The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Hidden Entrance)

"I love you... there were so many nights where I would just lie awake and regret not telling you every single day about how much you mean to me," Sophie whispered softly.

The hybrid girl stretched out her palms and lovingly touched the sides of Cleo's cheeks.

If this was a dream... then Sophie prayed that it would never end.

There were no words to describe how she was feeling at this moment in time. Happiness was too simple a word for the strong emotions flowing through her body.

It was like a missing piece of her soul had finally returned.

The bond that connected the pair was a thread that stretched across vast distances of time and space.

For once, Sophie felt thankful to the Hunter Goddess. To be able to mark this gorgeous princess as her own was a precious gift.

"I see you grew again," Cleo teased mischievously as she stepped out of the warm embrace and looked up.

"Yeah...I... err... had another growth spurt," Sophie awkwardly grinned as her face turned red.

Cleo said nothing but her eyes gleamed with unspoken appreciation as she gazed at Sophie's lean but muscular physique.

It was somewhat intimidating to have a girlfriend who was over seven feet in height but there was a fierce primal beauty about Sophie's appearance that made Cleo's heart skip a beat.

Maybe it was due to being separated for so long but Cleo could not help but think that her girlfriend had somehow gotten even more beautiful.

The princess reached out her right palm and gently touched the muscles on Sophie's upper arm.

If the duke was not present, she might have even begged Sophie to lift up her skirt so that she could see the muscular six pack that lay beneath.

Duke Peterlor let out a light sigh as he saw his daughter and her girlfriend lost in their own little world.

He thoughtfully walked a few meters away and turned around to give them some privacy.

Now that the pinkish colour had faded from his daughter's eyes, the duke felt that it was okay to give the pair some space.

Pink eyes...

Duke Peterlor smiled nostalgically as some very scary but pleasant memories flashed across his mind.

His time with Thai'lle had always been eventful but whenever her golden eyes shifted to a pinkish hue...

The poor duke was usually unable to move his legs the following morning and truthfully for the rest of the day as well.

Sophie's mother was one fierce warrior...

"So... how was your flight?" Sophie asked casually.

"Oh, it was pretty boring. I just spent the entire time thinking about meeting you so I barely got any sleep," Cleo replied nonchalantly.

Sophie frowned slightly and pressed a brief kiss under Cleo's eyes. The princess puckered her lips and Sophie laughed before kissing her willing mouth.

"You need to take care of yourself," Sophie spoke firmly with determination in her tone.

"Same to you," Cleo replied with a soft gaze.

There was a comfortable moment of silence between the pair as they simply enjoyed the feeling of being in the arms of the person they loved.

"Young miss watch out!" a loud voice came from inside the hovercar. Sophie turned around and saw a gigantic furry mass hurtle towards her at an impossibly fast speed.

Cloud Treading Dragon!

Sophie let go of Cleo instantly and her figure blurred and vanished from the spot.

Why had her danger sense not activated?

Was her ability weakening? Or had she been distracted by Cleo's presence?"

Sophie snarled with a hint of bloodlust and extended her bladed appendages outwards to split the incoming attacker into two.

Squeak! Squeak!

(MOMMY!)

"Huh?!" Sophie withdrew her bladed appendages but couldn't stop the furry mass from slamming right into her chest.

Fortunately, she was now a cultivator in the qi tide stage so the impact just caused her to stagger backwards for a brief moment.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

(Mommy! I found mommy! I found mommy!)

A familiar sounding voice echoed in her mind. This voice sounded babyish but there were hints of maturity.

"Moon? Is that you?" Sophie exclaimed in shock as she looked down at her combat pet. Moon waved his long whip-like tail happily and nuzzled against his master's chest.

Sophie gently patted his furry back but was still in what she could only describe as a state of complete shock.

When had her little baby turned into a giant monster?! Weren't frostwing bats supposed to stay cute and cuddly?!

Sophie searched her memories and pulled up all the information that she had read about frostwing bats and compared it to Moon's current appearance.

Moon was significantly larger than even an adult frostwing bat with a wingspan that was almost half the length of Cleo's body.

His fangs were larger and sharper and the blue patterned fur across his back now had a visible ominous glow.

The tail that extended from the base of his body had somehow gotten a bone-like edge that faintly resembled Sophie's own bladed appendages.

Squeak! Squeak!

(I missed you mommy!)

Moon cried out tearfully and the temperature around his body instantly plummeted to sub-zero levels.

Sophie rubbed his back gently as the tips of her fingers began to get covered by frost. Clearly her baby still needed to learn how to control his frozen domain ability.

But that didn't matter.

Sophie was just glad to be reunited with him after such a long time. Seeing Moon again did solve the mystery about who the second thread was connected to.

In fact, Sophie now felt pretty stupid since it had completely slipped her mind.

The blood bond that she had formed with Moon may be weaker than her connection with Cleo but it was still an important part of her soul.

"It is good to see you again baby," Sophie softly whispered as she furiously rubbed Moon's long furry ears.

"Did you cause any trouble for auntie Cleo during the time I was gone?"

Squeak! Squeak!

(She likes me since I didn't cause trouble and...)

"Really?" Sophie raised her eyebrow and stared at her frostwing bat who was now beginning to fidget nervously.

Moon flapped his wings up and down as he sheepishly turned around so that his face was hidden from Sophie's view.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

(I didn't cause... much trouble... I only caused... some... just a little... I'm a good boy!)

"Well, I will take your word for now young man..." Sophie teased with a fake serious tone.

At least thanks to her growth spurt and enhanced strength, Sophie was still able to pick up Moon in her arms just like when he was a baby.

The temperature soon returned to normal as Moon settled down in her arms and happily raised his head to look at the scenes outside.

"My apologies young miss..." Katarina emerged from the other side of the hover car and bowed politely.

"I was unable to stop your combat pet from tearing open his cage and rushing towards you."

"It's okay Katarina... I was glad to see him as well and I know that my baby can be a handful," Sophie spoke with a weary grin.

Moon wanted to protest but the stern look in Sophie's eyes made the frostwing bat's words die in his throat.

"You two are always the same," Cleo laughed happily. The sounds of the princess giggling entered Sophie's ears and made the hybrid girl turn to look at her girlfriend.

Sophie stood frozen in place as she could not believe that such a lovely and perfect creature existed in this universe.