Sylvia blew in like a breeze after that. My lovely wind elemental wore a powder blue dress that cinched in tight on her waist, exaggerating her overdone hourglass figure.

“Master.” She bowed. “Servants were looking for you to approve the modifications to your jacket.”

“Lead on. We need to get that done. The wedding is going to start soon.” I gestured her forward and Sylvia danced on the wind as she floated before me.

“Everything is going well. The guests are even being seated.”

Well, let’s hope this jacket fits perfectly then. Because it sounds like we are out of time to make adjustments after this.

Sylvia led me through the halls back to my room, the one I had never used because I had made myself at home in Cleo’s.

“There you are.” A group of cat girl servants surrounded me, fitting the suit on me, adjusting each and every button to make sure it was perfect, shining them with a cloth to remove any smudged they might have picked up in dressing me. “Perfect.”

I looked at myself in the mirror. They had removed the badges, leaving only three, a tasteful amount on my chest. Otherwise, the uniform was crisp and clean and made of far nicer materials than my real one.

“It looks wonderful.” I told the ladies.

“Only the best for you.” The oldest of them nodded to herself, satisfied with the results.

“Master.” Sylvia pulled my hand. “We should go get you ready for the ceremony.” She bounced, her chest straining in that dress as she pulled me back out of the room.

The whole event was like a whirlwind.

People came up and greeted me, who I’d imagine I’d never see again as I was ushered into the front of the barely recognizable audience chamber to wait for Cleo.

Trying not to be nervous, I scanned the crowd.

Among the multitude of guests sat twenty of my men, all of them having survived their ordeal in Verdant and ready to go back to Khopesh. Some of them looked confused, others more curious than anything. I’d need to talk to them after this was done.

Next I recognized Beatrix, who had scored herself a spot at Cleo’s side of the stage, wearing a soft pink dress and standing as one of the bride’s maids. Two others with her, I didn’t recognize.

Anubis along with, Wadjet, and other important guests sat in the front row.

Meanwhile, Sylvia, Hesat and even Bubbles had been wrangled into the same powder blue dress and standing at my side.

It didn’t take long for the crowd to grow quiet and a section of string instruments to pick up a slow cadenced walking rhythm. I had half expected here comes the bride, but maybe that would have been too much.

Cleo stepped into the hall, wearing the same fantastic outfit I’d seen earlier. Only a heavy white veil decorated with gold chains hung down over her face as she sauntered down the aisle with powerful, purposeful strides.

“Thank you, everyone for coming here today.” Cleo turned to the crowd when she ascended the stairs and stood next to me.

I was feeling bold, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to my side.

My Pharaoh gave me a short, smug glance before turning back to those gathered here today. “Thank you again. Today, I wed the man of my dreams, of my love and of my future. I bar myself from all other men, for after our first time, I knew no other would satisfy me.”

There were murmurs in the crowd at that and more than a few gasps.

Cleo turned back to me and allowed me to lift her veil, displaying her beautiful face. “I love you, Sam. Now and forever more you have my heart, my undying love and it will never falter.”

“Cleo. I came here to bargain for my men.” I looked out at the crowd. “But I found far more than I was looking for.” Holding her hands, I focused on her. Everything else bled away until it was just me and her in the world. “For I found the home of my heart, my eternal sanctuary where I never thought I would.”

She smiled brilliantly at me, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes, threatening to smudge her makeup. “You are always welcome here. Here in the palace and in Verdant you are my equal.”

I could vaguely register the shocked reaction of the crowd to those words. But my attention was consumed again, staring into Cleo’s lovely eyes. “I will do everything I can to be worthy as your equal. Know that as things may change, our countries are at war, but never shall I lift a hand against you. It will be my top priority to keep you secure.”

“Kiss!” someone in the crowd yelled, and a chant took up. “Kiss. Kiss.”

I knew Cleo had more planned, but it would seem even a ruler needed to bend to the will of the people at times.

We kissed. It was passionately raw and felt like in the moment we were blending together into the same person. Our lips and minds were in sync and we tangled tongues before a crowd of our people.

Hoots and whistles fill the air as they all celebrated our union in joyous celebration. The shock of what she’d said had rolled over them and they were enamored by our love for each other.

Cleo pulled back and held out her hand to the side. “I think we were supposed to kiss after this, but I don’t think I could hold myself back any longer.”

Beatrix opened a small box and gave Cleo my ring. While Sylvia gave me Cleo’s.

We stared into each other’s eyes as we slid the rings on.

This would be the first time since Ruby had made them that we’d both be wearing them at the same time.

It was like a cord drawn tight as a connection vibrated between the two of us for only a moment before snapping in place, as firm as a steel wire.

I knew exactly where Cleo was and how she felt. In this moment, she was so overwhelmed with love and adoration that it blew me away. Just feeling the raw emotion she felt towards me made my knees week.

It was so powerful and amazingly beautiful.

I sent it right back at her, doing my best to send how much I cared for her and wrapping it so tightly around her that she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was secure.

The moment of intensity of the bond faded, but the connection lingered in the back of my mind. A subtle, comforting warmth. A lasting connection reminding us of each other.

I couldn’t wait any longer, pulling her to me and kissing again, much to the crowd’s delight.

She broke it and addressed the crowd. “I don’t think we need any more. Please, everyone, join us for dinner.” She clapped her hands and servants spilled out from the sides, moving people and decorations while bringing in tables and in less than a minute the army of cat girl servants had rearranged the hall from rows of chairs, watching the stage to a massive dining area.

“Impressive. Maybe I need some cat girl servants.” I eyed one in particular as her rear made the thin gauzy fabric they all wore part around the globes of her ass.

Cleo snorted. “You’d ruin them. They need discipline and not to be waddling around from being stuffed by your fat cock all night.”

I only smirked, keeping any other thoughts to myself as I drew Cleo down towards the table that was obviously ours.

“Congratulations, Master.” Sylvia came up and stole me away, only to be passed off to Bubbles and Hesat for similar greetings.

I noticed Cleo had been pulled into her own sphere of ladies, gushing over her and wanting to see the ring.

Since it was time for greetings, I decided to make my way over to my men. Even though I’d come down here to meet them all, I hadn’t spoken to any of them except Marvin. “Men.”

They all snapped a salute. “Colonel.” At least they still had their discipline.

“At ease. I hope all of you are well?” I pulled a chair over and sat on it backwards, hoping they would relax. They all looked strung up so tight they might snap.

“Confused, sir?” One of them frowned. “You just married her?”

I sighed. “Yes. After you all were kidnapped, I traveled through the tunnels they took you down to save you. But Peladonis, the scorpia that initiated the raid, escaped with you all. I only managed to save the rest.”

“We knew what we were in for signing up at Khopesh, sir.”

“Did you really? Was what you experienced here at Verdant what you were expecting?” I gazed into my soldiers’ eyes. With what they had gone through, I wanted to know if I lost any of them in spirit.

Marvin was the one that surprised me. “It isn’t that bad. I… uh… kind of enjoyed it.”

That made me blink. All the humans of Rindall acted was as if monster girls were these grotesque monsters instead of amazingly beautiful non-human women. The way the other men reacted by averting their eyes and blushing made me realize Marvin wasn’t the only one with that opinion.

I guess that meant I could speak a little more freely. “Good. Guess it wasn’t just me. I came down here to negotiate, got myself in a little trouble, but managed to stand before Cleo and demand my men.” I sighed. “The rest is history. She was actually quite lovely.”

“Really?” They leaned forward. “What’s a pharaoh like?”

“Yeah, I heard she has compulsion. Has she used it on you?”

“Is she using it on you now?”

I pat the air before me. “Calm down. Amazing, yes she has, but she isn’t using it on me now. It is something for fun in the bedroom, though it backfired on her the first time she used it.”

That made them open their eyes wide. “Backfired?”

Settling in, I told them the story from when I left Khopesh and was attacked by a gryphon to the present day, leaving nothing out, except maybe glossing over some sordid details.

“Colonel. You’ve gone through all of this to get us back?” A soldier asked, shaking his head. “Thank you. As much as I didn’t mind it, I want to see my family again.”

His sentiment was echoed by many of my men. “Well, tomorrow we are all heading back. It has been long enough.”

A soft hand pulled on my shoulder and I smiled once again, seeing my beautiful wife standing over me. “Men, I do hope I’m not interrupting you, but I’d like to take my husband back.”

“Not at all Pharaoh. Thank you for the hospitality.”

“You are welcome.” Cleo smiled brightly at them and pulled me up out of the chair and back into the party.

I could hear the men discussing if they could marry monster girls and what it would be like.

“They are well?” Cleo asked.

“Well enough, it seems Verdant has changed a fair many of them. They don’t seem repulsed at all by the monster girls, just nervous and wanting to return to their families. Maybe something could work out after all.” I said, pulling her along.

I spotted Ruby, the mature red dragon, in the crowd and pulled Cleo with me. “Ruby.”

“The happy couple.” Her eyes squeezed tight with her smile. “I hope the rings were sufficient.”

“The enchantment is amazing.” I said quickly, stepping forward and giving the dragon a hug, along with a peck on the cheek. “Truly magnificent.”

Ruby, for her part, looked shocked as she touched the spot I have kissed. “You’re welcome. The bond and the connection will grow over time.”

“You enjoy it that much?” Cleo asked, pulling me away.

“To feel you there in the back of my mind constantly is a warm comfort that I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to. Though, I look forward to see how the bond grows.”

There was a disturbance in the crowd as silence rippled through the back of the hall.

I frowned, wondering what it could be.

As the silence continued, monster girls and men fell to their knees and parted like the red sea. There, in the center of the disturbance, was a single monster girl walking towards us.

My breath caught at her beauty as the world narrowed down to just her and her ravishing body.

Her gold heels clicked against the stone floor, reverberating through the room as the rest of the room became deathly silent.

She wore nothing but a tight leather corset of golden leather and black bracing, with two hooked claws that curled up and held her breasts. That and she had gold rings and chains hanging from the two thin horns that curled from the top of her head.

That’s when I realized it wasn’t a corset at all, but a pair of bat-like wings wrapped tightly around her midsection. Was she even wearing anything but those heels?

“Greed.” Cleo’s voice broke me from my trance as I could feel slow, cold dread coming from my new bond with Cleo.