Chapter 87
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Sweat poured down Night's back. Thinking over how he ended up here, Night cursed himself.
In every situation with Lili, it seemed she withheld a vital bit of information....or maybe he should have just asked....or maybe it was his own stupidity.
Regardless, he couldn't run now. There were way too many powerful people present around him at the moment. The second that the usher gave their invitation to see the Countess, two other men had came out from the same set of doors. With a glance, Night could tell they were powerful. Not to mention.....he was almost certain that the Countess Asta was a God. There was no way he could run away from this...
Night and Lili made their way down the corridor behind the usher. Lili had reached over and grabbed his hand as they walked. She seemed pretty happy right now. The two guards flanked Night and Lili as they made their way down the long hallway to another set of large metal doors.
As they approached, two new guards opened both doors and a tall lanky man ushered them inside.
"Countess, your daughter and her Chosen have arrived as requested," the usher said in a deep husky voice.
As they entered, Night could see five people seated in front of him. A large throne sat in the middle with the most seductive looking woman Night had ever seen seated.... and she was staring right at him. He could feel himself getting aroused just looking at her and quickly drew upon his soul energy to regain control over his body.
Since he was already exerting his soul energy, Night flashed it to the highest level he could and used his soul perception to look around the room. Although the range was very restricted and he only used it for a split second, he managed to get a general idea of the power of the five men and women sitting in the room. With the exception of two of the five, they were all masters of at least six concepts. Night noticed that the soul of the woman in the center looked slightly different. One of her concept orbs was as bright as a sun and actually hurt Night when he glanced at it. Then the man sitting next to her.....Night was unable to see through at all. He must be wearing some charm to prevent his power from being estimated. Regardless, Night had no doubt that the people in this room were very powerful.
"Lilith.....so this is the man you have chosen? He is such a trouble maker to create problems in my court," Countess Asta said to Lili as she inspected Night with her eyes.
"Yes, Countess," Lili said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice, "this is my Chosen."
"Night, you caused trouble in the Countess' court?," Lili looked over and said with a bit of accusation...and a bit of fear.
"Uhhh.....I guess. Seeing the fake actions of everyone in the Court, I used a skill that builds upon existing conflicts....and unexpectedly it broke through. Apologies Countess, I got carried away and couldn't control myself," Night said in an apologetic tone as he bowed his head in acknowledgment of his error. He really hadn't intended to breakthrough and was still trying to figure out how it happened.
Night could feel the Countess' gaze roaming over him. His Presence Concept had held up to everyone's inspection so far. He hoped that the concept would hold through her inspection.
"Ahhh....so it was the Darkness Concept of Strife.....I knew that you practice in the Truth of Darkness.....Interesting....However...If you are truly sorry, show your actual appearance. I can tell you are hiding your true self," Countess Asta instructed in a odd tone. He was having trouble figuring out the Countess' mood...it was almost like she didn't have one.
Lili looked over at Night and appeared to be slightly upset at her mother comment.
Night didn't look back. He was busy trying to tell if the Countess was bluffing or telling the truth. He didn't mind showing his true self....he just wanted to know if she could actually see through his Presence Concept.
"Oh...you are trying to determine if I can actually see through your disguise or if I am bluffing to get you to reveal yourself," the Countess said scaring Night.
"Yes, that is what I was thinking. You can read minds?," Night asked in curiosity. He had never dealt with a God before and this woman was proving to be tough to deal with.
"Ha ha....I wish it were that easy. I am just very, very observant. I am a God in the Law of Lust on the path to the Truth of Emotion. I learned to read the emotions on faces a very long time. Experience and the situation dictates the rest to me...once I know the emotion, the story usually becomes evident," the Countess said as if she were lecturing a child.
She immediately continued, "Since you amused me with your antics before....I'll answer your question.....I can not see through your illusion, but I can feel that something is influencing my soul's perception of you. It must be quite a powerful to have any influence over my soul. No wonder my daughter has chosen you....So are you going to show your true self or not?"
Night figured that regardless of the truth of her words.....resisting would only end up poorly for him....so he relaxed his Concept of Presence. His body appeared as his true self. Actually, the appearance he showed now wasn't much different than before. Except Night's real body bore more signs of the hardships that he had been through. His missing fingers were apparent and the stone eye with the red pupil stood out. He had several scars on his face and arms that were no longer hidden. At one glance, anyone could tell that the scars continued across the rest of his body as well.
"Oh my," Countess Asta said, "You are still quite handsome despite those scars...and the missing eye. What do you think my daughter? Do you find his true appearance acceptable?"
For some reason, Night had a feeling that if Lili answered no, then he was going to be in a tough situation. The way that the Succubus treated men was a bit extreme.
Looking at Night, Lili seemed to be making a final decision. After a moment of thought, Lili responded, "Yes, Mother. He is an acceptable mate. I already knew of the scars...it shows that he is strong...and they appeal to me," Lili said with a bit of a blush before she continued.
"He has my affection and love already...he was my savior.....and he won't hide things from me once he becomes my Mate." The last bit was said with a little bit of anger and Night winced at the tone.
"Good. Good. Since that is the case, I have a few more questions for him....before he gets my approval," the Countess said as she put all her focus on Night.
"We have a general bit of information on you all the way back to the Manco Oasis, but that is where it gets somewhat fuzzy. Most of their records were destroyed in a slave uprising.....that apparently you orchestrated," she continued, "Can you tell me about your parents and upbringing?"
The question caught Night off guard. Memories of his parents flashed through his head as his mood instantly changed from one of fear and worry to one of sadness and hate. After a few seconds, he came out of his reflection on the past and responded shortly, "They're dead. I was raised in a small town. You can fill in the rest."
"Oh....I see," the Countess said while taking in Night's emotions, "and what of your true strength? Just how many concepts have you mastered? Have you started on the path to become a God?"
"My power," Night said with a pause as he figured out how much information to give, "It was 5 concepts until today. Now it is 6 concepts. And I don't fully understand the path to becoming a God."
"Wonderful," the countess said, "Don't worry about your lack in knowledge. Once you become a Mate in my clan, you will have access to all sorts of information. How do you feel about becoming the Mate of my daughter?"
"I like Lili very much. She is beautiful and kind," Night said. It wasn't really an answer but he knew if he directly lied then this woman would see through him.
"Great, Great," Countess Asta said with a big grin, "I am so happy that my daughter has found a good Mate. He is stronger than any of the mates of her three sisters too....actually, he could probably beat several of my personal guards in a battle."
"Thank you, Mother. He will be very strong mate," Lili said with her face beaming with pride. She seemed to be maxed out on the excitement that she could handle.
"Hold on.....," Night stepped forward and was going to say something....but he suddenly felt a pressure weigh down on him. It wasn't a physical pressure. It was a combination of elemental and soul pressure that was pretty intense. His knees started to shake, but he didn't fall.
'Fuck. I guess they will just try to kill me if I try to object to the whole Mate thing. I can only hope that whatever Nox had done to the mark on my soul will get me out of this mess,' Night thought in a bit of panic. The mysterious woman had helped him before and she seemed to be quite angry about the mark in the first place.
Night shut his mouth and went back to standing next to Lili.
"Yes, very strong.....and interesting," the Countess said while narrowing her eyes in intense thought.
"Lilith...I approve of your choise....my daughter," the Countess suddenly said looking excited herself, "and since you are here, I would like to give you the gift of staying in the cultivation suite in my home...you and your Chosen can proceed there now....enjoy yourselves as you become mates."
The Countess' words seemed to bring Lili intense joy. Actually, it must have been a bit too intense since she had to sit down on the ground.
As Lili sat down, the Countess immediately appeared at her side. Night blinked and stepped back. He hadn't even seen the Countess move.
"Quick. She was actually so excited that all of this was happening....she is breaking through in the Concept of Joy," the Countess said as she gestured to one of her guards to come over then turned to look at Night.
"You will carry her to the chamber and watch over her until she breaks through, then you will consummate as her Mate and become part of my clan," the Countess said while staring Night directly in the eyes. He could fell the weight of her words on his soul and knew that he didn't have an option otherwise.
Resigning himself to what was going to happen, he had to put his faith in Nox...and what she had done to modify the mark on his soul.
"Quickly escort them to the cultivation suite," she said to the guard and waved them away.
Night picked up Lili and was ushered out of the room. The large metal doors shut behind them as they sped along.
With the click of the doors, Countess Asta stood up and slowly walked to her throne.
"So what do you think of the mate that your daughter has chosen, my husband?," the Countess questioned as she sat down.
The man sitting at her right side looked over at her with loving eyes and said, "He is odd to me. I really couldn't see through his illusion. His soul must be extremely powerful. I worry for our daughter."
"Oh....so you couldn't see through it either. Yes, his soul is very powerful. And the reports say that he can walk among dreams. Maybe he has a bit of your clan in his blood? He seemed to have some sort of confidence that he could still get out of this situation," the Countess said questioningly.
"I can not tell. But if he does have Incubus blood and is that strong, then it would mean that our daughter may not fare well in the mating. Why did you agree?," the man asked with no criticism in his voice. It seemed like he was truly interested in her thinking process.
"Worse case, it will end up as an equal mating...and we know how that works out," the Countess said with a loving smile toward the seated man, "...and he didn't lie that he likes her....and he has an intense sense of family from his reaction to my questioning.....everything should be fine."
"Ahhh....I agree. Everything should be fine, but he seemed hesitant for the commitment of becoming her Mate....I would recommend sending a few extra guards to protect the exit of the cultivation chamber....just in case he decides to run away," the man said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Sweat poured down Night's back. Thinking over how he ended up here, Night cursed himself.
In every situation with Lili, it seemed she withheld a vital bit of information....or maybe he should have just asked....or maybe it was his own stupidity.
Regardless, he couldn't run now. There were way too many powerful people present around him at the moment. The second that the usher gave their invitation to see the Countess, two other men had came out from the same set of doors. With a glance, Night could tell they were powerful. Not to mention.....he was almost certain that the Countess Asta was a God. There was no way he could run away from this...
Night and Lili made their way down the corridor behind the usher. Lili had reached over and grabbed his hand as they walked. She seemed pretty happy right now. The two guards flanked Night and Lili as they made their way down the long hallway to another set of large metal doors.
As they approached, two new guards opened both doors and a tall lanky man ushered them inside.
"Countess, your daughter and her Chosen have arrived as requested," the usher said in a deep husky voice.
As they entered, Night could see five people seated in front of him. A large throne sat in the middle with the most seductive looking woman Night had ever seen seated.... and she was staring right at him. He could feel himself getting aroused just looking at her and quickly drew upon his soul energy to regain control over his body.
Since he was already exerting his soul energy, Night flashed it to the highest level he could and used his soul perception to look around the room. Although the range was very restricted and he only used it for a split second, he managed to get a general idea of the power of the five men and women sitting in the room. With the exception of two of the five, they were all masters of at least six concepts. Night noticed that the soul of the woman in the center looked slightly different. One of her concept orbs was as bright as a sun and actually hurt Night when he glanced at it. Then the man sitting next to her.....Night was unable to see through at all. He must be wearing some charm to prevent his power from being estimated. Regardless, Night had no doubt that the people in this room were very powerful.
"Lilith.....so this is the man you have chosen? He is such a trouble maker to create problems in my court," Countess Asta said to Lili as she inspected Night with her eyes.
"Yes, Countess," Lili said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice, "this is my Chosen."
"Night, you caused trouble in the Countess' court?," Lili looked over and said with a bit of accusation...and a bit of fear.
"Uhhh.....I guess. Seeing the fake actions of everyone in the Court, I used a skill that builds upon existing conflicts....and unexpectedly it broke through. Apologies Countess, I got carried away and couldn't control myself," Night said in an apologetic tone as he bowed his head in acknowledgment of his error. He really hadn't intended to breakthrough and was still trying to figure out how it happened.
Night could feel the Countess' gaze roaming over him. His Presence Concept had held up to everyone's inspection so far. He hoped that the concept would hold through her inspection.
"Ahhh....so it was the Darkness Concept of Strife.....I knew that you practice in the Truth of Darkness.....Interesting....However...If you are truly sorry, show your actual appearance. I can tell you are hiding your true self," Countess Asta instructed in a odd tone. He was having trouble figuring out the Countess' mood...it was almost like she didn't have one.
Lili looked over at Night and appeared to be slightly upset at her mother comment.
Night didn't look back. He was busy trying to tell if the Countess was bluffing or telling the truth. He didn't mind showing his true self....he just wanted to know if she could actually see through his Presence Concept.
"Oh...you are trying to determine if I can actually see through your disguise or if I am bluffing to get you to reveal yourself," the Countess said scaring Night.
"Yes, that is what I was thinking. You can read minds?," Night asked in curiosity. He had never dealt with a God before and this woman was proving to be tough to deal with.
"Ha ha....I wish it were that easy. I am just very, very observant. I am a God in the Law of Lust on the path to the Truth of Emotion. I learned to read the emotions on faces a very long time. Experience and the situation dictates the rest to me...once I know the emotion, the story usually becomes evident," the Countess said as if she were lecturing a child.
She immediately continued, "Since you amused me with your antics before....I'll answer your question.....I can not see through your illusion, but I can feel that something is influencing my soul's perception of you. It must be quite a powerful to have any influence over my soul. No wonder my daughter has chosen you....So are you going to show your true self or not?"
Night figured that regardless of the truth of her words.....resisting would only end up poorly for him....so he relaxed his Concept of Presence. His body appeared as his true self. Actually, the appearance he showed now wasn't much different than before. Except Night's real body bore more signs of the hardships that he had been through. His missing fingers were apparent and the stone eye with the red pupil stood out. He had several scars on his face and arms that were no longer hidden. At one glance, anyone could tell that the scars continued across the rest of his body as well.
"Oh my," Countess Asta said, "You are still quite handsome despite those scars...and the missing eye. What do you think my daughter? Do you find his true appearance acceptable?"
For some reason, Night had a feeling that if Lili answered no, then he was going to be in a tough situation. The way that the Succubus treated men was a bit extreme.
Looking at Night, Lili seemed to be making a final decision. After a moment of thought, Lili responded, "Yes, Mother. He is an acceptable mate. I already knew of the scars...it shows that he is strong...and they appeal to me," Lili said with a bit of a blush before she continued.
"He has my affection and love already...he was my savior.....and he won't hide things from me once he becomes my Mate." The last bit was said with a little bit of anger and Night winced at the tone.
"Good. Good. Since that is the case, I have a few more questions for him....before he gets my approval," the Countess said as she put all her focus on Night.
"We have a general bit of information on you all the way back to the Manco Oasis, but that is where it gets somewhat fuzzy. Most of their records were destroyed in a slave uprising.....that apparently you orchestrated," she continued, "Can you tell me about your parents and upbringing?"
The question caught Night off guard. Memories of his parents flashed through his head as his mood instantly changed from one of fear and worry to one of sadness and hate. After a few seconds, he came out of his reflection on the past and responded shortly, "They're dead. I was raised in a small town. You can fill in the rest."
"Oh....I see," the Countess said while taking in Night's emotions, "and what of your true strength? Just how many concepts have you mastered? Have you started on the path to become a God?"
"My power," Night said with a pause as he figured out how much information to give, "It was 5 concepts until today. Now it is 6 concepts. And I don't fully understand the path to becoming a God."
"Wonderful," the countess said, "Don't worry about your lack in knowledge. Once you become a Mate in my clan, you will have access to all sorts of information. How do you feel about becoming the Mate of my daughter?"
"I like Lili very much. She is beautiful and kind," Night said. It wasn't really an answer but he knew if he directly lied then this woman would see through him.
"Great, Great," Countess Asta said with a big grin, "I am so happy that my daughter has found a good Mate. He is stronger than any of the mates of her three sisters too....actually, he could probably beat several of my personal guards in a battle."
"Thank you, Mother. He will be very strong mate," Lili said with her face beaming with pride. She seemed to be maxed out on the excitement that she could handle.
"Hold on.....," Night stepped forward and was going to say something....but he suddenly felt a pressure weigh down on him. It wasn't a physical pressure. It was a combination of elemental and soul pressure that was pretty intense. His knees started to shake, but he didn't fall.
'Fuck. I guess they will just try to kill me if I try to object to the whole Mate thing. I can only hope that whatever Nox had done to the mark on my soul will get me out of this mess,' Night thought in a bit of panic. The mysterious woman had helped him before and she seemed to be quite angry about the mark in the first place.
Night shut his mouth and went back to standing next to Lili.
"Yes, very strong.....and interesting," the Countess said while narrowing her eyes in intense thought.
"Lilith...I approve of your choise....my daughter," the Countess suddenly said looking excited herself, "and since you are here, I would like to give you the gift of staying in the cultivation suite in my home...you and your Chosen can proceed there now....enjoy yourselves as you become mates."
The Countess' words seemed to bring Lili intense joy. Actually, it must have been a bit too intense since she had to sit down on the ground.
As Lili sat down, the Countess immediately appeared at her side. Night blinked and stepped back. He hadn't even seen the Countess move.
"Quick. She was actually so excited that all of this was happening....she is breaking through in the Concept of Joy," the Countess said as she gestured to one of her guards to come over then turned to look at Night.
"You will carry her to the chamber and watch over her until she breaks through, then you will consummate as her Mate and become part of my clan," the Countess said while staring Night directly in the eyes. He could fell the weight of her words on his soul and knew that he didn't have an option otherwise.
Resigning himself to what was going to happen, he had to put his faith in Nox...and what she had done to modify the mark on his soul.
"Quickly escort them to the cultivation suite," she said to the guard and waved them away.
Night picked up Lili and was ushered out of the room. The large metal doors shut behind them as they sped along.
With the click of the doors, Countess Asta stood up and slowly walked to her throne.
"So what do you think of the mate that your daughter has chosen, my husband?," the Countess questioned as she sat down.
The man sitting at her right side looked over at her with loving eyes and said, "He is odd to me. I really couldn't see through his illusion. His soul must be extremely powerful. I worry for our daughter."
"Oh....so you couldn't see through it either. Yes, his soul is very powerful. And the reports say that he can walk among dreams. Maybe he has a bit of your clan in his blood? He seemed to have some sort of confidence that he could still get out of this situation," the Countess said questioningly.
"I can not tell. But if he does have Incubus blood and is that strong, then it would mean that our daughter may not fare well in the mating. Why did you agree?," the man asked with no criticism in his voice. It seemed like he was truly interested in her thinking process.
"Worse case, it will end up as an equal mating...and we know how that works out," the Countess said with a loving smile toward the seated man, "...and he didn't lie that he likes her....and he has an intense sense of family from his reaction to my questioning.....everything should be fine."
"Ahhh....I agree. Everything should be fine, but he seemed hesitant for the commitment of becoming her Mate....I would recommend sending a few extra guards to protect the exit of the cultivation chamber....just in case he decides to run away," the man said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Sweat poured down Night's back. Thinking over how he ended up here, Night cursed himself.In every situation with Lili, it seemed she withheld a vital bit of information....or maybe he should have just asked....or maybe it was his own stupidity.Regardless, he couldn't run now. There were way too many powerful people present around him at the moment. The second that the usher gave their invitation to see the Countess, two other men had came out from the same set of doors. With a glance, Night could tell they were powerful. Not to mention.....he was almost certain that the Countess Asta was a God. There was no way he could run away from this...Night and Lili made their way down the corridor behind the usher. Lili had reached over and grabbed his hand as they walked. She seemed pretty happy right now. The two guards flanked Night and Lili as they made their way down the long hallway to another set of large metal doors.As they approached, two new guards opened both doors and a tall lanky man ushered them inside."Countess, your daughter and her Chosen have arrived as requested," the usher said in a deep husky voice.As they entered, Night could see five people seated in front of him. A large throne sat in the middle with the most seductive looking woman Night had ever seen seated.... and she was staring right at him. He could feel himself getting aroused just looking at her and quickly drew upon his soul energy to regain control over his body.Since he was already exerting his soul energy, Night flashed it to the highest level he could and used his soul perception to look around the room. Although the range was very restricted and he only used it for a split second, he managed to get a general idea of the power of the five men and women sitting in the room. With the exception of two of the five, they were all masters of at least six concepts. Night noticed that the soul of the woman in the center looked slightly different. One of her concept orbs was as bright as a sun and actually hurt Night when he glanced at it. Then the man sitting next to her.....Night was unable to see through at all. He must be wearing some charm to prevent his power from being estimated. Regardless, Night had no doubt that the people in this room were very powerful."Lilith.....so this is the man you have chosen? He is such a trouble maker to create problems in my court," Countess Asta said to Lili as she inspected Night with her eyes."Yes, Countess," Lili said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice, "this is my Chosen.""Night, you caused trouble in the Countess' court?," Lili looked over and said with a bit of accusation...and a bit of fear."Uhhh.....I guess. Seeing the fake actions of everyone in the Court, I used a skill that builds upon existing conflicts....and unexpectedly it broke through. Apologies Countess, I got carried away and couldn't control myself," Night said in an apologetic tone as he bowed his head in acknowledgment of his error. He really hadn't intended to breakthrough and was still trying to figure out how it happened.Night could feel the Countess' gaze roaming over him. His Presence Concept had held up to everyone's inspection so far. He hoped that the concept would hold through her inspection."Ahhh....so it was the Darkness Concept of Strife.....I knew that you practice in the Truth of Darkness.....Interesting....However...If you are truly sorry, show your actual appearance. I can tell you are hiding your true self," Countess Asta instructed in a odd tone. He was having trouble figuring out the Countess' mood...it was almost like she didn't have one.Lili looked over at Night and appeared to be slightly upset at her mother comment.Night didn't look back. He was busy trying to tell if the Countess was bluffing or telling the truth. He didn't mind showing his true self....he just wanted to know if she could actually see through his Presence Concept."Oh...you are trying to determine if I can actually see through your disguise or if I am bluffing to get you to reveal yourself," the Countess said scaring Night."Yes, that is what I was thinking. You can read minds?," Night asked in curiosity. He had never dealt with a God before and this woman was proving to be tough to deal with."Ha ha....I wish it were that easy. I am just very, very observant. I am a God in the Law of Lust on the path to the Truth of Emotion. I learned to read the emotions on faces a very long time. Experience and the situation dictates the rest to me...once I know the emotion, the story usually becomes evident," the Countess said as if she were lecturing a child.She immediately continued, "Since you amused me with your antics before....I'll answer your question.....I can not see through your illusion, but I can feel that something is influencing my soul's perception of you. It must be quite a powerful to have any influence over my soul. No wonder my daughter has chosen you....So are you going to show your true self or not?"Night figured that regardless of the truth of her words.....resisting would only end up poorly for him....so he relaxed his Concept of Presence. His body appeared as his true self. Actually, the appearance he showed now wasn't much different than before. Except Night's real body bore more signs of the hardships that he had been through. His missing fingers were apparent and the stone eye with the red pupil stood out. He had several scars on his face and arms that were no longer hidden. At one glance, anyone could tell that the scars continued across the rest of his body as well."Oh my," Countess Asta said, "You are still quite handsome despite those scars...and the missing eye. What do you think my daughter? Do you find his true appearance acceptable?"For some reason, Night had a feeling that if Lili answered no, then he was going to be in a tough situation. The way that the Succubus treated men was a bit extreme.Looking at Night, Lili seemed to be making a final decision. After a moment of thought, Lili responded, "Yes, Mother. He is an acceptable mate. I already knew of the scars...it shows that he is strong...and they appeal to me," Lili said with a bit of a blush before she continued. "He has my affection and love already...he was my savior.....and he won't hide things from me once he becomes my Mate." The last bit was said with a little bit of anger and Night winced at the tone."Good. Good. Since that is the case, I have a few more questions for him....before he gets my approval," the Countess said as she put all her focus on Night."We have a general bit of information on you all the way back to the Manco Oasis, but that is where it gets somewhat fuzzy. Most of their records were destroyed in a slave uprising.....that apparently you orchestrated," she continued, "Can you tell me about your parents and upbringing?"The question caught Night off guard. Memories of his parents flashed through his head as his mood instantly changed from one of fear and worry to one of sadness and hate. After a few seconds, he came out of his reflection on the past and responded shortly, "They're dead. I was raised in a small town. You can fill in the rest.""Oh....I see," the Countess said while taking in Night's emotions, "and what of your true strength? Just how many concepts have you mastered? Have you started on the path to become a God?""My power," Night said with a pause as he figured out how much information to give, "It was 5 concepts until today. Now it is 6 concepts. And I don't fully understand the path to becoming a God.""Wonderful," the countess said, "Don't worry about your lack in knowledge. Once you become a Mate in my clan, you will have access to all sorts of information. How do you feel about becoming the Mate of my daughter?""I like Lili very much. She is beautiful and kind," Night said. It wasn't really an answer but he knew if he directly lied then this woman would see through him."Great, Great," Countess Asta said with a big grin, "I am so happy that my daughter has found a good Mate. He is stronger than any of the mates of her three sisters too....actually, he could probably beat several of my personal guards in a battle.""Thank you, Mother. He will be very strong mate," Lili said with her face beaming with pride. She seemed to be maxed out on the excitement that she could handle."Hold on.....," Night stepped forward and was going to say something....but he suddenly felt a pressure weigh down on him. It wasn't a physical pressure. It was a combination of elemental and soul pressure that was pretty intense. His knees started to shake, but he didn't fall.'Fuck. I guess they will just try to kill me if I try to object to the whole Mate thing. I can only hope that whatever Nox had done to the mark on my soul will get me out of this mess,' Night thought in a bit of panic. The mysterious woman had helped him before and she seemed to be quite angry about the mark in the first place.Night shut his mouth and went back to standing next to Lili."Yes, very strong.....and interesting," the Countess said while narrowing her eyes in intense thought."Lilith...I approve of your choise....my daughter," the Countess suddenly said looking excited herself, "and since you are here, I would like to give you the gift of staying in the cultivation suite in my home...you and your Chosen can proceed there now....enjoy yourselves as you become mates."The Countess' words seemed to bring Lili intense joy. Actually, it must have been a bit too intense since she had to sit down on the ground.As Lili sat down, the Countess immediately appeared at her side. Night blinked and stepped back. He hadn't even seen the Countess move."Quick. She was actually so excited that all of this was happening....she is breaking through in the Concept of Joy," the Countess said as she gestured to one of her guards to come over then turned to look at Night."You will carry her to the chamber and watch over her until she breaks through, then you will consummate as her Mate and become part of my clan," the Countess said while staring Night directly in the eyes. He could fell the weight of her words on his soul and knew that he didn't have an option otherwise.Resigning himself to what was going to happen, he had to put his faith in Nox...and what she had done to modify the mark on his soul."Quickly escort them to the cultivation suite," she said to the guard and waved them away.Night picked up Lili and was ushered out of the room. The large metal doors shut behind them as they sped along.With the click of the doors, Countess Asta stood up and slowly walked to her throne."So what do you think of the mate that your daughter has chosen, my husband?," the Countess questioned as she sat down.The man sitting at her right side looked over at her with loving eyes and said, "He is odd to me. I really couldn't see through his illusion. His soul must be extremely powerful. I worry for our daughter.""Oh....so you couldn't see through it either. Yes, his soul is very powerful. And the reports say that he can walk among dreams. Maybe he has a bit of your clan in his blood? He seemed to have some sort of confidence that he could still get out of this situation," the Countess said questioningly."I can not tell. But if he does have Incubus blood and is that strong, then it would mean that our daughter may not fare well in the mating. Why did you agree?," the man asked with no criticism in his voice. It seemed like he was truly interested in her thinking process."Worse case, it will end up as an equal mating...and we know how that works out," the Countess said with a loving smile toward the seated man, "...and he didn't lie that he likes her....and he has an intense sense of family from his reaction to my questioning.....everything should be fine." "Ahhh....I agree. Everything should be fine, but he seemed hesitant for the commitment of becoming her Mate....I would recommend sending a few extra guards to protect the exit of the cultivation chamber....just in case he decides to run away," the man said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
