Blackstone - The Temple of Trials

A Royal Dinner

I spent the rest of the day relaxing and checking out my wardrobe. It wasn't a pretty sight. I had a closet full of jeans and t-shirts. I could always use my razor phone to project some slinky high fashion item onto my body, but I knew that Prince Val Tarran would pick up on it. That wasn't my style anyway to go around fooling people. I spent the last six months pretending to be something I wasn't. Now, I just wanted to go as me and if the Prince didn't like it then he could go to hell or whatever hot place of eternal damnation the Orion's had in their belief system.

Six o'clock came far too soon. I finally decided on jeans and a simple blouse with just a little bit of makeup. I was just adjusting my lipstick when I heard the doorbell ring. I ran downstairs and opened the door to find Prince Eric Val Tarran standing there.

Damn, he looked gorgeous. His beautiful blue eyes shone with intelligence and his long silky blonde hair was tied up in a pony tail. He was dressed casually wearing jeans and a black t shirt that showed off his sculpted chest and toned arms. He smiled when he saw me showing off perfect white teeth that would make a Hollywood movie star envious.

My heart fluttered and I had to catch my breath. I remembered my training with Mary. A Keeper of the Wend must be in control of their emotions at all times.

"Hello, Ms. Grant. It's so good to see you again," the Prince said in a smooth and confident manner.

"Your Highness. Did you have any trouble finding the place?" I said then cursed myself for sounding stupid.

"It was no trouble at all, and please call me Eric. Shall we go?" the Prince said and pointed to a sleek black limo that idled by the curb.

The Prince took my hand and led me down the stairs. He walked ahead to the limo and opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. I've always wanted to ride in a limousine. The soft leather seats were beyond comfortable. They seemed to cradle my body with their touch. Prince Val Tarran slipped in beside me.

"So where do you want to go?" he asked.

"Well, Grimaldi's has the best pizza in Brooklyn. It's only a few miles away on the waterfront." I said.

"Grimaldi's it is. Stephen, did you hear that?" Prince Val Tarran said to his uniformed driver.

"Absolutely, your highness," the driver said and put the limo into gear. We glided forward. It felt like we were riding on air. The engine barely made a sound.

"I've made some modifications to the original design. Internal Combustion engines are so primitive and loud," Prince Val Tarran said.

After traveling in beam ships for the last six months, I had to agree. It had gotten so even riding in a yellow cab was obnoxious.

A short limo ride later we arrived at Grimaldi's. The restaurant was decorated simply: tables with red and white checkered table cloths and paintings of Italy on the wall. I saw a wall full of head shots of famous celebrities that had eaten here. It was still early so there were barely any customers. Prince Val Tarran showed me to a table and held out my chair for me. I nodded my appreciation and sat down. The Prince sat down across from me.

A cute looking waiter who was probably an actor stepped up to the table.

"Can I start you off with something to drink?" he asked.

Prince Val Tarran studied the menu carefully, "Yes, what wines do you recommend?"

Before the waiter could answer, I held up my hand. "Are you kidding, wine? Come on Eric this isn't some fancy place. Can't we just have coke?"

Prince Val Tarran raised his eyebrow, "Coke. Oh yes, a sweet carbonated beverage. Very well, then. Two cokes."

The waiter went off to get our drinks and I stared into the Prince's eyes. He smiled back at me.

"I've never had coke, before. What's it like?"

"It's sweet and the bubbles tickle your throat. You'll like it."

"Oh, so it's like champagne."

"Yeah, in a way I guess you could call it American Champagne," I said with a little smirk.

Prince Val Tarran frowned, "I don't understand. Champagne is only produced in France. Oh, I see you're making a joke. You must forgive me. I'm still trying to come to terms with the American sense of humor."

"It's all right. You're doing fine," I said.

The waiter came back with our drinks. Prince Val Tarran took a small sip.

"Very interesting. We have a very similar drink on Orion. It's only allowed to be drunk by royalty."

"Really? Here everybody drinks it. All over the world."

"How fascinating."

We spent the next hour talking about our lives. Prince Val Tarran was an excellent conversationalist. He listened more than he talked, but when he did speak it was full of the most fascinating tales about life in the Orion Empire. I could tell he missed his home world dearly. I told him all about my training at Blackstone and my life with Uncle Paul. When the pizza came, I had a great laugh watching Prince Val Tarran use a knife and fork to eat a slice. I had to show him how to eat pizza.

Finally dinner was done and the Prince took me home. We pulled up to my brownstone and sat for a moment. The Prince turned and looked at me.

"Thank you for a lovely evening. We must do this again sometime," he said.

"Yeah, it was fun." I said really quickly and put my hand on the door to get out.

The Prince leaned over and kissed me gently on the lips. We held the kiss for what felt like an eternity. I put my hands up and cradled his beautiful soft face and ran my fingers though his long hair.

And that's when the cold chill of the Wend ran though my body. I knew what that meant. Danger.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Stephen the Driver reach into his jacket and pull out a long sleek pistol with a silencer on it. The driver aimed the pistol at Prince Val Tarran, his finger poised on the trigger.

To Be Continued

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