight. When they were all naked beneath verkose silk sheets, and she could get her mouth on all the places she knew would drive him wild.
It was her turn to speak, and she kept it simple. “The story of what happened to us has been told over and over again, so I’ll spare you a recap.” She waited for the chuckles to die out. “I am the luckiest woman in the galaxy. Every day I wake up grateful that mistakes happen and when they do, all we can do is open our hearts and make the best of it.” She grinned. “And I also want to remind you that the Terras matchmaking supercomputer couldn’t have been more wrong. True love goes beyond simple algorithms and numbers.”
They walked into the feast hall arm in arm to the sound of applause and cheers. A year ago, her luck had taken a dramatic turn. A turn for the improbable, the impossible, and for the absolute best. She looked forward to many more years at the side of her two princes. Years where she could show them, over and over again, how much she loved them, and how much their love meant to her.
Mindrin Zeras Drakon Garios had become the galaxy’s biggest fan of the Andurai Peace Accords. They had changed her life, the lives of two princes, and the course of three different civilizations. It would keep the age of peace and prosperity going long into the future.
Not bad for a simple technician. She smiled as they headed down the hall toward the dais, while the music played, the people cheered, and the future had never been brighter.
END