The Spider Queen

Moon squirmed and crawled up from Sophie's arms. The gigantic frostwing bat jumped on top of his master's head and looked around with a smug grin on his face.

This was his spot now!

Sophie let out a light sigh as she reluctantly allowed her mischievous pet to perch on his favourite resting place.

Although his large size did make it a very uncomfortable experience. Sophie brushed a few loose strands of hair to the side of her face and then turned to Cleo.

"It really is good to see you again," Sophie smiled happily. She probably sounded like a broken record at this point but she needed her girlfriend to know just how much she meant to her.

If there was anything that her experiences during her time spent in the Unovan Syndicate had taught her, it was that life really was too short.

You never really knew what was going to happen and tomorrow may never come.

It was for this realisation that Sophie resolved to try her best to live every day without regrets.

Cleo's piercing green eyes sparkled with adoration as she walked up to her girlfriend and grabbed her right palm.

The princess did not have to say a single word for Sophie to understand the warmth and care behind that simple action.

Sophie was unable to bend down to kiss Cleo with the added weight of Moon on her head so she settled for lightly squeezing her girlfriend's hand.

Moon got a bit jealous when he saw Sophie's attention being drawn to Cleo so he hurriedly flapped his wings up and down.

Squeak! Squeak!

(Mommy! You got bigger just like me!)

"Moon… stop that! My hair! You are messing up my hair!" Sophie exclaimed with mock anger.

She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a few nutrient pellets for Moon to nibble on.

Food seemed to do the trick and her frostwing bat soon settled into a comfortable silence that was occasionally broken by the sounds of him munching furiously on the treats.

Unfortunately, it appeared that her pet had not learnt to improve his eating habits and Sophie was not pleased to feel crumbs falling down on the back of her new dress.

Sophie stretched out her left hand and rapped her knuckles against Moon's thick skull. "Moon! You need to chew your food properly!" Sophie scolded lightly.

Squeak! Squeak!

(Sorry mommy… I'll be a good boy)

"Don't be so harsh on him," Cleo gently spoke as she rubbed her fingers against Sophie's palm.

"This is the liveliest that I have seen him in months. He… and I… weren't the same after you disappeared."

The mild feeling of annoyance at Moon's antics disappeared instantly as Sophie realised what was going on.

Moon despite his size was still a juvenile. He was probably causing mischief to attract her attention after not seeing his mom for months.

It was easy to ignore just how young he was due to his monstrous appearance but at the end of the day he was still a baby.

Sophie's eyes began to water as she imagined just how lonely and desperate Moon must have been during the time that she was gone.

Cleo stood on her tip toes and pressed a kiss against the bottom of Sophie's cheek. "Sophie… don't get lost in your own world," Cleo calmly spoke.

"Sorry. You're right… I need to move forward and shower you both with plenty of love," Sophie replied with a smile.

Speaking of love…

Sophie's eyes couldn't help but linger on Cleo's soft curves as the princess wore a lovely black dress that tightly clung to her body shape.

Memories of the passionate nights that they had shared together where she had made the elegant and noble princess scream and beg for pleasure surfaced in Sophie's mind.

There was a primal hunger in Sophie's eyes as she reminisced about Cleo's delicate fair skin covered in hickeys and love marks.

Sophie could slowly but surely hear the beating of her heart increase until it became a never-ending cacophony.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

A faint pinkish colour was once again beginning to spread from the corners of her golden eyes as Sophie leaned in closer to her beautiful girlfriend.

"Alright… so I am sure Cleo is pretty tired after her flight. Shall we head towards the mansion now?" Duke Peterlor suddenly interrupted the delicate moment.

The sixth sense of a god stage cultivator meant that Sophie's father was well aware of the changes that were happening to his daughter.

Truthfully… the duke was not a happy man at the moment. He had planned for his daughter and Cleo to stay in separate bedrooms during the duration of her visit.

But clearly judging by the effect that Cleo was having on his daughter, that plan would need to be changed.

Duke Peterlor was well aware of what actions had to be performed in order to receive a soul brand from an Arachnais…

And he was not thrilled in the slightest.

The soulmate connection would mean that his daughter's lust state would be easily triggered by physical contact with her mate.

The duke did not understand enough about Arachnais physiology to know whether separating the pair would allow Sophie to resist those dark urges or make them worse.

The only experience that he had was with Thai'lle and by the gods that woman was insatiable. In fact, now that the duke thought about the matter a bit further…

He could not help but feel a sense of sympathy for poor Cleo.

He could only hope that the princess had spent the last few months not neglecting her physical training and conditioning at the university.

Cleo tilted her head in confusion as she saw Sophie's father unexpectedly glance at her with a look of pity.

"Come on… we don't have all day," Duke Peterlor coughed awkwardly in order to hide his embarrassment.

He didn't expect to be seen by the sharp-eyed princess!

Duke Peterlor turned around and walked a few steps until he reached a patch of air that seemed to be slightly vibrating.

After accidentally shattering the translucent illusory dome when Sophie arrived, the duke had upgraded the security measures.

While the dome was activated, the barren field was actually a pocket dimension that was both real and fake.

It had been extremely expensive to install but the duke felt as though it was a worthy investment to ensure his family's safety.

He took out a rectangular shaped piece of metal from his pocket and pressed it against the mysterious shimmering air.

Soon a door appeared that led to the real entrance to the hidden mechanical city.

Cleo was familiar with the steps to enter the hidden territory of House Peterlor so the princess was not surprised to see a plain wooden shack appear in the middle of the once barren field.

Of course, now that the illusion had been broken, the field was now a lush fertile garden that was filled with flowers and green leafy trees.

Sophie gently plucked a few flowers from the nearest plants and carefully placed them inside Cleo's hair.

Her princess was now transformed into a beautiful maiden of the flowers. Sophie's heart skipped a beat as she stroked the soft silky hair that fell down her girlfriend's shoulders.

Duke Peterlor glanced fondly at his daughter who was playing absentmindedly with the flowers in Cleo's hair.

Despite his initial misgivings, the duke had to admit that Cleo had brought nothing but happiness to his daughter.

There was a softness to Sophie's smile that had been missing ever since she had returned from the Unovan Syndicate.