Interactions between Slate and Candi changed after that. It was subtle, but it was clear, at least to Slate.
He was no longer the warrior in charge of keeping her safe until she could complete her Avgo Event. He was the warrior in charge of keeping her safe—period.
In words and in deeds, Slate could never allow her to fall into Earth's legal system to rot in some prison for an indefinite number of years.
As Candace slept in fitful stops and starts, he raised the covers over her bare shoulders threw a robe over his naked body. Then he took a seat at the egg-shaped console chair to set a new course.
They were already approaching Dante's Moon, but he wanted to extend flight time by just a little so she could get the rest her body so desperately needed.
The pod changed its trajectory slightly and began heading off into a new direction slightly beyond Dante's Moon.
Dante, no doubt, would be monitoring Slate's tiny transport pod to make sure they made it safely to his moon.
He would have seen the yo-yo effect of Slate's pod, overshooting the destination in one direction and then turning around and overshooting again in the other direction. It would seem as if Slate was either a terrible navigator or his ship had faulty engines.
Slate chuckled quietly to himself.
Dante was his sharpest brother. He would have figured out that Slate was simply buying some time before delivering the girl into his brother's care for the week.
Slate didn't care. Dante would be with her for seven days while he would have to go deal with the unpleasantries that none of his brothers wanted to deal with.
He sighed as the pod swung away from Dante's Moon. It was starting to get to that point when he needed to feed her.
He tapped a console and began choosing from the menu, some dishes which looked as if they could be good dinner items. They weren't of the quality that a chef could provide, but on a ship this size, it was pretty good.
Slate cracked a grin again as he thought of Dante's carefully planned celebratory dinner that was probably, at this very moment, being prepared and laid out with care by the best chefs that unlimited wealth could provide.
All of the Princes were abundantly wealthy, but Dante's wealth was in a realm unto himself because it was the only thing he sought with single-minded determination.
While his other brothers went after political power, fame, artistic pursuits, or altruistic callings, Dante went after wealth.
With that wealth came an isolation that was self-fulfilling. Who in the world would acquire their own moon and turn it into a traveling planet just because they didn't like to deal with people or transport pods?
Only Dante.
"Hmmmm. I'm sorry. I think I accidentally fell asleep." A small female voice chirped out like a tiny bird on his bed.
"You're awake." He turned to her, just in time to see a tiny pale heart-shaped face poke out from under the covers.
"Yes. Are we getting close to Dante's Moon? I'm hungry."
Slate laughed and turned back to the console where he tapped in directions to re-orient the pod.
He had run out of time. She was awake and hungry.
It looked like Dante's celebration party would not go to waste after all.
He turned to her.
"We should be landing in about fifteen minutes."
"Eeeek!" She gave a tiny shriek. "I need to get dressed." She looked around the spotless pod. "Where are all my clothes?"
"You mean the bloody, dirty, torn thing I pulled off you?" Slate grimaced. "I threw them into the incinerator to be used as fuel for the pod."
"Aaaaahhh!" She gasped. "You burned all my clothes??? What have you done? I don't have anything to wear!"
Slate laughed.
"Have you forgotten that Jared and Jason made you several outfits? I happen to have them here."
Candace scratched her honey blonde head.
"But they're all ball gown types of clothes for parties and such."
"That would be quite appropriate since we are heading directly to a party that Dante is throwing on your behalf."
He gave a gestured command at the pod and a panel opened up in the ceiling, dropping down a long bar with a dozen outfits hanging on soft hangers.
"Let's see. How about this one?" He pulled out a deep royal purple dress made of creamy velvet with touches of gold on the frilled edges of the neckline and the fingertip length of the generous sleeves.
"That's for an evening soirée."
"Perfect." Slate nodded and would not listen to any of Candace's protests.
It didn't take long for them to change into appropriate clothing. To accompany her, Slate had also changed into a dark suit with a purple tie that matched her dress. He had also tied his long black hair into a low ponytail, throwing the sharp angle of his cheekbones and strong jaws into prominent display.
Tree Trunk Slate had been replaced with the sleek and refined Seventh Prince of Erenveil.
He was sliding the thin gold tiara onto her head when the pod automatically landed within traction distance of the moon and was captured and pulled within.
"Enjoy yourself here, Candace." Slate spoke to her as they waited for the pod to open up and let them out. "It is a beautiful paradise."
Candace nodded in a distracted manner.
"You have a week to recover from the physical trauma of the Strength and Vitality Event so you can be at your best for the Brilliance and Intellect Event."
"Are you going to be there with me?" Her large hazel eyes looked at him hopefully.
He shook his head with regret.
"For the next three or four days, I have to take care of a few important security details, but we have all talked it over and Dante will keep you safe until I return."
"Why can't I stay with you?" Candi asked him with furrowed brows. "I would prefer it."
Slate sighed and shook his head.
"Where I am going, it is too dangerous and I cannot protect you adequately."
Candace looked away, missing the look of deep regret in Slate's eyes. He did not want to send her away either.
From the moment she had met up with them, she had being handed from one man to another every day that she had been in Erenveil. From himself, to Jason and Jared, onto Byron, and now Dante, she had not been in any stable sort of environment.
What was worse was that she was now an Earth fugitive, unable to return to her home. She was an exquisite dressed and much adored vagabond.
"Don't worry too much, Candace." Slate murmured. "You have five more events to have to survive through. Just focus on the next one."
Candace laughed with a touch of panic.
"The next Event's criteria is Brilliance and Intellect. What does that mean?"
Slate smiled.
"It is most likely the easiest one for you to pass through. The Event measures each candidate's intelligence level."
"As in an intelligence test?"
Slate nodded.
"It will be the only Event that you will not be competing against someone else. Your intellect will be measured."
"And then what? Another elimination round whereby the stupidest one out of the five of us gets dropped?"
Slate laughed.
"Something like that."
"How do I prepare for this type of intelligence test?"
Slate shook his head.
"You can't. You will either already have the innate ability to reason through situations or you won't."
He held out his hand to her as the pod door slid open.
"Ready?"
Candace smiled and took his hand as they both walked out of the transport pod doorway.